‘What is the busiest season?’
‘Always’

Bianca and I stayed over at the 25 Hours Hotel Vienna for two nights last week and the experience was unique to say the least.

Based upon two core concepts – the first is the circus, the second is the ‘cozy, personable and homey’ lux hotel – I have to say I’ve never been in a hotel quite so interesting and comfortable.

I think ‘quirky’ is a great way to put it; all the bedrooms are decorated with really great wall paintings and mismatched urban furniture to create the spectacle mood of the circus. Even the elevators have cages in front of the mirrors, almost like animal boxes, which were apparently inspired by the penguins in Madagascar. There are some meeting rooms with optical illusion mirrors in the lower ground floor, as well as a mermaid-themed spa/sauna area. Nothing fishy here.

The suites are made for parties. There is also a terrace with a functional outdoor bath. Just in case you want to mix bubbly with bubbly with a pretty damn good view. Speaking of views, there is also a bar upstairs with Wednesday Cha Cha Cha and swing music nights.

Hotel restaurants/bars usually lack their own personality, kind of just blending into the background of the hotel itself, but the 1500 restaurant downstairs of the 25 Hours Hotel definitely is one sassy place. The name of it refers to the number of minutes in 25 hours (definitely some kudos for keeping up the theme) and their slogan? ‘Fuck it eat pizza’. Yeah I feel that sometimes all the time. So if you’re around in Vienna – visiting, on a business trip, or what a getaway in a great location – then I fully recommend this place for a unique experience and mad dope vibes.

25HOURS HOTEL AT MUSEUMSQUARTIER

Lerchenfelder Strasse 1-3
1070 Wien

The latest issue of KNEON is now online and available to read here. Cover is shot by Christian Blanchard featuring Tanya K.

Also, here is the super cute and almost unexpected back cover, illustrated by Marine Marbleindex. Hope you all enjoy this one

Last saturday I hosted an evening Cafe Leopold with FAIRLIGHT CLUB – celebrating the 8th issue out this sunday and also three years of KNEON. The Deep Baked boys played on the KNEON floor with visuals from our behind the scenes footages from issue #7. Downstairs saw Mister Teaser from Portugal and of course Max and Stefan from Fairlight. My only regret was not being able to take photos all night (sometimes dancing is very necessary), so these are more of less just some snapshots of the hosts that evening.

There are more photos on the Facebook page here!

From Tuesday until Thursday, my sister and I took a mini retreat away in the Austrian Riviera in Portschach am Wortersee, around 4-5 hours away by train from Vienna. Lake’s – My Lake Hotel graciously hosted us for the two nights, and it was definitely a much-needed relaxing getaway.

The view from our balcony was spectacular. In the background you see mountains with low flying mist and clouds – almost like an overly photoshopped series of layers, and in front, an endless mass of clear blue lake. After spending time away in Beijing, Shanghai for over a month, it’s made me appreciate scenery like this. Something natural and completely unaffected by trouble.

We stayed in room 116 – the Lake Suite facing the whole lake. The room was spacious with dark wooden floorboards and retro meets clear white furnishings. I had a lot of work to do for KNEON so the balcony was pretty much my staple location for most of the time; with some red wine and my sister as pet, it was a pretty great way to get work done.

We ate at the Lake Bar and Restaurant – I recommend sitting outside facing the lakefront. The hotel also have a state of the art gym, spa services upon request and two pools – outdoors and indoors.

Personally, I get excited by skylines, the busy drive of big hustling cities, and people on the verge of rudeness. It’s the environ that keeps me going. However, this retreat for me was not only cathartic but deeply educational – I learned that peace and quiet should be a gift to oneself, a reward for accomplishment and achievements, and to really reflect on what you’ve done. Lake’s combines elements of casual luxury, space, the beautiful environment and great staff service to really make you feel like you’re taking a break away – at home. So if you’re based in Austria or closeby, definitely have a look.