Accommodation is often one of the priciest parts of any trip and sometimes you don’t get what you paid for; you’re promised character and get shoddiness or pay for intimacy and end up with small and pokey! On the other hand, some properties are worth crossing the world for…

Petra Shepherd pays a visit to Malta’s most stylish enclave, St Julian’s, to check out a stylish brand leader…

LE MERIDIEN - ST JULIAN’S MALTA

Malta is enjoying a long overdue rise in popularity due in part to the growth of 5 star hotels.  It's no longer simply a destination for the fly and flop brigade or older holidaymakers keen on history and reliving their wartime experiences.  With the choice of budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair alongside British Airways and Air Malta the island is now a viable short break option. Hotels are opening that cater to a new, younger market interested in the historical sites but also up for a spot of pampering and luxury, and Le Meridien St Julian’s Hotel and Spa fits the bill.

The hotel is situated in the grounds of a 19th century Maltese villa on the seafront of picturesque Balluta Bay.  It’s a great location, 5 minutes walk from the restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs of St Julian’s, but remains relatively quiet.  Turn right out of the hotel and you’ll find the main shopping and resort area of Sliema. Walk for half an hour and pop onto the ferry for a visit to the capital Valetta.  You could also go by bus; Valetta is only 8 km away and the hotel is located on the main bus route to the city. I was surprised how simple it was to get around everywhere by bus with the hotel concierge willing to give details of routes (all ridiculously cheap).   Taxis were also not that expensive.

Le Meridien St Julian’s has 276 rooms and suites with balconies with either sea views or country views over fields and.  However, I would seriously opt to pay that little extra for a sea view room as sitting out on your balcony looking out over the Med is a joy.  It's also fun to watch the Maltese version of the passeggiata at night, as both Maltese and holidaymakers stroll along the promenade. If your budget can stretch to it, I'd go even further and stay in one of the executive rooms.  These are available over 3 floors with use of an exclusive lounge and terrace overlooking the bay where breakfast and drinks are served.  All rooms are spacious with a stylish, contemporary decor using warm colours.  Irons and ironing boards, laptop safes and high-speed internet access are must haves now for both the business and leisure markets and all rooms at Le Meridien St Julians are fully fitted with these.

The Scirocco Restaurant is the main breakfast venue of the hotel with a breakfast buffet through to 10.30 am, perfect for those lazy holiday mornings.  Dinner in the evening is also buffet-style with modern Western Mediterranean dishes and a few exotic ones as well.  La Bajja, the rooftop poolside bar and grill (and Malta's highest located restaurant) offers grilled meat and fish dishes, salads and snacks with a stunning view of Balluta Bay.  This restaurant is only open seasonally, so if you want
an a la carte experience your best bet is The Villa Brasserie, with decor inspired by Chagall and French-influenced cuisine. 

Possibly one of the hotel's biggest attractions is its Spa.  The Lotus Spa is one of Malta's best and includes a fully-equipped gym, sauna, steamrooms, jacuzzi, beauty treatment rooms, huge heated indoor pool, squash court and outoor relaxation area.  For me though the highlight was the rooftop pool with its breathtaking views,  as it’s high up the pool gets the sun from early in the morning right through to sundown.  The pool attracts a mix of chic young couples and generally well heeled holiday makers creating a feeling of exclusivity.   The spa offers a wide variety of body treatments and massage techniques.  You could choose a Balinese salt scrub or perhaps foot reflexology or even a chocolate massage.  Arriving at the Spa, you're instantly transported to South East Asia, a theme echoed throughout.   The indoor swimming pool is guarded by four enormous white pillars, decorated with hand carved designs.  These, together with statuettes and teak wooden furniture have all been brought over from Bali. 

The hotel's plus points are its spa, great location, spacious rooms, views and roof top pool and if you've hired a car, there's also  a useful underground carpark.  The biggest gripe from guests seems to be the erratic lifts, a frustrating wait at busy times but hey you're supposed to be on holiday so should be in no great hurry.   I have no hesitation in recommending The Meridian St Julian’s as our Hotel of the Month.

Accommodation is often one of the priciest parts of any trip and sometimes you don’t get what you paid for; you’re promised character and get shoddiness or pay for intimacy and end up with small and pokey! On the other hand, some properties are worth crossing the world for…

Ritz-Carlton is a brand to reckon with and Petra Shepherd sampled the Istanbul property to see if it lives up to its reputation.

RITZ-CARLTON ISTANBUL

Istanbul is a city known for its beautiful buildings; it would take a hard heart not to be impressed by the city's mosques and spires, palaces and minarets.  As far as European cities go, it's about as exotic as you can get.  I have to be honest, this was my first visit to the city and at first glance, the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul was something of a disappointment; a rather unattractive office block, a monolith of glass dominating the skyline in an otherwise ancient city. However exteriors can be deceiving.

The hotel is located in the prestigious Dolmabahce area overlooking the Bosphorus, the famous straits dividing Europe and Asia; Istanbul is the only city in the world to straddle two continents. The position, height and huge plate glass windows of the hotel offer a fabulous vantage point to watch the boats going by on the Bosphorus. Football fans impressed by the performance of the Turkish national team at the World Cup might  be interested to know that the hotel also has a view of the Inonu Stadium, home to the Besiktas Football team.

The hotel has 244 guest rooms including 23 suites.  There are all the touches you’d expect from a Ritz Carlton - huge feathery beds, flat screen TVs, and enormous marble bathrooms but it's the little touches that impressed me.  VIP guests get their own personalised stationary, business cards and luggage labels. In this high-tech age of WiFi and e mail, it seemed terribly old fashioned to sit at a desk overlooking centuries of history, hand writing a letter.

There are big plates of Turkish Delight everywhere, not that you'll go hungry after a impressive buffet breakfast or dinner at the hotel's restaurant Cintemani.  The Ottomans may well have been the first to create fusion cuisine, and Cintemani continues the tradition by serving up Turkish and Mediterranean dishes. The restaurant is named after one of the most striking motifs in traditional Ottoman art and it was good to see plenty of locals dining there, a sure sign that it's popular and the food is authentic.  Service at both the restaurant and throughout the hotel was faultless; at dinner the waiter actually brought me a stool for my handbag! I wasn't convinced of the necessity of this but rather than scrambling around underneath the table to retrieve one's bag, it was good to have it directly next to me.

The Ottoman theme is explored the hotel, starting in the lobby with its marble floor with green and red borders inspired by early Ottoman designs .   Even the turndown service has a specifically Turkish feel - instead of the usual chocolate mint, a bar of scented soap, a pumice stone or a sachet of lavender is placed on your bed.

What really makes the Ritz Carlton stand out from other 5 star hotels in Istanbul is its spa, the first and only fully equipped spa in the city. The Laveda Spa is a tranquil haven where guests are treated to therapies and treatments that combine the traditions of East and West.  The spa's most striking feature is its authentic Turkish Hamam modelled after the 16th century Baths of Roxelana. The pool’s not bad either, and all in all it's a great place to relax and enhance the well-being of mind and body.   I had one of the hotel's signature facials. Once I realised the therapist didn't want to chat after being politely told to close my lips, I enjoyed the pampering and my London skin felt refreshed and invigorated.  Facial and total body treatments are applied with all natural Sodashi, and Carita and Aromatherapy Associates products.

Guests who want to contribute to the local community can do so.  In this age of responsible tourism, Ritz Carlton has recently introduced Give Back Getaways.  These were launched on the 1st April this year. It’s a worldwide social responsibility initiative, providing guests with the chance to give their time to the local community wherever they are staying.   The Ritz Carlton Istanbul's next Give Back Getaway is on 7th June.  After meeting with therapists to learn how to work with disabled children, guests participate in a music therapy session that has its roots in ancient Turkish-Islamic medicine.

Istanbul served as the capital of three empires - the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman and will be one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010.  The Ritz Carlton hotel will be ideally situated to enjoy the events the city has to offer in its Capital of Culture year or in the meantime it's a perfect hotel for a chic and luxurious pampering break.

Accommodation is often one of the priciest parts of any trip and sometimes you don’t get what you paid for; you’re promised character and get shoddiness or pay for intimacy and end up with small and pokey!

January saw the launch of Dubai’s latest multi-million dollar landmark and as Gareth Davis discovered, it’s yet another feather in the InterContinental cap.

INTERCONTINENTAL DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY

I’ve been visiting Dubai for the past seven years and like many other reporters the most appropriate phrase I’ve found to describe it is “upmarket building site” Well, let’s face it, the “upmarket” bit is a salve; a building site is a building site. No matter what it aspires to be, it is a place of dust, bother, noise, pollution and hassle.

In January I was invited to attend the grand opening of the new InterContinental Dubai Festival City. This was the 150th InterConti to open so it was a splashy affair, soaked in champagne, some fantastic eats, and a morning-after-the-night-before head, the likes of which I haven’t experienced in years. What one would describe as a good do.

However I set off in some trepidation to see how at least one example of Dubai’s industry and effort had turned out and was pleasantly surprised in more than the IDFC. There are signs of completion, dotted all over the city. The building continues but a semblance of the finished product is emerging out of the heat and dust.

Dubai Festival City itself represents the architectural zeitgeist, what’s called a “mixed use development”. This is a place where residential, leisure and commercial needs are met, all in the same spot. So there are offices and shops, homes and hotels spread over 1300 acres of waterfront land, extending along 3 kilometres of Dubai Creek. The whole thing is just a spit from the airport. As Area General Manager Tom Meyer put it “The fastest transfer from an airport I’ve ever seen.” He’s right, and bearing in mind Dubai’s increasingly congested roads that’s no small thing.

I’ve always liked the big international 5* hotel brands. You might say “Who doesn’t?” Well a lot of people actually. The Hiltons, Marriotts, Hyatts et al are hardly known for their distinctive personalities. What you get – or should get – is service and facilities, perfect when you’re on a business trip, not necessarily what you’re looking for on holiday. But in the past twelvemonth I’ve been impressed by InterContinental. I’ve visited 3 properties and it strikes me that InterConti may be drawing away from the herd. In Milwaukee and on London’s Park Lane I’ve seen flashes of brilliance that have resulted in very individual characters. And I’ve now seen evidence of the same at the InterConti Dubai Festival City.

Rooms are large and have a slightly retro feel in the finished woods, shades of beige, white, cream and deep browns. They are fantastically light and equally fantastically equipped with DVD and IPod ports. OK, so there’s my ongoing niggle about Internet charges, I know this is becoming a tired refrain for regular readers but bear with my crusade to get the so-called top class hotels to drop the whole crass system of Internet charging.

Bathrooms are gorgeously spacious with touches of Hollywood glamour. The water falls from the ceiling into the bath which is housed along with the shower in its own glass fronted wetspace. THE stroke of genius in the design by London-based Terry McGinnity is the lack of clutter, even on table tops. All lighting hangs from the ceiling, and magazines and info are tucked away in racks. There’s none of the usual pushing things to one side to make space.

Back in January Anise was the only restaurant open, a large airy space where the décor breathes across the desert; frosted glass and pale wood blocks alternate in a chequerboard formation. The tables and seating are similarly in pale wood splashed with luxurious velvety green upholstery in a shiny sage coloured design incorporating branches and leaves. For breakfast the room is perfect but as with all large hotel spaces it does feel a bit like an aircraft hanger when it comes to dinner.

BUT let me linger over breakfast a moment. On the record this was the best breakfast buffet I have ever come across; stunningly presented like some fantasy food hall in the best department store you could imagine. The choice was vast; from Dim Sum through cheeses, meats, terrines, cereals, Western cooked breakfasts, other Asian and Arabian specialities, culminating in the most pretty little fruit and yoghurt creations designed to thrill the eye and shake up the early morning palate.

Spa InterContinental is a compact space, again more beige and natural materials. The entrance is a stunner as you enter a grotto of hanging lit filaments that give the place a fairytale effect. The signature massage I had was fantastic, parts of me cracked I never knew existed. It costs AED400 for an hour.

Add to this the swimming pool deck with fantastic views over Dubai Creek, and the gloriously showbiz atrium, like some kind of contemporary cathedral, and there’s no doubt this is a world-ranking hotel. Dubai currently enjoys phenomenal occupancy rates. The real challenge to hotels like IDFC will be when supply exceeds demand; in that situation as Tom Meyer explained “The key to success will be the brand.” The InterContinental Dubai Festival City’s future may rest on his gameplan: “My aim is to turn stangers into guests, guests into friends, and friends into believers.” Sign me up!

Rooms at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City start from AED1550.

The IDFC opened as part of a complex including the Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and the Intercontinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City (opening later in 2008).