Waiting for your flight may just have become more bareable

There is nothing easy about trying to grab a few hours’ sleep between connecting flights on those uncomfortable airport chairs, where plastic armrests and wafer thin foam pads hinder any chance of comfort. Combined with the drone of security and boarding announcement, excited children and stressed parents (not to mention the sounds and smells coming from the person next to you) it’s usually a long, trying and uncomfortable wait before you are able to board your flight for yet more insufficient rest.
While some airport terminals do have connecting hotels where you can gather a few hours of contented rest (probably the only time most of us would consider paying for a hotel by the hour), the rates are usually too steep for most to consider this an option.

An affordable solution is on the horizon however and may be coming to an airport (or even train or bus station) near you.

The Sleep Box is a budget friendly, compact hotel room featuring a modest 4sq meters of space, with single bed and a lockable door so weary travelers are able to grab a little rest in peace and security.

There are no en suite facilities and with just a plug needed to connect the rooms’ electricity, units are entirely mobile (think small garden shed with a bed inside) and can be installed in any space, without the need for extensive renovations or remodeling, making this new innovation not only practical but very affordable.

They are gradually being seen in hotels, hostels and even offices (for overworked employees) around Europe with plans to introduce these to the USA in 2012.

Prices range depending on location but are typically around $50 per night or $15 an hour for those in airport terminals.

Photo Credit: SleepBox

Hotel Missoni raising the style bar in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rosita Missoni, of the Italian fashion house Missoni, is known for her bold, colorful knitwear.

Now she has teamed with the Rezidor Hotel Group and is putting her vibrant use of color — and black and white — on a new palette, decorating the rooms, hallways, and public spaces of Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Located on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, this modern masterpiece is a sophisticated and stylish contrast to much of this medieval academic city.

Designer Rosita Missoni plays with color and texture.

All rooms, which start at approximately $420, are equipped with stocked mini bars (all of the contents are gratis), AV/iPod hook ups, wi-fi, Nespresso machines (she’s Italian mind you, Mr. Coffee doesn’t live here). Rates also include local phone calls, movies, the local paper, and get this — two items of laundry. How civilized is that!

Bathrooms are generous and slick, with “smart” showers that offer rain or hand-held heads, opulent robes, slippers, and “covetable” (their word) body and hair care products.

Suites include all of the above and add breakfast, sumptuous dining and lounge areas, transfers to the airport or station, and outrageous views of Edinburgh. The penthouse suite, Suite d’Argento, is the ultimate in luxury and haute design.

Mattia Camorani, protoge of internationally renowned chef Giorgio Locatelli is head chef at Cucina Missoni, featuring modern Italian cuisine.

1 George IV Bridge
Edinburgh, EH1 1AD, United Kingdom
0131 220 6666

Top photo thanks to CasparB. Bottom photo thanks to theedinburghblog.co.uk. Both from Flickr.

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Located in Edinburgh's affluent Stockbridge neighborhood, Flat 11 is just a 20-minute walk from the bustle of Princes Street.

The advantages of renting an apartment–experiencing life closer to that of a local, saving money, having more room–don’t just apply to flats in Paris, of course. Visiting Edinburgh for Hogmanay a few years back, my now-wife (I proposed to her there in front of a castle, just after midnight on New Year’s Eve, in the light rain, after fireworks–yeah, I’m good) and I experienced all off those benefits.

Located in Edinburgh’s affluent Stockbridge neighborhood, Flat 11 is a 20-minute walk from the commercial hub of Princes Street and just a bit further from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. While it’s a bit further afield from the city’s main attractions, the stroll afforded us the opportunity to explore neighborhoods with beautiful houses we other wised would have missed. And that walked saved our lives–or at least our next mornings–several times as it went by a fish and chipery that was open late night.

Flat 11′s three bedrooms sleep up to six people, with two double beds and one bunk. Its full kitchen and washer and dryer means you can save money by eating in and paying less in airlines baggage fees. And you’ll want to make use of the refrigerator to store cheeses from the nearby cheesemonger, to say nothing of cava from the local wine store.

Before booking an apartment, however, get details about the mattress. Many apartment rentals use cheaper mattresses; a few nights into a stay in a different otherwise amazing Edinburgh apartment, my wife booked herself a massage and I’d diagnosed myself with adult-onset scoliosis. Stay away from pull-out or sofa beds and get yourself a place with a proper bed that doesn’t do double duty as something else. Flat 11′s beds meet those criteria.

While Edinburgh has plenty of restaurants serving up delicious Scottish cuisine, save money and time by eating in occasionally.

As for the city itself, Edinburgh is a delicious, educational and fun destination. Beyond sheep balls, Scottish cuisine doesn’t have much of a reputation, good or bad. But between our gourmet four-course lunch at The Witchery, the freshest oysters I’ve ever eaten at Fishers Bistro in the city’s Leith district and retro bangers and mash at the Monster Mash, we ate well. Edinburgh Castle and nearby Rosslyn Chapel supplied ample intellectual stimulation. And the folks we met, many of whom were fellow traveling revelers in town for Hogmanay, were among the most friendly I’ve encountered. Every stop in a pub got us both a pint and a friend.

Flat 11
Ann House
32, St Bernard’s Crescent
Stockbridge
Edinburgh
Scotland

Photos: Courtesy aboutScotland

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