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Five star hotels with historical elegance and grace


My favourite five star hotels:


1. Imperial Hotel, New Delhi, India
What I love:
- the restored 1930s four-storey, low rise, Victorian-style architecture and the 24 king palms entrance to the hotel
- the art – paintings, etchings, and sketches – in the rooms and hallways (it’s like staying in a museum)
- the floral displays in the foyer and throughout the hotel (the theme is changed each month)
- the spacious rooms with French linen and Art Deco style
- the staff – they are all totally dedicated and professional – and the room is cleaned twice a day
- breakfast in the morning on The Verandah
- The Spice Route restaurant, the 1911 bar, and San Gimignano restaurant
- their writing paper

2. The Regent Esplanade, Zagreb, Croatia
What I love:
- the restored 1925 hotel, originally on the Orient Express route
- the bathroom with luxurious decor, large bath, well-lit mirrors, and bathrobe
- the spacious rooms with Art Nouveau and Art Deco furnishings
- Le Bistro Esplanade in a conservatory-style atmosphere
- the food
- the staff
- the gymnasium trainer

3. Hotel Ritz, Madrid, Spain
What I love:
- the 1910 baroque style architecture (another Orient Express landmark)
- Sunday brunch in The Terrace and Gardens – with Spanish tapas
- afternoon tea in the lobby bar
- the walk-in wardrobe
- the laundry service – the best ever
- the fruit service in the room

4. Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, Australia
What I love:
- the 2000 fashion branded hotel that is pure “over-the-top” Versace
- the opulent architecture and its marble, mosaics, vaulted ceilings, and gold, gold, gold
- the waterfront setting and ambience
- the artwork lining the corridors – it’s Versace fashion history
- the spacious strikingly well-lit rooms with rich decor and Versace Home Collection linen and furnishings
- spa bath and bathrobe
- their water salon – poolside lounging at its best
- the Versace boutique

 5. Sheraton, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What I love:
- the grounds, gardens, and landscape
- the spacious rooms
- the 24-hour, luxurious, silver-service room service
- al fresco dining
- the concierge desk
- the tea service



MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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