Whatley Manor
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
At Whatley Manor's award-winning spa in Wiltshire, we found the naked clay rubbing in the private heated chamber was a unique and certainly hot-and-steamy experience. You might look like Mr & Mrs Stig of the Dump for the duration, but boy will your skin feel good afterwards. Whatley Manor is the creation of Christian Landolt, in international event rider who has lived locally for 14 years. His vision was to create a hotel where sophisticated individuals could find international standards of comfort and elegance delivered in a highly personal style. (www.whatleymanor.com)
Hotel J
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
For cocktail hour with a difference, come to the fabulous Hotel J in Stockholm, Sweden, and watch the midnight sun whilst sitting on the lawn with a large vodka. After a fifteen-minute boat trip from central Stockholm you come ashore at Hotel J in Nacka Strand. The restaurant is inspired by a summer house in Newport , America and the name comes from the America’s Cup. J was a measurement rule that was used for sailing yachts in the 1930s, and still today many experts on sailing believe that J-Class yachts are among the world’s best constructed boats.
Most of Hotel J's beautiful rooms, have been decorated by the design agency R.O.O.M., have a balcony or their own patio with a view of one of the world’s most beautiful harbour entrances. (www.hotelj.com)
Villa Bordoni
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
Where better to enjoy a lazy lunch with a view than Tuscany? For a memorable meal washed down with some of the region's best vintage wines, Villa Bordoni is hard to beat.
Villa Bordoni, a sophisticated country house hotel, nestles in the grey-green hills immediately above the town of Greve, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. This 16th century noble villa commands an extraordinary vantage point over the unspoiled Chianti hills and their biblical landscape of vineyards, terraced olive groves and forest.(www.villabordoni.com)
Hotel on Rivington
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
The floor-to-ceiling windows at Hotel on Rivington, New York, treat guests to jaw-dropping vistas across the city's iconic skyline. The creative under current that powers the New York neighbourhood makes it the most exciting part of the city to visit. The area has arrived, but it retains its colourful urban diversity. The Hotel on Rivington boast unobstructed, 360 degree city views and large rooms, with steam showers and Japanese style soaking baths. (www.hotelonrivington.com)
Hotel du Vin (Henley)
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
A few years ago it was still a novelty to have a free-standing bathtub in your bedroom, and one of the first hotels to impress with twin tubs was Hotel du Vin in Henley.
The classical Georgian façade of the old Brakspears Brewery on New Street, only 50 yards from the riverside moorings and in the heart of the historic town centre, is now home to Hotel du Vin & Bistro Henley-on-Thames.
Every inch of the superb brewery architecture has been converted, whilst the nature of the original building has been preserved with one of three Private Dining Rooms being carved out of the fermentation room and old malt house. The collection of buildings encircling the old brewery yard houses 43 bedrooms and suites, together with the trademark Hotel du Vin Bistro and Champagne Bar.
Jardin Secrets
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
Violet jam or jasmine conserve with another freshly baked croissant, anyone? Why not treat yourself to a long weekend in France and check into Jardins Secrets, one of the most luxurious boutique hotels in Nîmes. The communal areas of this tranquil townhouse hotel in Nîmes are littered with books, photographs, musical paraphernalia and aviaries full of tiny singing birds. (www.jardinssecrets.net)
Dar Ahlam in Ouarzazate
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
If the way to your lover's heart is through their stomach, check into Dar Ahlam in Ouarzazate, Morocco, where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and supper all set in a inspiring spot arranged by hotel staff. (www.darahlam.com)
Vigilius Mountain Resort
At Vigilius Mountain Resort, there's no shortage of white-knuckle wonders to keep your love affair on its toes. Our reviewer booked in for the perfect thrill: a tandem parachute jump.
1500 meters above everyday life. No traffic noise, no rushed business meetings, no arrivals nor departures by car. The vigilius can be reached exclusively by cablecar. The air is laden with calm, tranquil thoughts, flavoured with the invigorating scent of the larch woods.
Here it is possible to regain what you have been longing for; a clear view of oneself, a renewed vision of life. There is nothing obtrusive, nothing rigid. You alone define what to do. (www.vigilius.it)
Ajia Hotel
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
When in Istanbul, why not treat your paramour to a romantic boat ride across the Bosphorus to the Ajia Hotel. (www.aiahotel.com)
Hotel Omm
Photograph: Adrian Houston for Mr & Mrs Smith
For a memorable Asian-style spa experience in the heart of Barcelona, check out the inviting haven that is Hotel Omm. The Hotel Omm lives amoungst the people of Barcelona, and is the result of the work between architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez (www.hotelomm.es)
Many thanks to the website www.MrandMrsSmith.com for their fine seclection of hotels that helped us compile this list.