Art Hotels

The place — Faena Hotel Buenos Aires occupies a former grain store in Puerto Madero, the dock quarter east of the city centre. The brick shell was kept and the interior rebuilt behind it, so the outside reads as industrial while the rooms do not. The building stands on the water among converted warehouses of the same period.

A long red corridor runs the length of the ground floor and links the restaurants, the bar and a cabaret room. Guest floors sit above it, and a pool and garden occupy the rear of the plot. Much of the furnishing was designed for the building rather than bought in.

Before you write — Ask which rooms face the dock and which look inland, as the aspect changes the light considerably. The cabaret programme, restaurant hours and access to the pool are worth confirming, since the public rooms keep schedules of their own.

The place — Vik Chile stands on a hilltop in the Millahue valley, in wine country south of Santiago. A single roof of bronze-coloured titanium curves over the whole building and gives it its outline from a distance. Vineyards belonging to the same estate surround the hill, and the nearest town lies some way off.

Each guest room was given to a different artist to finish, so no two are finished alike. Glass walls beneath the roof open the public rooms to the valley, and a pool lies on the terrace outside. A winery belonging to the estate is a separate building lower down the slope.

Before you write — Ask which room has been assigned, since the interiors differ from one another in every respect. Transfer arrangements from Santiago, the state of the approach road, and which meals are served on the estate are worth settling in advance.

The place — Palazzo Margherita is a nineteenth-century palazzo on the main street of Bernalda, a hill town in Basilicata in southern Italy. The house was restored and turned into a hotel holding a small number of rooms. It sits within the town rather than outside it, with a walled garden behind the street front.

Painted ceilings and tiled floors were kept and repaired where they had survived, and every room was finished individually. The garden holds a pool, a bar and shaded seating. A screening room and a courtyard bar occupy the ground floor, and the kitchen works with produce from the surrounding region.

Before you write — Ask which rooms face the street and which face the garden, as the town presses close on one side. Confirm how the property is reached from Bari or Matera, and which of the public rooms are open in the season you have chosen.

The place — Hôtel du Petit Moulin occupies a narrow house in the Marais, in the third arrondissement of Paris. The ground floor kept the shopfront of the bakery that stood there, and the hotel was fitted into the storeys above. Rooms are few and small, since the plan of the old building allows nothing else.

The interiors were designed by a single hand, and each room was treated as its own scheme rather than repeated from a standard. Stairs are narrow and there is no large lobby. A small bar and a breakfast room serve the ground floor, and the street outside is quiet by the standards of the quarter.

Before you write — Ask about lift access and the number of stairs, since the house is old and the rooms lie on several floors. Room sizes vary widely, so it is worth asking what has been held and where in the building it sits.

The place — Vila Foz stands at Foz do Douro, where the river meets the Atlantic on the western edge of Porto. The hotel is built around a nineteenth-century mansion that faces the open sea, with a newer block added beside it. The two parts are joined internally, and guest rooms are distributed between them.

The old house keeps its stonework, its staircase and its panelled rooms, and holds the restaurant and the smaller lounges. The addition carries most of the bedrooms, together with a spa set on a lower level. A terrace faces the coast road, and the seafront walk lies immediately opposite the entrance.

Before you write — Ask whether a room is in the mansion or in the newer block, because the two differ in size and outlook. Spa hours, the days the restaurant opens, and the tram or bus route into central Porto are worth confirming beforehand.

The place — Casa Habita occupies a mid-century house in the Lafayette quarter of Guadalajara, west of the historic centre. The structure was kept and reworked as a hotel, and the original concrete frame has been left visible in places. The surrounding streets hold shops, galleries and restaurants within a short walk of the door.

Rooms open off open-air corridors set around the plan, and a pool and terrace occupy the roof with the city beyond. A restaurant and bar fill the ground floor and are open to people who are not staying. Colour is used strongly at the openings, and the finishes elsewhere are plain.

Before you write — Ask which rooms face the street and which face inward, since the terrace and the bar are used in the evening. Rooftop hours, parking in the quarter and the walk to the nearby galleries are worth confirming with the hotel.