Sandwiched between run-of-the-mill resort hotels along the tourist strip of east Limassol, and almost eclipsed by the neon signs for establishments such as 'Fawlty Towers' and 'Fog on the Tyne', lies Cyprus' first self-declared 'Couture Hotel'. But don't be deceived by the neighbours of this hip new 68-roomed beachside hotel. Londa has marked the birth of a new cool in this part of the world.
'Lifestyle' was the buzzword of the Milanese design team, Studio Caruzzo & Rancati, which is behind the look and feel of this family-owned independent. Originally built three decades ago, the architectural duo, Letizia Caruzzo and Paolo Rancati, have completely transformed it from its previous incarnation. "The biggest challenge was that the Londa is a modern building built in the Seventies," Caruzzo explains. "The aim of the project was to create a unique atmosphere - and that meant that it had to be completely rebuilt on the inside. As the hotel is facing the sea, we wanted customers to walk in and have the feeling that they're in Greece, and on the Med, but also that they are in a modern space. We wanted to make it clear and bright but try and introduce some elements that are a bit special."
From the moment that guests approach the glass front doors, and they can see straight past the lounge and bar to an uninterrupted horizon of the Mediterranean beyond, there's no doubt this is somewhere unique. The restaurant, bar and lobby give way to a series of multi-level terraces and wooden porches down to pool level - but the first thing you're struck by is the eye candy. You often see the label 'contrasting textures' bandied around in hotel reviews, but here they get it right. Among the visual treats in the all-white reception and lounge is a bleached-out projection of ice skaters next to a plaster wall with a rock face surface and a pebble-filled puddle and huge piece of driftwood below. Hydrangeas and aloes poke out of tall, modern burnished copper vases. What is one of the most striking features of the hotel is how perforated metal makes giant lanterns of the columns.
Studio Caruzzo and Rancati was also responsible for commissioning all the original furnishings throughout. ("You can't buy anything you see here - it was all commissioned especially," the manager, Jochen Niemann, points out.) "We wanted to mix modernism and simple lines with some natural elements," says Caruzzo. "In one way it should be as though you're inside a big, modern beautiful cruise ship, and on the other side you should experience some extraordinary elements reminding you of the natural surroundings of the country you are in." The reception desk is fashioned in the shape of an enormous tree, the floor is Italian white marble, the armchairs are intaglio, broken slate comprises the bar, faux fur throws lend a warmth to the sit-in-me leatherette sofas and pony-skin rugs grace the floor. "As it's a Greek island, we also used a lot of olive wood and rock," adds Caruzzo.
The furniture in the lounge bar was one example of how a cavalier attitude to convention really makes the Londa work. Having commissioned 18th-century style armchairs from specialised Italian craftsmen who made each chair by hand, the result were some very heavy pieces that didn't budge. Jochen Niemann was initially sceptical about the fact they couldn't easily be shifted. "At first I thought that this was crazy as no one could move the chairs around in the evenings - but this is exactly why it worked," he remarks. "It meant the layout never looks messy."
Niemann has an impressive resume that includes time at Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels, but the only similarity with this contemporary crib is that they serve English afternoon tea and there's occasionally a live pianist. He points out that he's tried to offer the level of service you'd expect from a top five-star hotel. "When they first opened some of the design hotels in London they employed models - they looked nice, but couldn't do their jobs." That's not to say the staff at Londa isn't easy on the eye - but you can be sure they know how to sort you out with WiFi, and serve you a slick cocktail with a smile.
"Service is key," remarks Carly Gotz of the Great Hotels organisation. "That is the difference between a good hotel and a great hotel. When the Londa closed for renovations they retained most of their staff to ensure that returning guests would feel like they too were returning home. Many design hotels worry more about the look of the bedroom rather than it being functional. The Londa's design is ultra modern, but guests do not feel out of place or afraid to sit on the bed in case they ruin the ambience of the room."
Originally opened in 1982, Londa shut in 2003 for a year and a half and by the time it reopened in summer 2005, hipsters flocked from miles. Revellers spilled out of the restaurant and bar which are run by Caprice of Mykonos, into every inch of the poolside terraces. Because of this status, the Londa is different to its accommodation peers; it unapologetically makes no provisions for families. Guests are holidaymakers, a lot of them British, with the obligatory smattering of cigar-smoking businessmen.
When it comes to the bedrooms, they also demonstrate that considered blend of insouciance, adventurous and just-so attention to detail. Mesh curtains; black wooden floorboards; cordless phones; shiny espresso machines - quality fittings with plenty of quirks. Eye-catching whimsies include huge 'vegetable' cushions, giant dimmable egg-shaped bedside lamps, driftwood cupboard handles and pretty crocheted throws folded neatly at the end of the snow-white beds.
"The idea with the design was to give guests the feeling and sensation that they are in a dreamy place, suspended in time," asserts Caruzzo. "Because there are beautiful hotels all around the world and you can usually recognise the style or city, with Londa we wanted a dreamy atmosphere."
