Editors' Choice Awards 2019
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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use, please contact client relations at 1-866-831-4314 or email [email protected]. SPECIAL ISSUE: THE BEST OF ANOTHER UNFORGETTABLE YEAR OF TRAVEL MORE AT HIDEAWAYREPORT.COM ® JANUARY 2019 SINCE 1979 Traveling the world in search of truly enchanting places View from our plunge pool at Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia, our 2019 Hideaway of the Year EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2019 n 2018, Hideaway Report editors flew more than 190,000 must be relatively small in size, possess strong personalities and I miles, visited 27 countries and stayed in 112 hotels, of which demonstrate a consistent devotion to personal service. Once, 58 were recommended. The highlights of the year are reflected sophisticated hideaways existed chiefly in North America and in this special Editors’ Choice issue. Western Europe. But today superior levels of comfort, stylish Each January, we have the pleasure of recalling our travel design, polished service and refined cuisine can be found on experiences over the previous 12 months and drawing attention every continent. In 2019, we will continue our enviable task to a number of particularly memorable hotels and resorts. To of circling the globe in order to seek out the very best that the be considered for our annual Editors’ Choice Awards, properties world of travel has to offer. PHOTO BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR Hideaway Report editors travel anonymously and pay full rate for all lodging, meals and related expenses. Since the launch of the Hideaway Report in 1979, featured hotels and restaurants have been selected on a completely independent basis. For comments and inquiries, please email [email protected]. HIDEAWAY OF THE YEAR NIHI SUMBA Sumba Island, Indonesia ROOM: READ MCKENDREE AERIAL: TÂNIA ARAÚJO IGUAZÚ FALLS: ALB / MOMENT / GETTY IMAGES THE ISLAND OF SUMBA lies 250 miles east of Bali and for a traditional gateway that opened into a private garden with centuries it was practically unknown. In the late 1980s, surf a jade-green plunge pool. A teak deck led into a glass-sided BEACH AND POOL: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR enthusiast Claude Graves discovered a wave on its southwestern lounge. Upstairs, we found an air-conditioned bedroom that coast, a 300-yard-long curl of turquoise water that is now opened onto a wide balcony with a freestanding brass tub and regarded by the cognoscenti as one of the best left-hand breaks an astounding view along a mile and a half of tide-swept sand, in the world. Graves built a shack, which turned into a bohemian edged by aquamarine sea and backed by forested hills. surfing resort. This subsequently found favor with wealthy Although there are few places that are more perfectly suited people drawn to a refuge close to the end of the world. One such to complete indolence, Nihi Sumba provides an exhaustive list guest was the New York-based investor J. Christopher Burch. of activities, a significant proportion of which involve horses In 2012, he purchased the 550-acre property. Since then, Burch or surfboards. Other diversions include yoga and meditation, has invested a reported $30 million to build 27 villas with 38 paddleboarding, jungle hikes to waterfalls and lagoons, and rooms, all with private pools. Other innovations have included deep-sea sportfishing. The place will not appeal to everyone. a spa complex and an equestrian center. It is hard to get to. And in general, it is best suited to people Nihi Sumba is connected by a network of paths and steps, who are fit and active. But there is nowhere else quite like it. laid out beneath a canopy of spreading trees with buttress roots If ever a $2,000-a-night resort could be accurately described and dangling creepers. Our duplex villa was accessible through as “cool,” then this is it. 2 HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2019 ALILA VILLAS ULUWATU Bali, Indonesia ALL ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST of Bali, the land falls a walled garden, with a surprisingly large pool and a relaxation ROOM: READ MCKENDREE abruptly into the sea. On arrival at Alila Villas Uluwatu, we sala on a raised platform. Overall, the villas provide tranquil gazed across the magnificent 165-foot horizon pool, which, at the private worlds, from which there is little incentive to leave. edge of a 300-plus-foot cliff, appeared to merge seamlessly with Those who do manage to tear themselves away can luxuriate the Indian Ocean. The resort’s public areas comprise a series in the spa or hike down to the resort’s beach at the base of the of graceful modern pavilions set around reflection pools. Its 65 cliff. Restaurant options include The Warung for exceptional stylish villas are arrayed across a steep hillside, and all have a Indonesian cuisine. Alila Villas Uluwatu is a fine base camp AERIAL: TÂNIA ARAÚJO generous open-plan layout. In ours, a huge daybed overlooked from which to venture into the Indonesian archipelago. IGUAZÚ FALLS: ALB / MOMENT / GETTY IMAGES BEACH AND POOL: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR AWASI IGUAZÚ Puerto Iguazú, Argentina SURROUNDED BY RAINFOREST, Awasi Iguazú occupies a the surrounding province of Misiones. Guests are allocated a private 25-acre plot close to the spectacular Iguazú Falls. The dedicated guide and vehicle, so all excursions are personalized. resort comprises just 14 villas, with 75 employees catering to a Aside from exploring the falls, to which the resort has negotiated maximum of 28 guests. Our villa turned out to be a masterpiece privileged early-morning access, we went for an exhilarating of understated design, with an unusually spacious bath and a speedboat cruise. Afterward, we hiked for about two hours private plunge pool. Meals can be taken on an expansive deck through the riverine forest to a viewpoint where wine and cheese facing the forest, as well as in the main dining room, with menus had been set out beneath a rustic canopy. A true hideaway, Awasi featuring seasonal dishes inspired by local ingredients from Iguazú has transformed the experience of a famous destination. HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2019 3 BISATE LODGE Ruhengeri, Rwanda LOCATED AT THE EDGE of Volcanoes National Park, home to are served by friendly and professional staff. The wine list is around 400 mountain gorillas, Bisate Lodge comprises six “villas,” extensive, and private tastings can be arranged in the spacious cocoonlike structures made of shaggy thatch, stacked up a steep cellar. A program of excursions includes escorted village walks hillside. Their extraordinary interior design is a tour de force and hikes of various degrees of difficulty (including challenging of fluid lines, soaring ribbed ceilings and sinuous balconies. full-day trips to the Karisoke Research Center established by BISATE LODGE: CROOKESANDJACKSON Expanses of woven rattan, massive blocks of local wood, leather Dian Fossey), but the primary activity is, of course, trekking to sofas, fur throws and lava-block fireplaces all help to create a see the mountain gorillas. This remarkable new property is at unique and powerful sense of place. Varied and imaginative meals the summit of the modern safari experience. HACIENDA ALTAGRACIA: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR DAR AHLAM ROOM AND GORILLA: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR DAR AHLAM Skoura, Morocco AN ANCIENT CARAVAN STOP in the Atlas Mountains, Skoura dinner took place in a private lounge warmed by bronze tripod has a small, modern center surrounded by innumerable mud- braziers filled with glowing coals. There we dined on chicken- walled kasbahs. One of these has been converted into a 14-suite filled warqa (a phyllo-like dough) pockets, lamb couscous, and hotel. On arrival at Dar Ahlam, the dark, twisting main entrance a salad of orange and carrot topped with cardamom ice cream. hallway was fragrant, candlelit and wonderfully mysterious. Our Two musicians accompanied our meal, playing the violin and accommodations had smooth rammed-earth walls, weathered the oud. One sensational guided excursion included visits to log beams, a woodburning fireplace and a Berber rug. A library the ruins of several kasbahs in Skoura, caves used by nomadic divided the bedroom from the immense bath. Our favorite herders in a rocky Martian desert and a sublime river gorge picnic. 4 HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2019 GRAN HOTEL INGLÉS Madrid, Spain LOCATED IN THE CHARMING Barrio de las Letras neighbor- pork cheeks cooked in sherry. Our thoughtfully designed Premium hood, the 48-room Gran Hotel Inglés opened as a hotel in 1886. Room came with oak parquet floors, velvet-upholstered chairs at It has been completely renovated and now has stunning art a white-marble pedestal table and a contemporary chandelier. deco-inspired interiors by New York’s Rockwell Group. The public Those willing to throw financial caution to the wind may opt BISATE LODGE: CROOKESANDJACKSON spaces feel like those of a private club and include a library with for the top-floor suite, with its private terrace and Jacuzzi. A a woodburning fireplace and a restaurant, LOBO 8, where chef first-rate spa uses French Anne Semonin products. The Gran Willy Moya serves delicious contemporary Spanish dishes such Hotel Inglés is an excellent choice for travelers who like small as chilled almond ajo-blanco soup with prickly pear sorbet, and properties with a unique personality and a strong sense of place. HACIENDA ALTAGRACIA: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR DAR AHLAM ROOM AND GORILLA: PHOTOS BY HIDEAWAY REPORT EDITOR HACIENDA ALTAGRACIA Santa Teresa de Cajón de Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica ALTHOUGH IT IS MANAGED by Auberge Resorts, Hacienda and house-made tortellini, served in the chic main restaurant, AltaGracia belongs to Alberto J.