Love, Lust & Liaisons: Mr & Mrs Smith’s Top Valentine’s Day Hotels From Around the World

HISTORIC ROMANCE: Hotels that have inflamed passions for generations…

Villa Cora, Florence

Built at the end of the1860s by Baron Gustave Oppenheim in honour of his young bride, Villa Cora hotel is opulent but not over-blinged. Flawless service, ornate frescoes and abundant rose motifs show that the Baron’s love of embellishment almost equalled that for his spouse. Unfortunately, he later attempted to set fire to the Villa when he suspected his wife was unfaithful, but hey, let’s not dwell…

Rooms from $442 a night

Les Dames du Panthéon, Paris

Free thinkers and strident dames such as writers Marguerite Duras and George Sand are the ladies that light up the colourful interiors of this boutique bolt-hole in the Latin quarter. Each floor of Les Dames du Panthéon pays tribute to its muse with hints of heroines’ colourful dalliances: vintage boxing gloves hang in one of the Edith Piaf rooms, a bittersweet tribute to boxer Marcel Cerdan, the great love of her life.

Rooms from $244 a night

SCANDALOUS STAYS: Hotels that have set tongues wagging…

Cliveden, Berkshire

For some historic sauce head to Cliveden, Berkshire, where political scandal theProfumo affair played out in the 1960s. The fateful meeting of politico John Profumo and 19-year-old model Christine Keeler changed the course of British politics, and that secret-garden-set outdoor pool still tempts us to go skinny-dipping.

Rooms from $925 a night

The Standard, High Line, New York City

While the hottest hotels tout discretion as a given, it’s not always easy to keep the paparazzi at bay. The humble elevator in supercool André Balazs hotel The Standard High Line, gathered column inches galore when it hosted a ruckus between Solange Knowles, Jay Z and Beyoncé. We don’t recommend a full-on, in-between-floor fight, but there’s always the chance that a playful spat will spice up a stay, particularly in a hotel room that boasts floor-to-ceiling glass walls suited to extreme exhibitionists…

Rooms from $370 a night

A-LIST TRYSTS: Hotels that have set the paparazzi snapping

Establishment

Robbie Williams, Outkast and the Scissor Sisters have danced, drunk and slept at this achingly hip destination in the heart of Sydney, one of the world’s sexiest cities.

You can drink, dine, dance and sleep under one roof, so once you’re in there’s really no need to leave the venue. Of course, you can also do all these things in the privacy of your suite…

Establishment Hotel’s back alley entrance on Bridge Lane allows celebs and other pseudo-Smith couples conducting secret affairs the perfect cover from prying eyes.

Rooms from $309 a night

The Portobello Hotel, London

The genteel façade of The Portobello Hotel – which sits in a quiet Notting Hill street – gives it a ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ look, but behind the rooms’ locked doors there’s been many a rock and roll antic. It was here that Johnny Depp and Kate Moss filled Room 16’s bath tub with champagne, only for the cleaning lady to pull the plug, and even after its refined revamp, there’s still the chance for a little debauchery.

Rooms from $309 a night

For more Smith-inspired love stories or to search local hotels with Valentine’s Day availability head to mrandmrssmith.com/love-lust-and-liaisons.
Tweet