Overview
You know exactly what it’s like. There you are, staring at the big screen, popcorn in hand, but all you can think is ‘How good would it be to go there right now?’ Even with passports full of stamps gathered the globe over, boutique travel experts Mr & Mrs Smith aren’t immune to the allure of the world’s most beautiful destinations when they appear larger than life on the big screen.
Here, we’ve reviewed the new releases and flipped through the DVD cabinet to bring you ten jaw-dropping locations sure to inspire your own memorable moment.
1. Il Palazzetto
Where: 8 Vicolo del Bottino, Rome, Italy
Inspiration: Woody Allen’s latest, To Rome With Love
Some of Woody Allen's personal decisions leave us a little perplexed, but he sure knows how to make a movie. On a roll with stories told outside his native New York, he’s now focused on the Eternal City. Within staggering distance of the Spanish Steps, Il Palazzetto is a serene dream at the heart of the tourist beast. With just four quiet and airy rooms, it can almost feel like you’ve moved into your own 18th-century villa complete with winding staircase (the exact staircase that appeared in Bertolucci’s Besieged). A prime spot is the rooftop terrace, a sun-drenched respite from the Roman chaos below.
2. La Belle Juliette
Where: 92, rue du Cherche Midi, Paris, France
Inspiration: Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge
While the theatrics of the film may not sit completely comfortably in luxe lodgings, there’s something about the colours and fabrics at La Belle Juliette, located in Saint Germain des Pres, that connects it to the celluloid Moulin Rouge. Lolly-sweet hues embellish many of the 34 rooms, although room 306 has more masculine tones. In the salons you may want to bring the cabaret, because it’s here you’ll find a baby grand and golden harp.
3. The Spire
Where: 3–5 Church Lane, Queenstown, New Zealand
Inspiration: The wild landscape of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings
Jackson famously shot his epic fantasy trilogy at more than 150 locations around his native New Zealand. Thankfully, you don’t have to go that far to get a wide-format view of those craggy snow-capped peaks eventually tamed by Frodo and friends. As well as those incredible vistas, each of the ten suites at boutique hotel The Spire has iconic midcentury furniture, fur throws, minimalist fireplaces and rich autumnal tones. After a long day on the mountain, raise a glass downstairs in the city’s only champagne bar.
4. Neri Hotel & Restaurante
Where: Calle Sant Sever 5, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain
Inspiration: The sun sheer romance of another Woody Allen classic, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
You can’t help but drool over Vicky Cristina Barcelona's sun-drenched Spanish scenarios and abundance of vino tinto and flamenco guitar. In the midst of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – all narrow cobbled lanes emptying on to buzzing squares – Neri Hotel & Restaurante is the epitome of classic meets contemporary. In an 18th-century palace, original Gothic architecture and features have been updated with super-modern features. Romance your own Javier Bardem or ScarJo in one of the 22 rooms decked out in velvet and silk and sporting grey slate tubs, before heading to the hotel’s private rooftop terrace to sip on cava.
5. Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas
Where: 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, USA
Inspiration: The debauchery of The Hangover
Who wouldn’t be tempted by the hedonism of the neon kingdom. Luckily, once the slots and shows have lost their shine, the chic digs at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas can revive your spirits. Its 397 airy, Asian-inspired rooms tower over the Strip with nary a slot machine in sight. Soak up some natural light – so often nullified in sin city – at one of the four pools, and eat like a king at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire. The Michelin-starred chef creates three- or six-course tastings in an otherworldly room. Feeling refreshed? All the better for hitting the town again.
6. Zeavola
Where: 11 Moo 8, Laem Tong, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Inspiration: The remote exoticism of The Beach
Yes, things really went tits up for Leo and the gang, but before that happened you couldn’t help but be enchanted by the perfection of Koh Phi Phi. At first, boutique hotel Zeavola may seem like a tiny village of thatched huts perched on the sand, but get closer and the level of luxury becomes more obvious. Each of the 52 freestanding villas is fashioned entirely from teak, with outdoor showers and all mod cons hidden within Thai-inspired furniture. Surrender your shoes and stroll barefoot along pristine Leam Tong beach, book an early-morning boat tour to Koh Phi Phi Lai – where The Beach was filmed – and give yourself over to soothing ministrations in the spa. As the sun sets, ask the staff to set a table by the water and dine with a soundtrack of gently lapping waves.
7. Bamurru Plains
Where: Humpty Doo, Northern Territory, Australia
Inspiration: Nic and Hugh’s over-the-top outback romance in Australia
It may not be the most critically acclaimed flick ever made, but you can't help but be swept up in the grandeur of Australia. With big skies and vast plains, Bamurru Plains is the Australian version of a safari lodge. Nine bungalows, artfully kitted out in timber and corrugated iron, are enclosed in mesh that allows sheer views over the wetlands. The main lodge, with dining room, lounge room and pool, is the centre of activity, but the real action is out there in the wild. Cruise around in an open-top jeep or an airboat in search of buffalo, wallabies, magpie geese and, of course, crocs.
8. Chateau Marmont
Where: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA
Inspiration: Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, where the digs had equal billing with Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning
We’re not sure that a stay here will have you re-examining your life – as the aimless Johnny Marco was inspired to – but a few days at the Chateau Marmont will make you appreciate the history of the City of Angels. Surprisingly, for a place where the stars glitter ever-so-brightly, this boutique hotel is understated and elegant. Built in 1920 in the arts and crafts style, each of its 63 rooms is midcentury cool. Pop on your Raybans for parading by the pool, jag a garden table at Chateau Restaurant, or order an old-fashioned at Bar Marmont.
9. The Modern Honolulu
Where: 1775 Ala Moana Boulevard, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, USA
Inspiration: Russell Brand’s rogue rockstar, Aldous Snow, taking a break from touring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
The Modern Honolulu’s rooms are decked out in minimalist white, with ukuleles and orchids to bring the Hawaiian vibe, and seem to reflect all that amazing Hawaiian sunshine. The rooms with views of the ocean are the pick, particularly Room 911, an Ocean Front Suite with a balcony facing the sea and another over the pool. Bust a move at the hotel’s own nightclub, Addiction, and make sure you’ve made a day-after detox appointment at the spa.
10. Goldeneye Hotel & Resort
Where: Oracabessa Bay, Oracabessa, Jamaica
Inspiration: Bond. James Bond. (Of course)
Author Ian Fleming penned all 14 of his Bond novels in the villa that is now the centerpiece of this island hideaway. Things have changed quite a bit since then: there are now 20 cottages at Golden Eye Hotel & Resort surrounding a four-acre cerulean lagoon, as well as a swim-up hillside spa, watersports area and treetop restaurant. It really is the Caribbean paradise you’ve always dreamed of, complete with shaken or stirred rum cocktails from the resort’s Bizot Bar. The owner of this idyllic locale is Island Records supremo Chris Blackwell and some of the personal touches have rockstar written all over them: every room has an iPod loaded with reggae and island tunes, and each guest is given a hip flask of Blackwell’s rum on arrival.