Roam+Board :: Sorrento Hotel

[trip style = urban + weekend getaway]

{Editor’s Note :: I just stayed at the Sorrento Hotel and it is Trip Styler Approved. PS – Enter to win a two-night Mother’s Day getaway in Whistler, BC.}

What  The Sorrento Hotel intersects at the crossroads of classic and cool. Built in 1909, Seattle's first boutique hotel was the cultural hub where intellectuals gathered to discuss le topic du jour and musicians came to entertain.

Today, this same vibe is present; you feel smarter the second you walk in. Dark woods, bold-print carpet and heavy curtains surround the lobby's Fireside Room, anchored by a central red damask banquette and leather wingback chairs making you want to pull out an Ernest Hemingway novel and dive in with a glass of bourbon. And people do, with a regular roster of 'group' silent reading sessions, as well as bossa nova jazz, indie acoustic and mixology "drinking lesson" nights beckoning hotel guests and locals alike.

The elevator---rotating a different carpet for each day of the week---transports you back in time to rooms with historic detailing and modern amenities featuring Italian marble bathrooms, snuggly beds with 400 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and French press coffee made by the local roasters.

{Trip Styler Tip :: Don't miss happy hour at the Hunt Club, the hotel's restaurant.}

Where In Seattle, WA's First Hill neighborhood near the buzzy Capitol Hill, a few blocks above I-5.

When Summer is Seattle's high season due to its breezy warmth, yet visitors flock to its emerald-green sheen year-round. Like Vancouver, make sure you're prepared for the possibility of rain---one of main reasons it's so lusciously green!

Who/Why For you, service is king, independent is queen and staying where locals live is the ace in your winning hand of hotel cards.

Cost Rooms start at $145 a night and include a welcome glass of Chardonnay {after 3pm at check-in}, wifi, a seven-day-a-week hotel shuttle and use of the fitness center. Parking is $39+ tax/night. Bark woof, pets welcome for a one-time fee.

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More Roam+Board The LIT! Bangkok - Thailand Hotel De La Paix – Thailand X2 Kui Buri – Thailand Ecopod Boutique Retreat – Scotland  The Saguaro AZ – Scottsdale From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos by @tripstyler and the Sorrento Hotel, taken while a guest of the hotel]

Roam+Board :: The LIT! Bangkok

[trip style = urban + budget conscious]

{Editor’s Note :: April’s destination focus is Thailand and today is the last Thai hurrah! Check out our spotlight on Bangkok, and other Roam+Board features on a modern, all-villa retreat and a swish and tech-savvy beach resort---both within a two- to four-hour drive of Bangkok. PS - I just stayed at The LIT! Bangkok and it's ultra Trip Styler approved.}

What The term calculated can have a negative connotation, yet use it to describe a near-perfect hotel experience and it's a positive. The LIT! Bangkok is cool, calm and calculated, a haven from the city's heat and hype.

Always smiling and gentle staff dressed in crisp white shirts and traditional Thai pants {a nicer version of the MC hammer pant craze} welcome and assist with your every whim; low-decibel ambient music sets the mood in elevators and hallways; the infinity pool and landscaping make you forget you're in a city of 8 million; and the design cues are right out of Vogue Living Australia.

Within seconds of arriving, I was promptly given a tour of my comfy, clean-lined room---complete with a sitting area, desk and marble bathroom that spanned the entire length of the space. Wearing my in-room raw silk robe, snacking on the included mini bar goodies, strangely, I felt at home though I was thousands of miles away.

The icing on the LIT!'s calculated cake? An included 10-minute foot massage that turned into 17 minutes of Bangkok bliss.

Where Bangkok, Thailand. Situated on a side street with food vendors and $10 massage parlors, the LIT! is a two-minute walk from the National Stadium Station skytrain stop and a two-minute cab from the Phaya Thai station {the airport express train's end point}.

When Bangkok is busy year-round. The "tropical cool" season is still hot and steamy spanning November to mid-January. The rest of the year is biz-nanas hot with intermittent rain and electric, short-lived storms.

Who/Why You don't have to stay at Bangkok's river-front, highfalutin towers to make you feel like you've experienced the high life in the Big Mango. You'd rather your voguish home base to be on a side street surrounded by local businesses.

Cost Rooms start at $105/night and include a 10-minute foot massage, a well-balanced breakfast buffet with fresh juice and killer coffee, wifi, bottled water and a daily mini bar allowance.

{Trip Styler Tip :: Upon check-out, it's common for hotels in Thailand to ask you to wait a moment before you leave while housekeeping inspects the room.}

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More Roam+Board Hotel De La Paix - Thailand X2 Kui Buri - Thailand Ecopod Boutique Retreat – Scotland The Saguaro AZ – Scottsdale Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix Llipimpac Guesthouse – Cusco, Peru From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos by @tripstyler---see additional shots the LIT! Bangkok on Trip Styler's Instagram]

Roam+Board :: Hotel De La Paix

[trip style = beach + sun + affordable luxe]

{Editor’s Note :: April’s destination focus is Thailand. Last week we featured a modern, all-villa resort 3.5 hrs from Bangkok, and today Hotel De La Paix! PS – I just left this resort on Monday and it’s ultra TS approved!}

What Without a big brand name or travel editors' hot pick location, Hotel De La Paix is grandiose-chic with big-picture pizzaz. Upon arrival you are met by massive white marble stairs, which lead to a modern, open-air lobby looking over a reflections pool covering the vast length of the property.

At every turn this swish stopover is refreshing and edited, knowing its target market with p-r-e-c-i-s-i-o-n. Catering to the younger jetsetting crowd {not a lot of seniors here}, each room has its own wifi router, Apple TV, ambient chill music and 12ft ceilings with a 2 x 3ft rain shower cascading from above {<-- somewhat shaky video, but hopefully you get a refresher}.

Foodies will love the international breakfast buffet with its carrot muffin shooters, fresh honeycomb, and grilled bananas with coconut sauce, in addition to all the regular brunchy suspects. And don't even get me started on the resort's tropical vanilla signature scent gently permeating from the hallways right through to the in-room shower amenities.

Keep Hotel De La Paix on your Thailand radar. This luxe, meticulously kept property is manicured like a Thai Royal.

Where Just before Hua Hin, Thailand at Cha-Am Beach, two hours from Bangkok. A one-way car transfer costs $115.

When High season spans November to February with cool and balmy weather {33 degrees C “feels like” 45}. Shoulder season is mid-September to October and mid-March to April with hotter weather and less predictable precipitation. Low season is May to August due to ultra-hot and rainy conditions, but usually you get a bit of warning before a short-lived torrential downpour!

Who/Why You're an international vagabond who likes the taste of Thai city life, but doesn't want to be stuck between bars and massage parlors in the middle of town. You bring your iPad to the pool with you and appreciate the small touches, like oversized loungers with enough space to put your beach bag and scatter your beach paraphernalia.

Cost Rooms start at $140/night in high season. Includes comet-fast wifi, an elaborate breakfast buffet, a shuttle into Hua Hin, mini bar {with beer} and morning yoga.

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More Roam+Board X2 Kui Buri - Thailand Ecopod Boutique Retreat – Scotland The Saguaro AZ – Scottsdale Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix Llipimpac Guesthouse – Cusco, Peru Postcard Inn At Holiday Isle – Florida Keys Nira Alpina – Switzerland From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos by @tripstyler---see additional shots of Hotel De La Paix via Trip Styler's Instagram]

Roam+Board :: X2 Kui Buri

[trip style = beach + sun + affordable luxe]

{Editor’s Note :: April's destination focus is Thailand, and this is the first of a few features we'll post this month. PS - I am at this resort RIGHT now and it's TS approved!}

What Sun-bleached and wind-swept boardwalks connect X2 Kui Buri's 23 villas with an inky mosaic-tiled pool, open-air restau-bar and sweeping unmanicured beach with a fresh catch of fishing boats dotting the shore. Seriously secluded, it's raw, modern and its brand of chic is unravelled sans jewels, hairdos, resort wear and this season's it lip shade.

The X2 zigs where other resorts zag. Check-in and check-out times are flexible. Instead of a big bouquet of flowers at reception, there's a floor-al arrangement of green stems arranged in alternate directions. A beach bag with two oversized yellow towels awaits guests in every room.

Rectangular concrete villas are constructed of local stone, each with private, outdoor rain showers and apropos touches like in-room issues of Wallpaper* magazine {Thai edition}. Bring all your essentials because this place is off the charts--and the grid.

Where Just past Hua Hin, Thailand, beside a small fishing village, 3.5 hours from Bangkok. A one-way car transfer costs $150.

When High season spans November to February due to cool and balmy weather---by Thai standards---{33 degrees C "feels like" 45} with lower humidity and clear skies. Shoulder season is mid-September to October and mid-March to April with hotter weather and less predictable precipitation. Low season is May to August due to ultra-hot and rainy conditions, but usually you get a bit of warning before a short-lived torrential downpour!

Who/Why You like to be connected while away from it all---your version of getting off the grid. Dwell magazine takes center stage on your iPad and "clean lines" are your only architectural lines. Scenesters beware, this ain't no Koh Phangan full moon party; nightlife includes watching the sunset, waiting for the stars to appear and dining al fresco.

Cost Villas start at $130/night in high season. Includes wifi, a champagne breakfast and a jazz-meets-chill-meets-elevator-music soundtrack.

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More Roam+Board Ecopod Boutique Retreat - Scotland  The Saguaro AZ – Scottsdale Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix Llipimpac Guesthouse – Cusco, Peru Postcard Inn At Holiday Isle – Florida Keys Nira Alpina – Switzerland From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Ecopod Boutique Retreat

[trip style = glamping]

{Editor’s Note :: I read about this dome hotel a few months ago in House & Home, ripped the page out and vowed I'd a) feature it, and b) stay here one day. Check out Scotland's hippest trip style = glamping spot.}

What Europe is all about pods---coffee pods, sightseeing pods, and now, hotel pods. Neither the accommodations nor the experience at the Ecopod Boutique Retreat is your average, flimsy nylon tent-take on camping---quite the opposite. Draped in geometric yellow, beige and army green camo print, these stylish, open-plan, 229 sf geodesic domes boast circular skylights, retro Guzzini lighting and original Charles Eames recliners to gaze at Scotland's rugged West coast terrain.

At check-in you're handed a complimentary hamper stocked with local specialties like dived scallops, handmade chocolates and a decanter filled with the best Scottish malt whiskey {<- seriously, best welcome amenities ever!}. With all this foodie love, you might not even feel like using your dapper dome's custom Danish kitchen or soaking in its outdoor Japanese cedar hot tub---never mind, there's always time for a cedar-tub soak under the stars.

Where Appin, Argyll, Scotland is within 140-190 km of most major airports; Glasgow International, Prestwick, Inverness and Edinburgh. Via train, Scotrail runs a three-times daily, 3.5-hour service from Glasgow Central station to Oban. From Oban, Citylink and West Coast Motors run a bus service to Appin.

When In winter and fall, each earth-friendly pod's wood-burning stoves make it cozy with sustainable wood pellets from local forests. In spring and summer, explore the area via hikes in every direction.

Who/Why You feel at home in two worlds; the city and the country. Slight snag: your country self appreciates the city's style, amenities and pampering. If all these stars align, you're a regular girl/boy scout sporting designer digs under your muddy boots and disheveled hair.

Cost Pods sleep two and can be booked for three- to seven-night stays. Note, it's tricky to find three-night slots online, so you'll have to call. Approx $800 for three nights or $1750 for a week. Wifi included.

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More Roam+Board The Saguaro AZ - Scottsdale Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix Llipimpac Guesthouse – Cusco, Peru Postcard Inn At Holiday Isle – Florida Keys Nira Alpina – Switzerland Rockhouse – Jamaica Rolling Huts – Methow Valley {WA} From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos via ecopod boutique resort]