Happy New Year!

Sick of ’Auld Lang Syne‘ down the pub? See in 2005 at a hip new venue.

Soho Hotel, London
One of the chicest hotels to open in London for some time, the Soho is already a favourite among the media set. From the same stable which gave us the equally opulent Covent Garden and Charlotte Street hotels, it’s an exercise in chic luxury with dramatic oversized beds, contemporary but comfy furniture and modern art on the walls. Despite the hotel being well placed for late-night revelry, we suggest you avoid overpriced Soho haunts and stay in the lip-smackingly good in-house restaurant and bar, where cocktails are begging to be knocked back.
Soho Hotel, 4 Richmond Mews, W1 (020 7559 3000). Leicester Square tube. Double rooms from £235.

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Hotel Tres, Palma
Tres is part fifteenth-century palazzo, part modern build, with the two halves separated by a cool, calm courtyard canopied by a towering 100-year-old palm tree. But really it’s all about the stunning decked roof terrace with 360-degree panoramic views. Wrap up 2004 with the view from the Palma rooftops: in the west the sun goes down behind the mountains, out front sailboats bob in the harbour, and in the east the cathedral is floodlit to show off its time-worn grandeur. And given the Spanish proclivity for a firework fiesta, there’s no better place to be snuggled up to your loved one(s) on the dawn of a new year.
Tres Calle Apuntadores, 3 07012 Palma de Mallorca (00 34 971 717 333/ www.hoteltres.com). Doubles from €171. Return flights with Easyjet
during holiday period from £190 return.

Clubhouse Chamonix
The perennial problem for the world-weary is where to winter without sacrificing on style. Enter Mr Jonathan Downey, bar impresario and creator of the award-winning Milk & Honey, who has come up with the perfect solution: the first alpha alpine retreat in Chamonix. The magnificent Art Deco mansion does away with the dross of your average alpine interior, instead going for a cosy yet contemporary look. Seven ultra-modern rooms house up to 24 guests, all with Frette linen, teak decked ‘rainforest’ showers as well as a fabulous sister bar to Milk & Honey serving more than just vin chaud.
Clubhouse Chamonix (00 33 04 50 90 65 56/www.clubhouse.fr). Doubles from €100. Easyjet return flights to Geneva during holiday season cost about £158.

Cocoon, London
If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to Miami or New York, you can be one of the first to try out the new restaurant and bar from hot designer Stephane Dupoux, whose triumphs include the boutique nightclub Cielo in New York and Pearl, the champagne lounge on Miami’s Ocean Drive. Fusion best describes the food at this glitzy new contender. Signature dishes include butterfly tiger prawns wrapped in crispy cabbage and drizzled with black pepper chilli oil, and steamed monkfish with cilantro and ginger on a bed of sticky jasmine rice. And, if you want to party afterwards, you’re in the centre of town.
Cocoon, 65 Regent St,W1 (020 7494 7600) Piccadilly Circus tube. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm, 5.30pm-12midnight; New Year’s Eve 5.30pm-2.30am.

Drakes, Brighton
The latest addition to Brighton’s burgeoning boutique hotel set is Drakes, where you can sit back with a glass of bubbly and sample the superb sea views from your free-standing bath set in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Head downstairs to the members-only lounge bar, with fabulous drinks trolleys and cabinets built into wall columns. Then saunter into the Gingerman restaurant for a divine feast before heading back upstairs to snuggle up in Egyptian cotton sheets and velvet throws. A three-day weekend package, from December 31 to January 2 includes a Champagne cocktail on arrival, New Year’s eve dinner, New Year’s day brunch and half-board with breakfast and dinner for the rest of your stay.
Drakes, 43-44 Marine Parade, Brighton, BN2 1PE
(01273 696 934/ www.drakesofbrighton.com).
New Year’s Eve package £415.
Return trains from Victoria to Brighton from around £21.

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