“Can I use the bathroom?” elicited the normal response of directions and off I went down the hallway to the second room on the left.

At the doorway I stopped to take in the view through a single sheet glass wall the length of the bath and rising up to the ceiling. Beyond it a profusion of green and browns, so thick that it obliterated the wall beyond. Brown fibrous hairs joining to form a mat, wound their way up the stem, where towards the top a smooth green branch emerged topped by the striated, eleven fingered leaves of the raphis palm. Behind this but barely visible were green canes shooting high to the clear blue sky. The leaves of the bamboo palm contrasted as they were a lighter-green and,  smoother than those of the raphis. At ground level in the garden bed were shade loving plants; bromeliads and a few different species of plants with crimson foliage.

I made my way to the toilet and turning to sit a whole new vista opened;  another garden bed opposite that which I had just been looking at. This time a tree-fern with it fine haired trunk and both uncurling and spreading fronds were visible through a window similar to the first, but at right angles to it.  A bit further along an Alexander palm with dense green  fronds afforded any user of the toilet total privacy.

I turned my attention to the interior of the huge room which had white tiles from floor to ceiling.  The floor had a contrasting light browny-grey tile. This tile continued up a step around the bath so that one would walk up into it. This stepping made a ledge around the bath which would be just perfect for those romantic nights with candles and champagne.

The toilet and bidet were both wall mounted with the cisterns somehow hidden within the wall. Nothing touched the floor. “How wonderfully easy it would be to clean” I thought as I noted that the shower did not require a glass screen due to its large size. Chrome dispensers eliminated the need for bottles of shampoo and conditioner and even a built-in  foot rest made life easy for the woman shaving her legs in the shower.

Day passed to night and the outside garden was now lit, throwing the plants into light relief and bathing the room in a mellow glow, further enhancing the romantic notions my head was now enjoying.

A knock on the door disturbed my peace.  “Are you alright?” my hostess called “you’ve been a long time.”