10 iconic literary stays
Bed down at the homes and favourite hotels of these legendary writers.
Agatha Christie, Greenway House
Fans of Agatha Christie’s whodunits should head to Greenway House in Devon, the author’s holiday home sitting high above the River Dart. Christie described Greenway as “the loveliest place on Earth” and little has changed since she vacationed here. Beautifully proportioned, this gracious house has extensive grounds sloping down to the river. When Christie died, her son bequeathed the property to the National Trust. As well as touring the house, you can stay on the top floor or in three other properties on the estate. Spend time watching steam trains puffing past, or wander down to the Boathouse, which Christie used as a backdrop for a grisly murder in Dead Man’s Folly. There’s also a retro boat ride on the Christie Belle to Dartmouth. The Lodge at Greenway sleeps two, from about $1050 for two nights.
Jane Austen, Bath
Conjure the muse at Jane Austen’s restored family home in Bath. The author lived in this fine Georgian property from 1801 to 1805 and it is where she penned her early and unfinished novella, The Watsons. Today, part of her home has been converted into an antiques-stuffed two-bedroom apartment, complete with a study featuring a Victorian partner’s desk. In addition are handsome wooden floorboards and a picture-lined living room surrounding a pretty courtyard. Bath offers many author-related gems. Don’t miss the Jane Austen Centre, and book a place on the Jane Austen Tour to discover the spots that inspired her two Bath novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. From about $795 for two nights.
Rosamunde Pilcher, Carbis Bay
So impressed was author Rosamunde Pilcher by Cornwall’s Carbis Bay that she immortalised the hotel as The Sands in several of her novels. “Enormously thick carpets,” Pilcher wrote in Winter Solstice, “private bathrooms, televisions by our beds … we have clean sheets and towels every day.” Wasteful laundry changes are no longer part of Carbis Bay’s ethos, but its attentive service remains the same. And not only Pilcher but Virginia Woolf sought solace here. Staying for three weeks in 1914, Woolf found inspiration from the sea-lashed Godrevy lighthouse for her novel, To the Lighthouse. On your doorstep is the harbour town of St Ives, a favourite haunt of post-war artists and home today to the impressive art gallery, Tate St Ives. Doubles from about $500, with breakfast.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hotel Santa Clara
Bring the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez to life at Cartagena’s Hotel Santa Clara. Featuring as the 17th-century convent in his novel, Of Love and Other Demons, this hotel, now a Sofitel Legend property, is set within the walls of the steamy UNESCO-protected Colombian city. Santa Clara has retained many of the features described in Marquez’s novel, such as the marble-arched entrance, its cloister enclosing tropical plants and vines, crypts, wells and confessionals dating back to when the Nuns of the Order of St Clare lived here. The best rooms on the top level have wooden floors and balconies overlooking the Caribbean. Hunker down with Marquez’s bestseller and allow his imagination to work its magic. Doubles from about $420, with breakfast.
Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Montgomery
From 1931-32, literary husband and wife team Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in a rambling turn-of-the-century mansion in Montgomery, Alabama. For Scott, time here was spent tweaking his masterpiece, Tender is the Night; for Zelda, America’s first flapper, the house acted as muse for Save Me the Waltz. Today this stately mansion operates both as a museum and as a self-catering rental. Spend time learning more about the iconic Fitzgeralds’ work and life in the downstairs museum, then retire upstairs and stay in either the Scott or Zelda Suite. Decked out in period furniture, a stay recreates the glamorous era of these pre-war greats. From about $420 a night in either suite.
Margaret Mitchell, Rancho de la Osa
Margaret Mitchell of Gone with the Wind fame was a frequent guest of Arizona’s Rancho de la Osa, the Jesuit-built 18th-century ranch set high in the Sonoran Desert. Mitchell was drawn to the tranquillity of this place and it’s believed she even wrote portions of her bestseller here. To this day, Rancho de la Osa acts as a retreat for writers, film makers and Hollywood stars, and in the past has hosted US presidents. Its surrounding 50,000ha of National Wildlife Refuge provides both balm and muse for many. Come here for scenic horseback rides across lush desert grassland, or do as Mitchell did and let the peaceful hacienda work its magic. Seven nights from $3133 a person with Ranch Rider.
William Somerset Maugham, Raffles Hotel
Favourite retreat of novelist William Somerset Maugham and the setting for some of his Southeast Asian tales is Singapore’s illustrious Raffles Hotel. Describing Raffles, Maugham said “(it) stands for all the fables of the exotic East”. After a recent facelift, this colonial gem continues to wow. Soak up the splendour of liveried doormen in the grand lobby and butler service for every room. Even if you don’t stay, a Singapore Sling, taken either in the Long Bar or the Writer’s Bar, is a must. The latter has a list of exotic cocktails inspired by recent writer-in-residence Pico Iyer. Try the laksa leaf and cucumber-perfumed Escape to Home, the perfect snifter for getting those creative juices flowing. Suites from about $910 a night.
Ian Fleming, GoldenEye
Kickstart that spy novel you’ve always dreamt of writing in the very grounds where the maestro of intrigue plotted his bestsellers. Ian Fleming penned all 14 of his James Bond books at GoldenEye in Jamaica, a place he adored so much that he vowed to spend the rest of his life there. Today, this funky clifftop bolthole has been converted into a sprawling estate of grand villas, lagoon cottages, wooden beach huts and a spa, and is 16km from Ocho Rios on Jamaica’s north coast. There are two bars and a restaurant and myriad water sports to enjoy, but for authenticity and inspiration, opt for the writer’s original home, The Fleming Villa. The three-bedroom abode has its own pool and private beach. Doubles from $670 B&B.
Tennessee Williams, Hotel Elysee
Playwright and author Tennessee Williams spent his final 15 years in the Sunset Suite of New York’s Hotel Elysee, a 1920s boutique gem set in the heart of Midtown. Guests would often hear the clackety-clack of his typewriter, and it’s where Williams wrote his last full-length play, Masks Outrageous and Austere. The suite today is decorated with memorabilia relating to the playwright; expect photos of Williams and pages of his writings. Spacious and a tad old-fashioned, it has a fully equipped kitchen, a living room and an elegant bedroom. Don’t miss Hotel Elysee’s Monkey Bar, a hip nightspot, cocktail bar and eatery for cool Manhattanites, renovated by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Doubles from about $525 a night.
Graham Greene, Metropole Hotel
While he was writing The Quiet American, Graham Greene would stay at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, a turn-of-the-century grande dame that enabled him to vividly capture the breakdown of French colonialism in Vietnam. The hotel, a Sofitel Legend property, is set in the bustling French Quarter and has its own Graham Greene Suite, decked out with whirring rattan ceiling fans and French Indochine antiques. One of the oldest hotels in Vietnam, and beloved by stars spanning Catherine Deneuve to Charlie Chaplin, the Metropole exquisitely blends tradition with modernity. For authenticity, book a splendidly period-perfect room in the original wing, then head to the bar to sample the author’s favourite cocktail of gin, dry vermouth and cassis. Rooms from about $436, with breakfast.
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