The best stays of our honeymoon

6 countries and 12 cities across Europe and these were our favourite hotels

Elina Lawrie and I just returned from an epic honeymoon. I've decided to post a few of the highlights broken down by category instead of location. This post focuses on #hotels and homes. We recognize how extremely lucky we are to have the ability to stay in such wonderful locations and are grateful for this privilege and honour. At the same time, our hosts deserve recognition for the beautiful #experiences they've created and I hope you are able to visit at least one of these #destinations for the time you spend reading.

Silent Living , #Portugal

Portugal's Silent Living is perhaps the most exquisite combination of values, #design , #food and space I've encountered. 3 days isolated at Casa na Terra forced the calming state necessary to begin to understand Portugal's values: family, food and drink; home, quiet and presence. These were reinforced during our final shared meal? Silent Living 's CEIA.

Portugal, you taught us a new way to live, which we hope to retain and share.

Casa na Terra: https://www.silentliving.pt/houses/casa-na-terra/

A few words from Silent Living's site on how they came to occupy Casa na Terra:

"One of the Silent Living homes is in the heart of #Alentejo near #Monsaraz . It is a spectacular conversation between architecture and earth. The house is something to discover and enjoy and share with others. It is like stumbling upon a treasure, barely visible within its own surroundings. It seemingly melts into the earth while simultaneously emerging from it.

Our first visit to the house was for a meal, naturally. We had been invited by our friends for a long and leisurely lunch. We immediately fell in love with it. Soon after, they asked us if we would like to take care of it, and share it with our guests.

We gladly accepted. Everything about the residence reflected Silent Living and our values. It was peaceful, almost enchanted, and a place where any guest would be profoundly at ease. It’s connection to nature was effortless. Moreover, looking after it as our own, is everything Silent Living stands for; to nurture and care for what is most precious, which is the connection with loved ones, family, and friends, while sharing a delicious meal and enjoying Nature.

Designed by our dear friend and architect Manuel Aires Mateus, the project won ArchDaily 's Building of the Year in 2020."

CEIA: https://www.silentliving.pt/houses/casa-na-terra/

Silent Living also created the most amazing meal of our trip (more on this and other meals in a forthcoming post).

Again, in their words:

"CEIA brings a unique fine dining experience where 14 guests share the same table and the same menu.

Ceia - the portuguese word for supper - recalls comfort, history and friendship.?

It also represents one of the most important values within the portuguese culture - the pleasure of preparing and sharing our food with those we most care about - bringing the opportunity to create a very special moment at the end of each day."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CiUe2tDAIwl/

Mona, Athens

https://mona-athens.com/ :

@mona_athens , made our brief visit to #Athens with my sister-in-law?@kmaclean19 ?and brother?@ajhallen ?a pleasure.

From the doorknobs to the staff to the artwork, every touch was old and young, beautiful and meaningful, comfortable, vintage and contemporary.

This little hotel’s description is appropriately grand:

“Mona represents a new era for the concept-led?#boutique ?#hotel ?and multi-disciplinary space. Staged in an eight-story?#industrial ?factory from the 1950s, it features 20 characterful rooms, a concept?#cafe ?#lounge ?&?#bar ...

…guests enjoy endless urban sceneries of?#Athens ?and its famous?#Acropolis , paired with local delicacies and hand-picked natural wines.

Mona contains a?#gallery ?within its quarters – works of?#art ?spread organically throughout its spaces – and also acts as a sales showroom.

Mona is located in?#Psirri ?–?#Athens’ most vibrant neighbourhood. The area’s authentic, unconventional and cultural character dates back to the early 20th century, when working-class outlaws and Asia Minor?#refugees ?(called “Manges” and “Rebetes”) lived alongside each other, often singing songs about loss and unrequited love...

We designed Mona with great respect for the building’s 1950s?#architecture ... Emphasis was given to preserving original features, including a bold iron staircase, terrazzo floors, the original metal windows, and marble fa?ade."

A former textile factory, the building’s natural materials (including cement, metal and stone) exude industrial and urban tones, harmoniously balancing the old with the new. The passage of time and the change it brings with it are visible in the striped-back layers of wall paint that resemble works of art.

Many of the fixtures and objects you’ll encounter were sustainably made from materials our team found when we first ventured inside Mona...

Moving through Mona’s interiors is an immersive experience. Accented by eclectic objects and artworks in every space (all of which are available to purchase), the aesthetic allows for new formations and constant reinvention...”

@shila_maison_dobjets

@shila_athens

@eftihia

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7132 Hotels , Vals

https://7132.com

This?#hotel ?and?#spa ?were highlights of our trip. After 14 hours of travel on 4 epic #trains through the #alps (+ two car transfers),?@7132hotel ?and the Thermes de Vals #spa , both designed by?@zumthor_peter ?soothed our minds and bodies.

We arrived at 21h00 and used the spas from 23-01h00 and the again the next morning. The hotel then closed for 2 days as it does every week: an alternative to closing during the low season that an employee appreciated for its predictability.

Phones aren’t allowed in the spas so my shots are of the exteriors but here’s a description of the interior and this post has interior shots :

“A masterpiece in Vals quartzite, Peter Zumthor created a magnificent, internationally acclaimed architectural masterpiece when he designed the thermal baths. Made from 60,000 slabs of Vals quartzite, the thermal baths were granted protected heritage status shortly after their completion. The unique atmosphere and the highly mineralised water that comes out of the St. Peter spring at a pleasant 30° Celsius makes the time you spend in the thermal baths a deeply relaxing experience.”

The rooms in the House of Architects were designed by some of our favourites including:

Thom Mayne (@morphosisarchitects ?)’s “three-dimensionally lined with local wood… shower stands freely…as an organically shaped sculpture.

KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES (?@kkaa_official ?)’s “cozy cocoon that literally hugs you with its modern oak wood panels from Switzerland.”

Tadao Ando ’s “homage to the subtle aesthetics of Japanese tea houses.”

#architectural ?#architecture ?#design ?#architecturephotography ?#architect ?#architecturelovers ?#interiordesign ?#archilovers ?#architects ?#archdaily ?#building ?#art ?#interior ?#studiomagga ?#siddhantjadhav ?#architecturedesign ?#photography ?#modernism ?#architectures ?#archi ?#postmodernism ?#concrete ?#archidaily ?#arquitectura ?#architect #peterzumthor?#architecturedaily ?#architecturestudent ?#zumthor

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjFjZnlNfjH/

Alex Lake Zürich

https://alexlakezurich.com/en/home

"Located on the Western shore of this iconic #Swiss lake, [the Alex Lake Hotel] has a unique position sitting on the water’s edge" and was another of our best stays. Can't say more about this 5-star within minutes of #Zurich and from which I jumped in the lake daily.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjG2cWvtXIy/