Life & Style | Travel

Global hangout: Chewton Glen Hotel, Hampshire

If treehouses were your thing as a kid, this glam, grow-up version is going to knock your adult-sized socks off

By Lucy Wildman, Scene magazine
Published: 10:49 October 17, 2012

Image Credit: Supplied picture
Get blissed-out for the day in the Chewton Glen's internationally renowned health spa (voted one of the top 10 in the UK by Conde Nast Traveller, amongst other heavyweight titles).

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England
Chewton Glen Hotel, Hampshire

Nestled in a secluded valley in the heart of Hampshire’s beautiful New Forest, the super-exclusive Chewton Glen Hotel’s multi-million dirham development of 12 luxury treehouses promises the kind of arboreal splendour glamorous Tarzan types are going to love. Built on stilts with giant, floor-to-ceiling windows and a vast deck offering amazing views of the lush countryside, each of the leafy canopied pods has been individually designed to reflect the natural splendour of its woodland location whilst you enjoy the trappings of luxury living.

With enormous, marshmallow soft beds, a log burner, huge walk in closet (stocked with Hunter wellies and umbrellas for wet-weather woodland walks), top of the range entertainment system, wall-to-wall shower, and outdoor hot tub on your private terrace amongst other examples of A-list lifestyle loveliness, treehouse guests can relax in total peace and tranquillity (even your breakfast hamper is silently delivered each morning through a secret hatchway) with nothing more than the local wildlife for company at the breakfast table. Of course, with the imposing 200-year-old country hotel just a 60-second golf buggy ride away, if total isolation is not what you’re after, there is much to enjoy from the award-winning English hideaway. Get blissed-out for the day in the internationally renowned health spa (voted one of the top 10 in the UK by Conde Nast Traveller, amongst other heavyweight titles), sample exceptional cuisine at it’s Vetiver restaurant (another award-winner) or take a 20-minute wander, by way of the immaculate croquet lawn, down to the stunning Highcliffe Beach, which boasts magnificent views of Hampshire and neighbouring Dorset’s spectacular prehistoric coastlines, before heading back to your top-notch treetop bolt-hole. From Dh3,550- per-night, you’d be barking mad not to branch out and try it.
Details Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, New Milton, New Forest, Hampshire, England | +44 1425 275 341 | www.chewtonglen.com

Inside Info

Don’t want to leave your woodland wonderland to chill out in the spa? You don’t have to. Indulge in one of three luxurious in-tree house treatments from the tranquil setting of your own suite. Try the Cocooned in Nature treatment, a decadent two-hour body brush and essential oil massage ritual, which will leave you feeling, quite literally, top-of-the-trees.

USA
The Spare Room, Hollywood

Bowling in style – an oxymoron, right? Not if you happen to be heading for the Spare Room at the legendary Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The home of the very first Academy Awards Ceremony, and a favoured hangout of hundreds of movie stars in its 80-year history, the hotel’s very own bespoke-design bowling alley, The Spare Room, has received major pin-terest from showbiz circles, attracting celebrities night after to the luxe gaming parlour. With two vintage bowling lanes, custom-made sets of dominoes and a speakeasy cocktail lounge scene with its lavish use of velvet, dark leather and polished dark wood, The Spare Room oozes civilized illegality and pays homage to the real goings-on at the storied hotel in the 1920s. Better still, the bowling shoes look just as good as the décor.
The Hollywood Roosevelt, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, LA, CA, 90028
+323 466 7000 www.thompsonhotels.com

USA

David Webb, New York

From Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor to Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani, David Webb’s spectacular statement jewellery has been capturing the hearts of Hollywood’s glamorous elite since 1948, and their magnificent Madison Avenue flagship boutique is just as dazzling as the rocks on offer.

More lavish mansion than private showroom, the newly-renovated boutique, above which the in-house artisans work, was designed by architect Peter Pennoyer with interiors by Katie Ridder. Luxurious, intimate – and the perfect setting to show off the stunning, gem-encrusted trinkets, if you have a spare Dh20,000 burning a hole in your pocket on your next trip to the Big Apple, drop in and check out what the A-list love about this legendary jewellery house.
942 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
+ 212 421 3030 www.davidwebb.com