TH E HOT L IST

OUR PICK OF THE BEST NEW HOTELS IN THE WORLD

EDITED BY ERIN FLORIO AND REBECCA MISNER

FOR THE FULL HOT LIST, VISIT CNTRAVELER.COM/HOT-LIST 67 THE HOT LIST

OUR PICK OF THE BEST NEW HOTELS IN THE WORLD EDITED BY ERIN FLORIO AND REBECCA MISNER YNCH L ANTHONY S AM E J

APH: THE KIMPTON LA PEER IN WEST HOLLYWOOD FOR THE FULL HOT LIST, VISIT CNTRAVELER.COM/HOT-LIST PH OT OG R 1 THE HOT LIST 2019

UNITED STATES HÔTEL PETER & PAUL, NEW ORLEANS Of all the boutique hotels that have landed here over the past few years, none gets into the bones of the city like this one. Beyond the heavy mint-green doors, the foyer smells of gardenias. It’s bright, airy, colorful, with a canary-yellow check-in counter and equally bright welcome. Star design team Ash NYC has revived the former 19th-century Catholic church, schoolhouse, convent, and rectory in the boho Marigny neighborhood, just northeast of the French Quarter and a walk from the sax-trumpet-clarinet licks of jazz epicenter Frenchmen Street. As with other Ash NYC hotels—the Dean, in a 1912 clergy house in Providence; the Siren, filling a Renaissance Revival building in Detroit—this place is meant to double as a destination, with sophisticated communal spaces that beg to be sat in with a chicory coffee or a Sazerac. In a city of sensory overload, Hôtel Peter & Paul is the anti–Bourbon Street, where the bed linen is crisp—and a little austere, like a convent holdover—and the crowd at its Elysian Bar, brought to you by homegrown wine bar Bacchanal, is European-house-party cool. FLASH POINT All furniture is selected from the antiques markets of Europe or New Orleans’s oldest estates, or made to order by local artisans. 504 356 5200; hotelpeterandpaul.com. Doubles from $119 AMIT GERON; FRANÇOIS HALARD; ELISE HASSEY PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS:

2 THE HOT LIST 2019 CAMBODIA SHINTA MANI WILD Suddenly there is a very big reason to stay on in Cambodia after seeing the temples at Angkor Wat. Roughly halfway between the capital, Phnom Penh, and the south coast are 850 acres of protected private land hosting a flamboyant new camp—and one of the hottest openings in Asia this year. Opt to arrive by zip line, landing next to a waterfall with huge double sun loungers in vivid greens and yellows, driftwood statues of life-size elephants, and 15 tented rooms, some with rolltop bathtubs on the riverside deck. It’s signature Bill Bensley, the daring designer renowned across Southeast Asia for his playful flourishes and lush gardens. He has partnered with hotelier Sokoun Chanpreda before on three delightful properties in Siem Reap (branded Shinta Mani). The powerhouse pair’s main motivation is conservation. While staying here, join anti-elephant-poaching patrols or explore the hardwood forest between the Southern Cardamom and Kirirom National parks by mountain bike and kayak. There are seemingly unlimited spa treatments, a sensational 100-foot-long pool, and a daily menu under brilliant chef Patricia Yeo, who uses foraged greens, mushrooms, and fruits from the forest. Shinta Mani Wild opens up an entire region to the jetset, with style and a firm focus on the environment it now helps us all get to. FLASH POINT Ask manager Sangjay Choegyal to take you on a forest walk; he grew up at Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Nepal and is a top birder. +855 63 964 123; shintamani.com. Tents from about $2,360 full board, minimum three-night stay

ISRAEL THE JAFFA HOTEL, TEL AVIV The historic Jaffa neighborhood has become a cachet of Tel Aviv cool, loaded with designer boutiques, cocktail bars, and bohemian locals inside its 4,000-year-old walls. It’s appropriate, then, that the hotel that shares its name should act as a microcosm of the area. Star architect John Pawson and his team spent 10 years creating an aesthetic that plays to Jaffa’s old/new dichotomy within this former convent turned hospital. In the lobby, remains of a 13th-century Crusaders’ fortress discovered during the hotel’s excavation are displayed alongside two Damien Hirst paintings, twin George Condo busts, and bespoke backgammon tables designed by Pawson himself. The bar space, with its stained-glass windows and checkered floors, feels both biblical and current—especially when beautiful Tel Avivians are sipping negronis on the brown suede Cini Boeri Botolo chairs. In a city with a spectacular homegrown food scene, the Jaffa made a bold move placing New York’s Major Food Group in the kitchen. The rigatoni alla Norma and grilled octopus recall its Manhattan hot spot Carbone, but the way these dishes showcase the vibrancy of local produce, meat, and fish means Israel remains the star. In a place that everyone’s talking about right now, this hotel has made the conversation even more interesting. FLASH POINT Hit the

downstairs spa with its sleek hammam in the afternoon to NAME LASTNAME unwind after a morning in the town’s Sarona Market. +972 3 504 2000; thejaffahotel.com. Doubles from about $605 PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOGRAPH:

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FRANCE LE BARN, BONNELLES Parisians are not so unlike Londoners and New Yorkers. Come Friday, they, too, hightail it to the country for 48 hours of blissfully slower living. Their options for where to spend the weekend have been mostly restricted to ancestral manors and castles that require serious mileage to reach—as well as a dress code at dinner. Last summer’s opening of rustic Le Barn changed all that. This former horse-riding academy turned nature camp for grown-ups, 34 miles southwest of Paris, is an extension of the very cool boutique-hotel scene sweeping the city’s north-central arrondissements; one that marries urban taste and country retreat. So much so that the Isabel Marant–wearing crowd drinking at the Hoxton in the Marais on a Wednesday is the same one soaking in Le Barn’s outdoor Nordic baths the following Saturday. Design Studio Be-poles, which was responsible for the louche interiors of Le Pigalle hotel, did a fine job of keeping the countryside in focus here, placing plants throughout and blending raw materials such as corkboard in the rooms, which were used to store grain in the 1950s. Though it’s what’s on the outside that counts: hikes through the surrounding Rambouillet forest, outdoor film screenings, and yoga under the trees. As Paris moves in a direction that feels increasingly hipster, Le Barn is the type of place where those breathing new life into the city go to recharge. FLASH POINT There is no set checkout time on Sundays; don’t rush through a brunch of local charcuterie and cheeses, organic fruit jams, and oven-fresh baguettes and croissants. +33 1 86 38 00 00; lebarnhotel.com. Doubles from about $165

4 THE HOT LIST 2019 MEXICO PUNTA CALIZA, ISLA HOLBOX Word may now be out about this tiny isle off the Yucatán, but that has not compromised Holbox’s subtle charms. Along its northern edge, a string of taco shacks and palapa-style hotels with thatched roofs and adobe walls stretches across the uninterrupted sands. One block inland, this phenomenally well-designed hideaway stands out from the rest. Guadalajara- based Estudio Macías Peredo kept the thatch but placed it on top of 12 slick villas of red bark and limestone stucco, inspired by a Mayan building technique known as chukum, arranged in the shape of a triangle. The knockout element is what fills the open space between them. Instead of a traditional courtyard or terrace, Peredo created a swimming pool where the water, the same milky green as the Caribbean, laps right up against the villas’ cedarwood doors. Yet for all its style, Punta Caliza retains the island’s relaxed, flip-flops-at-dinner ease. The friendly owner, Cuauhtémoc Muñoz, is quick to share an icy Corona and a chat with guests after mornings spent on the hotel’s private beach. Breakfasts of fresh orange juice, chilaquiles, and tropical fruit are set up poolside, and insanely fresh octopus ceviche is served in coconut husks. FLASH POINT Head to the bar inside the adjacent tower at sunset for incredible views over the colorful sea. +52 99 8800 0119; puntacaliza.com. Doubles from about $210

AUSTRALIA PARAMOUNT HOUSE HOTEL, SYDNEY This place certainly doesn’t front like a standard hotel, and that’s a great thing. Creatives in all black and sharp glasses sip flat whites and hold lunch meetings over slick Mac laptops in the sun-drenched Paramount Coffee Project, ostensibly the lobby of the hotel. Wander toward the back, taking in all the midcentury olive green and exposed brick from the building’s past life as the Paramount Pictures Studios building, and make an educated guess that the woman smiling behind a desk selling T-shirts and jackets is also your check-in (she is). It’s quite the welcome to this hip new Surry Hills hotel, which not only serves to anchor an already food- and-culture-focused neighborhood but has become a de facto hang for locals—what all hoteliers want these days. Thankfully, the guest rooms are just as welcoming: Should you be suffering jet lag, just pull the blackout curtains shut; take a leisurely bath in the Japanese wooden soaking tub; settle into the insanely comfortable bed, the blush-and-blue duvet and recycled Merino throw pulled up to your chin; and pass out for 12 hours in what feels like a friend’s chic apartment. Paramount House is the only truly cool boutique hotel in a Sydney neighborhood you want to be in, with food and design to make you stay indoors all day. FLASH POINT Chef Mat Lyndsey of the city’s CIARNS; SHARYN NICOLE FRANZEN; JULIEN SCHEUBEL hip Ester runs on-site Poly, which steals a lot of the crowd from Chin Chin, an outpost of Melbourne’s legendary Thai spot across the street. +612 92 111 222;

paramounthousehotel.com. Doubles from about $170 PHOTOGRAPHS:

5 THE HOT LIST 2019 INDIA SOHO HOUSE MUMBAI As in other Indian cities that flourished in the days of the British Raj, Mumbai’s old-fashioned club culture is alive and well— across well-heeled generations—in a way that would have made the retired majors of the era scratch their heads in wonderment. But this town has never had an establishment like this before. The familiar Soho House aesthetic (let’s not say formula) works wonderfully here. Nothing has been reinvented: There’s still the same combination of bars, restaurants, theaters, and breakout spaces found in the group’s outposts from London’s White City to West Hollywood. But each Indian twist freshens everything up nicely: the printed textiles in vibrant yellows and reds; the locally sourced wicker-ware and hand-made furniture. Some may gripe about the location, in an 11-story, Art Deco–style tower beside Juhu Beach, not far from the airport. But the fact is that the city’s creative center is shifting northward, and this is now the place to be. It’s a bejeweled stone’s throw from Bollywood. Time will tell how enthusiastically membership is taken up, but you can’t help thinking that Nick Jones has once again gotten it spot-on. FLASH POINT In a departure from Soho House tradition, the Big rooms here are indeed really big, and the ones to book. +91 22 6213 3333; sohohousemumbai.com. Doubles from about $230

NAMIBIA SHIPWRECK LODGE There is remote, and then there is the Skeleton Coast, a desolate sweep of coastline along the Atlantic that feels utterly isolated. Shipwreck Lodge is from the heavily conservation- driven outfitter Natural Selection and has now opened as the area’s first polished hotel with a point of view worthy of such otherworldliness. The 10 wooden cabins set against a flaxen sand dune were designed by Namibian bio-architect Nina Maritz to look much like the many ships that have run aground here over the centuries. Through porthole windows, guests view a haunting, foggy landscape that is home to desert-adapted lion and antelope. During the day, four-wheel drives whiz up and down tawny dunes, past parched terrain, and along the edge of the brooding ocean, which crashes onto marbled sand, littered with whale bones. In the evenings, after the sun has burned the mist away, fynbos-infused gin and tonics are served on the beach. When the shore gets too chilly, it’s onto dinner in the main building, where sofas, cushions, candles, and blazing fireplaces keep things cozy once the all-but-certain sandstorm hits. The lodge scene in Namibia is frenetic; this one slows things down to a speed that reminds guests they are at the ends of the earth. FLASH POINT Go for a drive down the “roaring dunes” outside

the lodge, so called for the sound the air makes between the DOOK PHOTOGRAPHY tires and the sand as a car nosedives at 180 degrees. +27 2100 11 574; naturalselection.travel. Doubles from about $230 PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOGRAPH:

6 THE HOT LIST 2019 SWITZERLAND CASA CAMINADA, FÜRSTENAU There used to be a singular motive for skiers in Switzerland’s pinot noir–producing Rhine Valley to ditch the glitz of St. Moritz and head an hour northwest to the village of Fürstenau après their après: Schloss Schauenstein, an understated 16th-century castle with a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Now its chef, Andreas Caminada, is giving them reason to stay the night. Last October, he opened the exquisite Casa Caminada in a born-again barn on the castle grounds, where rustic ambience is tempered with urban touches, and authenticity replaces the musty luxuries ubiquitous in Swiss mountain-palace hotels. Upstairs, 10 sun-flooded rooms retain original exposed beams, enhanced by reclaimed larchwood parquet floors and furniture custom-made by local carpenters. To soften the masculinity, Patricia Urquiola added pops of refined Italian style, including brass-and-magenta-linen loungers for absorbing sunshine or finishing a novel. It is unexpected and fabulous. The airy new restaurant offers buttery and crunchy maluns (crumb-like dumplings made with shredded potatoes) and walnut tortes baked in a volcanic-stone oven. Casa Caminada places the design and food expected of Milan, 123 miles south, in one of the most glorious natural settings anywhere on earth. FLASH POINT To access the village’s 14th-century Protestant church, use the honor-system key in the box by the cemetery gate. +41 81 632 30 50; casacaminada.com. Doubles from about $200

ENGLAND HECKFIELD PLACE, HAMPSHIRE As anticipated openings go, this one was a humdinger: Stories about the extraordinary restoration of Heckfield Place made the rounds for 10 years before the redbrick Hampshire mansion opened to guests in September. It’s all the more impressive, then, that the 18th-century estate has wildly exceeded expectations. Designer Ben Thompson, who was also behind Stockholm’s divine Ett Hem, set off the elegant bones of the property with a color scheme redolent of the countryside— with buckets of natural light—and softened its Georgian might with touches of cozy deshabille (strewn wool blankets, blowsy bouquets of rosehips from the cutting garden). On site are two restaurants overseen by superchef Skye Gyngell, who has the run of 300 acres of organic farmland to fuel her menus, and a 67-seat cinema showing new releases three times a week. Gerald Chan, Heckfield’s billionaire owner, has a passion for 20th-century British art, and many pieces from his private collection are hanging here; keep an eye out for the black-and-white photographs by Elsbeth Juda lining the main staircase, and the striking portrait of Virginia Woolf by Marguerite Mary Darbour. Like Babington House some 20 years before it, Heckfield confirms that big-city tastes can translate to the country, and that doing so does not mean compromising the intimacy urbanites so desperately seek when needing VINCENT DANUSER; GAUDENZ LEOURX to escape for a long weekend. FLASH POINT The largest of the 45 rooms has 180-degree views of Hampshire’s rolling countryside and costs a bank-breaking $13,200 a night.

+44 118 932 6868; heckfieldplace.com. Doubles from about $465 PHOTOGRAPHS:

7 THE HOT LIST 2019 INDONESIA CAPELLA UBUD, BALI It’s not like Bali needed another hotel, especially around the island’s teeming spiritual hub of Ubud. But the notoriously inventive Bill Bensley envisioned something wholly divergent for this 10-acre patch of jungle north of the city on the Wos River: a fanciful take on a tented camp pitched by early-19th-century spice traders. This is hotel as theater: On arrival, visitors receive a survival kit (sunscreen and insect repellent, a map), plus a carved walking stick to help pick their way over the suspension bridges leading to 22 black canvas tents with saltwater plunge pools. Each retreat is a mise-en-scène representing expeditionary characters: The Naturalist’s Tent is hung with binoculars and watercolors of flora and fauna; the Cartographer’s is home to a mini-museum of compasses and charts. Nor does the food shake the storyline: The Mads Lange, named after a notorious Danish trader, turns out full English breakfasts in cast-iron pans. Bensley’s light-footprint approach (not a single tree was felled) means the camp blends seamlessly into its backdrop, the tent walls porous to the hooting birds of the jungle. It’s ideal for those looking to approach Bali in a more conscious way—staying here is like returning to the island’s former wild self. FLASH POINT Participate in water blessings at the Wos River temple, which was restored with the help of villagers. +62 361 2091 888; capellahotels.com. Tents from about $1,345

ST. BART’S MANAPANY Unique on an island well known for profligate excess, Parisian Anne Jousse, owner of a portfolio of small hotels in France, including the groundbreaking Bel Ami in Saint-Germain- des-Prés, sought to introduce more than a modicum of eco-responsibility to St. Bart’s. The glamorous hotelier had fallen for Manapany, a once-upon-a-time chic spot on the sleepy north shore, on family trips. She bought the place in 2016 and initiated a top-to-toe reconstruction of its 4.2-acre beachfront on Anse des Cayes. Two years and one major hurricane later, it’s been reborn. Water is heated by solar panels, no chemicals are used in cleaning or maintenance, towels are made of woven bamboo, and only electric cars are permitted beyond reception. Yet Jousse’s endeavor isn’t lacking a lick of luxe. All 43 sea-view rooms and villas—eight directly on the sand, others a mighty but rewarding 80 steps above and with enormous terraces—are gracefully decorated by Parisian designer François Champsaur, with walls painted peppery red, turmeric orange, mint green, or ultramarine blue. Impossibly attractive staff serve artfully crafted rhum agricoles at barefoot dinners, and a Dr. Hauschka–supplied beachside spa has raised St. Bart’s wellness game. With its design ethos and ecological focus, Manapany represents

the next wave of Caribbean hotels. FLASH POINT All the BERNARD TOUILLON citrus, avocados, and mangoes served at breakfast are plucked from the property’s orchard. +590 590 27 66 55; hotelmanapany-stbarth.com. Doubles from about $365 PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOGRAPH:

8 THE HOT LIST 2019 UNITED STATES THE HOXTON, NEW YORK Last fall, when the Hoxton plunked itself down on Williamsburg’s Wythe Avenue—the neighborhood’s unofficial hotel strip—it was as much for New Yorkers as for visitors. Cases in point: a quirky, retro lobby that’s perfect for long, lazy Sunday afternoons; an events space that has hosted, among other things, a pop-up tattoo studio; a rooftop bar that doesn’t have a line (yet). The U.K.-based Ennismore designed the hotel to feel extremely Brooklyn, dotting it with locally sourced vintage furniture and bookshelves displaying hefty tomes on contemporary art, and ’70-style chandeliers hanging from the lofty ceiling. The three on-site restaurants—seasonal Summerly and Backyard and the year-round favorite Klein’s— are overseen by Jud Mongell and Zeb Stewart, the names behind Williamsburg’s beloved Five Leaves, Union Pool, and Hotel Delmano. The cocktails are a delight (order the mezcal- infused Fire Island), and the food spans everything from New American comfort at Klein’s to New England–style lobster rolls at Summerly. Upstairs, the 175 rooms, like the ones at the Hoxton in Paris, are not massive but fit king-size beds and have views of either the Manhattan or Brooklyn skyline. For a brand that’s opening two more Stateside locations this year, the Hoxton in Williamsburg signals that L.A. and Chicago have a lot to look forward to. FLASH POINT The outdoor, all-brick courtyard hosts igloo dining in the winter and parties once the sun’s out. 718 215 7100; thehoxton.com. Doubles from $170

SOUTH AFRICA ANDBEYOND TENGILE RIVER LODGE South Africa’s Sabi Sand Game Reserve is one of the country’s most competitive parks for slick lodges; andBeyond knew this when launching its second outpost here, in December. The hook this time? Exclusive access to areas for prime lion, leopard, and cheetah viewing, an increasingly valuable selling point as the game parks become more crowded. Nothing kills a buzz like waiting bumper-to-bumper to see a hyena. The veteran company negotiated for sole access to an entire 25,946 acres in the southeast of the reserve, including parts of neighboring Lion Sands and Charleston crisscrossed by both the Sand and Sabi rivers. It even closed down some of the rooms at sibling Kirkman’s Kamp to ensure fewer game-drive vehicles. It doesn’t hurt that Tengile, meaning “tranquil” in Tsonga, is next-level handsome too. Each of the nine guest rooms is at least a whopping 2,150 square feet, with an indoor-outdoor living space and a glass-walled bathroom with lots of forest-green marble. Feast on global tapas for a late lunch poolside before treatments at the Africology-stocked spa, which has a sleek gym and full-length lap pool. Bespoke sofas and chairs throughout the lodge are angled for appreciating the 180-degree view that often includes elephants and their babies drinking in the river. The landscape here is so phenomenal you may not even need to

leave the terrace to brag about seeing the best wildlife at DOOK PHOTOGRAPHY cocktail hour. FLASH POINT The interiors by Michele Throssell include terrazzo floors with stones from the railroad that linked Johannesburg’s gold mines with Maputo. +27 11 809 4300;

andbeyond.com. Doubles from about $1,440 per person PHOTOGRAPH:

9 THE HOT LIST 2019 ANGUILLA BELMOND CAP JULUCA When Cap Juluca opened on a mile-long white crescent here in 1988, it was widely considered—to quote its sanguine American-born owners—“the best hotel on the best beach in the Caribbean.” The domed villas, a few with then-scarce plunge pools, brought worldly glamour to a squiggle of an island that had only recently acquired roads and drew discretion-seeking jetsetters from chockablock St. Martin. Families flew to Cap J year after year, while major handshake deals would go down on Maundays Bay and legendary parties would keep the drinks flowing at Pimms restaurant. Eventually, of course, the crowd moved on, and the beleaguered owners sold the property to Belmond in May 2017—just before Hurricane Irma barreled in. No matter: In a $130 million refurb, Rottet Studio (the Surrey in New York) added five new villas and recast the interiors, replacing the Moroccan carpets and lanterns with soft linens, rattan, and seagrass. While Pimms is still here, dishing out a neo-Caribbean tasting menu, the real star is Cip’s, an offshoot of the Belmond Cipriani’s Venetian lagoonside restaurant, serving the best grilled-lobster pasta in the Leewards. Approving regulars are back, though no sooner had they crossed into the new lobby than LVMH announced it had snapped up Belmond—a sign that memories are the most precious things we can own. Cap Juluca shows that classics can be reinvented, and be just as alluring as the original. FLASH POINT At the beachside Cap Shack there’s calypso and rum punch on tap all day. 264 497 6666; belmond.com. Doubles from about $925

LAOS ROSEWOOD LUANG PRABANG Despite an uptick in visitors over the past decade, magical, spiritual Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, still has genuine caught-in-time appeal: a place to move easily between traditional gilded temples, saffron-clad monks, and francophone bookstores. For those chasing a Somerset Maugham fantasy, the new Rosewood Luang Prabang is the perfect home base. The hotel is on the outskirts of town, a simple 10-minute drive from the historic district. How easy it is to reach the room, however, depends on whether you go for one of the 17 river- or poolside rooms or villas, or one of the six safari-style tents— the brand’s first dip into glamping. The tents, luxe hillside aeries, require light climbing, but the payoff in privacy and sunrises from the balcony is worth it. To reach all of the Bill Bensely– designed rooms (teak and plenty of throwback touches like dial telephones and framed vintage maps), cross a river that snakes through the property. Cleverly, the wooden bridge is also a bar, serving excellent vodka highballs with Laotian snacks. A real highlight is Rosewood’s guest-experience manager Sommaiy, a former monk who leads hikes to forest temples where revered abbots practice the esoteric art of Sak Yant Buddhist tattoo, an insightful alternative to the tourist-packed processions on main Sisavangvong Road. A few days is utterly resetting; it may even compel some to put pen to paper and try for the OWEN RAGGETT RICHARD TAYLOR; JAMES next great novel. FLASH POINT Rosewood can arrange a private Tak Bat ceremony in Phanom village alongside robed monks chanting Buddhist scriptures. +856 7121 1155;

rosewoodluangprabang.com. Doubles from about $490 PHOTOGRAPHS:

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GEORGIA STAMBA HOTEL, TBILISI The third installment from Adjara makes the local rock-and-roll hotel group’s Rooms and Fabrika properties—both game changing, both achingly cool for their time—feel like warm-up acts to headliner Stamba. Occupying a Soviet-era printing house, the hotel struts that building’s original brutalist bones, from its unpolished concrete beams to its double-height ceilings and gilded bathtubs fit for Tamar the Great. It’s far more glamorous than the cozy, vintage-Brooklyn-style interiors that Rooms ran with in 2005—and the rooms here are much more spacious. The overall feel is far from austere, because of the floor-to-ceiling shelves of antique books, collection of tropical plants that borders on a mini rain forest, and sumptuously upholstered furniture— good luck getting back up after sinking into one of those wool-lined moon chairs. Gadgets and McIntosh stereo systems make it easy to stay behind guest room doors, but then visitors would miss out on the chandeliers and red-clad croupiers of Casino Aviator, which recalls the louche gentlemen’s clubs of the USSR. Drinks on the gambling floor and in the lobby-level Pink Bar put the focus on locally distilled spirits such as Sarajishvili brandy. Any morning-after headaches are cured with an adjarian khachapuri, or egg-crowned cheese bread, baked to order at Stamba Café. Tbilisi has emerged as one of Eastern Europe’s most dynamic cities, and Stamba cranks the energy ANA ROBBIE LAWRENCE GABASHVILI; levels up a notch. FLASH POINT The hotel has its own Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters: the fastest way to hop up to Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, the group’s chic chalet high in the Caucasus.

+995 322 02 11 99; stambahotel.com. Doubles from about $200 PHOTOGRAPHS:

11 THE HOT LIST 2019 ENGLAND BANKSIDE HOTEL, LONDON London’s center of gravity wobbles this way and that, but the South Bank has clocked a prime view of the action since Roman ships scudded up the Thames. Though never has it seen so much urban drama as right now. Despite a profanity of high- rises gobbling up the sight lines, the Bankside Hotel is appealingly succinct at just six stories behind Blackfriars Bridge, angled to catch the light. It’s been curated by Dayna Lee, the film-set designer for Dances With Wolves. What it brings to mind, though, isn’t Hollywood but the set of a ’60s TV show, with bob wigs and mod dresses. It’s all those sheer white walls and honeycomb concrete, jaunty Scandi chairs and pottery shelves with lineups of bone-white vases, and abstract shapes in every direction. One of the standout pieces, however, is the ceramic mural running along one wall of the restaurant and bar, picking out scenes from riverside history: Viking boats, fishing, and the Great Fire. Pick up Tom Ford sunnies and even engagement rings from the elevator-side vending machine. A mezzanine gallery with arts titles for browsing leads onto a garden terrace—views of the river and St. Paul’s are a little restricted, but you’re still in the box seats up here. There’s a midcentury positivity, a festival of British optimism; this is a thoughtful pied-à-terre hotel for dedicated followers of London. FLASH POINT There are water-carafe stations on each floor, single-use plastics are banished, and key cards are made from paper. +44 20 3319 5988; banksidehotel.com. Doubles from about $380

FRANCE BRACH, PARIS The staid 16th arrondissement hasn’t exactly drawn visitors over the years. So it’s a testament to the cool factor of Evok Hotels that it can take a former mail-sorting facility in this bourgeois, residential district and make it le talk of Paris. After a four-year renovation overseen by designer Philippe Starck, the resulting hotel is as much about a lifestyle as it is a place to crash. For one thing, the buzzing restaurant draws fashionable locals starting at breakfast and continuing until the early hours with its patisserie, plates to share, and potent drinks. A terrace bar, newly opened to coincide with the warmer months, lures the pretty people, as will the rooftop vegetable garden when it’s converted into a bar in the summer (currently only suite guests have access). The subterranean fitness club channels a ’30s boxing gym and had a wait list the minute it opened. Even the swimming pool has a killer sound system. The party continues in the rooms, each with its own mini concept store (the minibar is so 2018), stocked with premade cocktails by the Avantgarde Spirits Company. The design smacks of Starck’s typical sassy eclecticism: walls covered in rich rosewood and leather, African masks and Maasai-style beadwork, and potted cacti next to the bathroom sinks hewn from unfinished blocks of marble. Who knew that the 16th, of all places, would become the city’s next hip address? FLASH POINT Book the Suzanne Suite for the AUDIC; GUILLAUME DE LAUBIER YANN terrace, where you can soak in a hot tub facing the Eiffel Tower. +33 1 44 30 10 00; brachparis.com. Doubles from about $565 PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS:

12 THE HOT LIST 2019 MEXICO HOTEL AMPARO, SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE This incredibly pretty pueblo is Mexico’s artistic epicenter. But UNESCO-protected San Miguel, two and a half hours northwest of the capital, had been resting on its Crayola-colored colonial laurels, overlooking the trends of its creative counterparts around the globe. Enter first-time hoteliers Mariana Barran de Goodall and Taylor Goodall. After getting married here four years ago, they bought a 300-year-old former mayor’s residence in the cobblestoned center and transformed it into a guesthouse with cheerful touches to appeal to cool-hunting travelers. A lovely courtyard filled with bougainvillea, towering palms, and a cobalt-blue-tiled fireplace opens up to a salon with a mezcal bar and a café. Four stately ground-floor rooms have bronze four-poster beds decorated with Oaxacan textiles, paintings from the couple’s private art collection, and vintage furniture sourced from Europe. Upstairs is the fifth room, with a mural by Argentine artist Lucas Rise, steps from the rooftop restaurant Bar Margaret, which serves Latin-Southern small plates such as shrimp and grits topped with pico de gallo and a curated wine list heavy on labels from nearby natural wineries. Hotel Amparo knows exactly how to honor the history and artistry that have been the calling cards of San Miguel for decades, while making it modern. FLASH POINT Locanda will open in a parlor off the entrance by midsummer, with a rotating menu of handmade pastas and Sicilian wines. +52 1 415 152 0819; hotelamparo.com. Doubles from about $200

BAHAMAS ROSEWOOD BAHA MAR There are a few givens we look forward to with beachside mega hotels. Water toys—paddleboards, overwater trampolines, Jet Skis—are fun and plentiful. There’s a pool for every type, from child-free to swim-up-bar to infinity. A Rolodex’s worth of restaurants and bars means what you want to eat is always available. The year-old Rosewood Baha Mar, with its 237 rooms rising high over Nassau’s Caribbean, nails all of the above. But it also pulls off something exceedingly rare for its genre: It captures the destination in a way that goes beyond the conch-fritter shack off the beach path (which we also love). A heavy dose of mahogany in the large guest rooms nods to the island’s British heritage. Large murals in the lobby recall the Bahamas’ history. For a more satisfying glimpse of art, stroll the complex, where the 2,500-piece collection including stained-glass sculpture and photography is all local and curated by John Cox, formerly of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. In fact, it’s likely guests will meet the affable Cox while here. He heads up Baha Mar’s creative space, where a selection of local artists craft bags and clothing in a large studio on the property’s first floor. All are sold on-site, resulting in the perfect version of a hotel gift shop. This mix of locality and cerulean sea makes Rosewood Baha Mar the easiest place to stop in to for winter sun without becoming

a total beach bum. FLASH POINT At the Caribbean-style high SAYLOR DURSTON tea, eight types of Bahamian-grown bush blends are served. 242 788 8500; rosewoodhotels.com. Doubles from about $595 PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOGRAPH:

13 THE HOT LIST 2019 INDIA THE OBEROI, NEW DELHI Since it first opened, in 1965, the Oberoi’s been a de facto clubhouse for Delhi’s who’s who, just as popular with locals dropping in to see and be seen as with visiting prime ministers looking for a place to lay their head between meetings. A two-year closure for a top-to-bottom revamp left a gaping hole in the city’s social calendar, but ever since it reopened its freshly buffed doors in 2018, New Delhi has had its high-society haunt back. Stepping inside is arresting—not only because of the jewel-encrusted screen that anchors the lobby but also because the hotel has a purification system that promises the cleanest air in the pollution-choked city. Adam Tihany was tasked with the redo and took subtle cues from the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens, the architect behind the layout of modern New Delhi. The 220 rooms are generously sized—taking a gamble by reducing the count from 283 paid off—and details like gilt-edged Art Deco touches and sprawling stand-alone bathtubs are suitably ornate. But what will ensure that Delhiites keep returning to celebrate engagements, host reunions, or just because it’s Saturday are the restaurants and bars: Beloved Threesixty is better than ever, while newly added Omya and Chinese restaurant Baoshyan are both run by chefs with Michelin-starred spots in London. The magnificent landmark is restored as the pulse point of the city. FLASH POINT Rooms look over the Delhi Golf Club and 16th-century Humayun’s Tomb. +91 11 2436 3030; oberoihotels.com. Doubles from about $360

CHINA BULGARI HOTEL, SHANGHAI The past 18-odd months have seen a bonanza of hotel openings in China’s largest city, notably the Capella in the French Concession, the Middle House in the central Jing’an district, and the astonishing Amanyangyun on the outskirts. Bulgari stands out for its ability to channel the city vibe without losing a sense of its Italian DNA. Foster + Partners designed the tower as a shiny mirror in which to reflect Shanghai’s wild eclecticism and energy. Inside, an immaculately choreographed tussle between Italian and Chinese design is enacted in marble and bronze versus silk and lacquer. There are marvelous views in every direction, though there is no need to take an ear-popping elevator ride to the upper levels to peep at Shanghai’s history. Those familiar with the brand will notice hallmarks of the jewelry house’s other five properties here. The exterior shimmers like a case filled with gems. The 82 rooms—including the ornate Bulgari Suite, said to be the biggest in the city—follow a palette of dark wood and balanced monochrome. Chef Niko Romito’s lasagna, like at the Bulgari hotel in Beijing, is the dish to order at Il Ristorante; you’ll also want to do lemon gelato at Il Giardino, prosecco at La Terrazza, and a knockout negroni at Il Bar. Directly across from the garden is Shanghai’s former Chamber of Commerce, also part of the hotel and redone with a whiskey bar

and a superb Chinese restaurant. FLASH POINT The edible INGALLS PHOTO jewels at Il Cioccolato are delicious if, on a per-carat basis, not much cheaper than the wearable kind in the boutique next door. +86 21 3606 7788; bulgarihotels.com. Doubles from about $770 PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOGRAPH:

14 THE HOT LIST 2019 MALAYSIA THE DATAI LANGKAWI The phrase game changer gets bandied around a lot, but the Datai was truly that when it opened 26 years ago, transforming this under-the-radar Malaysian castaway spot into the go-to Southeast Asian escape. With Kerry Hill’s woodsy jungle-luxe architecture, the rain-forest setting, and the crescent of feather-soft sand, it was an instant classic. Fast-forward to now, and it is making its mark again after a $60 million overhaul. Architecture and interiors whiz Didier Lefort has upped the Zen factor, sanding back the villas’ dark wood floors, adding hand- poured bathtubs, and scattering statement artwork—including a 1,500-pound tangle of petrified tree roots—throughout the grounds. Here, dusky leaf monkeys with eye markings like Iris Apfel’s glasses swing through sea-almond trees next to a new nature center overseen by walking wildlife encyclopedia Irshad Mobarak. The grand zigzag steps that descend from the adults-only pool and the veteran staff who know all the regulars’ favorites remain. But there are plenty of new elements to discover: a butterfly garden and a revamped spa with treatments by pedicure maestro Bastien Gonzalez. Most fun is the bigger beach club where families feast on satay as the sun sets. A game changer? Yes. But one that still feels like a wonderfully wild secret. FLASH POINT The new Datai Estate Villa, with five bedrooms in the jungle, is the spot for multigenerational groups. +60 4 950 0500; thedatai.com. Doubles from about $700

UNITED STATES HOTEL JOAQUIN, CALIFORNIA Until last fall, anyone seeking a cozy place in Laguna Beach would have gotten as far as the St. Regis before realizing they should have hit Malibu instead. But now, pull up to this Californian dream of an inn—a space that exists somewhere between bungalow, motor lodge, and your best friend’s beach house—to find a suntanned crowd sipping beers on sofas by the fire in the indoor-outdoor living room. The vibe is relaxed, even by Southern California standards. Owner Paul Makarechian, who has a string of small hotels on the West Coast, wanted Joaquin to be a place to drop in to: barefoot, rule-free. Staff are cheery; guests will know everyone’s first name by the end of the weekend—including George, Joaquin’s resident adventure guru, who is likely to stop by during dinner to see who wants to go kayaking on the Pacific the next day. The lived-in charm is folded into the design, too. Robert McKinley, who did Montauk’s sunny Surf Lodge, picked up vintage chairs and oil paintings at flea markets in Normandy and tore down ceiling panels to leave exposed rafters in rooms. The food may be the only departure from the designer-surf-lodge narrative. But then, when Leo Bongarra, formerly of L.A.’s Sunset Tower Hotel, is whipping up octopus carpaccio to turn that best friend’s beach house into a Beverly Hills dinner party, no one complains. Finally, the boutique scene has landed on this otherwise hyperdeveloped CARMEN CHAN; RUDD CARLEY stretch of classic California coast. FLASH POINT Shaw’s Cove, a walk away, is the closest anyone can get to feeling like they have accessed a private beach in a state where all are public.

949 494 5294; hoteljoaquin.com. Doubles from $343 PHOTOGRAPHS:

15 THE HOT LIST 2019 ITALY CASA IRIS, ORBETELLO While old-school Italian seaside destinations such as Capri and Portofino can seem stuck, Tuscany’s Maremma is shining ever brighter. At the heart of this stretch of long beaches backed by rolling olive-and-wine country is Orbetello, a laid-back town in Grosseto with something of a Spanish feel, scenically set on an isthmus in a coastal lagoon. And at the heart of Orbetello is Casa Iris, this rising destination’s first truly chic place to stay. With the help of Giorgia Cerulli, the interiors eye behind Rome’s G-Rough hotel, owners James Valeri and Matthew Adams have created a one-off design mix: a brilliant blend of Art Deco, midcentury modern, and ’70s eclecticism in the furniture and fittings picked up at shops, fairs, and markets across Italy. And it’s perfectly in keeping with the meticulous spirit of Casa Iris that Valeri and Adams should have asked a specialist who worked on the Sistine Chapel to restore the frescoes, which date from the 18th to early 20th centuries. But what makes Casa Iris really special is that it is essentially a three-bedroom family apartment— with a powder-blue kitchen where breakfast is served, starring homemade jams from the garden of the Valeri family’s Monte Argentario house. Staying here doesn’t feel remotely like checking in to a hotel. It feels like being allowed inside one of Italy’s most stylish private homes. FLASH POINT Get involved in Orbetello’s post-beach aperitivo scene with some persuasive nibbles at Barakà on Via Vincenzo Gioberti. +39 392 529 8010; casairisorbetello.com. Doubles from about $160

UNITED STATES FREEHAND, NEW YORK It’s a given that young visitors to New York don’t want to blow the budget on a fancy hotel room. Better to book something that’s at least clean, comfortable, and strategically located, and spend the extra cash on that restaurant everyone has been posting about. Freehand takes this compromise and somehow manages to make it feel sexy and stylish. Rooms, including queens, kings, and bunk rooms for four, are basic—verging on dormlike—but brightened up with artworks that sometimes snake across the walls and ceilings. Like the model that Ian Schrager engineered with Morgans Hotel in the 1980s, here it’s all about the public spaces, which the design studio Roman and Williams filled with glossy tiles, dark woods, and walls in deep turquoise, with quirky touches such as sheepskin rugs and plants in mismatched ceramic pots. Most importantly, there’s a feast of food and drink options: an outpost of award- grabbing cocktail joint Broken Shaker on the roof; a to-go counter off the lobby, an offshoot of downtown favorite breakfast spot the Smile; and two restaurants and another bar from Gabriel Stulman, of the West Village’s Bar Sardine. Freehand captures everything travelers come to New York for, under one well-designed, well-priced roof. FLASH POINT Skip the often crazy line for Broken Shaker; have the front-desk staff send you up in a separate elevator. 212 475 1920; freehandhotels.com. Doubles from $250 SERENA ELLER/VEGA-MG; ADRIAN GAUT; CARLEY RUDD CARLEY ADRIAN GAUT; SERENA ELLER/VEGA-MG; PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS:

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HOT LIST PONANT LE BOUGAINVILLE CRUISES UNDER-EXPLORED SEYCHELLES These 115 islands are surrounded by clear blue ocean and coral. OUR PICK OF THE BEST NEW The nine-day Essential Seychelles expedition, sailing from SHIPS AND ITINERARIES Victoria, Mahé, on Ponant’s 184-passenger Le Bougainville, ventures deep into the archipelago, visiting eight islands rarely touched by tourism, with scenery that is completely unspoiled; this is a part of the planet truly only accessible by the right ship. There are so many highlights, like encountering Aldabra giant tortoises—one of the world’s largest species, some weighing 880 pounds—on red-earthed Curieuse Island; spotting thousands of birds, many endemic, on granitic Aride, an island nature reserve; and snorkeling with a seasoned team amid kaleidoscopic schools of fish. The ship has the feel of a medium-size yacht, with a hydraulic platform that lets Zodiacs disembark and gives easy sea access for swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding to empty beaches. The interiors are full of light cherry wood, and the views are incredible. As is the French food, including the flakiest croissants and tastiest cheeses. This is the itinerary for getting up close and personal with this gorgeous archipelago. ponant.com. Doubles from $4,440 per person, based on double occupancy

AZAMARA PURSUIT CULTURE KICKS IN GREECE Skip Greece’s crowds by sailing the 702-passenger Azamara Pursuit’s Greek Intensive, calling into tiny ports that big vessels can’t access. Plus, this ship often sails later at night, so passengers can knock back ouzo and feast on fresh fish in lively beachfront tavernas after dark. This 12-day Venice-to-Piraeus (Athens) voyage does include some classic ports, like Mykonos, all blue and white, and Santorini. At the latter, bypass streets mobbed with visitors to instead see Greece’s own Pompeii: the excavated ruins of Akrotiri, a volcano-destroyed 3,500-year-old Minoan town. In the southeastern Peloponnese Peninsula, there’s the chance to go deep into Laconian culture, touring medieval Monemvasia and learning to prepare hearty local dishes like clay-pot-baked feta and stuffed tomatoes in a hands-on class at a historical estate. In Gythion, a seaside town on the Mani Peninsula, there are treks to eerie Mystras, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of centuries-old mountainside ruins, nearly swallowed by vegetation. The itinerary is remarkably thorough and considered—a tour through 4,000 years of history in less than two weeks, with plenty of beach time too. azamaraclubcruises.com. From around $6,210 for two JAMES BEDFORD; ANA BEDFORD; JAMES LUI PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS:

17 THE HOT LIST 2019 SEABOURN OVATION CRUISE HIGH GLAMOUR IN ASIA This 600-passenger ocean liner is a near mirror of Seabourn’s Encore, which has been gliding all over the world since 2016. Italian ship- making giant Fincantieri kept the room count the same but expanded the public areas and added a deck, all kitted out in the signature mahogany to give this ship, like all of Seabourn’s fleet, the feeling of a mega yacht. Another bonus? Entry-level Veranda suites (the brand’s most spacious ever, starting at 246 square feet) have their own private balconies from which to take in the soaring Hong Kong skyline while pulling out of the harbor. Seabourn’s ace is its best-in-the- business partnerships; the Ovation has a musical from Tim Rice as well as yoga and mantra meditation from new-age wellness guru Dr. Andrew Weil. Chef Thomas Keller does juicy lobster thermidor, while Regiis Ova Siberian Reserve caviar from Keller’s own caviar company is scooped up at cocktail hour. It’s an elegant slip of a ship restoring glamour to the high seas with all the frills to match. seabourn.com. Doubles from $3,999 per person, based on double occupancy

WINDSTAR CRUISES STAR LEGEND WILD ALASKAN ADVENTURES The waters around Alaska continue to draw sleek ships. What separates the 12-day Alaskan Splendor sail is how it incorporates experts to help educate travelers on the environment they are sailing through. Gliding between Seward (Anchorage) and Vancouver, the 212-passenger Star Legend, from boutique brand Windstar, has a rugged staff that includes naturalists, glaciologists, and Alaskan historians. Near the indigenous town of Hoonah, there’s the chance to learn about the ways of life that have been preserved here over centuries (and possibly spot a roaming brown bear). A certified NAUI dive master also leads hikes through wilderness teeming with wolves and deer, while the more adventurous can go kayaking by tidewater glaciers flowing from the Harding Ice Field in Kenai Fjords National Park. Back onboard, there are local brews and feasts of king crab, huckleberries, and even birch syrup (you never eat poorly on a Windstar cruise). As far as Alaskan expeditions go, this itinerary gives passengers more access to so many aspects of the state’s culture than any competitor. windstarcruises.com. Doubles from $2,499 per person, based on double occupancy

NORWEGIAN BLISS A MULTIGEN TRIP IN MEXICO With 4,004 passengers onboard, Bliss has the challenge of keeping a lot of people happy, from solo travelers to grandparents on a multigen trip. There are classes in yoga, bridge, and painting, as well as an electric go-kart with a track split across two decks, making it the only one of its kind in the entire cruise world when the ship launched last year. In the Splash Academy, kids are kept busy from morning to night, meaning parents are just as happy—and able to stay on the deck for a second glass of pinot. The large casino is buzzy, while the theater puts on the big-ticket musical Jersey Boys. At the late-night Cavern Club, twentysomethings party hard and then sweat out the hangover at the pool the next day. For somewhere quieter, Bliss has a 20,000-square-foot Observation Lounge SANJIN LOPATIC FAVRE; LUDWIG to look out to the horizon. Norwegian is known for its colossal ships with a seemingly endless list of activities. With Bliss, it takes that winning formula one step further. norwegianvoyages.com. PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS: Doubles from $650 per person, based on double occupancy ALEX REITTER PHOTOGRAPHY;

18 THE HOT LIST 2019 CRUISE CELEBRITY EDGE A CARIBBEAN DESIGN HAUL Even non-cruisers went nuts for this heavy-hitter when it launched from Fort Lauderdale last December. It is rare, after all, that a single big-name designer throws him- or herself into such a project. Celebrity Edge has landed four. Across the 16 decks, passengers in linen slacks and oversize sunglasses hang out in day-to-night bars from Milan-based Patricia Urquiola, whose love of pretty pastels and blond wood is displayed in the ship’s entertainment space, Eden, with particular flair (it’s accessed through an immersive art display). In the main lobby, a dramatic chandelier from cool Parisian interiors house Jouin Manku dangles over the martini bar. Clean, simple cabins from Kelly Hoppen seem to glow when the Caribbean sun rises each morning. Though perhaps the most stirring element is actually on the outside. In an industry first, Tom Wright, who was behind Dubai’s Burj al Arab, created a cantilevered bar, the Flying Carpet, that moves up and down the ship’s exterior as passengers drink the most perfect negroni on the high seas. Celebrity Edge proves cruises can be surprising leaders in polished design. celebritycruises.com. From $1,599 per person, based on double occupancy

SILVERSEA SILVER SPIRIT SCANDINAVIA FOR FOODIES Hats off to Silversea for dishing out more than $70 million on the all-inclusive 608-passenger Silver Spirit, transforming the nearly decade-old vessel to equal—if not outshine— the luxury line’s flagship, Silver Muse. The big new midsection has a larger pool and more outdoor space, with chic seating on nine decks. Yet what really stands out is the major design overhaul, which includes Art Deco flourishes and elegant modern Italian furniture, mostly cream and beige with pops of warm reds and blues. Plus—and this is important— the food is the best Silversea has ever served. That staid main dining room is gone; with four new restaurants, there are now blistered Neapolitan pies topped with D.O.C. 26-month- aged Parmigiano-Reggiano at Spaccanapoli, insanely juicy Argentine steaks at the Restaurant, and big bowls of pho and fiery lamb curry at Indochine. With Silver Spirit, Silversea shows that it knows what cruisers want now. silversea.com. From $3,400 per person, based on double occupancy

CONTRIBUTORS Lale Arikoglu, Jane Broughton, Ianthe Butt, Michelle Jana Chan, Erin Florio, Adam H. Graham, Mary Holland, David Jefferys, Rick Jordan, Ben Kemper, Sarah Khan, Steve King,

Devorah Lev-Tov, Lee Marshall, Chris Moss, Alex Postman, JULIAN ANDERSON; LINE KLEIN Laura Redman, Jo Rodgers, Cynthia Rosenfeld, Michaela Trimble, Janice Wald Henderson, Andrea Whittle, Mary Winston Nicklin PHOTOGRAPHS: PHOTOGRAPHS:

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