Three unusual boutique hotels
Chris Carter looks at three of the best and quirky boutique hotels from around the world.

McCarren Hotel & Pool, New York
But it's thepool in the back courtyard "surrounded by apartment buildings and candy-coloured, mid-century pool furniture that makes this hotel a special Brooklyn experience". No one actually swims in it Williamsburg is hipster country, after all. Rather, they drink peach-coloured cocktails and "strike louche poses", says Morais. But "this is what a Palm Springs swimming pool, filled with starlets and hungry actors, must have looked like circa 1953".
Prices from $365 a night see McCarrenHotel.com.
OFF Paris Seine, France
The hotel is an ideal base for a tour of the city, or walks along the river. The modern interiors may not be to everybody's tastes, and the rooms are snug. But large, picture windows are a nice touch the sunlight reflects off the water outside and plays upon the wall. And while the river can be noisy, the sway of the boat will rock you to sleep.
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Doubles from €160 a night see OffParisSeine.com.
Villa Cascais, Portugal
Doubles from £79 a night see TheAlbatrozCollection.com/villacascais.
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Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.
Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.
You can follow Chris on Instagram.
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