Jane Austen Regency week – Alton and Chawton’s annual Jane Austen Regency Week will be taking place between Saturday 17 and Sunday 25 June. Read on to find out what’s on at Jane Austen’s House during the festival! The festival is wonderful, but you can be in Hampshire and Bath at any time of year to enjoy the life of the incomparable Jane Austen
Louis Vuitton Pop Up “Hotel”
There’s been much word among the leafy streets of Mayfair about a glitzy new “hotel” recently – and word travels fast. Well-heeled residents and passers-by alike have spotted distinctly designer branding being unveiled on the facade of 28 Berkeley Square ahead of the property’s Friday 24 April opening; but all is not quite as it seems.
For the new “hotel” is, in fact, not somewhere for travellers to rest their weary heads at all, but rather the latest in a long line of Louis Vuitton activations honouring 130 years of the House’s iconic Monogram.
Now, following opulent pop-ups in cities including Shanghai and Bangkok, the celebrations arrive in W1 as an immersive “hotel” experience for admirers of the finer things in life.
Beyond the glittering branding and a dashing doorman lie myriad rooms dedicated to some of Louis Vuitton’s most-recognised styles, including Speedy, Keepall, Noé, Alma, and Neverfull.
The journey begins in the Keepall Lobby, inspired by the revolutionary Keepall style first introduced in 1930. Turning right, a check-in desk is the focal point of the townhouse’s street-level space, where sleek Assouline books bring pops of colour that catch my eye, alongside city guides that encourage voguish adventures. At the far end, an attentive team tend to Louis Vuitton bags that have been dropped off for a restorative stay or a spot of personalisation.
The first floor of the townhouse has been transformed into a world of Parisian allure inspired by its namesake across the Channel. Open Monday to Sunday, 11am till 7pm, Café Alma’s signature luncheon sittings are officially the neighbourhood’s newest place to be seen of a morning, followed by exquisite Afternoon Tea featuring ‘Monogram Moments’, Champagne, coffees, teas and playful British patisseries.
Another adventure up the grand staircase reveals various designer hideouts, including a Speedy Room filled with Speedy bags, styled as a plush hotel suite, that flows into a Speedy P9 Safe Room disguised behind a mirrored closet door. The latter, a visionary reinterpretation of the classic Speedy by Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams, blends 1930s heritage with cutting-edge style in a glittering haven.
Heading down the stairs offers a chance to absorb the house’s heritage from the art-adorned walls – but there’s no need to rush off. This “hotel” houses a subterranean secret, Bar Noé. The intimate Champagne bar pays tribute to the bag created in 1932 at the request of a champagne producer, perfect for carrying five bottles of bubbly.
Hyll House Hotel
If you’re reading this, like me you love the countryside – so you’ll be very excited about the new opening, it’s only been open a few months, and they go further than most hotels in their encouragement of doing nothing. With all of that beautiful countryside surrounding it, there’s a lot of tempatation to go exploring
The former Charingworth Manor Hotel has been transformed into something altogether more cool and contemporary, with an appealing brief to allow its guests to truly switch off. The name Hyll, which means ‘elevated place’ in old English, reflects both the hotel’s setting, with views across the Cotswold landscape, and its intended calm yet sophisticated mood.
About Hyll, our manor boutique hotel in the Cotswolds
Hyll is a 14th-century manor boutique hotel in the North Cotswolds with views across the Cotswolds. It’s not just a place to stay – it’s a place to exhale. Slow down, switch off, and savour the luxuries that are hardest to come by: time, space and good food eaten slowly.
A house with a history, a stay without rules
Hyll has lived many lives: as a family home, a retreat, a place where stories unfolded within its old stone walls. Now, it’s here for you to write your own. There’s no set itinerary, no rush to be anywhere, no need to explain why you’re still in your bathrobe at noon. Just a house built for slowing down.
The art of doing less
Rest isn’t a formula – it’s a feeling. Here, it might be sinking into an armchair with a book you pulled from the shelf at random, considering the influence of a piece of art. Or walking until your head clears, then coming back for tea and toast. It might even be a long, aimless chat with a stranger by the fire. Whatever it looks like for you, Hyll makes space for it.