Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa
Chatting with fellow travelettos, most of them will say even though they’ve stayed at the funkiest hotels and rolled on the fluffiest hotel beds across continents, nothing beats the feeling of coming home to their own bed. After a long journey, first thing I do when I returned to my pad is to run an aromatic bath, put on my heavenly soft bathrobe, and dive straight into my bed – Ahh! I feel I’m in my ‘zone’, somewhere to rest the worn out feet after all the adrenaline-pumping actions. Or more precisely, a cocoon to beat post-holiday blues and a buffer zone before returning to routine.
But then while I’m not travelling, I constantly flip through magazines with images of aw-inspiring hotel rooms that make me go, ‘ Wow! I think I could live there!’. Then I started to think, why can’t we simply have the best of both worlds? I’m talking about creating the ambience, the aroma and the style of your bucket list hotels in your own home, without pulling down the roof or rebuilding your whole house that is! Here I’m sharing some easy-as-peas ways to add a touch of hotel ambience without sweating a bit!
My inspirations came from my dreamiest holiday, staying in an open plan safari camp hotel in Kenya or South Africa! I came across these exotic safari lodges from this top list on CNN Traveler and I thought I’d rise to the challenge to bring a piece of this faraway, fanciful destination to my home.
Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania
Governors’ Camps, Kenya
Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania
Singita Grumeti, Tanzania
Lion Sands, South Africa
Now, I know you’re so keen to see what I’ve pulled together! For sure, as much as I wish I couldn’t fly the animal crew from Madagascar to my backyard, but here I’m sharing a few simple tips to re-create this safari hotel style bedroom design that aren’t as hard as pulling a herd of zebras:
The Must-Have For Hotel Style Bedroom Design:
Bed cushions. And lots of them piled up to create the volume and an interesting colour palette! I kept the main colour of my design to earthy tones of brown, beige and green while bringing in a pop of pink with the bed cushions as the highlight.
Heavenly mattress. This is the number one among all must-haves! I recently stayed at a boutique hotel in Sydney with a ‘cocoon’ bed that ensures you don’t get disturbance from your partner as he turns and wakes you up during the night – now isn’t this a dream? Check out one offered by Sleepmaker.
A comfy armchair. There’s always the need for a cozy corner where you can have a nice long chat with your girlfriend when she comes over for a girl’s night in. I picked a wool covered one with timber arms that blends in well with the safari theme.
Spa ambience with scented candles and in-room fragrance. My ultimate wish list is a clawfoot freestanding bath set beside an opening french door towards the safari plain! But if you don’t have the luxury to afford the space and the budget, try creating your own African spa sanctuary with aromatic candles and in-room fragrances such as waterlily and honey with warm, earthy notes.
A warm and earthy tones in the ceiling. One tips that I learned from all the home makeover shows I watched is that painting your ceiling in a warm, earthy tone brings in a sense of coziness with that wilderness feel.
The million dollar view (or fake it!). All you need is some beautifully printed canvas in your bedroom to fake the million dollar view – do African deserts or Kenyan wildlife sanctuary tickle your fancy?
The fireplace. A lit fireplace by the balcony while gazing at the countless stars on a balmy night – you’re in for a romantic treat with your partner every night at home.
Breakfast in bed, anyone? With your in-bed breakfast tray ready, all you need is to find your 24-hour butler to satisfy your midnight cravings for peanut butter brownies… #nom!
I hope I’ve inspired you to create your own ‘home away from home’ style sanctuary. I’d love to hear about your design inspirations so share them in comments below! Until next time, stay glamorous..
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