Chic of it
A chic new townhouse hotel opens this winter in Cambridge, a city short of places with character. The Hotel Felix is a conversion of a Gothic Victorian mansion with two added wings forming a central courtyard. Original interiors have been restored but the style will be modern with natural fabrics - coir, linen, silk and leather - and contemporary furniture and art.
It is owned by Jeremy Cassel, who also has the elegant Grange in York. Chef Stuart Conibear, who has worked at the Ivy and Le Petit Blanc, promises a Mediterranean menu at the hotel's Graffiti restaurant.
The 52 bedrooms are individually designed with a minimalist bathroom, said to have "an almost oriental air". The opening is set for November: double rooms from £155, including continental breakfast. Details on: 01223 277977.
Escape from IKEA
Better to fly to Stockholm than brave the crowds at your local IKEA store if you want to catch up on the latest in cool Swedish design. Moose and Mushroom, a Swedish travel company, is offering two-night design breaks to Stockholm from £195: this includes B&B accommodation at the stylish Birger Jarl, a "design kit" of books and a copy of Stockholm New, Sweden's leading lifestyle magazine. There are 20% discounts at the city's hottest design outlets. You have to find your own flight (from £20 each way plus taxes on Ryanair, ryanair.com, or from £120 with SAS on 0845 60727727). See Moose and Mushroom and for more on design in Stockholm, see www.visit-sweden.com.
Set 'em up Norman
The New York bar to be seen in this autumn is the Star Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South. The hotel has reopened after a make-over with the lounge redesigned as a "traditional New York stand-up bar". But the main attraction is the man with the martini shaker - Norman Bukofzer, once described by Forbes magazine as "New York's friendliest bartender". The drink to ask for is Norman's Shining Star, a reddish-pink concoction of lemon-infused vodka, cointreau, lime and a splash of cranberry garnished with a star fruit.
Champagne chalets
A ski chalet sponsored by Veuve Clicquot can be expected to have a well-chosen wine cellar. And that's only a taster of the goodies available at five sumptuous chalets featured in a website launched this week by Descent International. Each of the five - at Klosters, Val D'Isère, Verbier and Meribel - has a sauna, steam room and a private cinema. Prices per chalet are as steep as a black run, from £9,500 to £46,000 for a week; but they sleep between 10 and 20 people. See Descent International or phone 020-7384 3854.
