VIENNA AUSTRIA $236
At the 16th-century Hotel König von Ungarn (10 Schulerstrasse; 43-1/515-840; www.kvu.at; breakfast
included), just a short walk from St. Stephen's
Cathedral, gilded mirrors, boldly graphic wallpaper, and
chandeliers ensure that no two rooms are alike. Sip coffee
in the glass-covered courtyard atrium, steps away from
where Mozart composed The Marriage of Figaro, or try
a sekt (traditional sparkling wine) at the bar.
ANTWERP BELGIUM $191
The two charcoal-colored town houses of the Hotel
Julien (24 Korte Nieuwstraat; 32-3/229-0600;
www.hotel-julien.com; breakfast included) are
surrounded by 17th-century churches, gabled mansions,
and cobblestoned alleys. The pared-down interiors combine
blond wood surfaces with whitewashed furniture and handmade
white porcelain vases. Orchids are everywhere. Freshly
brewed coffee and Belgian chocolates are available around
the clock in the library, which is filled with stacks of
international magazines and art books.
PRAGUE CZECH REPUBLIC $187
Most of the city's upscale hotels are impersonal, catering
to a business crowd. Not the Maximilian (14
Haštalská; 420-2/2530-3118;
www.maximilianhotel.com; breakfast included), a welcoming spot
near the Old Town Square. For a recent revamp, Czech-born
and London-based Eva Jiricna (of Hotel Josef fame) ditched
the former cookie-cutter look in favor of light, geometric
designs. The compact rooms have imposing dark-wood
headboards that reach to the ceiling, and Philippe Starck
bathroom fixtures. The on-site spa specializes in Thai
massage, a first for Prague.
COPENHAGEN DENMARK $151
To launch its latest car, Volkswagen commissioned 21
international graphic designers, graffiti artists, and
illustrators from São Paulo to Hokkaido to renovate
the 61-room Hotel Fox (3 Jarmers Plads;
45-3/313-3000; www.hotelfox.dk), where the wildly
fantastic décor is the draw. Brisbane-based design
group Rinzen created the Sleep Seasons room (a brown
pitched tent surrounded by a forest mural), and
Friendswithyou, from Miami, covered the Harmony's Helm room
with 25,000 powder-blue and canary-yellow mosaic tiles.
COPENHAGEN DENMARK $214
Right next to Town Hall—and close to the train
station, Tivoli Gardens, and the Strøget
shops—the Square (14 Rådhuspladsen;
45-3/338-1200; www.thesquare.dk) is emphatically
unsquare, with scarlet Arne Jacobsen Egg chairs in the
lobby and striking black-and-white photographs lining the
halls. As at many Scandinavian hotels, the feather
duvet–topped beds are dressed in plain white linens.
The sunny top-floor restaurant is open only for breakfast,
a smorgasbord of hearty breads and cheeses. For dinner,
don't miss the herring or the roast pork and cabbage at
nearby Det Lille Apotek.
BRIGHTON ENGLAND $165
In the middle of a grand sweep of wedding cake–style
buildings known as the Regency Mile, the discreet sign for
Drakes (43–44 Marine Parade;
44-1273/696-934; www.drakesofbrighton.com) is easy to
miss. But behind their scarlet lacquered door is a
diminutive 20-room inn filled with objets d'art. Splurge on
one of the balconied suites with a freestanding tub
overlooking the sea. The Gingerman—a modern British
restaurant, which opened a year ago—has already
become a local favorite.
LONDON ENGLAND $164
Too often, bed-and-breakfast implies dingy paint and
graying curtains. Enter Penny Brown, Colette Huck, and
Lynne Reid, the owners of the 17-room B&B
Belgravia (64–66 Ebury St.; 44-207/259-8570;
www.bb-belgravia.com; breakfast included), who have 40
years of hotel experience between them. The trio went high
style, gutting a Victorian town house in one of the city's
most exclusive neighborhoods. Now, orange pansies brighten
the entrance, an Ingo Maurer chandelier hangs in the foyer,
and a Conran-style sofa sits in the front room, where
guests take cappuccino by the fire. The hotel has no
restaurant or bar, but an organic full English breakfast is
prepared in a cheery room overlooking the garden.
LONDON ENGLAND $225
South Beach meets the East Village at London's cutting-edge
K West Hotel & Spa (Richmond Way;
44-870/027-4343; www.k-west.co.uk). Noel Pierce of
Pierce Design International—who also did the
Peninsula in Hong Kong—fashioned 220 calm rooms,
blending soft taupes, creams, and browns with stainless
steel and sandblasted glass. Even cooler than the
décor are the guests (mostly media mavens and
touring musicians), who keep the scene at the K Lounge
rocking all night long and recover the next day with
holistic treatments at the Asian-inspired spa.
HELSINKI FINLAND $140
The Hotel Linna (29 Lönnrotinkatu;
358-10/344-4100; www.palace.fi), a 1903 Finnish Art
Nouveau fortress, was originally the local university's
student union building. Historical details (stone arches,
stained-glass windows) have been preserved in the public
spaces; the 48 rooms have been spiffed up with leather
headboards, suede chairs, and mod Diogenes lamps. Ask for
No. 401, the only guest room in the imposing round tower
and steps away from one of the hotel's three saunas.
PARIS FRANCE $193
The 47-room Général Hôtel (5–7 Rue Rampon, 11th Arr.; 33-1/47-00-41-57;
www.legeneralhotel.com), just off the Place de la
République, recently received a makeover by
architect Jean-Philippe Nuel, who designed two other
beloved affordable Paris hotels: the Axial Beaubourg and
the Lavoisier. New touches include a sleek lobby and bar
(low cocoa-colored suede sofas, walls covered in graphic
floral images), rooms in neutral tones, all-white
bathrooms, and a green apple on every pillow.
