This year sees lots of London hotels opening in time for the 2012 Olympics, plus cool cabins, converted manors and barns, and a stylish architect-designed houseSt John Hotel, Leicester Square, LondonFrom nose-to-tail to table-to-bed ? St John chef Fergus Henderson is branching out into accommodation with this stylish 15-room pad and restaurant in theatreland. The building once housed Manzi's seafood restaurant and is in a side street behind Leicester Square. Like the Smithfield restaurant, its rooms will be white and minimalist.? 020-3301 8069, stjohnhotellondon.com. Doubles from �240. Due to open at the end of this month W Hotel, Leicester Square, LondonA stone's throw from St John but a world away in attitude, the luxury hotel chain comes to London, with 192 rooms slap-bang on Leicester Square. Very handy for film premieres (or encountering drunk stag parties). Expect a glittery lobby, a black, mirror- ball-filled bar and stark white rooms with lilac lighting.? 020-7851 3228, wlondon.co.uk. Doubles from around �300. Due to open 14 FebruaryBulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge, LondonThe Italian design brand will open a hotel in Knightsbridge ? where else? ? at the end of the year. Similar to the Milan Bulgari hotel, it will be super-luxurious, with interior design by Italian furniture guru Antonio Citterio influenced by silver and jewellery design, with 78 rooms and a ballroom.? bulgarihotels.com. Prices TBC. Opening planned for December The St Pancras Renaissance, LondonSet to be a swanky and handy option for those arriving in the capital by Eurostar (if it only it had been open for all those stranded customers trying to get home for Christmas!), the much trumpeted St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in the neo-Gothic red-brick station will occupy parts of the original Midland Hotel, which opened in 1871 but closed in 1935 when it became too expensive to maintain. Now, 75 years on, this will be the big hotel opening of the year.? marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/ lonpr-st-pancras. Doubles from �225. Due to open in MarchThe Curve at Ekopod, Bodmin Moor, CornwallThe original Ekopod ? a stylish white geodesic tent with a wood-burner, wooden terrace platform, separate bathroom (with woodburner-heated bathtub) and kitchen tent in its own field near Bodmin Moor ? was booked up for the whole of last summer. So this year the owners are expanding with an additional holiday option, The Curve, a long white tube of a building, with bathroom and dining area, sleeping two.? Book through Alastair Sawday's new camping website, canopyandstars.co.uk. From �95 a night. Opens AprilLovelane Hippie Bus, The Lizard, CornwallAfter staying at the wonderfully quirky Lovelane Caravans vintage caravan/campsite on Roskilly's Organic Farm in Helston last summer, the Guardian Travel desk are very excited about the addition of a converted 1960s school bus-turned-hippie bus this spring, plus new foraging weekends.? 01326 340406, lovelanecaravans.com. Price TBC (other caravans on the site from �180 for three nights, sleeping two). Set to open in April/ MayShute Barton, Axminster, DevonOne of the UK's most important non-fortified medieval manor houses, augmented with late-Gothic windows, a Tudor gatehouse and turrets, is currently undergoing another conversion ? into a holiday property. The National Trust property will sleep 10 and guests will have the run of the house; it was previously open only to day visitors. The kitchen's fireplace is thought to be the biggest in the UK ? large enough to roast two oxen side by side.? 01752 346585, nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-shutebarton. Opens this month. From �1,578 for three nights, sleeping 10Auberge Carnish guesthouse, Lewis, Outer HebridesAiming to offer five-star accommodation and dining on this beautiful island, the Auberge Carnish looks set to be a great option for foodie-walky-relaxy types. Built on a croft which tumbles down to Uig Sands, a two-mile stretch of white shell sand, it features just four guest rooms, and a restaurant seating 20 offering one rustic and one gourmet menu, with local art on the walls. It will be run by the owners of the island's already successful Bonaventure Restaurant With Rooms.? aubergecarnish.co.uk. �85 per single, �115 per double, �125 per twin. Opens in MayThe Barn, Storrs, DerbyshireHolidaylettings.co.uk has many great properties, and one new addition this year in a county always hungry for stylish new options is The Barn, a 15th-century GradeII-listed conversion on the edge of the Peak District, with four bedrooms, 600-year-old beams, underfloor heating and a private hot tub. Sheffield is within easy reach, there are many walks directly from the doorstep and plenty of pubs nearby.? From �595 to �1,500 per week, sleeping 11, holidaylettings.co.uk/145250. Available nowThe Long House, Cockthorpe, NorfolkLiving Architecture, one of the most exciting new holiday accommodation projects of last year, continues to open gorgeous designer properties. The Long House, designed by modernists Sir Michael and Lady Patty Hopkins, is a long, airy, wooden space with a banqueting hall and timber roof with and views over the North Sea coast.? living-architecture.co.uk. From �1,465 per week/long weekend �832, sleeps 10. Available from AugustHotelsBed and breakfastsShort breaksSelf-cateringFamily holidaysUnited KingdomLondonScotlandCornwallDevonNorfolkGemma Bowesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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