I have stayed at many hotels and I can count on both hands the amount of times I have needed to call on the small army that are responsible for running the various establishments.
Do I order room service? No, the smart traveller heads out to eat anything but the anaesthetised hotel food. Of course, the humble steak sandwich and the standard caesar salad are hard to bugger up. When you spend in excess of £350 on a hotel room for a night, you’re likely to only use the bedroom. Unless, of course, you’re on business, in which case, you’re likely to sit staring at a laptop. If, however, you’re looking for a city break, before scouring some hotel deal website or considering your usual suite at the W Hotel, stop. The smart team at Chez Cliché are redefining hospitality.
Chez Cliché is an apartment rental company in the heart of Vienna. Banish the thought of business centre-style carpet and the odd ‘retro’ neon light. Saatchi would be complimentary about the styling of these apartments, I assure you.
Chez Cliché offers a selection of top-end city apartments with beautiful fixtures and fittings and amazing locations. Each apartment looks and feels as if you’re staying in someone’s home – someone with style, flair and a propensity for the finer things in life. The only catch: there is no owner! This is something I learned from Gerald Tomez, brand development manager for the company. Gerald came to meet us personally to show us around the beautiful apartment in the heart of Vienna. He recommended restaurants, shows, late night drinking holes and basically became our guide to the city for the weekend. Needless to say, Vienna is beautiful any time of the year and should be on your list of major European cities to visit.
So, each apartment in the city has its own conceptual personality with an online profile of the owner to boot. We stayed at Bella, a loft-split duplex with the most amazing views and open space. Bella lists herself as the following: “I am very open and communicative. I love life and welcome all the adventures it has in store for me. When I started flying, life above the clouds was completely untroubled. Rio, New York, and Tokyo! I don’t fly professionally any more, but the excitement of the wide world entices me to travel over and over again and I love taking home souvenirs. Fabric from India, statues from Africa, incense, and spices from around the world create a mysterious and exotic atmosphere in the apartment. I’m also a total photography and design lover. My friends adore my apartment – so much that they usually don’t want to go home after a party! I hope that you feel just as good here as they do. Ciao, Bella”.
Possibly one of the coolest apartments I have ever seen. The sort of place that would easily fit into a model shoot. So much so that I mentioned it to our head stylist on my return.
The apartment was indeed filled with seriously cool aeronautical fixtures, from model planes to seatbelt signs and a well-moulded piece of the fuselage in the spare bedroom. These guys are seriously going for authenticity.
Bella is 92 square metres and €239 per night with a minimum two night stay. It does sleep through guests though, which means, for the quality of establishment, you’re making a killing. The apartment is 92 square metres and is located in Vienna’s most famous nightlife district – the Bermuda triangle is what it’s affectionately called. There is a lot going on, especially on weekends. The Danube Canal is also nearby, with trendy bars like the Motto Am Fluss or one of Vienna’s most famous clubs, the legendary Flex. However, once you pass through the small inner courtyard and climb to the top floor, you discover a haven of peace, an oasis far removed from the hustle and bustle below.
If Bella doesn’t take your fancy, remember there are eight beautifully appointed apartments in total.
I urge you to put Chez Cliché on your list of city breaks. It certainly made the trip for us.