Inside the suite dubbed the sexiest bedroom in the world, couples are greeted by a four-poster king-sized bed draped in light gossamer nets and a pair of exquisitely detailed mother-of-pearl dressers.
The bright airy room with high ceilings and clean, white elegance has made the Corfu Suite at Blakes Hotel London a favorite among honeymooning couples and caught the attention of boutique hotel specialists Mr and Mrs Smith, who named the French Provencal suite the world’s sexiest hotel bedroom.
To mark their tenth anniversary, the online booking site compiled a list of their favorite properties around the world in categories such as best Smith hotel, sexiest bedroom, hottest hotel bar and best hotel restaurant. Winners were based on more than 50,000 votes which were edited down by the site’s editorial team.
Room 505 at Blakes Hotel London — which bills itself as the first boutique hotel in the world — was designed by Anouska Hempel, a London-based hotelier and interior designer whose portfolio includes the flagship Louis Vuitton store in Paris and retail stores for Van Cleef and Arpels.
“There’s such a leap of imagination from the streets of London to the bedrooms of Blakes,” said Mr and Mrs Smith’s head of curation Mary Garvin. “They’re so exotic, elaborate and escapist. The perfect boudoir.”
Snagging the title of Best Smith Hotel was The Post Ranch Inn, a boutique property carved 1,200 feet (365 km) above the Pacific Ocean in the rugged cliffs of Big Sur.
Designed to maximize the beauty of its natural surroundings, the free-standing Cliff house, for example, features a deck suspended over the cliffs, a glass-walled bedroom and outdoor stainless steel hot tub, all designed to offer sweeping views of the ocean.
Luxurious Tree Houses, meanwhile, are built 9 feet (2.7 meters) off the forest floor as free-standing structures, for an adult-version of the overnight experience that includes a king-size bed, fireplace, and skylight for stargazing at night.
Here are the winners:
Best Smith Hotel 2013: Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California, USA
Sexiest Bedroom in the World: Blakes Hotel, London
Best-Dressed Hotel: Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali
Hottest Hotel Bar: Ace Hotel, New York
Best Spa Hotel: Como Shambhala Estate, Bali
Best Hotel Restaurant: Bastide de Moustiers, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Provence, France
Best for Families: Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand
The Eco Award: Sextantio Albergo Diffuso, L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
Best Budget Boutique Hotel: Brody House, Budapest
The Greatest Outdoors: Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
Above and Beyond Award: The Upper House, Hong Kong
Best Newcomer: Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland, Canada
