From New York to Melbourne via the Côte d’Azur: Three smart addresses for your next getaway

1.
Hannah St Hotel
Melbourne

Melbourne’s creative spirit is writ large across Hannah St Hotel, the latest opening from Sydney-based group TFE Hotels. Interior designer David Flack treated the newly built 188-key hotel, which sits a few blocks from the Yarra river in Melbourne’s Southbank area, as something of a blank canvas.

Its classy, sometimes quirky design was dreamt up by Flack’s namesake studio. Taking inspiration from 1920s French and Italian modernism, 1930s elegance, 1950s curves and 1980s blush tones, Flack Studio’s design influences are melded into a considered whole. The studio is also behind the characterful custom guest-room furniture. “For instance, the electric-blue armchair is inspired by the 1926 Bibendum armchair by Eileen Gray,” says Flack. “The hotel was about creating something that felt like it had a sense of permanence – as though it had been here for decades.”

European echoes continue at Coupette, a corner bistro that is accessible from the street. Then there’s chic Bar Hannah, as well as Hannah St Coffee, a coffee shop serving the sort of speciality brews that caffeine-craving Melburnians demand. A sizeable indoor pool, gym and co-working space complete the picture.
hannahsthotel.com

2.
Le Provençal
Côte d’Azur

At the tip of the rocky Giens peninsula on the Côte d’Azur, Le Provençal hotel – now in its third generation of family ownership – has undergone a renovation by Parisian architect and designer Rodolphe Parente. “We believe in what we do more than ever,” says Damien Piffet, who took over in 2012 with his brother, Benjamin, and their partners, Julie Liger and Lene Arentsen. The 41-room hotel has been reborn in airy neutral colours and warm tones that complement original details from the hotel, which opened in 1957. The four restaurants, including the stately La Rascasse and 1960s design gem Le Bar du Soleil, use ingredients sourced from within 30km of the property. From the surrounding garden, designed by Provençal landscape architect Jean Mus, a pathway descends to the hotel’s pool, which is carved into the rocky coast and has frequently made appearances in films and fashion shoots. Retaining the hotel’s golden-age glamour has long been a priority, keeping the family project rooted. “We’re kids from this village,” says Piffet. “You can’t recreate what we give to this hotel.”
provencalhotel.com

3.
Pocketbook Hudson
New York

A restored 19th-century textile mill is now home to Pocketbook Hudson – a hotel, restaurant and shopping hub. Interiors include lamps and mirrors by Misha Kahn, millwork by woodworkers Primary Visual and custom water jugs by Mamo, while in the bathrooms you’ll find robes by Eckhaus Latta. At Ambos restaurant, overseen by Argentinian chef Norberto Piattoni, there’s a celebration of the Hudson Valley’s regional bounty, plus plenty of cooking on an open flame and fermentation. “It takes me back to my roots in Argentina,” says Piattoni. Try the pork chop cooked over embers and served with charred Asian pear.
pocketbookhudson.com