I have spent a lot of time in the bath recently, all in the interests of research. Where once five star resorts were concerned with providing the ultimate Heavenly Bed or the best room service, the latest obsession is with bathrooms. Once upon a time a marble vanity was enough to spell luxury, these days we expect far more.
To judge a hotel room by its bathroom isn't a mere indulgence because the truth is that if a property has taken the trouble to install a state of the art bathroom and taken care over the power shower and the designer tub chances are the rest of your suite will be well thought out too.
Five Fabulous bathrooms
1.The newly opened Puku Lodge in Zambia is one of a new breed of luxury tented safari experiences that are pitching camp in the country's game reserves. As Zimbabwe continues to suffer, Zambia, just across the border, is the newest destination for those hunting big game with their telephoto lens. After a dusty early morning game drive nothing is more indulgent, or unexpected, than stepping into deep, hot bath under canvas. At Puku you also get a bath with a truly wild view. As you sink into the scented water you can look out at the wide plain below and watch swabbling baboons, dainty puku deer and impala and herds of elephant making their way to the waterholes. All of which beats a cold shower on family camping holidays when the only wildlife you were likely to encounter was the odd damp spider. Puku Lodge is run by Sanctuary, the hotel arm of Abercrombie and |Kent, which might explain why it is so good,
www.abercrombiekent.com.au2. If an urban jungle appeals to you more, then few things beat the view from the bathrooms of the corner suites at The Peninsula Hong Kong. From your Bulgari bubble bath you can see the skyscrapers of the city lit up like giant Chinese lanterns and the silver grey waters of Hong Kong harbour. The Peninsula proves the theory that a good bathroom reflects the standard of the hotel. At The Pen they've thought of everything before you have, right down to the adapter plugs in the drawers and the hole in the walls to put your shoes in for an early morning polish,
www.peninsula.com 3. Push back the windows in the bathrooms of the waterview rooms at Qualia on Hamilton island in Queensland and you feel as if you are in a tropical rainforest. The bathrooms have an outdoor shower, but once you've pushed back the wide, folding windows your deep, stand-alone bath also feels as if it is in the great outdoors. Warm tropical breezes blow through your luxury bathroom while you soak in the tub. Qualia bathrooms are the size of most peoples' sitting rooms – a generosity of size which pervades the whole five star resort, where villas have deep verandas and stylish separate sitting rooms,
www.qualia.com.au 4. Water views are also a feature of the bathrooms at Six Senses Hideaway on Koh Samui in Thailand. Here the sunken stone bath is almost as big as a plunge pool and you walk down steps to the water. The eco-friendly resort has no glass in its bathroom window just a series of shutters that you push back for views of the blue sea. The feeling of being at one with nature is echoed all over the resort with its natural weathered wood and cotton furnishing from Barefoot,
www.sixsenses.com
5. You will also find a sunken bath in the suites of The Chedi in Muscat in Oman. The Chedi was the first true designer resort in Muscat and is still one of the best. Its cool white interiors and Islamic-influenced architecture make you feel as if you are staying in a sultan's palace. The Chedi is all about secret spaces and walled gardens, so the large bathrooms are shuttered and secluded as if you were spending time in your own personal hamman,
www.lhw.com