Le Pavillon De La Reine
It takes something special to stand out in the Parisian hotel world, and Le Pavillon de la Reine is nothing if not special. It starts with a phenomenal location in the Place des Vosges, the centerpiece of the Marais. The building itself is a stunner, a 17th-century mansion that feels more like a country house than most anything else in town. And the hotel itself, of course, is more than the sum of its physical attributes — in its current incarnation Le Pavillon de la Reine is both a luxury hotel worthy of its setting and a boutique hotel worthy of the most sophisticated travelers’ attention.Its style strikes a perfectly judged balance between the stately elegance demanded by what was meant to be a royal residence and the sense of individuality that is the stock in trade of the modern luxur
Post Ranch Inn
Post Ranch Inn is blessed with one of the most extraordinary locations on the face of the earth, a place of such breathtaking beauty it’s hard to believe it’s even accessible by mere automobile-driving mortals. Big Sur is the most scenic destination along California’s most scenic drive, Highway 1, which links Los Angeles with San Francisco and features such curiosities as Hearst Castle and Steinbeck’s Monterey along the way.Of course what Highway 1 mostly features is natural beauty, and some of the last unspoiled places in America. It would be difficult for any man-made structure to compete with these cliffside views of the Pacific, or the majesty of the redwood forests; but this strange and decadent little hotel holds its own.Modernist architect Mickey Muennig settled in Big Sur in 1971,
Flemings Mayfair
Let’s be clear right at the outset that the neighborhood in which Flemings Mayfair makes its home is the classic Mayfair, the accessible Mayfair, the down-to-earth Mayfair — not the chilly neighborhood whose streets seem to be populated exclusively by German-made saloons and their military-trained drivers, loitering outside discreetly hidden hedge funds, but the neighborhood that stitches together the best things about London: picturesque residential charm, classic architecture, and close proximity to the parks, the sights, and some phenomenal shopping.So it’s fitting that Flemings Mayfair has kept a sense of perspective about itself. It’s posh, but not aggressively exclusive; stylish, but not overcooked; and while it’s unapologetically high-end it’s not quite stratospheric. Simply put, yo
Brach Paris - Evok Collection
Interested observers of the boutique-hotel world have witnessed several evolutions of Philippe Starck’s hospitality-design career, and Brach Paris finds him in yet another mood — this hotel, in Paris’s 16th, makes an unlikely sort of glamour from the materials of the 1970s, to suit the building’s vintage. This means glossy wood paneling, leather, metal, vibrant patterns in earthy colors, and mirrors more or less everywhere.Rooms, as you’d expect from Starck, are full of unexpected visual details, but their thoroughgoing luxury — marble basins, soaking tubs, automated blackout shades — make them feel eclectic rather than prankish. And the suites are particularly lavish, featuring terraces with 180° views of Paris, some of them facing the Eiffel Tower. In Starck’s hands whimsy and high luxur
Aman Tokyo
We’ll admit it: our first thought when we heard whispers of an Aman Tokyo was that they might just have lost the plot. Why would these purveyors of resort perfection bother with the city? And why this particular city, whose high-end hotels are already as close to flawless as any we’ve seen? Well, we were fools to wonder. There might be no challenge that Aman resorts isn’t up to — certainly not Tokyo, where they’ve created something that the rest of the world’s luxury hoteliers will be chasing for a decade or more.Turns out the top of a Japanese skyscraper is tailor-made for the kind of quiet seclusion an Aman resort is tasked with providing. Once you’re on the 33rd floor of the Otemachi Tower, the city streets are a mere memory. The modernist spaces are calming to a degree that’s awe-inspi
COMO Metropolitan, Bangkok
COMO Metropolitan Bangkok is the sister hotel to London's Metropolitan — a sleek and contemporary boutique hotel, with staff outfitted in black designer uniforms, and lots of white paint and dark wood. One might be tempted to think that the sort of minimal, vaguely Oriental design that is all the rage in Western boutiques would fall flat when transplanted to the part of the world formerly known as the Orient. But one would be wrong.The effect is no less soothing and enveloping here than it is in London — just ask the film and fashion types lounging in the lobby, as they have probably been to both. One difference is the state of the hotel industry in the respective cities; in London it seems impossible to walk a block without passing an achingly hip boutique hotel, but in Bangkok, the Metro
Lupaia
We’ve all seen more than a few hotels that could fairly be described as “Tuscan rustic,” but Lupaia makes most of them look like half-measures. Here the farmhouse charm is cranked up to eleven or twelve, especially in its open kitchen, where a daily four-course dinner is made out of produce from the hotel’s own organic garden. And it’s in plentiful supply in the rooms as well, carefully adapted from five painstakingly renovated historical structures, each of which is an architectural mosaic of Tuscan styles, with contemporary comforts under centuries-old roof beams and rough-hewn textures alongside finely wrought furnishings.An infinity pool is always a thoughtful touch, and all the more so when you’re blessed with surroundings this picturesque. Lupaia looks out from a hillside over countl
Hotel Santa Caterina
It’s the rare traditional-style hotel that really gets hearts racing, but the Santa Caterina is an absolute classic. Family-owned for the better part of a century, it sits high on a hillside facing the sea — guests ride an elevator down to the hotel’s private beach club, for the ultimate storybook Italian-coast experience.Santa Caterina is the real deal: the grounds are all terraces, olive groves and lemon orchards, with the kind of jaw-dropping views that make the Amalfi one of the world’s most special places. The look of the building, and of the interiors, is charmingly old-fashioned; there’s no attempted design-boutique guff here, and it comes off timeless rather than dated.The signature restaurant takes in the spectacular view from a terrace on the cliff, while a second serves wood-fir
Il Sereno
There’s plenty of neoclassical bling on the shores of Lake Como. And historic villas, too, though these days, the centuries-old architecture is outnumbered by extravagant imitations. Thankfully the team behind the brand-new Il Sereno, located just outside the village of Torno on the lake’s eastern shore, is taking things in a bold new direction.Forget about faux Roman columns and porticos: though it’s built on the foundation of an old stone boathouse, Il Sereno is a modern marvel both inside and out. A boxy glass-encased structure built of stone, wood, bronze, and copper, the hotel rises up several stories from the water’s edge, with a long infinity pool — the largest on the lake, if you’re keeping track — and a striking pair of vertical gardens designed by the famed botanist Patrick Blanc
Paradero Todos Santos – Exclusive Experiences
An hour up the west coast of Baja California from the hedonistic holiday hotspot of Cabo San Lucas is a place whose charms are a little more austere, though spectacular in their own right: Paradero Todos Santos, a luxurious all-suite boutique hotel in a highly disciplined Brutalist style which seeks, at least in part, to draw the eye outward, to the landscape architecture and the untouched surrounding ecosystems.Its raw concrete exteriors blend into the desert, and in its interiors provides a counterpoint to the soft luxury of its rooms and suites. It turns out nothing about Brutalism precludes lavish creature comforts; some have terraces and outdoor hammocks, others come with open-air soaking tubs, and king beds and spa-like bathrooms are standard.The common spaces carry on in the same ve
Casa Angelina
Praiano isn’t the most famous town on the Amalfi Coast, but its appeal is undeniable: it’s just beyond Positano, which not only places it outside the most crowded stretch of the coast, but gives it an astonishing view of Positano itself, along with the dramatic seascapes to the west. This is where you’ll find Casa Angelina, a rare hotel that makes a virtue of modern architecture and design even in these most traditional environs — and, in the process, establishes a tone of understated luxury that few hotels anywhere can match.Most of the rooms have terraces opening onto those astonishing views, and there are plenty of them in the common spaces as well. The look, in-room, combines an exceedingly tranquil white-on-white color scheme with the fine detailing for which contemporary Italian luxu
The Sukhothai Bangkok
Most of Asia’s grand hotels are ostentatious skyscrapers, but the Sukhothai breaks the mold — this low-slung and labyrinthine complex, designed by Ed Tuttle (of Aman fame) sprawls over six acres, and functions as an island of calm amidst the bustle of that other City of Angels. Gardens, courtyards and lotus pools await around every corner, and the restaurant floats on a man-made lake; if not for the odd glimpse of concrete high-rises in the distance, you’d never believe this was urban Bangkok.The décor, too, is anything but business-hotel standard — the look is more pleasure-palace, with teakwood floors, rich Thai silk and celadon ceramics. Guest rooms are a sort of modern-classic hybrid, in muted earthy colors with ornate woodwork and sleek furniture. The feel is urban resort, but with bi
La Réserve Paris
It’s by no means a universal rule, but sometimes at the very top end of the luxury-hotel market you’ll find hotels that are confident enough to name themselves something as understated and, well, reserved as La Réserve. This hotel, as it turns out, has much to be confident about. While La Réserve is less ostentatious than Paris’s officially designated palace hotels, it’s every bit their equal, if not their superior — at the very least it’s gone straight into the top tier of Parisian luxury hotels.One street off the Champs-Élysées, and practically right next door to the president’s palace, La Réserve occupies a stately, subdued 19th-century Haussmannian structure. Its interiors, however, are exquisitely designed by Jacques Garcia, whose typically romantic style is at its most refined here.
Il San Pietro di Positano
Even by Italian standards, Positano is naturally breathtaking: its colorful houses and churches cling desperately to the mountainside, with postcard-perfect views of the sea coming seemingly a dime a dozen. Perhaps a bit more than a dime, actually; it’s possible (if unlikely) that there are still some secret places left on the Italian coasts, untouched by tourism, but even if that’s true, Positano certainly isn’t one of them.Il San Pietro isn’t much of a secret either, and the key to its appeal is quite simple; it may just be the best hotel on the Amalfi Coast, and is a strong contender for any global list.A small 17th-century chapel devoted to San Pietro marks the hotel entrance, and the rest of the property hangs on the cliffside below, each level descending the face like a staircase—per
Brunelleschi Hotel
There’s no question the Brunelleschi Hotel has a legitimate claim to the name. With its top-floor view taking in the entire panorama of Brunelleschi’s masterpiece, the Florence Cathedral, it’s more or less as close as you can get to the Duomo without taking religious orders. The location has always been a strength, and after a very thorough renovation, the Brunelleschi can finally boast of interiors that are worthy of the view.That’s “worthy of,” not equal to. The focus, even inside, is on the cathedral, and these subtly contemporary spaces, with their sparkling antique-style furnishings, do their best to frame the views, whether literal ones, through the windows, or virtual ones in the form of architectural photographs of the cathedral’s details.Key, perhaps, is the fact that it’s a hotel
The Dupont Circle Hotel
In a town as traditional as Washington, a little bit of modern design goes a long way. The newly redesigned Dupont Hotel is, in its subtly stylish way, one of the hippest hotels in the nation’s capital. It’s the only hotel on Dupont Circle, in a neighborhood better known for dining, nightlife and entertainment than for monuments or institutions — which, provided you’re not here with your high school history class, is definitely a good thing.That’s not to say it’s isolated. It’s surrounded by embassies, and it’s a safe bet that quite a few of its guests are international travelers. As such they probably feel more or less at home in the Dupont’s contemporary, urbane interiors. Rooms lack for no comfort, and they’re not just stylish but functional as well, with full-sized work desks and Eames
Chateau de Montcaud
Provençal farmhouse hotels are perhaps familiar enough, but Provençal chateau hotels are still something of a rarity, the supply of castles being naturally somewhat constrained. The Château de Montcaud dates back to 1848, but its most recent renovation was just completed in 2018, and the result is an impeccably styled, impressively outfitted luxury boutique hotel.While the Château’s exteriors retain their 19th-century elegance, its interiors are surprisingly contemporary, its rooms exhibiting a stylish visual simplicity and a contrast between their antique architectural details and their very modern furniture. And among the benefits of chateau life is that even the Classic rooms are generously sized, with the suites expanding to positively palatial dimensions.Another benefit is that the ex
Villa Fiorella Art Hotel
Massa Lubrense is perhaps best known as a stop on the way to the Amalfi Coast, or a place to catch a boat across the Gulf of Naples to the island of Capri. But it’s a worthy destination in its own right. It’s here, according to Greek legend, that sirens first lured sailors to crash into the rocky shore. Looking down at the coastline from Art Hotel Villa Fiorella, a quiet boutique hotel set in an olive grove high over the water, it’s easy to believe in the myth.The settlement is old as the hills, but the hotel isn’t. The villa is actually a relatively new construction, and after extensive restorations in 2016, it feels thoroughly modern. Inside, Villa Fiorella Art Hotel is all pale wood, pristine white, and wide picture windows framing the sea and sky. The views are the thing here, whether
Le Domaine du Mas de Pierre
These days, with the Riviera as crowded as it is and Provence practically a borough of the city of London, the greatest luxury to be had in the south of France is a little privacy. The most sought-after experience is that of being a guest in a private home — which goes a long way to explaining the appeal of a place like Le Mas de Pierre.It’s located on the hillside just below the fortified town of Saint Paul de Vence, on four acres of parkland, a compound of stone farmhouses surrounded by gardens and olive trees. Inside are 76 bedrooms, classically beautiful in soft Southern colors, furnished with antiques painstakingly collected by the hotel’s owners. Except for contemporary touches like plasma-screen televisions, this is hotel design of the old school, right down to the lavish marble bat
Le Burgundy
It’s rare in any city, and especially in Paris, that a new hotel immediately becomes an instant classic. In the case of Le Burgundy, however, it’s not at all out of the question. Though more modest in size than some of the big-name grand hotels — Le Burgundy is just 59 rooms — it’s scarcely any less luxurious, and its location is ideal for both cultural and commercial purposes, close by not only to many of the major sights but to some of the planet’s finest high-end shopping as well.The style is difficult to pin down. In another city it might come off a bit conservative, but in Paris this sort of subtle modernism feels like rebellion. A contemporary simplicity is warmed by rich colors and even richer textures, and a full complement of modern electronics is hidden discreetly away.So the in-
COMO Castello del Nero
Surrounded by world-famous vineyards and within easy day-trip distance of both Florence and Siena, the Chianti region of Tuscany is hardly suffering from a shortage of worthwhile attractions. But COMO Castello Del Nero takes the concept of stately country retreat a step further than various other villas and resorts in the area, offering a full-service COMO Shambhala Retreat spa designed to help guests unwind after pounding the city pavement on church and art tours — or perhaps to detox after one too many wine tastings.The castle comes with a prominent history: once the property of the Del Neros of Florence, it’s been owned by the Torrigiani family since 1825. The imposing architecture and grand rooms filled with Renaissance paintings, family crests, and perfectly proper furniture call to
Il Borro
For some of us, the fantasy of owning a Tuscan villa is sufficiently romantic; if you’re more ambitious, however, you set your sights on something closer to an old-fashioned Tuscan principality. Enter Il Borro, the sprawling estate in San Giustino Valdarno that Ferruccio Ferragamo bought in 1993 and have since been developing into the Tuscan luxury hotel to end them all. Il Borro comprises no less than an acclaimed, hundred-plus acre vineyard and winery, vast groves of olive trees amidst the cypress and oaks, plenty of rolling green hills, three villas, another three lavish farmhouses and — here’s the real coup de grâce — an entire restored medieval village. Given the scope of the estate, it’s almost unnecessary to mention that it also contains tennis courts, a driving range and a football
Argos in Cappadocia
Though not yet so common that they need a name for their particular sub-genre — speleoboutiques, anyone? — it’s safe to say that cave hotels are officially a thing. Especially in Cappadocia, which as a region has what’s probably the world’s most plentiful supply of habitable caves. And if you want to see how it’s done, you need look no further than this repurposed monastery in the village of Uçhisar, now a boutique hotel called Argos in Cappadocia.If it feels a bit like the set of some swords-and-sorcerers epic, that’s more or less the point. It should go without saying that this is a place you go to escape from the modern world. Inside it’s all arches and vaults and massive rough-hewn stone blocks, and outside it’s a picturesque tumble of weathered stone houses, cascading down the hillsid
Château de Fonscolombe
There are castles, and then there are castles. This one dates back to the 1700s, which explains its unusual Italianate style, and only became a hotel in 2017, after three centuries as a private estate. Its setting, just to the north of Aix-en-Provence, endears it to wine lovers, as does the Fonscolombe winery itself, which produces organic reds, whites, and rosés. But the key to its appeal is that it’s quite simply the most luxurious hotel for many miles around.Of its 50 rooms, 13 are set in the landmark castle building, which means they’ve got more character (and beautiful garden views) in exchange for slightly less space. Still, this isn’t Paris — square footage is ample all the way up and down the range, and the recent renovation means up-to-date modern comforts are universal as well, i
Auberge du Soleil, Auberge Collection
The original Napa Valley luxury boutique hotel, Auberge du Soleil, three decades on, is still going strong — so strong that, for many repeat guests, there simply isn’t anywhere else. They come for the setting, with views over endless vineyards and olive groves; they come for the hotel, which is effortlessly, unpretentiously luxurious; and they come, most of all, for the restaurant, which stands out as something special even in Napa Valley, a region that’s arguably America’s culinary capital.In true French style, the restaurant came first, with rooms provided as an added inducement for diners to drive those last few miles to Rutherford. Today they’re anything but an afterthought. A recent renovation has brought them subtly up to date, but they’re true to the Auberge’s Provence-meets-Napa in
Villa La Coste
As magical as the typical Provençal country hotel can be, it’s not at all the only hospitality experience the south of France has to offer. Villa La Coste begins with a 17th-century farmhouse surrounded by rambling stone buildings, but it’s the contemporary additions by architects like Frank Gehry, Oscar Niemeyer, and Tadao Ando that set it apart from the ordinarybastidehotel — not to mention its 600 acres of parkland, vineyards, and gardens, and an art collection that rivals some urban museums.The hotel’s 28 suites are sunny, contemporary, stylish, modernist-inspired and hyper-luxe, and they’re tasteful rather than ostentatious (at least until you get to the bathrooms, which are nothing short of extravagant). They’re not technically freestanding villas, though they feel like they are, and
Hotel Vilòn
Like many of Rome’s finest boutique hotels, Hotel Vilòn aims to provide not just luxury-hotel service and comfort, but residential charm and intimacy as well. The setting, in the city’s historic center, in a 16th-century house annexed to the Palazzo Borghese, is as romantic as it gets, and close by to many of the familiar attractions. But not for a moment does it feel like a busy city-center hotel; once inside, the quiet is practically monastic.In fact, the house spent much of the 20th century as a nunnery, and now houses only 18 rooms. Architect Giampiero Panepinto designed the common areas and film set designer Paolo Bonfini the rooms. The result, perhaps unsurprisingly, is truly cinematic, every angle full of visual interest provided by idiosyncratic color choices, eye-catching furnishi
Hotel Capo La Gala
In the mad rush from Naples to Capri or the far side of the Sorrentine Peninsula it’s too easy to breeze right past Sorrento itself; a shame, for while not technically on the Amalfi Coast this side of the Bay of Naples is blessed with some extraordinary spots, the village of Vico Equense among them. It scarcely gets more picturesque than this gorgeously weathered seaside village, though the Hotel Capo La Gala, just on its fringes, gives it a run for its money.A beachside getaway is not in the cards — the coast here is rugged and rocky, which adds to the seascape’s sublime aspect, and keeps things a little less casual, as it’s easier to be elegant in closed-toe shoes. The hotel’s interiors inspire some elegance as well — the look is contemporary, with a pronounced marine influence, and whil
Six Senses Douro Valley
Traditionally Portugal hasn’t needed much more than a sunny climate (and maybe a bit of golf) to woo tourists by the tens of thousands. There are places, though, that go above and beyond the basic formula: Six Senses Douro Valley, named for and situated in the wine-making region in the north, is one of these.This is the modern spa resort par excellence — a painstakingly renovated 19th-century manor house hotel, featuring cutting-edge interiors and a spa offering treatments based on the antioxidant properties of Douro Valley grapes. It hardly needs to be said that the views inanydirection more than suffice: gorgeously cultivated vineyards, undulating woods, and the immaculate courtyard, for starters. The two villas are the latest in modernist resort-luxe, with private gardens and heated cou
Country House Villadorata
Nestled in the heart of the Val di Noto — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the cradle of Sicilian Baroque — Country House Villadorata, the countryside counterpart to Seven Rooms in Noto, is the result of the restoration of a late 19th-century rural estate. Today, it stands as an elegant eco-resort surrounded by 57 acres of countryside, cultivated in harmony with the principles of biodynamic agriculture.The landscape is defined by ancient olive trees, almond groves, citrus orchards, and a small vineyard, all woven together by a network of serene walking trails.Accommodations, offered in a variety of styles and sizes, are arranged either around the historic core or set apart in more secluded corners of the estate. Among them, the Ecosuites — sustainably built and refined in design — boast pr
Palace Hotel Tokyo
In Tokyo one of the scarcest commodities is a break from the sheer neon-lit urbanity of it all — which makes a hotel like the newly reconstructed Palace Hotel something special indeed. This is as close as you can get to actually staying on the verdant grounds of the Imperial Palace without being related to the Emperor himself. In 2012, after a major three-year renovation, this ground-up reimagining of the original Palace Hotel does its level best to deliver a hotel that’s worthy of its setting.The architecture and design are as perfectly sober and calm as you’d expect from a high-end Japanese luxury hotel, and the modern-Japanese interiors feel perfectly weighted, carefully considered, expertly crafted. The most basic Deluxe Rooms are hardly basic at all, and the better ones quickly scale
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria
The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria benefits from a phenomenal location, right in the heart of Sorrento, high on a cliff overlooking the harbor and separated from the bustling Piazza Tasso by orange groves and acres of parkland. The hotel itself comprises three separate villas, all built between 1834 and 1880. This is a true Grand Hotel in the old style, its past guests including Wagner and Goethe, and the opera singer Enrico Caruso was a resident for a time in the twenties, his suite today remaining more or less as he left it.The hotel, long Sorrento's finest, has been restored recently, but not redesigned — rooms are still outfitted with period furniture, and ornate frescoes decorate the ceilings of some suites. The only modern intrusions are those most necessary for survival. All rooms h
Vila Foz
If you hear your hosts at Vila Foz Hotel & Spa talking about “Ninimalism,” it’s not a mistranslation, and the pun is fully intended. The Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva has been known to design-oriented travelers since long before the current boom in Portuguese design hotels, and her signature style is on display here at Vila Foz. It’s a stunning, ornate 19th-century manor house on Porto’s Atlantic coast, and while its architecture has been meticulously restored, its interior design — especially in the guest rooms — is beautifully contemporary, just like everything we’ve seen from Ms. Andrade Silva over the years.The most modern guest rooms occupy a tasteful contemporary addition, while the rooms and suites in the old manor house are perhaps the most atmospheric. All are spacious en
Il San Pietro di Positano
Even by Italian standards, Positano is naturally breathtaking: its colorful houses and churches cling desperately to the mountainside, with postcard-perfect views of the sea coming seemingly a dime a dozen. Perhaps a bit more than a dime, actually; it’s possible (if unlikely) that there are still some secret places left on the Italian coasts, untouched by tourism, but even if that’s true, Positano certainly isn’t one of them.Il San Pietro isn’t much of a secret either, and the key to its appeal is quite simple; it may just be the best hotel on the Amalfi Coast, and is a strong contender for any global list.A small 17th-century chapel devoted to San Pietro marks the hotel entrance, and the rest of the property hangs on the cliffside below, each level descending the face like a staircase—per
Rosewood Bangkok
We expect stately, luxurious interior design from Rosewood, and the Rosewood Bangkok certainly doesn’t disappoint. What’s a surprise, however, is the very distinctive angular form of this 30-story skyscraper, inspired by thewai, the traditional Thai greeting. The whole thing is a visual tour de force, inside and out, and the views are extraordinary, but the pleasures of the other senses are never neglected.The contemporary rooms and suites are wonderfully comfortable, dressed in soothing neutral shades and flooded with natural light thanks to expansive windows overlooking Bangkok’s skyscrapers. The views continue from the 9th floor indoor-outdoor lap pool and the fully equipped gym, and post-workout there is Sense, A Rosewood Spa for cocooning treatments rooted in Thai tradition, reiki ses
Rosewood Phuket
Parts of this island can be busy, to say the least, but you won’t notice by the time you’ve settled in at the verdant, immersive Rosewood Phuket. Sitting just steps from the beach the 71 freestanding pavilions and villas offer an extra measure of privacy, as well as plenty of space to spread out; floor-to-ceiling windows open onto large garden terraces and all of them include plunge pools, if not full-scale swimming pools. The style is contemporary, and understatedly so, making the tropical idyll that is Phuket the main attraction.Asaya, the spa and wellness center, offers everything from Thai massage to personal training, and there are not one but four pools—and infinity pool, lap pool, activity pool and children’s pool—set just in front of the sand and shaded by leafy palms. The restaura
Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
One of the most well-traveled hotspots on the European beach circuit, the Algarve region of southern Portugal is packed with its fair share of big-time resorts — and it’s the contrast with this backdrop of uniformity that makes a newly renovated 19th-century residence like the Bela Vista so appealing. Thankfully, the building stayed in the family over the years, so the redesign wasn’t a scorched-earth overhaul. Elements like the original bar in the main house have been retained, restored, and juxtaposed with modern furniture and eye-catching décor.The historic house is perched on an outcrop above the beach, giving it a distinctive mansion-on-the-hill look. With the design update came a modest expansion, so guests can also choose to stay in the Blue House or the Garden House, the latter hom
The Okura Prestige Bangkok
The Okura Prestige is located on Embassy Row, in Bangkok’s central business district, but to orient the hotel in relation to its ground-level street address is almost to misplace it. That’s because the Okura is essentially a refuge in the sky, as close to a floating hotel as you’re likely to get without stepping onto a pier.From the outside, the building is all angles and slopes, a sculptural form whose largely glass exterior takes on the aerial colors around it. Inside, all those big, angled windows start to look like oversized windshields — except that, again, these are windshields in the sky, so the honking traffic is replaced by serene views of the skyline and the street life far below.All of the rooms are on the 26th floor or higher, and their light woods, textured walls and subdued n
Torel Palace Porto
Torel Palace Porto may be a modern hotel, but the most cursory glance reveals that the building is far from new. The Palacete Campos Navarro dates back to 1861, and was built by a wealthy local family in the then-current Romantic style. It’s a promising canvas for the kind of small luxury hotel that is Torel Boutiques’ specialty, but it took a thorough reimagining at the hands of designer Isabel Sá Nogueira before it could become the extraordinary hotel you see before you today.In this incarnation it’s dedicated to Portugal’s poets and writers, with rooms and suites named for the likes of Fernando Pessoa and Bocage. Sizes, layouts, and designs vary widely, though all have certain characteristics in common — they blend historic architecture with cutting-edge contemporary design, and they’re
Cowley Manor Experimental
Maybe it’s the fact that this thoroughly classical Italianate manor is said to be the place where Lewis Carroll first met Alice Liddell that piqued the Experimental Group’s interest. Or maybe it was Cowley Manor’s decidedly modern approach to boutique-style luxury hospitality — showing respect but not excessive reverence for its 19th-century setting. One way or another, this well-loved country-house hotel now flies the flag of its French owners, as Cowley Manor Experimental.In typical Experimental style this means an interior makeover by the Parisian designer Dorothée Meilichzon, who has created a unique atmosphere in Cowley Manor’s 36 rooms — a mix of English Italianate country-house pomp, Parisian cool, and the occasional nod to Alice in Wonderland. Even the coziest rooms in the main hou
Aman Venice
Your eyes do not deceive you: the Aman Venice is exactly what the name implies. It’s fitting that Aman, those masters of luxe villas on jade-green desert islands, would choose this as the setting for their first city hotel. Like many of Aman’s far-flung, impossibly photogenic locales, there’s a sense that Venice isn’t quite of this earth. And, more prosaically, they’ve already perfected the craft of the waterborne arrival on those selfsame desert islands, and it’s a skill that transfers seamlessly to Venice’s canals.The next biggest departure, after the distinctly urban (and quite marvelously central) location, is the fact that they’ve made use of a meticulously preserved Renaissance palace as a setting, rather than build something modern. Of course in Venice it couldn’t be any other way,
Castel Fragsburg
Castel Fragsburg occupies what may be the most privileged position in this spectacularly beautiful corner of South Tyrol, Italy’s famous patch of Alpine-style paradise. It’s located inside an elegant hunting lodge that first opened its doors nearly four centuries ago — and on a nearby cliffside is the 14th-century castle for which it was built. (The castle now serves as a thoroughly unique events venue for hotel guests.) You’ll spot its red gables from afar as you navigate the hairpin roads leading up from the ancient spa town of Merano; you’ll know you’ve arrived when you see a antique motorbike, complete with a sidecar, parked outside.It’s details like these that make Castel Fragsburg so charming. Note the mounted deer antlers and the functional megaphone: the old lodge, though reborn as
Riggs Washington DC
It’s not every day a 19th-century Romanesque Revival bank building in Washington’s Penn Quarter district reopens as a hotel, especially one as stylish as Riggs. It’s another sign of a new era for the nation’s capital — there’s more character here than in all of D.C.’s hotels circa 2000 put together. It starts with the well-preserved bones of the stately old bank, but this is no mere restoration — they’ve taken liberties, using the city’s history as their inspiration, and the result adds a welcome note of playfulness to the elegance you expect from a Washington D.C. luxury hotel.The rooms, for their part, don’t exactly scream “bank” — they’re much too colorful and richly detailed for that. They’re a touch Parisian, just like D.C. itself, with their oak flooring, marble baths, and jewel-tone
Eaton DC
We’re finally going to make it all the way through the description of a Washington, D.C. hotel without any wisecracks about the capital’s aesthetic conservatism. The Eaton Hotel is impervious to that line of criticism — this isn’t just the hippest hotel in Washington, but one of the most impressive new boutique hotels in America, and it’s thanks in large part to the fact that its founder, Katharine Lo, isn’t given to half-measures.She’s the Hong Kong–born, Yale-educated daughter of the chairman of the Langham group, so the basics of high-end hospitality are second nature. What makes the Eaton special is everything else, from its unapologetically bohemian interiors to its even more unapologetically outspoken social-justice ethos — a rarity for D.C., this is a hotel that feels free to wear i
Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa Retreat & Cultural Hideaway
Come winter, Schloss Elmau finds itself immersed in the kind of snowy wonderland that the Swiss might like to believe they’ve got exclusive rights to. But from the name of the place you can tell it’s a slightly different sort of ski hotel — it’s not every alpine resort that can credibly claim to be a “cultural hideaway.”From the outside it’s a classic mountain resort, a majestic and slightly imposing castle of a hotel. Upon closer inspection, though, it’s a contemporary luxury hotel of a rather more modern vintage, a mix of old-world Bavaria and updated high-end luxury. The big rooms and bigger suites are up to the latest five-star standard, but what’s truly remarkable about Schloss Elmau is the wealth of facilities and services outside the rooms.Four separate spas put the usual massage-an
Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amistà
We’ve seen design hotels, and we’ve seen fashion hotels, but the Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amistà is more than this: it’s also something like a museum, a showcase for a family’s impressive collection of 20th-century design objects and contemporary artworks, right down to the gallery-style placards in every room listing the pieces contained within.Design junkies, quite obviously, are in heaven here, given the chance to spend time living with what would ordinarily be museum pieces. But for some, the objects may play second fiddle to the setting — not some minimal urban loft space, but a fifteenth-century villa outside Verona, a place where sedate gardens and fountains give way to Baroque interiors, where Venetian chandeliers clash with mid-century Scandinavian furniture and life-size color phot
Hotel Lungarno
When the Ferragamo family moved into the boutique-hotel business, eyebrows were raised — but since then, they’ve proved many times over that they’re just as skilled with a luxury suite as they are with a calfskin lace-up. They’ve got some high-caliber help, of course, in the person of Michele Bönan, Florentine hotel architect extraordinaire. And for this bunch, the Hotel Lungarno is simply another perfectly confident step. Boutique hotels don’t get much more upscale than this, luxury hotels don’t get much more stylish, and the location, right on the south bank of the Arno, is just about beyond compare.The rooms aren’t enormous, but in a centuries-old house near the old city center you wouldn’t expect them to be. They’re more than capacious enough, however, and if you score a river-facing r
Castell Son Claret
The foothills of Mallorca’s spectacular Tramuntana mountain range provide a suitably grand backdrop for Castell Son Claret, a 19th-century castle on an estate that spans more than 300 acres of gardens and untouched parkland. A renovation turned this historic house into a thoroughly luxurious 43-unit boutique hotel, decorated in an understatedly elegant contemporary style.Its suites and rooms are divided between the main house and a variety of outbuildings, and they range in size from the compact Courtyard Single to the five suites with private pools and the Castell Suite, with space for four guests. The details differ but the experience is uniformly high-end. Castell Son Claret is not strictly adults-only, but nor does it go far out of its way to cater to children; the result is a hotel th