VNH
Where? On the unspoiled island of Nantucket, 48km off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Clapboard cute, then? Hardly! Although the Vanessa Noel Hotel (VNH) seems like a typical New England house from the outside, inside it's a million miles from the bitsy basket-weave and nautical knick-knacks of traditional hostelries.
Tell us more? Created by shoe designer Vanessa Noel, VNH is Nantucket's coolest crash pad. A 1930s Baccarat chandelier lights the lobby, which has a goldfish bowl instead of flowers, and a carpet trimmed with leopard-print leads up a colonial staircase. Neither should guests be fooled by the conventional-looking stars-and-stripes flag hanging above the fireplace - it's made of tiny shoes.
Is footwear a theme? Only if you count the in-house boutique, which sells fuchsia flip-flops and satin stiletto boots. In reality Noel, who's known as the insider's Jimmy Choo, is too busy shodding the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Madonna to be messing around with motifs.
Who goes there? Since opening in 2002, VNH has played host to a series of fashion designers, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nicole Miller and Zang Toi. It's also populated by models posing on the windswept dunes for Ralph Lauren ads.
What's the accommodation like? Each of the eight rooms reflects Nantucket's beachy charm: the pale walls echo the island's swathes of sand, the ceilings are sky-blue, and sisal mats cover the wide pine floorboards.
What about the luxe factor? Chi-chi details include Armani Casa bedside tables, Frette sheets, hand-made taffeta blinds, 38cm plasma-screen TVs and a honey-coloured marble bathroom with Philippe Starck fixtures and Bulgari unguents.
Is there a restaurant? Vanno, the swank lounge, serves champagne and caviar. The decor features walls lined in plastic privet hedges and swings hanging from the ceiling. There are excellent eateries nearby.
Anything else we should know? Children aren't allowed, and some rooms are rather snug.
