Hotel review: Morgan’s Rock, Nicaragua

Adelto | 4 Mar 2015

When it comes to eco design, there’s little to beat high-end eco lodge Morgan’s Rock. It was built to showcase the beauty of the location – San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua – but with minimum impact on the environment. Owner Eric Poncon, said: “We wanted guests to remain connected to the most basic and fundamental elements of nature, be it the sound of the ocean, the uplifting feeling of the natural breeze, the refreshing smell of rain on unpaved soils, and the multiplicity of sounds of animals, small, medium and large, night and day!” This is fortunate, given that the lodge is surrounded by a nature reserve of 4000 acres of reforested land and dry rain forest, and fringed by a glorious mile-long stretch of beach.

• Travel: Americas

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Eco-chic Monaci Delle Terre Nere, Italy

Adelto | 28 Sep 2014

It’s a Sicilian paradise. He was, he says, instantly besotted and decided to dedicate his life to its restoration. That was in 2007 when Guido Coffa – a former automotive engineer – chanced upon La Monaci, a 19th-century villa in the foothills of Mt Etna, Sicily. It was then a working farm. Five years later, writes Caroline Phillips, it’s a very different story. It’s a chic, stylish boutique hotel with 15 bedrooms/suites in the villa and others dotted on the 40- acre organic estate. Welcome to Monaci delle Terre Nere.

• Travel: Europe/ Africa

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Beverly Hills Hotel’s Marilyn Monroe Inspired Suite

Adelto | 11 Apr 2014

The beautiful results of this grande Hollywood dame’s enhancement are seen in Suite 100. Its style is Marilyn Monroe – once a frequent hotel guest – meets Paul Williams, the original architect who designed the hotel’s ‘polo lounge’ and iconic pink-and-green colour scheme. The original palm-leaf wallpaper remains, as does the cheeky forties vibe – but the powder, bubble gum and candyfloss pink have been replaced with zingy citrus and furnishings in rich hues of green and blue. So much so that the new suite feels crisp, cool and de nos jours. It’s modern but still classic, with curved ceilings and walls, forests of black lacquer and about a zillion silk cushions. 

• Travel: Americas

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Glamorous treehouse escape at Chewton Glen

Adelto | 5 Feb 2014

It’s what the Swiss Family Robinson would have built, had they met the Blue Forest design team. A Chewton Glen treehouse. The ultimate reinvention of the country house hotel. The six treehouses – or ‘treehouse suites’ as they’re known – look simple and rustic outside, like floating wooden space ships hiding in the woods. But ones with wraparound balconies and al fresco hot tubs that brush the tree canopy.

• Travel: Europe/ Africa

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