Latest news with #WildeAparthotels
Travel Daily News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Wilde Aparthotels expands to Cambridge, Lisbon and Vienna
Wilde Aparthotels expands in 2025 with stylish new properties in Lisbon, Vienna, and Cambridge, blending boutique amenities with apartment-style living. Wilde Aparthotels – one of Europe's fastest growing aparthotel brands, will unveil three new properties this year, bringing its signature blend of contemporary design with home comforts to Lisbon, Vienna and Cambridge. Each property will feature sleek, fully equipped kitchens and bespoke furniture that fuses elegance with functionality, embodying Wilde's commitment to sophisticated interiors, premium amenities, and prime locations, catering to business and leisure travellers alike. The new Wilde locations will each feature an inviting bar and lounge area that serves as a social hub for both guests and locals. With an extended offering of carefully curated wines, premium spirits, craft gins and signature cocktails, Wilde's social spaces are designed to foster community and connection – whether you're starting your day with an artisanal coffee or winding down with a classic cocktail. With these exciting new openings, Wilde Aparthotels continues its rapid European expansion, offering travellers a distinctive stay that marries the freedom of apartment living with the amenities of a boutique hotel. Wilde Aparthotels, Cambridge City Centre Located amongst the city's prestigious university colleges and within walking distance of the River Cam and Cambridge's iconic park, Jesus Green, Wilde Aparthotels, Cambridge City Centre, offers 229 beautifully designed apartments that blend modern aesthetics with nods to the city's rich academic heritage and British charm. Taking cues from the city's esteemed academic heritage, the interiors balance warm textures, refined colour palettes, and carefully curated artwork that celebrate Cambridge's literary and scientific legacy. The aparthotel also boasts a stylish bar with an outdoor terrace, co-working space, and a café serving nourishing breakfasts alongside an all-day menu featuring fresh salads, sandwiches and soups, showcasing the finest local produce Cambridge has to offer. Wilde Aparthotels, Lisbon, Liberdade Set in Lisbon's bustling R. Castilho district, Wilde Aparthotels, Lisbon, Liberdade, embraces the city's storied connection to the Tagus River and its maritime past. The property will feature 95 thoughtfully designed hotel rooms and studio apartments, with interiors influenced by Lisbon's iconic blue and white azulejo tiles, fluid oceanic motifs, and warm, locally inspired textures. The aparthotel will introduce a dynamic social space for guests and locals alike, a hub that transitions from day to night with a bar & lounge, café & deli, courtyard, and a mezzanine co-working space offering contemporary takes on Portuguese cuisine alongside craft coffee and cocktails. Guests can unwind in the serene courtyard or enjoy the convenience of an on-site fitness suite, making it an ideal hub for exploring Lisbon's lively streets and historic charm. Wilde Aparthotels, Vienna, Alte Post Nestled in the historic 'Old Post Office', Wilde Aparthotels, Vienna, Alte Post, boasts 136 uniquely designed hotel rooms, studio apartments and one-bedroom apartments inspired by Viennese modernism, blending bold geometric patterns and luxurious materials. Located a short walk from iconic landmarks such as St. Stephen's Cathedral, Fleischmarkt and the Vienna State Opera, guests will be immersed in a space where classic and contemporary influences collide, with carefully curated design elements that reflect Vienna's musical, artistic, and architectural excellence. Taking inspiration from Vienna's unique, UNESCO listed cafe culture, the beating heart of the building will include a restaurant, café, and intimate whiskey bar, surrounded by design that honours the building's renowned historical neighbours.
The Journal
20-05-2025
- The Journal
Irish gardener wins third gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show
A COUNTY KERRY horticulturist has won his third gold medal at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show in London. Billy Alexander, the owner of Kells Bay Gardens, was this morning awarded a gold medal by the judging panel at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show for his fern collection. 'Wilde Kells Bay Gardens' is Alexander's most ambitious display yet in terms of scale, at 120 metres and featuring over 100 species of ferns. The Chelsea Flower Show takes place from today until Saturday 24 May. Alexander said he was 'speechless' and is 'over the moon to have received another gold medal this morning'. He said today's gold medal is the 'culmination of 24 months of planning, cultivating and working with my incredible team and partners to get to this moment'. 'It takes a huge amount of work to protect the plants, get them looking their best and to transport them safely all the way from Cahersiveen to Chelsea,' said Alexander. 'But it is worth every minute. I'm delighted to be able to share my passion with others and want to extend my gratitude to the RHS and its judges for this acknowledgement'. Advertisement Wilde Kells Bay Gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show As one of the oldest family of plant species in the world, ferns thrive in the naturally temperate microclimate of Kells Bay Gardens, situated on the Ring of Kerry. But Alexander complemented this with rare and exotic fern species from New Zealand, Australia, Juan Fernandez Islands, Vietnam, Chile and Japan to name a few. Alexander said he regularly travels to exotic locations to meet with other plant experts and to seek out new specimens to add to the collection at Kells Bay. The Wilde Kells Bay Gardens fern exhibit, supported by Wilde Aparthotels, wowed judges at prestigious horticultural event which opens today This morning's gold medal caps an impressive run for Alexander at the Chelsea Flower Show. Last year, he was awarded the Lawrence Medal for his contribution to the sector, which is the highest honour awarded to an exhibitor for their display. And in 2023, Alexander secured both a Gold medal and the coveted 'Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion' award. He also received Gold medals in 2021 for his displays at the Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Garden Festival respectively. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Peter Dowdall: Billy Alexander to go for Kerry gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
THERE'S a quiet revolution underway in our gardens. It's not loud or showy, it doesn't demand attention with vivid blooms or heady scent. But step into any shaded corner where the soil stays cool and damp, and you may notice it, the unmistakable unfurling of a fern frond, coiled like the head of a violin, emerging with all the grace of a botanical ballet dancer taking the stage. Ferns are living fossils from a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. And they've remained relevant, adaptable, and profoundly beautiful. Perhaps you've overlooked them in the past, we are all prone to not putting enough value on that which is freely available all around us but there's never been a better time to fall in love with ferns, as this May, ferns are stepping back into the limelight quite literally, with Ireland's own Billy Alexander returning to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London with what promises to be his most ambitious display yet. If ever there was a moment to shine a spotlight on these ancient wonders, this is it. Billy Alexander of Kells Bay Gardens in Co Kerry is no stranger to acclaim. In 2023, he achieved gold medal standard and the coveted 'Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion' award. He also earned a gold in 2021, when senior RHS Judge Jon Wheatley declared his display 'probably the most outstanding exhibit of ferns I have ever seen at any Chelsea show" and said of Billy: "He is a credit to his country.' Now, in 2025, Billy returns to Chelsea with his sights set firmly on a third gold medal. The exhibit, titled 'Wilde Kells Bay', supported by Wilde Aparthotels, will feature over 100 species of ferns artfully arranged in a 120-metre display of woodland, bog garden, and still water pool. Billy Alexander, Kells Bay Gardens. Rocks and mosses from Kells Bay itself will anchor the design, creating a piece of Kerry transplanted to the heart of London. Billy's preparation has been meticulous. 'I knew from the moment I left Chelsea back in May 2023 that I would be coming back,' says Billy. 'The planning began as soon as I returned home. We opened a new plant centre at the gardens and even installed a heater to keep our ferns cosy and evergreen during the winter months.' That attention to detail speaks not just to his passion, but to the care ferns require to truly thrive and reward. Whether it's the architectural form of the shuttlecock fern, the evergreen presence of soft shield fern, or the coppery new growth of Japanese painted ferns, they offer more variety than many realise. You can use them to line paths, underplant shrubs, frame water features, or soften hard edges. In woodland settings, they feel like they've always belonged. Billy's fern collection is among the largest private collections in Europe, with specimens gathered from the Pacific Islands, Vietnam, Indonesia and beyond. Some have even found their way into the royal gardens of Highgrove House, the private residence of King Charles III. At Kells Bay Gardens, a true jewel on the Ring of Kerry, these plants find their perfect home. Sheltered by the bay and basking in a naturally temperate microclimate, the gardens stretch across seventeen hectares of sub-tropical paradise. The tree ferns alone, many of which date to the 19th century, are a marvel. And now, thanks to a newly opened plant centre, rare and exotic ferns are being propagated for sale, allowing gardeners to bring a piece of this legacy home. The theme of this year's Chelsea Flower Show is one of resilience and sanctuary, how gardens can help us create a better future. Ferns, with their ancient adaptability and low-maintenance grace, embody that idea perfectly. They require little once established, thrive without fuss, and ask only for the cool shade and a little moisture. In return, they offer calm. Ferns are living fossils from a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and they've remained relevant, adaptable, and profoundly beautiful, says Peter Dowdall. File picture They're also crucial for biodiversity. Having co-existed and adapted over millennia with local insects, fungi and bacteria, ferns provide shelter for insects, texture for birds to nest within, and cooling for the soil beneath. They work just as well in containers, giving urban gardeners a chance to build micro-woodlands on balconies and patios. And perhaps, in their quiet way, they remind us of something we forget too easily, that beauty in the garden doesn't have to be fleeting or flamboyant. It can be steady, grounded, and ancient, just like the ferns. Billy's 2025 display, Wilde Kells Bay, promises to be not just a horticultural spectacle but a statement. That ferns matter. That Irish gardens are world-class. To see a plantsperson from Kerry standing shoulder to shoulder with the world's finest garden designers, championing a group of plants once considered background filler, that is something to be celebrated. So as you walk through your own garden this week, look again at that shaded spot beneath the hedge or under the tree. Imagine it filled with the soft, feathery green of a fern and know that in doing so, you're part of a quiet, global revival. Ferns are back, but the truth is, they never really left.
