Wallpaper 10

Photography: Su Shengliang

One bijou resort at a time, intrepid

hoteliers are making steady in-roads into

China’s vast interior. The latest to catch

our eye is this 21-room property tucked

into the crook of a valley in the country’s

eastern Zhejiang province, an extraordinary

setting that has long been celebrated by

nature lovers and artists. Shanghai-based

studio Ares Partners, headed up by architect

Helen Wang, has converted a disparate

cluster of six 1950s granary buildings into a

calm modern compound of white volumes

lined with deeply set eaves and low stone

walls, and capped with classic Chinese

clay roofs. Ares Partners kept the original

exterior timber and stone finishes intact,

but removed false ceilings inside to reveal

soaring timber rafters. Meanwhile, existing

windows in the minimalist bedrooms

were widened to offer impressive views of

the rugged mountainscape, and a heated

outdoor pool makes a good case for

day-long indolence. Venture out to visit the

700-year-old Xujiashan stone village and

the Wushan grottoes that date back to the

Song dynasty, but make sure you get back

in time for resident chef Cao Zhengcao’s

chicken stewed with wild mushrooms, and

steamed razor clams. Daven Wu

Huchen Township, Ninghai County, China,

tel: 86.574 2559 5588. Rates: from RMB880 ($130)

Cluster effect

MIYA LOSTVILLA HUCHEN BARN, ZHEJIANG

WHITE HOUSE

Above, the Istoria

Hotel’s architects found

inspiration in the cubist

volumes of the island’s

vernacular architecture

Treasure island

Resorts in Santorini have long jostled for

prime real estate and jaw-dropping views

of the immense caldera on the island’s

western coastline, leaving the flatter, but

equally breathtaking eastern shores

relatively pristine and undisturbed by the

madding crowds that arrive each summer.

On a particularly handsome stretch of

Perivolos Beach, with its black volcanic

sands, the 12-suite Istoria Hotel is a languid

sprawl of raw stonework, greenery and

white walls. Behind the thick masonry of

the three-storey complex, Athens’ Interior

Design Laboratorium has fashioned a cool,

modern interior of mosaic and concrete

floors, roughly hewn timber furniture, bed

throws in summery hues, and terracotta

accents. When not picking the best

sunbathing spot at the 3km-long beach or by

the capacious pool, or being massaged in the

Asian-themed spa, guests can spend quality

time with chef Alexandros Tsiotinis’

Mediterranean menu, including chicken

with cannelloni stuffed with Santorinian

zucchini and smoked Metsovo cheese. DW

Perivolos Beach, tel: 30.2286 085051,

istoriahotel.gr. Rates: from €390

ISTORIA HOTEL, SANTORINI

FULL OF BEAMS

Top, the Miya Lostvilla’s

lounge is located in a

former granary building

featuring spectacular

timber rafters

286 ∑

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