Six Design-Forward Aparthotels We Want to Live In

Six Design-Forward Aparthotels We Want to Live In



A
flurry of design-driven aparthotels has opened across the
globe, catering to the savvy (or indecisive) traveller that seeks
all the freedom of an Airbnb – minus the leaning-tower-of-Ikea
furniture – and the creature comforts of a plush hotel (read:
banging breakfasts). These well-curated crash pads invite you to
extend your stay and linger a little longer.

Make the world your home in these serviced apartments.


hotel

United Places Botanic Gardens

Melbourne

Melbourne
is forever striving to outdo Sydney
as Australia’s coolest city, and United Places Botanic Gardens does
this – and then some – by upping the style stakes with this
minimalist home-hotel hybrid. Inside, it’s all moody interiors with
waxy concrete walls and stained-wood floors. Balconies here tickle
the lush-and-leafy edges of the Royal Botanic Gardens or overlook
the winding laneways of South Yarra. Each of the twelve apartments
are appointed a butler who can arrange everything from picnics in
the park to in-room pilates classes. Breakfast is served on your
terrace each morning by your swish butler-cum-new-best-friend.
Dining is an entirely Australian affair; expect oat-milk-soaked
bircher muesli, chilli-spiked avocado atop just-baked sourdough and
the finest flat white this side of the equator.

Address

157 Domain Road
South Yarra
VIC 3141
Australia


hotel

Whitworth Locke

Manchester, United Kingdom

Part of the arty activity that’s redrawing the “Capital of the
North”, Whitworth Locke is a lesson in Instagram-ready design.
Spread over three former cotton mills that straddle the cultural
hub around the Civic Quarter, bonbon-coloured rooms,
pistachio-coloured sofas and Scandi-esque felt walls entice
laptop-tapping Mancunian creatives. The same goes for the
foliage-filled Cotton Factory restaurant and bar (that hosts pop-up
dining experiences and showcases
Manchester’s
sullen skies through in its glass-roofed aitrium)
and The Foundation Coffee House – a Manchester institution.
Whitworth Locke’s design, delivery and details are suited to those
who blur the work-life balance and have no desire for a normal 9-5.
It’s flexible – just like the bendy yoga instructor that can be
found leading free classes in the basement gym.

Address

74 Princess Street
M1 6JD


hotel

Twenty Eight

Amsterdam

Situated in Amsterdam’s
leafy southern suburbs – Vondelpark is so close it can be classed
as your back garden – Twenty Eight combines zingy retro design with
(surprisingly) hard-to-come-by functionality. A pair of denim
flares wouldn’t look out of place here; the tangerine-coloured
headboards, mustard-velvet desk chairs and chequerboard rugs give
the apartments a distinctive 70s feel, while the smart
duck-egg-blue kitchens (with cupboards stocked with designer pots
and pans) make sure the spaces veer well away from garish Austin
Powers territory. Partnering with the neighbourhood café Het
Amsterdamse Proeflokaal, breakfast is served “Amsterdam style” with
warm bread, Dutch cheeses, fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Address

Stadionplein 260
1076 CK Amsterdam
Netherlands

This image is on holiday

hotel

The Rooms of Rome

Rime

Rome

wasn’t built in a day, which is why French architect Jean Nouvel
– of Louvre Abu Dhabi fame – wanted to showcase elements of the
ancient city’s past, present and future in these apartments. Most
of the bare bones of the palazzo have been kept intact with
visible, early 20th-century remnants, such as the pretty floor
tiles and exposed wooden beams, while elsewhere you’ll find
futuristic (and slightly intimidating) stainless-steel-grey
kitchens, wardrobes and bathrooms. Such high-design credentials
attract a fashion-conscious crowd keen to see (and be seen) at the
boundary-pushing apartments. Complimentary tours of Palazzo
Rhinoceros – available only to guests – are a must, as is dining at
Caviar Kaspia Roma. This in-house fine-dining restaurant overlooks
the rooftops and ruins of Rome and provides you with the ideal
excuse not to dirty the kitchen’s immaculate surfaces.

Address

Via del Velabro, 9
00186 Roma RM
Italy


hotel

Gorki Apartments

Berlin, Germany

Housed in Berlin’s
Mitte district (because, where else?) Gorki Apartments play with
design classics (read: bauhaus’s best bits), flea-market finds and
a smattering of Scandi – it’s a smorgasbord of your favourite
Pinterest interior accounts. Thirty five apartments and two
penthouses are decked out with Tom Dixon lights, muted earthy tones
and the (obligatory) exposed-brick walls. Mailboxes are more fun
than functional and the concierge team – chat to them via WhatsApp
– really sets these pads apart. Ask the team for anything:
fridge-filling delivery services, wine by the glass, reservations
for or BIB (that’s burgers in bed, FYI). Opt for one of the
Penthouses for al-fresco dinner on the exclusive rooftop
overlooking the cityscape. The slick surrounds are worth plumping
for if you’re planning on entertaining guests.

Address

Weinbergsweg 25, 10119


hotel

The Gate

London

Spread across 21 storeys in Aldgate East, The Gate is on the
threshold of the slick City
proper and the buzzing East End – ideal for bleisure travellers
combining work and play. The 189 urban-luxe apartments benefit from
louche touches – Hypnos beds, Le Labo toiletries, mid-century
furniture – that elevate the day-to-day without sacrificing home
comforts that make these apartments stand out from your standard
hotel offering. Guests enjoy a fully kitted-out kitchen, dining
area and washing machine, for instance – and a Peloton bike, if
you’re splurging on the Penthouse. In-house restaurant Maple &
Co makes sure you won’t go hungry thanks to a spread of free-from
morning pastries, hearty hot lunch boxes and evening tipples –
though we particularly like the “Deliveroo to your door” service.
Finished up in the art-filled, co-working-friendly Members’ Lounge?
Avail of its wine vending machine or get sweaty with the in-house
PT before joining a barbecue on the panoramic outdoor terrace.

Address

41 White Church Lane
London
E1 7QR
UK


hotel

The Levee

Tel Aviv

Affluent, free-spirited and arguably
Tel Aviv’s
prettiest neighbourhood, Neve Tzedek has tree-lined
boulevards lined with courtyard cafés, hip homeware stores and
intimate galleries. It’s the city’s most desirable district and,
after a meticulous eight-year restoration, The Levee fits right in.

Bauhaus
architecture merges with striking onyx columns; iconic
Italian furnishings and century-old polished concrete walls reveal
flecks of seashell from the city’s sandy shores. Eight apartments
adopt the urban aesthetic each with wraparound windows, jewel-toned
velvet armchairs and marble-clad bathrooms – think Parisian bobo
mixed with Brooklynite grit. Sun-dappled terraces dotted with
fragrant herb gardens tempt you to put the smart kitchen to good
use and cook. Stock up at Shuk HaCarmel –
Tel Aviv’s
main bazaar – and stay in.

Address

Yehuda ha-Levi Street 16
Tel Aviv-Yafo
Israel