Guest contributor Cate Dowman discovers a café design museum in Seoul’s up-and-coming neighborhood Mapo-gu.

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Getting it right can take time - both in life and in terms of blog design. Since I launched Travel Blissful in August this year and moved away from Wordpress.com I have been experimenting a bit with different themes. This post is just a way for me to “think out loud” and let you know my thoughts about how Travel Blissful will develop in the future.

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Whether you are a true fashionista, an art lover, a design aficionado, or simply don’t want to miss out on the latest trends in design, fashion, art and beauty, visit the Avenues of Art & Design in West Hollywood. On Saturday, May 31, 2008, thousands of people will meet on the 11^th annual Art & Design Walk, a mile-long open house with more than 300 high-end art galleries, fashion boutiques, interior design stores, specialty shops and restaurants. Staged along Melrose Avenue, and Beverly and Robertson Boulevards, the event highlights exclusive receptions, personal appearances, shopping discounts, and entertainment hosted by individual showrooms.

Admirers of minimalist and colour abstract art will want to stop by Hamilton-Selway Fine Art’s newest display “Contemporary Contemporaries”, featuring work by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, David Hockney and other twentieth century artists.

Other gallery exhibitions include George Stern Fine Art’s ‘Robert Frame’ showcase and Glass Garage Fine Arts Gallery’s ‘Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque’.

The fashion conscious in search of the latest fad can enjoy haute designers like Stella McCartney and James Perse. The fashion boutiques along the Avenues have something for everyone. And home aficionados will like Ligne Roset by Linea, the fine collection of Peking glass by Robert Kuo, White Orchid Living at north Robertson Blvd and the special surprises from Phyllias Morris/Circa.

Once again, the downtown Los Angeles non-profit arts education center Inner-City Arts will benefit by the Avenues of Art & Design thanks to a silent auction taking place on the day of the event. Inner-City Arts “…uses arts education to positively affect the lives of at-risk children by unlocking their creative potential for a more hopeful and productive future.”

Admission to the Saturday’s Avenues Art & Design Walk 4p.m. to 8p.m. is absolutely free. Fiji Water will provide free bottled water to guests at their stations all through the Avenues and Urth Caffé offers free coffee drinks and tea. For more information visit, http://avenuesartdesign.com

About The Avenues of Art & Design

“Established through a West Hollywood City Ordinance as a Business Improvement District (BID) in 1996, the streets of Melrose Avenue, Robertson and Beverly Boulevards are where fine, decorative and culinary arts are conceived, created, and consigned to aesthetically-minded, design-savvy connoisseurs worldwide.”

In November 2007, Design Hotels released its 2008 edition of the Design Hotels^TM Yearbook featuring almost 40 new members. The 15 years anniversary issue includes over 650 pages of outstanding photography and comprehensive articles on design and architecture. The theme “Looking Forward” mirrors the company’s objective to encourage a new time in hotel design. Nine selected hoteliers and designers share their ideas for the future.

Design Hotels^TM portfolio is improved with a selection of some of the best newly built design hotels in the world. Below, you can see the member hotels opening in 2008.

Europe

Belgium-Genk: Carbon Hotel - April

Germany-Frankfurt: Roomers - September

Germany-Hamburg: The George - August

Hungary-Budapest: Hotel Rosslyn - November

Norway-Oslo: Grims Grenka - January

Switzerland-Laax: The Rocks - February

UK-London: The Franklin Hotel - February

UK-London: Sanctum Soho Hotel - May

UK-Southport: Vincent - March

Asia/Pacific

Indonesia-Bali: Alila Villas Uluwatu - June

Maldives-South Male: Alila Villas Hadahaa - June

Maldives-South Male: Alila Villas Lonudhua - June

Apart from in selected member hotels and retailers, The Design Hotels^TM Yearbook 08 is available online at www.designhotels.com/shop at a cost of 39 Euros.

The latest opened member hotel was Alila Cha-Am, a modern beachside resort only two hours south of Bangkok.

Design Hotels^TM member hotels are united by a dedication to individualism and progressive design. The company has its headquarter in Berlin and branches in London, Barcelona, New York, Singapore, Bali and Tokyo.

Design hotels, can you do anything else than love them? A company that gives them the attention they deserve is design hotels AG who represents and markets more than 150 top-quality hotels in over 40 countries.

The ultimate choice for a comforting New York stay is the elegant CHAMBERS, at 56th Street near Fifth Avenue, whilst the quiet Zen-influenced THE SETAI just off Ocean’s Drive appeals to Miami visitors.

Three popular picks among Asia travelers are PARK HOTEL TOKYO in Japan, THE LIBRARY on Koh Samui and UNITED HOTEL in Tapei, Tawain.

For tourists and business travelers in Scandinavia I can recommend the Swedish NORDIC LIGHT HOTEL in Stockholm, HOTEL SKT PETRI in Copenhagen, KLAUS K in Helsinki and GRIMS GRENKA in Oslo, Norway.

Row of Sun Palapas on a sandy beach in Mexico.

Residing in a design hotel with a hip ambience and a sophisticated feel will give you a remarkable vacation experience. These six coveted Mexican hotels are a safe bet. 

ESENCIA

A sumptuous heaven set at the tropical Caribbean seaside on the Yucatan Peninsula. Wake up for a cooling swim in the pool, a session of yoga, an organic Spa treatment or an ocean dive with skilled scuba instructors. If needed, multilingual nannies can provide baby-sitting. This laid-back hotel has 29 rooms, 17 suites and two cottages for $525-$2,800 a night, including breakfast. As it darkens outside, relish the chef Alejandro Rojas’ Meso-American cuisine at the hotel’s restaurant Sal y Fuego, sip an Esencia Carbena in the chill-out lounge or stroll to the beach and watch the sunset.

Location: Carretera Cancun Tulum, Pedio Rustico Xpu-Ha Lote 18, Quintana Roo

IKA DEL MAR

Living in one of the 30 villas boasting their own private pool and outdoor terrace with beds and hammocks costs $585-$2,500 a night, including breakfasts. To ensure peace and quiet, cell phones are prohibited on Ika del Mar’s premises and no children under 16 are allowed. Available activities include hatha yoga, snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing and horse-riding. End the day with Azul Restaurant’s international and domestic gourmet cuisine.

Location: Playa Xcalacoco Frac 7, Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo

CONDESA DF

Javier Sanche’s architectural gem stands along a Jacaranda-lined avenue in the trendy Condesa district, 30 minutes from the international airport. The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes has listed the building as cultural heritage. A tranquil site filled with funky simplicity and glamorous cool, especially the central patio devoted to relaxation, dining, and people watching. The 40 rooms and suites have an airy feel, chocolate brown tones and functional furnishing. Don’t miss the club in the basement or a sushi at La Terazza bar offering views to neighbouring Parque de Espana and the Castillo de Chapultepec.

Location: Avenida Veracruz 102, Mexico City

HABITA

Mexican architects Bernardo Gomes-Pimienta and Enrique Norten teamed up with hotel keepers Carlos Couturier and Moises Micha for a 2000 premiere. The result? A contemporary designed five storey hotel with 32 rooms and four suites in the fashionable Polanco neighbourhood, near Chapultepec Park in the city’s business centre. Enjoy the aesthetic rooms, admire the view from the rooftop bar - almost a must in a design hotel - and savour Aura Restaurant’s modern cuisine.

Location: Av. Presidente Masaryk 201, Col. Polanco C.P, Mexico City

DESEO

Situated in a charming fishing village 35 minutes drive south from Cancun International Airport, Deseo is one of the hottest spots on the Mayan Riviera. The 15 rooms and suites - some with ocean view - have a plain feel with natural colours and white marble floors. The hip hotel pool terrace offers king-size beds and pillows for optimal relaxation.

Location: 5th Av and 12th St, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo

AZUCAR

According to hotelier Carlos Couturier, the elegant Azucar hotel is a tribute to the sugar industry, the Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz who dedicated a song to the sugar cane and items special for Mexico: the huarache (Mexican sandal), the machete (Mexican cutting knife), and the sombrero (Mexican hat). The 20 spacious bungalows with thatched roofs, white colours and cotton attire all have a private terrace facing the Gulf of Mexico.

Location: Km 83.5 Carretera Poza Rica - Nautla, Loocalidad Montegordo Veracruz

I don’t mind staying in hostels and sharing room with other travelers, but once in a while (when I can afford it) I don’t think there’s anything wrong with design hotels either.

Condé Nast Traveller USA and UK recently announced their annual hot list of original design hotels. Click here to see the nine chosen hotels.