Feast for the senses
Beijing's Legation Quarter has been given a new lease of life by Hong Kong's Ankh Concepts. The company has turned the former United States embassy complex - which has been rechristened, somewhat confusingly, Legation Quarter - into a 17,000 sqft dining hotspot. The new Legation Quarter offers Shiro Matsu, a contemporary Japanese restaurant that features China's longest and best-stocked sushi bar and a sumibiyaki (charcoal) grill room; Hex, a sultry, pre-dinner and late-night lounge bar; Agua, a modern northern Spanish eatery with a tapas bar and magnificent outdoor terrace; and Fez, an expansive, Marrakesh-style rooftop bar with deep sofas and Morrocan lamps nestled within private tents, all looking like a scene out of Arabian Nights.
A natural move
Asian resort brand Banyan Tree (
www.banyantree.com) will open its first North American property in February, on Mexico's Riviera Maya. The Mayakoba development area - 'a new civilisation where all life exists in harmony and luxury', or so the hype would have you believe - will be home to an all-pool-villa resort. The earth-toned villas, some of which boast heated jet-pools, have been filled with Mayan-inspired furnishings infused with Asian touches, and guests will be able to relax in a rainforest-themed hydrotherapy centre.
Factory shift
Next time you visit western Germany, why not spend a night at the new Factory Hotel, an eclectic series of buildings that were once used by a brewery. Located in Munster, in the Westphalia region and close to the Dutch border, the Germania Brewery complex is now a range of restaurants and entertainment spots, including a jazz bar and a nightclub. A newly built wing contains 128 guest rooms and 16 suites - each decked out in raw concrete, offset with natural warm wood tones and textiles. For bookings, visit
www.designhotels.com.