Do you say I love you with sparkling jewllery and shimmering pearls, a gold chain or a silver bracelet? Will she marvel with wonder when she opens her crystal drop earrings? A stylish watch that she continuously checks while she counts down the minutes until her date with you. A charm for her bracelet is a special token to remember a beautiful Valentines Day spent together.

Say I love you with some hair and beauty help (though you’d never tell her she needs that would you…), with so many tools, cosmetics and products on the market there’s one for even the most laid back of girls routines. Treat her to a sleek set of GHD straighteners to take the fuss and bother out of taming temperamental tresses, or a collection of dedicated shampoos, conditioners and styling products for that salon perfect wash and finish that’s so sought after.

Seaham Hall Serenity Spa

The Serenity Spa at the Seaham Hall Hotel is brilliant and has been recently voted as the Best UK Spa Destination by the Conde Nast Traveller great pamper days for you. Conde is an international publication and this award is of the highest quality. At the Serenity Spa one walk into a building designed as if in the Orient. Feng Shui is strictly observed, hence the amazingly serene energy that overcomes its visitors upon arrival. One has more than 40 amazing treatments to choose from while visiting the Serenity Spa. There are also exceptional day rituals that are meant to fully decompress the stressful energy within and fully relax the mind and body. After completion of a treatment, one can enjoy the innovative Technogym. Keep in mind that one has complete access to the various onsite thermal baths as well.

Moddershall Oaks

Moddershall Oaks

With only 10 luxurious cabin suites, Moddershall Oaks offers a quaint, serene and restful atmosphere that is conducive for a relaxing spa break. The Moddershall Oaks in itself is set within a serene natural environment which includes 70 acres of magnificent countryside living. Spa break guests are pampered with the ultimate facilities and amenities. Starting with relaxing saunas and steam rooms, guests can decompress before undergoing one of many available treatments. Experience the Hydro Spa that has extraordinary neck water cannons to relax the neck muscles as well as massaging seats and air loungers. For a quick sweat, visit the onsite fitness studio that is fully equipped with state of the art equipment or simply enjoy an evening stroll through the beautiful natural scenery.

Hoar Cross Hall

Hoar Cross Hall Great Spa Breaks

The Spa at the Hoar Cross Hall offers a wide array of treatments to suit virtually any request. It offers Ayurveda which is the latest in natural healing methods. Keep in mind that guests at the Hoar Cross Hall spa gain the benefit of the historic Helianthalism, which is ultimately a belief that water can help achieve complete fulfillment. That being said, guests enjoy the onsite saltwater spa, sauna, grotto, flotation therapy, hydrotherapy baths, swimming pools, steam rooms, and many outdoor activities. Take note of the onsite 9 hole golf course as well as the onsite tennis courts. This spa break destination offers true relaxation of the mind, body and spirit.

In this admiring spirit, we’re raising imaginary champagne flutes to our reviewer Ruth Phillips, an oft-touring cellist and writer who has just published her memoirs: Cherries from Chauvet’s Orchard. This colourful work paints the picture of Ruth’s life in Provence with her husband, the artist Julian Merrow-Smith. Ruth writes lovingly about the area, home to our own Provencal sweetheart, Hotel Crillon le Brave, which featured in our recent France book.

Of course, we like to think we spotted Ruth’s talents a long time ago. Our proof? Have a gander at these two enticing snippets from her hotel reviews…

1) Les Servages d’Armelle in Rhône-Alpes:

‘From the excellent wine list, Mr Smith chooses a Burgundy that smells properly of camembert. Through the wooden hatch and onto our plates comes freshwater shrimp bisque, stuffed squid, fillet of beef, roasted kumquats and wild mushrooms. A big green salad, though not on the menu, is prepared for us. Everything is comme il faut. Our wine glasses are refilled somewhat over-eagerly by the waiter, who reassures us, when we gesture helplessly at the cheese platter (which boasts tommes de this and that, a melty Reblochon and a mammoth Beaufort), that the cheese will still be there in the morning. And indeed it is, along with fresh crusty bread, home-made jam, eggs, ham, Savoie yoghurt and an excellent bowl of Illy coffee prepared by Armelle, with a country jug of steamed milk. A perfect pre-ski breakfast…’

Read the full review of Les Servages d’Armelle…

2) Finca Naranja in Ronda:

‘In pours the razor-sharp light through the front windows. We are honeymooners lying in a field of sunflowers. The mountains glow mauve and raw sienna in the afternoon haze. The azure pool fills us with longing. Pillows on a raised platform at the poolside lure us. Strips of blue cotton shiver like prayer flags in the breeze. ‘And now…’ says Mr Smith, closing the southern set (prematurely I think) and opening those to the side ‘…what will we see through the west-facing windows?’ Sunlight streams in toasty and orange. We are campers in a ploughed field. The ribbon of a track weaves through the hot valley and tugs us towards a sunset trek. Bee-eaters sing and distant cowbells ring. ‘Here,’ I think, as we open all the windows to the elements like canvas flaps onto the wild, ‘is my ultimate luxury tent…’

Read the full review of Finca Naranja…

If you love Ruth’s writing, and want to read more, have a peek at her blog: Meanwhile Here in France.

When we launched our debut collection of Smith boutique hotels in Sri Lanka recently, one name kept coming up. That of the country’s most famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003). We’ve rounded up some of the world’s best boutique hotel designers before, but in no other place that Smith has delved for hotel gold, has one man been so omnipresent and influential in terms of style and sensibility. So who was Bawa and why is he still turning heads?

Buildings Bawa was the original architect behind elegant Smith shoreside stays Paradise Road The Villa Bentota (above and left) in Bentota and The Last House in Tangalle (his last project), both graceful, airy crash pads that embrace the outdoors. His dreamy Bawa House 87 hotel in Bentota joins Smith next month.

Famous for designing Sri Lanka’s striking parliament building at Kotte, outside the capital Colombo, Bawa also worked on the University of Ruhunu campus near Matara, and the  minimal vegetation-wrapped Kandalama Hotel near Dambulla, which boasts a bold roof garden. But it’s his two homes that best represent his ambitions; both labours of love where he experimented for years with his ideas.

His former country home, Lunuganga (right), is on our wish-list. Visitors to Bentota flock to check out this serene escape, once a wilderness-claimed rubber estate which Bawa transformed into a gorgeous getaway (with an Italianate garden created with his brother Bevis). After Bawa’s death, the gardens were opened to the public and the estate is run as a rural hotel.

You can also call in to see his town house Number 11 (left), a sanctuary in Colombo. Even Smith hotels Casa Colombo and The Kandy House were designed by Bawa protégés (Lalin Jinasena and Channa Daswatte respectively). There’s just no escaping this legendary talent.

Biog But let’s rewind for a minute… Born in 1919 in what was then the British colony of Ceylon, Geoffrey originally pursued a career in law, and travelled, before settling back in his home country post-independence in 1948 (Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka in 1972). After discovering a passion for design and studying at London’s Architectural Association, he became part of an inspired group of young Colombo-based architects and artists aiming to create a new, uniquely Sri Lankan identity for their work, teaming traditional, local building materials and forms with tropical modernism.

Bawa style You can see the result in Smith’s Bawa-influenced hotels: relaxing retreats that are open to the environment, blurring the boundaries between inside and out, east and west, old and new. Their airy, interconnecting courtyards, pavilions, terraces and outdoor rooms work well in the warm, humid climate, taking inspiration from everything from monasteries to Kandy’s temples and palaces. When journo Harriet Whiting took her architect partner to review The Last House (above) for us recently, he was in Bawa heaven, wowed by the simple but smart use of space.

To find out more about Sri Lanka’s favourite son, and one of Asia’s most respected architects, check out the Geoffrey Bawa Trust’s handy website, dedicated to keeping Bawa’s memory alive.

Pictures of Lunuganga and Number 11 care of Geoffrey Bawa Trust.

Another trio debuts in New Orleans, as we reveal the fruits of our first foray into Louisiana – namely, Soniat House, a colonial-creole townhouse in the French Quarter, International House Hotel, a white-columned bolthole on the corner of Camp Street, and Loft 523, a set of Italianate designer apartments. Up north in New York state, Capri joins us in the happening Hamptons.

In the UK, the grand old charm of Ellenborough Park caught our eye, an outdoorsy estate in the Cotswolds with 90 acres and a gun room to its name.

We also voyaged to Italy, calling in at lesser known Le Marche, a rural region that’s home to fairy-tale farmstay, Casa San Ruffino.

As for city slickers, we revisited Madrid and found two refined retreats in high-end Salamanca, both of which come with rather special dining options: Hotel Unico is home to the Michelin-starred Ramon Freixa, and Villa Magna (above) offers a Cantonese restaurant, as well as the elegant main affair.

In India, we found Aman New Delhi, our first design den in downtown Delhi, with a serene spa, regular art events and its own custom-cool auto rickshaw. Across the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, we fell for two romantic Maldives marvels on castaway atolls: Naladhu, an intimate, reef-fringed retreat, and Baros (above), a lagoon-luxe getaway with overwater villas.

Finally, we hightailed it to the heart of Bali, where view-blessed Viceroy Bali in a rustic Ubud valley took our fancy.

Next month we’ll be treating you to more stylish new stays, with heavenly hideaways in Mexico City, Turkey and Sri Lanka…

Style Trad Andalucia
Setting Close but no Costa

Why this week? It may be summer everywhere in the northern hemisphere, but chances are it won’t be as reliably sunny where you are as in Ronda. Smith members can top up their tans for longer with our special offer: stay 7 nights for the price of 6 this July and August.

Our favourite bits We love the generously proportioned bedrooms and their canopied beds and doors opening onto the lavender-filled garden. Bathrooms are just as big, and their cool stone floors are exactly what you’ll want to feel under your feet on a baking summer’s day. The hotel helps guests live the Andalucian dream with flamenco and Spanish classes.

Mr & Mrs Smith say ‘It never ceases to amaze me how close the beauty and character of real Spain is to the most overdeveloped, soulless resorts. Most of our drive from Malaga airport to Ronda was through the rugged, glorious – and almost entirely deserted – landscape of southern Andalucia.

La Fuente de la Higuera is a rather stately converted 18th-century olive mill, set into a hillside with views over to Ronda and the surrounding rugged sierras. The gardens are just as impressive: a soft, lush contrast to the craggy mountains around them, forming a well-watered oasis around a swimming pool. The glorious setting meant our hopes were high for a fabulous room, too, and we were not disappointed. We walked into a beautifully cool, calm living room with an eclectic mix of furniture, including comfy wicker chairs and antique leather loungers. Curiously, there is also a fireplace – curious because it’s difficult to imagine a toasty fire when it’s 40°C outside, but we were assured that it does snow here in the winter…’

Read our full anonymous review of La Fuente de la Higuera in Ronda, Andalucia

You say ‘We thought this hotel was exceptional. The standard of food and hospitality considering it only has nine rooms is incredible. I don’t really have any external restaurant recommendations because once we had lunch here when we arrived we did not leave the hotel for a meal for the next two days. The chefs put on an excellent dinner menu which changes daily. This hotel is perfect if you are doing a travelling holiday in Andalucia and want to completely chill out by the pool with excellent food and hospitality for a few days.’

(Neil, BlackSmith, stayed on 24 Jul 2010)

Read more guest reviews of La Fuente de la Higuera

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Buffalo by The Phoenix Foundation

When? You need an indie fix
Why? It’s all your favourites rolled into one

In this age of instant information, it’s puzzling that the Phoenix Foundation has managed to thrive for 10 years in their native New Zealand, but remain largely under the radar of the UK’s music press and blogger army. They’re now on their fourth album; it was only with the release of their third, Happy Ending, that music hounds began paying attention – something that this band definitely deserves. With Buffalo, Sam Scott and the other five Foundation members continue to blossom, managing to be original yet clearly inspired by landmark acts such as the Smiths, House of Love, the Stone Roses, Flaming Lips and the Beta Band. Tracks like ‘Pot’ show theirs is an indie-pop sound that’s both immediately comforting and genuinely inspiring – in the same way Super Furry Animals often were. Those who still need convincing should check out the title track. You’ll hear a band that may have taken 10 years to arrive in your headphones, but have used that time to craft a refreshing indie-pop sound that most groups today would never be given the chance to foster.

Download Buffalo now

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THE SMITH CLASSIC

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

by Ray Charles

When You’re driving in the rain, cross-country
Why? Heartbreak is timeless

A seminal record made against the wishes of his label, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music had the audacity to mix black soul with white country and folk. Recorded in 1962, before Martin Luther King was at his most prominent, Ray Charles – the furiously talented, drugged-out singer/band leader – turned this music on its head by employing an R&B and jazz form that was both shocking for its time, and a masterstroke. Hailed as an American classic, it gave birth to timeless singles such as the choir-soaked ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ (which sold in its millions despite being seen as the album’s worst-produced track). The longing in Charles’ voice on ‘Born to Lose’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ was brilliantly pitched against his piano blues, and the album’s lush orchestration that somehow never crosses into over-sentimentality. As with its contemporary rock and roll, this marked the coming together of black and white roots in the popular consciousness. Less shocking, perhaps, but no less beautiful today, it remains a true friend to late Saturday nights, or fragile Sunday mornings.

Download Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music now

Resident TuneSmith Rob Wood is the creative director and founder of Music Concierge, an award-winning music consultancy service for boutique and luxury hotels.

Recently we rounded up London’s best afternoon teas for you, and we’ve already debated where to find the best coffee in London. But now, in our tireless quest to track down the ultimate cuppa, we present our insider tips for Melbourne’s top 10 coffee spots. Savour the flavour…

CENTRAL (CBD)

1: Best for coffee geeks It may look like a hi-tech science classroom, but geek-chic Sensory Lab (right), at department store David Jones, is a must for refuelling on exotic single-origin coffees after CBD shopping trips. With Roast Masters ensuring state-of-the-art blends and a fabled Slayer espresso machine at the brew bar, connoisseur’s quality is guaranteed. The sleek design by Hecker Guthrie (cue olive-green panelling, white tiles and hooks for your bags) is just as smart. 297 Little Collins Street, CBD (+61 (0)3 9643 2610)

2: Best for free radicals An anarchic squat party vibe rules at 1000 £ Bend (left), a cavernous hybrid café, gallery and cinema languishing off Little Lonsdale Street. Salvaged sofas and fleamarket finds dot this super-relaxed warehouse pad, ideal for idling away an afternoon. A reincarnation of former laneway favourite St Jerome’s, it dishes up great-value Coffee Supreme coffee, microbrewed beer and tasty nosh, alongside graffiti-art shows, bike festivals and vintage fashion fairs. 361 Little Lonsdale Street, CBD

3: Best for gents about town A satisfying cup of coffee is just one reason to grab a pew at Captains of Industry, off Little Bourke Street, a backlane warehouse space offering a bespoke shoemaker, an old-school barber’s shop and made-to-measure suits, tailormade for the sartorially sussed. Groom up, then wind down with a sandwich, soup or warm salad while taking in the bygone-crafts styling (we love the old shoe lasts, shaving strop and vintage sewing-machine tables). If you can’t get into the Lost & Found pop-up hotel room upstairs, bed down at ace self-catering stay Apartment 401 nearby. Level 1, 2 Somerset Place, CBD (+61 (0)3 9670 4405)

SOUTH

4: Best for coffee tastings Load up on fresh produce at Prahran Market, then pop next door to Market Lane Coffee (right), where the fine art of caffeine consumption is taken seriously. Small-batch coffees are sourced globally, then roasted and served, with special ‘guest coffees’, seasonal blends, gentle pour-over brewing methods and regular public cuppings (tasting sessions). Try a tasting flight of three single-estate coffees if you can’t make your mind up, mopped up with muesli, a pastry, or gourmet bread and jam. A blackboard explains the bewildering coffee family tree if you’re confused. Arty Smith stay The Cullen hotel is just across the road. Shop 13, Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road (entrance on Elizabeth Street), South Yarra (+61 (0)3 9804 7434)

5: Best for gourmets Named after the patron saint of coffee, and often touted as the city’s best café for serious bean lovers, St Ali (left) also whips up delicious dishes for breakfast and lunch. A hop away from foodie-favourite South Melbourne Market, and attracting a buzzy crowd, its generous high-ceilinged space offers a mix of communal and intimate tables for sipping the good stuff. Come for super-strength Rwandan single-origin espresso, stay for bangers and mash, pizza or minestrone soup. Londoners should check out St Ali’s Clerkenwell outpost. 12–18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne (+61 (0)3 9686 2990); St Ali (UK): 27 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1 (+44 (0)20 7253 5754)

6: Best for brunch Perched under The Prince boutique hotel, St Kilda institution Il Fornaio (left) is the kind of café you’ll want to hang out in all day. Famous for its house-made cakes, pastries and organic, artisan-produced breads, as well as heartier cooked brunch, it’s also a coffee wow. Sit indoors (all industrial concrete and sleek wood, sprinkled with newspapers and mags) or out on the terrace. Just beware of Justin Bieber lurking in the loo (or at least, his cardboard cut-out effigy). 2 Acland Street, St Kilda (+61 (0)3 9534 2922)

7: Best for nature lovers With a seductive setting beside the Yarra River, opposite sculpture-strewn Herring Island, alfresco café Kanteen is a top spot for taking in the more rustic charm of Melbourne while quaffing a creamy Genovese coffee. It’s also handy if you’ve hunkered down at Smith stay Lyall Hotel and Spa in South Yarra a stroll away. Try the muffins, or go savoury with toasted avocado pidé, Spanish eggs or duck salad. 150 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra (+61 (0)3 9827 0488)

NORTH

8: Best for global beans Housed in a converted Carlton warehouse near Victoria Market, vast and airy café Seven Seeds (right) is one for aficionados. A glass-walled roasting room at its core is hung with flavour charts and maps showing where its fine beans are grown (snap up own-label, in-season Brazilian beans to take home). Black pour-over coffees allow you to taste the subtleties, but skinny latte junkies are well catered for too. We like the indoor garden, bicycle racks on walls and army-salvage ammo cases used to stash cutlery. 114 Berkeley Street, Carlton (+61 (0)3 9347 8664)

9: Best for local buzz Serving up seriously smooth coffee, neighbourhood favourite Proud Mary in inner-north Collingwood is a must if you’re checking out grunge-gone-gourmet Smith Street nearby. With coffee sourced direct from growers in Central and South America, but roasted in Melbourne, you’ll be licking your lips. The food’s no slouch, either, with top tip ricotta hot cakes with baked figs. The raw stripped-back space is deservedly popular, with punters spilling out onto streetside tables at peak times. 172 Oxford Street, Collingwood (+61 (0)3 9417 5930)

10: Best for pavement posing Bringing low-key style to gentrifying northern hip-strip Gertrude Street, De Clieu (left) is the latest venture from the crew behind Seven Seeds (see above) and inner-city coffee bolthole Brother Baba Budan. The cosy Six Degrees-designed space sports sleek pendant lights, a fireplace and recycled timber benches, including window-ledge spots outside for people-watching. If the daily single-origin brew has left you craving more, buy choice beans to go. Hot-pressed sandwiches and cakes will also put a smile on your dial. 187 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy (+61 (0)3 9416 4661)

Melbourne’s best cafés are a hot topic (it’s lattes at dawn in chat-duels on coffee sites such as Beanhunter, Melbourne Coffee Review and Espresso Melbourne), so expect more Smith tips on cool coffee spots down under soon...

You only need to spend a minute or two in Montauk to know you’re in surfer country. Must be the Havaianas and hoodies: slacker-chic beachwear is the unofficial uniform on this stretch of Long Island. Somehow, however, Montauk sidesteps the see-and-sceney vibe of the other Hamptons, and keeps it small-town relaxed, a vibe that’s evident the moment you step off the Jitney from New York City.

These days, there’s only one Hamptons boutique hotel to head for: Ruschmeyer’s (Well, OK, two, if you include its wave-riding older brother Surf Lodge, but that’s last season’s news). This ‘summer camp for grown ups’ has barely been open a month, and it’s already making waves in the press. Of course, when you’ve got Ben Towill and Phil Winser of Fat Radish fame crafting the menu in your retro-styled restaurant, you’ve got to expect a buzz. The same seasonality-driven approach they’ve honed in the city is in full effect here. Fresh-from-the-surf seafood is washed down by a cocktail menu that looks back to yesteryear and a level of service that would rival the slickest operations in Manhattan. Freshly tonged oysters? Curried monkfish? Bacon cheeseburger with fries crisped in duck fat? Do not mind if we do.

Then it’s off for a Jamaican rum punch, a bit of a boogie and an eye-up of the fashion crowd at the hotel’s Electric Eel Disco next door. Good food and late nights; there’s a recipe for the perfect summer…

Style Couture comforts
Setting Green, historic Fredericksburg

Why this week? Avenue Hotel has teamed up with Paul Smith to support Elephant Parade. Guests can admire the floral-print creature, made especially for the hotel by the British designer, on the patio until 25 August, when it will be auctioned off to support the conservation of Asian elephants.

Our favourite bits Firstly, the city-central location. Secondly, the way the hotel showcases Danish design: Missoni fabrics add refreshing pops of colour, a pewter-topped leather-lined bar adds sparkle to the cosy lounge, and original works from Denmark’s famous photographers are displayed throughout. When it comes to bedding down, we heart room 417 on the top floor. Because there are no neighbouring rooms, you can enjoy the rooftop views in uninterrupted privacy.

Mr & Mrs Smith say ‘We’re back at boutique base camp: a 19th-century red-brick townhouse designed by Emil Blichfeldt, the man behind Tivoli Gardens’ main entrance. The bar’s buzz distracts us from our intentions and we end up downstairs; deep-sunk in soft grey sofas by the crackling fire, with martinis rustled up by the handsome-as-he’s-helpful barman, Kristian. Glossy black-and-white photos and a mini-library surround us, and we sit contentedly, page-turning and popping salted cashews in our mouths. Though the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, there’s a diet-defying array of snacks on the pewter-topped bar, including apple cake and chocolate torte, which I earmark for later.

Every now and then I look up to admire the lights: clusters of globes and sleek little glass lanterns, suspended on red cords trailing from the ceiling. The dictionary entry for hygge (a Danish concept of intimacy and comfort) should simply read: ‘Avenue Hotel; bar’. Nobody can deny the Scandinavians’ way with sexy scene-setting…’

Read our full anonymous review of Avenue Hotel, Copenhagen

You say ‘Excellent hotel, with great cocktails in the bar. The best restaurant we found was in the ‘meatpacking’ district, Fiskbaren, with lots of local ingredients in unusual dishes and a cool and relaxed atmosphere.’

(Vincent, BlackSmith, stayed on 11 May 2011)

Read more guest reviews of Avenue Hotel, Copenhagen