logo
ENع
#

Latest news with #boutique

Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch review: Branson's bold new pad with a rooftop pool
Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch review: Branson's bold new pad with a rooftop pool

Times

time04-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Times

Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch review: Branson's bold new pad with a rooftop pool

Number 45 Curtain Road seems to have more lives than the proverbial cat. In the past decade alone it has been the Curtain boutique hotel, then the Mondrian. Now it's Richard Branson's first London hotel, set in a vibey faux-industrial Shoreditch space that wouldn't look out of place in New York's Meatpacking District, with its red brick and Crittall window exterior. Inside, it has had the Virgin treatment: a red carpet entrance in the lobby, Smeg fridges the colour of lipstick and terracotta-toned headboards in the rooms. The social spaces channel the playfulness of the Virgin brand very nicely. Downstairs is the fun Hidden Grooves, a listening bar with plenty of vinyl; on the roof is the London outpost of the Ibiza beach club Blue Marlin and a puny, poseur-y pool. Staff are welcoming, helpful and trendy, ready to dole out intel about the best neighbourhood spots. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Score 8/10'Chambers', as they are known in Virgin speak, all come with postbox-red doors and brass knockers. There are 120 of them, ranging from chamber kings, the smallest rooms at a compact 22 sq m, to the so-called Sir Richard's penthouse flat, the blockbuster option with entertainment space that's a mainstay in all Virgin hotels. In the middle are grand chambers and 13 other suites, some of which occupy the building's corners and therefore have a lovely street aspect. The sixth-floor rooms come with generous terraces for people-watching in this trendiest of postcodes. All rooms have the signature Virgin lounge bed, inspired by Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class plane seats, with a fabric nook at each corner so guests can prop themselves up, plus homely additions such as hand-woven rugs from the Eve Branson Foundation, which supports female Moroccan artisans. Bathrooms in all categories have luxurious steam showers and stylish all-white design; only the suites have a roll-top bath in the bedroom. The one-bedroom suites come with sofa beds for children but, while smaller guests are welcomed, the vibe is firmly adult. Score 7/10Hidden Grooves is part mid-century listening bar — guests can play their own records on the two Technics turntables — and part Virgin memorabilia shrine (spot the picture of a young Branson at a Virgin Megastore). It's a handsome space. The bar counter is snazzy green terrazzo and the bar stools are red velvet. Two giant wooden Westminster speakers are powerful enough to broadcast to actual Westminster, a few miles down the road. DJs — playing vinyl only — soundtrack the evenings, while guests order signature rosé Laurent-Perrier champagne (naturally) or cocktails inspired by bands that signed to the original Virgin records. A punk punch, inspired by the Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen, is a take on a spicy margarita (cocktails from £15). It's delicious small plates here only, ranging from the Korean fried cauliflower to sloppy sliders and tuna tartare, but order enough and you'll feel you've had a good feed. The ostentatious Blue Marlin, a members' club, takes over the seventh-floor restaurant and fairy-lit terrace (cocktails from £14). The rooftop is also where breakfast basics are served, if included in your rate: there's a small menu including a full English, avocado on toast and granola and yoghurt. If the sun's shining, this place overlooking the City's skyscrapers feels more like San Antonio than Shoreditch, particularly if you splash about in the 32C pool. Score 7/10Blue Marlin also runs the basement club space, although there's a separate entrance on nearby Scrutton Street and, as it's an external operation, guests don't automatically get access. Also underground is a decently sized, funky green-and-black-striped gym with cardio equipment and weights plus three treatment rooms — both are available to Blue Marlin members and guests. In the hipster triangle between Shoreditch High Street, Old Street and Liverpool Street. The bars and clubs of Great Eastern Street are on your doorstep, and it's a ten-minute walk to Shoreditch High Street and Liverpool Street stations. Don't stay here if you want peace and quiet. • Room-only doubles from £300• Restaurant small plates from £4• Accessible Y• Family-friendly N• Dog-friendly Y Cathy Adams was a guest of Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch (

I visited the sunny Scottish island that feels more like a chic Caribbean beach holiday
I visited the sunny Scottish island that feels more like a chic Caribbean beach holiday

The Sun

time30-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Sun

I visited the sunny Scottish island that feels more like a chic Caribbean beach holiday

I HAD only been awake for an hour and I'd immersed myself in Scandinavia and the Caribbean, with a side helping of haggis. Such is the joyful confusion of taking a holiday on Scotland's sunshine island of Tiree. 4 4 4 Dubbing somewhere the 'sunniest place in Scotland' sounds like faint praise — a bit like awarding a prize for the sandiest part of the Sahara or best-ever episode of Crossroads. But, thanks to the Gulf Stream, Tiree — with its population of barely 600 — really does have more hours of sunshine than anywhere on the UK mainland per year, despite its chilly-looking position in the Inner Hebrides islands. Checking into the Reef Inn after the three-hour ferry crossing from the pretty mainland town of Oban, I felt I'd been transported to a chic boutique bolthole in Helsinki or Stockholm. While so many hotels in the Scottish Highlands and Islands have maintained a traditional decor of wall-to-wall tartan and complimentary shortbread, the Reef Inn does things differently. Pale wood floors, sheepskin throws, a white four-poster bed and funky Scandi-retro furniture fitted in fabulously well with the views out over an unusual landscape. Unusual because Tiree doesn't have the soaring mountains, blind glens and deep forests you would expect from the Hebrides. This island is table-mat flat, giving the views from my window a gorgeously calming air, with the rolling grasslands and the odd cottage being the only distraction from the panoramically large blue skies, dotted with the smallest ice cream scoops of cloud. After a delicious breakfast of potato scones and vegetarian haggis, I drove to explore Tiree's main draw — its quite stupendous beaches. Turquoise waters There are dozens of coves, bays and yawning stretches of sand tucked into the folds of Tiree, but none are more beautiful than Balephetrish. Located on the western edge of this tiny, 12 mile by three mile island, I began strolling along an immense curve of sand the colour of vanilla and milk, and as soft as gossamer, all backed by Mohican tufts of marram grass. Discover the Scenic Arran Coastal Way It's a gorgeous day and yet, as the turquoise waters kiss the shoreline, I'm the only person here barring one man grappling manfully with his surfboard, perhaps in training for the Tiree Wave Classic event which is held every October. I don't even have to scrunch up my eyes to pretend that I'm in one of the quieter, more chic Caribbean islands, like Anguilla or Grand Turk, except there's no sun loungers and nobody trying to get me to buy overpriced cocktails. Tiree offers something far more disorientating than a shot of rum; this is an island that's home to some deeply strange structures known as 'brochs'. Built sometime between the first century BC and the first century AD, it's believed that these circular stone structures were lived in by invaders from England, who ruled over the local population. The broch I clambered around, called Dun Mor Vaul, still has its lower circular stone walls intact. With just a few hardy sheep for company, the view from the summit here is enchanting; a soft, whispering breeze rustles the clusters of thrift sea pink flowers, while skylarks and oystercatchers sing their way out over the silver and tin coloured waves. 4 Back on Balephetrish Bay later that day, I sigh as the sand slips between my toes and the sun casts its beam upon my shoulders. I'm seriously starting to wonder why I ever submitted to an eight-hour flight to Barbados. Tiree is the Caribbean beach holiday destination you can reach without a passport. And it turns out that haggis, heat and the Hebrides make for a surprisingly seductive combination.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store