October is here, Halloween creeping upon us, so what better time to feature eccentric bathrooms. Ranging from the whimsical to the mystical with a little haunt in between, we’ve got some spooky finds for you. Here are some hotel ghost stories, which will be sure to get you in the spooky spirit.
QT Sydney
Our first eerie find is at the QT Sydney, a hotel whose style defines weird whimsy. QT Sydney is the first Design Hotels property in Australia’s biggest city. Fellow Aussie Shelley Indyk designed the avant-garde look of the rooms. October’s colors are black and orange, so this bathroom’s hues are spook-tacular. The accessories picked by QT Stylist Anna Roberts scream Halloween; from the lush black bathrobes to the bunny figurines; from the odd-shaped hand-blown Eastern European glass amenities bottles to the hand mirrors held up by a black hand. What we really love is the slipper tub, whose original design is inspired by the Victoria & Albert tubs and are custom-made for QT. This quirky attention to detail makes this hotel bathroom a perfect setting for the next scary movie.
Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel
Floating over to Vancouver, B.C., we find sister hotels with very different vibes. The Fairmont Grand Dame, also called The Castle, is haunted by a Lady in Red. We have it from a very reliable source that this ghost is friendly and loves to be a part of the festivities. She was a socialite who spent her favorite times at parties in the Grand Ballroom, and even though she left this earth, she never left the party. If ghosts scare you we suggest this: first have a drink with the Lady in Red at The Castle, then leave and stay at her sister hotel, The Fairmont Pacific Rim. Check into the Of uro room, meaning bathtub in Japanese. It has a deep, delicious tub placed near the glass walls overlooking North Shore Vancouver. Fill the tub up to your neck, order wine and cheese from room service and turn on soothing music with the state of the art surround-sound stereo system. Ghosties can’t get you here, remote control shutters block the outdoors. The tub is made from hand-picked marble and the Le Labo products are a feast for the senses. But if chills are what you’re after, turn on the TV embedded in the mirror facing the tub, choose a horror film and press play.
Chewton Glen Hotel
What could be more mysterious than living in the trees where the owls hoot at night? High among the canopies of New Forest National Park in southern England is Chewton Glen, where in 2010, Managing Director Andrew Stembridge decided to look into the creation of tree houses on the untouched grounds of the hotel. What resulted was the design process teamwork of Blue Forest, a sustainable building company, Bridget Pears and Terence O’Rourke. The end result in 2012 became six sustainable and awe-inspiring tree house suites of low visual impact that can only be reached by foot or buggy via gang plank. In keeping with nature, the floor-to-ceiling glass provides panoramic forest views and floods the suites with light. The round-shaped bathroom complete with a bidet uses natural materials, strong Oak taken from the hotel, local Portland stone, and Jurassic Coast zinc and copper. With a hot tub on the deck under a covered outdoors space, this secluded retreat makes for a quixotic getaway. You might even see a witch riding her broom from that height.
Jumba Bay Resort
If the spirit world is what you crave, head to Jumby Bay Resort in Antigua. The name means literally “a playful spirit” and the Antiguans fear the Jumbies that grab you from their graveyard homes. The legend is that people trapped in limbo in this world are Jumby haunts, forced to remain in the island’s 1700’s graveyard, and grab passer-by’s teasingly as they walk by. To avoid these jokesters, stay at the Jumby Bay Resort which we chose for the outdoor porcelain tub in the villas. The villa’s large glass colonial doors open onto a private patio and bathroom. Surrounded by local flora and the night sky as your roof, the tub is a tasteful mix of modern comfort with old-fashioned fixtures. The french-style removable shower head looks like an old phone! There is an outdoor shower and Lady Primrose bath amenities to add to your experience. Lady Primrose doesn’t that sound like a Jumby? Keep an eye out while bathing lest one surprises you!
