The Orient has held sway over the Western imagination since the days of Marco Polo & Genghis Khan. & that remains true in the 21st century, even if the world east of Istanbul is today a very different place, where potent symbols of age-old cultures exist alongside bold expressions of modernity & futuristic style. These are some of the most extraordinary Hip Hotels yet. Live like a maharaja
- with a maharaja
- in the Umed Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan, a splendid art deco fantasy designed between 1929 & 1932. Or relax in a guest villa of King Sihanouk, now the setting for Cambodia's sophisticated new Aman hotel. One of the most remarkable projects here is the Commune by the Great Wall, a highly innovative development by an all-star cast of Asian design talent for a stunning location beside China's most famous ancient monument. & then there's Benesse House on the remote Japanese island of Naoshima, the Zen-like retreat designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando. From Istanbul to Indonesia, from Luxor to Laos, Hip Hotels: Orient promises to be Herbert Ypma's most exciting book to date.