A collection of retreats in idyllic places all around the globe. Mexico, Morocco, India, South Africa, Tahiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Columbia, Chile, Bali, Portugal, Spain and Australia - this book seeks to cover the full range of potential escape experiences. From the Renaissance beauty of J.P. Getty's villa on the shores of Italy to a handful of luxurious tents on a remote island in the China Sea, here are options which are simple yet sophisticated, catering to both our instinct for escape and desire for comfort. Ralph Lauren, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Mongiardino and Alain Ducasse are just some of the famous names in contemporary architecture, design and gastronomy who have had a hand in creating these retreats.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon Review
Escape society: that's been the motivating dream of books from Henry David Thoreau's Walden to Alex Garland's The Beach but in Herbert Ypma's Hip Hotels: Escape it's not just a dream. Interior design expert (and author of Hip Hotels: City) Ypma tracks down photographs and meticulously records over 40 hotels around the world that will, in his opinion, provide a real escape from the pressures of modern life.
For some, escape means roughing it in nature--climbing a mountain, trekking with a backpack. Ypma's idea of escape is more sophisticated. The best escape locations, he writes, "amplify the attractions of their setting" and enable us to recognise "man's ability to enhance the beauty of a beautiful place." It's no surprise, then, that the hotels Ypma chooses don't have the conventional feel of a Hilton or Sheraton; many are family-run and all are unique. At Amandari, on Bali, guests don't get a room, they get a house positioned along walkways that echo the arrangement of a traditional Balinese village. At the Ice Hotel in Sweden, glasses and beds are literally made out of ice. It's important to the author that the hotels he describes have been constructed with ecological sensitivity: most, like the log cabins of Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado, are built from local materials and their food and design reflect local culture.
The hotels are listed in alphabetical order by country. Addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and room rates (in local currencies) are provided. Despite their relatively small sizes, France, Great Britain, and Italy get the most attention; combined they have 13 hotels to North America's five, South America's two and Australia's one. Ympa's luscious, detailed photographs accompany equally descriptive text that's rich in cultural detail and literary reference (Carey on Australia, Chatwin on Chile). The author has a habit of mentioning the stars, actors, media and entertainment types who have vacationed at each hotel. This may grate some nerves but it also points to a shift in travel patterns; as travel becomes less exclusive, it's not only the stars who get the chance to combine luxury with environmental awareness in their choice of escape destinations. --Tamsin Todd
Review
'There are few people more expert than Herbert Ypma. His HIP HOTELS series has raised the bar for hotels as destinations'
-- GT
-- GT
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Throw away those dated Fodors and Lonely Planet that mention a small cute hotel by the beach and you discover a hut near a parking lot, simply because the writer never actually bother to check it out!. Here the answer is in photography. Fantastic, I have checked already a few places, including La Posta Vecchia in Rome (a real true Palazzo) and Gazelle D'Or in Morocco (a true oasis)... frankly just one word: fantastic book, great recommendations and top ideas for your interior! Bravo Ypma
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Writing and researching this book has to be the worlds best job. Each of the other books in the Hip Hotels series sit on my coffee table and are flicked through on a regular basis by visitors. Each time I will hear 'I have been there' or doesn't that look amazing.
This book does not disappoint. The selection of hotels is as diverse as ever and the pictures are stunning. My only observation along with all the other books in the series is that this should not be used as a travel guide or a brochure replacement. It is a great coffee table book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
An incredible symphony of colours and illustrations, and a great help to plan my next holidays away from the boring Hilton! The top recommendations for hideaways after the urban hotels of Hip Hotels City.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just what I have been looking for!!!!
This is one of those information(and could also be a beautiful coffee table book) books that you will just keep forever. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ONLY guide for the traveller with a taste for the exotic
Like his other publications, Ypma has exhibited his sexy sense of style in Hip Hotels Escape. Pages loaded with colour and light, each Hotel beckons the reader at every turn. Read more
Published on 27 April 2000 by zoehoare@hotmail.com
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
