Mine, Factory, Prison: 5 Design Hotels You'll Love

Boutique hotels are not just design decoration, but above all, an idea embedded in their concept. Sometimes paradoxical – the more you appreciate it from all angles, the greater the pleasure you receive.

1. New Majestic Hotel, Singapore, 30 rooms

No, no, this is still not a mine or a prison. The hotel located in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown simply connects yesterday's day of the country with today's through humor: Chinese sculptures – with Werner Panton chairs, designer furniture with vintage elements.

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All rooms are different: some have a view to a tiny private garden, others feature a bathtub on an open terrace, and third ones have a bed with a whimsical canopy and a six-meter ceiling. The restaurant is styled like the dining hall of old Singapore.

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2. Fabriken Furillen, Gotland Island, Sweden, 18 rooms

The peninsula of Furillen is not quite an ordinary place for relaxation: rocky shores, cries of birds nesting in ruins of old limestone quarries, won’t please you if you crave entertainment. The desolate peninsula attracts only those who need solitude and peace. The famous Swedish director Ingmar Bergman liked to rest and work in these places.

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Fabriken Furillen guarantees maximum solitude: a former limestone mine converted into a hotel stands in an open field. It is 45 kilometers to the village where ferries come from the mainland. The room setting is ascetic, in the spirit of IKEA. In the restaurant, once a factory dining hall, rusted chains still hang from the ceiling from previous times.

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Two luxury rooms, without electric lights and heating, located in industrial buildings at the southern tip of the peninsula; you can get there by bicycle, which is provided free of charge at the hotel. Besides silence and peace, Fabriken Furillen delights its guests with tasty food in the style of 'from the garden to the table': vegetables and greens come from its own farm.

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3. 25 Hours Hotel Hafencity, Hamburg, Germany, 170 rooms

The idea in general is this: a tired sea wolf returned to Hamburg, threw salted bones into the harbor hotel and enjoys warmth and comfort. To brighten his stay on land, 25 sailors from all over the world tell stories about their dangerous voyages, wild storms, romantic meetings and equally romantic farewells.

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In rooms there is furniture from flea markets, desks made from rope ladders, bookshelves, and mini-bars. The first floor recreates the atmosphere of the old Hamburg port: broken boxes, old Oriental carpets. But this is just a stylization; the hotel has its own dock, and it is absolutely modern.

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4. Het Arresthuis Hotel, Roermond, Netherlands, 40 rooms

Many enjoy a dose of adrenaline but without unpleasant consequences; Het Arresthuis was designed for such people, a landmark in historic Roermond. The city prison was opened in 1862, and for the first 150 years nobody would have thought that one could relax here with comfort.

In 2007 everything changed. The prison, which was already closed, underwent major reconstruction. In place of 105 cells, there are now 40 comfortable rooms including 12 suites and 4 super suites – 'Judge's', 'Lawyer's', 'Director's', and 'Prison Keeper's', decorated in blue tones in honor of the formal cap found here. Where guards once walked, now host formal dinners.

5. La Purificadora Hotel, Puebla, Mexico, 26 rooms

Here once stored ice brought from mountain slopes. The trade of this expensive product flourished in Mexico until the end of the XIX century and declined when natural ice was gradually replaced by artificial. The building, constructed in 1844, is protected by UNESCO as a colonial architectural monument, so the Mexican bureau Legorreta + Legorreta had to deal with many restrictions when converting the former factory into a modern hotel.

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Preserving the old walls intact, architects managed to find space for a restaurant, a rooftop lounge bar, and even a fitness center. The hotel's 'trick' is a 30-meter open-air pool with a transparent glass wall, resembling a huge ice slab.

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