Early summer escapes

Want to spread your wings? Whether it's bright lights, big city or total hide away, take your pick...

31 May 2016

The New York Edition, New York

Nikolas Koenig

When all the dazzle and shine and clamour of Manhattan get to you, retreat to Ian Schrager's Edition. Inside, all is cool and calm, beige and cream, soothingly scented (Le Labo Thé Noir candles, since you ask) and easy on the eye. A staircase that looks disarmingly like the inside of a seashell leads up from the lobby to various hotelish bits: bar, restaurant, billiards room (how calming). That's not to say it's dull - far from it. A hip, well-heeled crowd floods the place at the end of the working day to natter over cocktails in the piano bar, to clatter into the Clocktower - Jason Atherton's first New York restaurant - or to lean prettily next to knockout gold-framed photos of Seventies celebrities falling out of Studio 54 (Schrager's first brainchild). It's cool but laidback, relaxing but reviving, giving you just the nudge you need to head back out and face the city. On you go.

BOOK IT Double, from £420

Park Hyatt Zanzibar, Stone Town, Tanzania

The Hyatt in Zanzibar's capital is the second smallest in the chain's stable, but it packs a powerful punch. Strung along 442 feet of seafront, it neatly knits together the old (listed buildings, UNESCO heritage site) and the new (intuitive air-conditioning, iPod docks). The (new) Perspex-walled infinity pool is a nifty addition to what was part of the (old) British consulate, plus it has heart-singing ocean views strung with full-sailed dhows. We loved the espresso machine in our room and the Bahari Terrace Suite's acres of wood-deck veranda - you could bowl a cricket ball up there. Best of all, the hotel will rustle you up a meaningful island experience, like visiting a spice farm and using your purchases in a cookery session with the hotel's chef, or strolling, with a photography tutor as your guide, as Stone Town wakes upto a tangerine sunrise. No Instagram filters needed.

BOOK IT Double, from £285, including breakfast

Chateau de la Treyne, Souillac, France

Sometimes all you really want is a proper old castle to hide away in - to sleep in a Princess-and-the-Pea four-poster, to gaze out at a whispering river from your turret bathroom, to feast on absurdly spoiling food (scallop risotto, beef with foie gras and fondant potatoes) and do very little else at all. Come to the family-owned Château de la Treyne, a 14th-to-17th-century beauty in quite the prettiest corner of the Dordogne. Set on a cliff right above the river, with 300 acres of private gardens to trip through and forests to get lost in, it is also close to ridiculously picture-postcard-perfect villages - the bustling markets at Rocamadour, Sarlat and La Roque Gageac are perfect for a morning's mooch. Or just stay put on the terrace overhanging the river and award yourself a very big glass of the local Cahors malbec. It's a fairytale.

BOOK IT Double, from £235

Gravetye Manor, West Hoathly, England

Yes, Gravetye has lashings of cosy, old-school charm - dark wood- panelled walls, art by Winston Churchill, roaring fires everywhere (even in summer) - but the real draw here is the marvellous garden, maintained by head gardener Tom and his loyal assistant, Vera (the only dog allowed on the estate). There are acres to explore - take a stroll through the azalea bank, orchard and wildflower meadow before ending up in the walled kitchen garden, where they grow all the hotel's fruit and vegetables. And it's not just fruit and veg - everything in the restaurant is sourced locally, so don't get squeamish if the pheasant you saw on your morning jaunt turns up on your plate for supper. Bedrooms are big enough to do cartwheels in - and there are thoughtful touches everywhere, like the Hunter wellies in every size in the entrance hall. Useful for yomping in those gardens...

BOOK IT Double, from £260, including breakfast