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The AROUND THE WORLD WE always RECOMMEND The

For our editors and contributors, three days in any cit usually means a diferent bed every night. Te running joke in our ofce is that unless a high-end propert is truly special, something called luxury fatigue sets in by the last day. In other words, the miles of mar- ble or omnipresent butler can feel gratuitous if not oppressive. Wat we prize most is the uniqueness List of hotels—stalwarts of authenticit in the age of global homogeneit. Because in the end, it’s the little things—waking to the call to prayer at El Fenn in Marrakech, or the mood lighting that makes everyone feel like a sexier version of themselves at the historic Soho House bar in Istanbul. As obsessives, we know that where you stay can deter- mine the fate of your trip, that a hotel must clear some very high hurdles in order to justif your spending the money and time away from the kids, the spouse, or the ofce. 2017 Wat follows are our impassioned recommen- dations for the hotels we visit time and again— and daydream about long afer checkout. P.68

62 Condé Nast Traveler / 01.17 lettering by LES GRAPHIQUANTS

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An ODE to HOTELS in

India

If choosing the right hotel can feel akin to climbing a summit, then travelers to start at a higher base camp than most: Stay at any luxury hotel here and you’re more or less guaranteed good food and attentive service. (Maybe too atten- tive? Te Indian version of service is much more, let’s say, involved than many Westerners are accustomed to.) But the most memorable hotels ofer something else—their own interpretations of Indian history. Tink of the coolly elegant Imperial New Delhi, its hallways hung with Raj-era photographs, or the grand, marble-floored Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, both of which pay homage to the country’s colonial era; or of Jaipur’s ecstatically colorful and patterned Suján Rajmahal Palace, a former royal guest- house that finds its inspiration in the glory and excess of the Mughals. And it’s not only the aesthetics that make Indian hotels singular, it’s how creatively, and boldly, they incorporate the country’s most iconic landscapes and sites. One has only to stay at the Oberoi Amarvilas, in Agra, where every room has a view of the Taj Mahal—accessible via a golf-cart ride provided by the hotel—or Amanbagh, outside Jaipur, drawn along the lines of The a former prince’s hunting grounds, where Colonnade the air is fragrant with wood smoke restaurant NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS MORE from the nearby villages and loud with in the Suján Rajmahal RELAXING THAN WATCHING WATER the chatter of monkeys, to know this. But Palace. BUFFALO GRAZE IN BRILLIANT- what unites them all is a dedication to splendor: You’re on vacation, they remind GREEN, BREEZE-RIPPLED RICE PADDIES us—isn’t this the time to be dazzled? FROM YOUR THAI-STYLE DAYBED.

HANYA YANAGIHARA Peter Jon Lindberg on the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai in Tailand BelloRolland Photographby

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THE

Monuments Beach at The Cape in Cabo San Beaches Lucas.

WE RETURN TO

quiet beaches and, because it’s a car-free island, super- relaxed guests biking AGAIN AND AGAIN... all around.” Paulie Dibner Laucala Island, Fiji “Yes, it’s crazy-expensive. THERE’S But you’ll get access to an entire private island— The Cape, A Thompson The Datai Langkawi, added 26 new beach huts NO including Fijian horses to Hotel, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico just last year.” P.J.L. POINT explore it, acres of tropical “One of the sexiest grown- “So much to love here, like orchards, a staf-to-guest Guana Island, British ups’ weekend spots I’ve the jungle-meets-the-sea set- TO ratio of six-to-one, and rides Virgin Islands ever been to.” Rebecca Misner ting and rain forest walks A on a $1.85 million Super “You don’t go to this private with charming resident natu- Falcon submarine.” P.J.L. island for the activities or Cheval Blanc Randheli, ralist Irshad Mubarak.” P.J.L. PLUNGE the pampering. A book and POOL Nihiwatu, Sumba Island, “An overwater villa is a Eden Rock–St Barths sunblock are the only acces- dream come true, but the “It’s the unicorn of hotels— sories you’ll need.” Y.E. IF “Believe the hype. It has slightly more spacious glamorous without feeling gorgeous eco-savvy design, Hermitage Bay, YOU snoot, stlish but still superb surfing and deep- on-the-sand option here is “I like how it feels very raw playful, a throwback but not CAN’T sea fishing, a remarkable the ultimate fantasy beach in the landscape, not too at all dated, and just philanthropic arm in the house.” Cynthia Rosenfeld manicured or precious. Te SKINNY- so damn chic. Te people- Sumba Foundation, restaurant places a huge DIP COMO Parrot Cay, watching at that hotel is as and soul to spare.” P.J.L. emphasis on local every- Turks and Caicos epic as the beach.” R.M. IN IT. “Just a quick nonstop thing. Tey don’t have an THAT’S Ocean House, flight from New York, yet it El Nido Resorts Pangulasian extensive menu—just what Watch Hill, Rhode Island feels thousands of miles Island, Philippines is fresh that day from the NOT A “Tis perfectly restored away. Te first time I came “Tis barefoot-luxe resort on farmer or the fisherman.” Y.E. Victorian grande dame a private island faces an PROBLEM right on the sound is here, Keith Richards was Hotel Esencia, Playa del absurdly photogenic beach. the height of an all-croquet- holding court in the tiny bar. Carmen, Mexico HERE. Kayak those clear waters to whites WASP fantasy— Te next morning, Christie “Tis small, 29-room hotel Cynthia Rosenfeld uninhabited nearby islands.” minus the 1987 Volvo Brinkley waved hello as is like that efortlessly on Trisara P.J.L. in Phuket, Tailand wagon and Triscuits.” P.G. she jogged past my chaise stlish beach house your longue. Te 13-year-old Four Seasons Resort Costa secretly fancy freshman One&Only Palmilla, me would have freaked out.” Rica at Peninsula Papagayo roommate invited you San José del Cabo, Mexico P.J.L. “Falling asleep to the to over winter break, and “Every one of the four restau- sound of waves crashing that reset the lifestle rants is truly fantastic, Cuixmala, Jalisco, Mexico

and howler monkeys bar from there on out.” Murray & Paola Photographby “It’s a long drive from the and the spa rivals that of saying good night is prett Pilar Guzmán airport—more than three La Mamounia in Marrakech.” pleasant. Book a canopy Maca Huneeus hours—but it’s paradise. Jumby Bay, A Rosewood suite with a private plunge Wile the water can be Resort, Antigua pool.” Lauren DeCarlo dramatic at times, the beau- “Don’t let the fact that it’s tiful pool that overlooks GoldenEye, an all-inclusive scare you it will do the trick.” Yolanda “Pure elegance and a stun- away. Tere’s no swim- Edwards ning location. Tey also up bar here, only blissfully

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0117-TR-GLJA03 ITALIANS do it BETTER

Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina, Sicily “It earned its place on the Grand Tour in the late nineteenth century, and achieves a near impossi- ble visual trifecta with views of Mount Etna, the Ionian Sea, and the third-century B.C. Greek theater.” P.G. Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli, Brescia, Lombardy “The decor is divine, the view of Lake Garda is so relaxing your shoulders will drop three inches, and the restaurant has some of the best food we’ve ever had at a hotel, much of it from its gar- den.” Y.E. Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Como, Lombardy “A dead ringer for the Grand Budapest Hotel, only on Lake Como. The service is great, but that’s a given in Italian hotels of this stature. It’s dog-friendly, kid- friendly. And oh boy, that view. What can I say, I love it.” Oddur Thorisson Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Tuscany “It’s all just so good: that curved pool carved out of the rock, the terraced restaurant that hangs over the sea, and the dock reached by a hundred stone steps leading down the cliff.” Ondine Cohane

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The Mwiba Lodge Extreme luxury done with SAFARI class—you can feel the INDEX care of the American own- ers here. Rooms catch the Tanzanian dawn, the Our Special Correspondent leopard coming in to drink, Sophy Roberts has been on the weaver bird nests 20 safaris in 13 African that quiver like baubles in the acacia trees. countries. Here, her picks for the ultimate properties that Segera Retreat reflect the pulse of Africa, ’s Segera works for where the wild things roam second-time visitors to Africa, or for a large right outside your door. hit of luxury at the end of a dusty tour. Hole up in the spa, beside the pool, and savor every bite of that seriously thoughtful organic food. Singita Sabora Tented Camp andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge Made up of 1920s-style If is the sure- tents on ’s Sabora hit destination for the safari Plain, Sabora makes CHOOSE YOUR virgin, then this lodge—in you feel like you’re the a private game reserve eas- mistress in White Mischief, ily overlooked for the more surrounded by campaign touristed Sabi Sands—is the furniture, Persian rugs, one to satisfy the most fin- gramophones, a hundred icky of travelers. Within candles, and zebras this glass-and-thatch pri- snorting under a star- Cruise vate world, you don’t have pricked sky. to move from your king-size bed or tub to take in the Sirikoi cheetahs and rhinos cross- This Kenyan lodge has ing the vleis in front. the inimitable texture of longtime owners who Camp Nomade care (hence the high If you never thought your once-in-a-lifetime trip Mediterranean while Brightly painted steel trunks, repeat rate), with fire- would be on water, think again. Cruise lines continue noshing on caviar camel bells, and scores places adorned with and sipping Champagne. of lanterns make this some- family photos of the odd to put the thrill of discovery back into traveling times mobile tented camp HRH. Lewa Wildlife by boat, going farther (think the atolls of the Solomon Seabourn Cruise Line in Chad completely of Conservancy’s healthy Islands) and to places where you’ll actually want for having dinner its place in north-central rhino herds graze like somewhere in the middle Africa. The wildlife highlight happy sheep all around. to stay on a ship (that’s Cuba). Here’s how to choose of the Arabian Sea at a is Zakouma National Park’s Food is a generous your next (or first) sail. PAUL BRADY thriving elephant herd. alfresco feast every day, Tomas Keller restaurant. from beef salads to Greystoke Mahale Silversea Anglo-Indian curries. Crystal Cruises One of the most beautifully for original itineraries in The new Viking Sea docked for tackling Antarctica built lodges in Africa, unparalled luxury, like in Bergen, . without having to rough it. it was redesigned by the exploring hidden bays in so-called Brunelleschi Viking Ocean Cruises the . its own pool, restaurant, of the Bush, Kenya-based for circumnavigating and sundeck. Ben Jackson. You come Cuba with a killer to track habituated chimps, Disney Cruise Line but this Tanzanian lodge for kids’ activities brilliantly Oceania Cruises Scandinavian-inspired spa. detoxes your soul. plotted by age—and for for Canyon Ranch spas Windstar Cruises keeping parents happy, too. and onboard cooking for actually sailing aboard demos by Monsieur Pépin. Holland America Line multi-masted ships that ply for glacier-watching in Princess Cruises . P.74 Alaskan fords. for cocktails with an ocean panorama from the Norwegian Cruise Line glass-floor SeaView Bar. for that balcony cabin in the Haven, a private “ship Regent Seven Seas Cruises

within a ship” that has for touring the Charissa Fay Photographby

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An ODE to HOTELS on the

Amalfi Coast THE To the LANDSCAPE MANOR FEELS BORN—for the LIKE By virtue, perhaps, of a connecting road terraces cantilevered over the WEEKEND , Anyway so narrow and vertiginous—and a Mediterranean that made you want to Southern Italian infrastructure so byzan- come all this way in the first place. BUT New Yorkers have the tine—the charms of the Amalfi Coast Wile some rooms in the family-friendly YOU’RE Hamptons, Londoners have will likely remain unchanged for the fore- Hotel Santa Caterina, with its lemon LESS the English countryside. seeable future. Te big-three properties, orchards and sea views, are more up-to- Below, our favorite estates— each distinct in vibe and management date than others (we love the newly reno- THAN all three hours or less stle, embody through their unparalleled vated Room 28 and its wraparound AN HOUR from the capital—where we natural settings, food, decor, and, most terraces), you can’t argue with the pool play out our Jane Austen FROM importantly, their proprietors, the very etched into the mountain overlooking fantasies, but in beds from SAN this century. essence of la dolce vita. In the center of the sea . . . and the food, the kind you wish Positano, Le Sirenuse balances centralit you could eat every day for the rest of FRANCISCO. Babington House Yolanda Edwards on the Owned by Soho House, with a pristine design sensibilit and hon- your life. PILAR GUZMÁN Ritz-Carlton, this 18-acre Georgian eymooners’ pool aerie. Te super-chic Half Moon Bay estate in Somerset has Il San Pietro di Positano, just outside an eighteenth-century Georgian church, a walled town, has the kind of private beach and garden, and indoor high-up outdoor cocktail and dining The view of the bay from Le Sirenuse in Positano. and outdoor pools that alone are worth the trip. Barnsley House It’s less grand than the regal manors typical of the Cotswolds, but noted Brit gardener Rosemary Verey used to live here, and her perfectly landscaped gardens remain. The spa is top-notch, too. Gravetye Manor This Sussex estate has charm in spades—oak-wood salons, four-poster beds, roaring fireplaces, and a thousand rambling acres of apple orchards, lilies, rose bushes, and swan ponds. Lime Wood Hampshire’s New Forest is a camping favorite for London families. But those wanting to toast themselves post-hike with a stiff drink in a glass-atrium courtyard should stay at this manor house with interiors by designer David Collins.

Erin Florio Sachs Carol Photographby

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0117-TR-GLJA06 The SKI LODGES THAT always DELIVER

Tese properties do spa, après, and the high-end ski aesthetic so damn well, you may just bag hitting those drify precipices altogether.

Here Abroad Montage Deer Hotel Jerome, Badrutt’s Palace Valley, Utah Aspen Hotel, St. Moritz Palace

Ski-in/ski-out A 93-room A castle and lux- An eight-story Craftsman-style Auberge resort ury benchmark Swiss icon with lodge, complete originally built that opened tasseled keys, a with adorable in 1889 at the in 1896 and is still dinner dress code,

THE GIST THE Bernese moun- height of the silver owned by the and portraits of tain dogs. boom. Badrutt family. .

Almost every Huge rooms, and The lake view and Its 20,000- room has they nailed the the emphasis on square-foot spa a small deck, renovation—think “wellness” (they and pools and mountain or silver baron’s tuck hot water the surrounding valley views, and Wild West estate— bottles into your Bernese Alps.

WHY WE LOVE IT LOVE WE WHY a fireplace. in 2012. sheets at night).

Three high- It’s closest to The local moun- Several indepen- speed lifts will Aspen Mountain tain Corviglia. dent resorts are take you to Deer and a short drive The glacier-run interconnected Valley. And Park to Buttermilk, Diavolezza and by lifts—meaning City is only ten Aspen Highlands, Piz Corvatsch 136 miles of minutes away. and Snowmass. are also options. terrain. MOUNTAINS TO SKI TO MOUNTAINS

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OUR Sunset Tower Hotel, West Hollywood “Once you’re there, there’s really no need to go else- where. Te staf are amazing, Fav orite the rooms are super comfortable, and it bril- liantly captures that Old Hollywood vibe.” Y.E.

NEW YORK HOTELS IN FIVE OF THE WORLD’S Baccarat Hotel New York, Midtown “It’s a great combo of tradi- tional European crafsman- ship and New York glamour. It also has the only La GREATEST CITIES Mer spa in the country and a champagne button on the room phone.” M.H.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, Upper East Side “If you’re in town on vaca- tion, you’re likely to LONDON Rosewood London, Holborn end up at Bemelmans Bar Batty Langley’s, Spitalfields “It was hard for me not to anyway. Tat alone is “Tis quirk English hotel fall for this place—especially reason to stay. Tat and has Victorian copper show- when I saw the tiny foie gras the monogrammed pillow- ers, dark wood paneling, terrine with toast points cases.” L.D. four-poster beds, tapestries, that appeared next to my Crosby Street Hotel, SoHo and loos hidden behind Etro-blanketed bed at turn- “Kit Kemp’s punchy interi- library shelves. It’s original down.” Andrew Sessa THIS and utterly witt.” S.R. ors, secret garden, and The Savoy, Northbank FORMER comf lounge have turned The Beaumont, Mayfair “Walking past the queue of PALACE this little downtown gem “It’s got so much heart and Rolls-Royces at the entrance IS SO into a cult favorite among soul—and it’s only been open always feels so grand. the fashion set.” E.F. since 2014. Te interiors are Drinks at the American Bar EXQUISITELY Four Seasons Hotel New just masculine enough, and is a must, even if you’re DESIGNED York, Midtown the marble and chrome bath- not spending the night.” E.F. “I.M. Pei’s 1993 design (all rooms are super elegant. If THAT I’D LOS ANGELES clean lines and cool French you’re jetlagged, go straight to house designed like Hotel Bel-Air RETHINK limestone) has never felt the Colony Grill Room a private Zen monastery.” “Te bungalows are dated. A $120 million reno- and order the full English MY Alex Postman engulfed in the most gor- vation in 2016 wisely didn’t breakfast.” Matt Hranek ENTIRE geous, peaceful gardens. mess with that—and the The Lowell, Upper East Side Claridge’s, Mayfair It’s a little bit out of the TRIP TO Manhattan skline and “Te most charming and “Tere are few things more way, but that’s kind of the TANGIER Central Park views are still intimate hotel in the neigh- satisfing than getting a tray point.” L.D. insane.” P.J.L. bohood. Many of the of warm scones delivered IF IT rooms have fireplaces and Shutters on the Beach, The Greenwich Hotel, to your room here.” Andrea terraces, and the bathrooms Santa Monica WERE TriBeCa Wittle are big and bright.” Y.E. “It’s not just that Shutters FULLY “It’s like a club without the The Connaught, Mayfair is the best SoCal hotel on the membership fee—so many The Sherry-Netherland, “All-out Mayfair charm. water. It’s that it’s consis- BOOKED. discreet sanctuaries. Tere’s Upper East Side Te high tea is the best tently good, from the living Erin Florio on the the Drawing Room with “It’s made up of privately in town. And don’t miss the room–like lobby that Hotel Nord-Pinus in Tangier the jewel-box bar, the topi- owned apartments, so you Champagne Room, with its overlooks the Pacific to the aried garden, the 250-year- feel like you’re actually 40 rare vintages served awesome pool that fulfills old Japanese farmhouse living there. Room service in bespoke Baccarat glasses.” the L.A. good life fantasy.” enclosing the pool—and, if is from Harry Cipriani, Victor De Vita Candice Rainey you can swing it, a pent- which has its own elevator

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0117-TR-GLJA08 and a private door into aren’t looking for a scene LiLi is one of the best ish, but for its 12 (count the hotel.” Y.E. The bar at the Baccarat but want a place that never Chinese restaurants I’ve ever ’em, 12) restaurants and bars, Hotel New York. PARIS seems to change.” M.H. eaten at.” Y.E. nearly all of them worth staying in for. Tat’s saying Four Seasons Hotel George TOKYO Le Meurice, 1st 8th Arrondissement Otemachi something in this cit.” P.J.L. V, Paris, Arrondissement Aman Tokyo, with over 15 tpes of “Jef Leatham’s incredible “Tis is as center-of-the-cit “Many rooms have Japanese Park Hyatt Tokyo, Shinjuku Viennoiserie.” Y.E. kaleidoscopic floral installa- as it gets. From here, you soaking tubs with views of “Te decor could use an tions fill the hotel year- La Réserve Paris–Hotel and can walk prett much the Imperial Palace grounds, update (unless ’90s Revival round. I’ve never seen the Spa, 8th Arrondissement everywhere. Book a room and the pool is equal parts is your stle), but for stellar same arrangement tice.” “Te rooms are big by overlooking the Tuileries, elegant and Zen. It may service and Fuji views, Cynthia Rosenfeld Parisian standards. It did, and plan on drinks in the be in the middle of the cit, nobody doesn’t love this afer all, previously belong seriously romantic bar just but it feels like you’ve Shinjuku icon.” P.J.L. Hôtel Plaza Athénée, to Pierre Cardin. And the of the lobby.” L.D. entered a ryokan in the mid- 8th Arrondissement Jacques Garcia interiors are dle of rural .” Y.E. “Tey have the most atten- The Peninsula Paris, 16th totally inspiring.” M.H. tive staf, and you’ll wake up Arrondissement Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, to breakfast in the most Le Bristol Paris, “Te intimate and sexy Bar Nihonbashi beautiful dining room—not 8th Arrondissement Kléber is exactly what you “Not just for its smooth,

Photograph by NicoleFranzen Photographby to mention a pastry basket “It attracts a crowd who want in a hotel bar, and everything-works-here pol-

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An ODE to HOTELS in Douro Valley, , Six Senses Dubai, One&Only Te Palm Dublin, Te Merrion Florence, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze; Portrait Firenze; St. Regis Florence Galle, Amangalla Marrakech Sofitel Legend Our Hanoi, Metropole GLOBAL Hong Kong, Te Peninsula Hotels Hong Kong; Upper House ONE Isanbul, Four Seasons Even more so than the Jardin Majorelle, every surface (for Moroccan minimal- SHEET Hotel Istanbul at with its iconic electric-blue villa and ism—white tile, neutral textiles, and Sultanahmet; Soho House canary-yellow planters, or the Carnival- cream Beni Ourain rugs—stay at the new Istanbul In some destinations, there esque Jemaa el Fna Square, hotels here Mandarin Oriental just outside the Kyoto, Hoshinoya is a dearth of great places have the power to transport. Sitting in the cit). If your idea of Marrakech is waking Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan to stay; in others, there are of Las Vegas; Wynn Las Vegas grand marble lobby of Es Saadi, a hint of to the call to prayer echoing from the so many options that you Lisbon, Palácio Belmonte orange blossoms and cigarettes in the air, Koutoubia Mosque and sipping mint need a trusted recommen- Mexico City, Condesa you can almost convince yourself that tea in the square, then an Old Cit dation to avoid ending DF; Las Alcobas it’s 1968 and Keith and Mick are about to riad turned hotel is the way to go, and up somewhere mediocre Miami, Te Betsy; (and still expensive). Tese walk by. At the Royal Mansour, you’ll play Vanessa Branson’s El Fenn is the best Faena Hotel Miami Beach; are the hotels we don’t out a modern One Tousand and One in the category. Not sure which version Soho Beach House have to think tice about. Nights fantasy in a private riad with your of Marrakech you want? Choose one Milan, Mandarin Oriental own roofop terrace and . and just go with it. Te cit gets Amserdam, Napa Valley, Auberge La Mamounia, on the other hand, is one deep under your skin. You’ll be back. Conservatorium Hotel; du Soleil; Calistoga Ranch Waldorf Astoria New Orleans, Soniat House big fabulous spectacle. Tere’s nothing REBECCA MISNER Hotel Grande Oslo, Te Tief subtle about it, from the doormen Athens, Bretagne Phoenix, Royal Palms dressed in billowing white pants, fez, and Ausin, Hotel Saint Cecilia Resort and Spa red velvet cape to the exquisite peacock Baltimore, Four Seasons Rio de Janeiro, Belmond feather–hued zellige tiles over nearly Inside the halls of El Fenn. Hotel Baltimore; Te Ivy Copacabana Palace; Santa Bangkok, COMO Teresa Hotel Metropolitan; Te Siam Rome, Portrait Roma; Villa Barcelona, Hotel Arts; Spalletti Trivelli Mandarin Oriental Saigon, Park Hyatt Saigon Beijing, Opposite House; São Paulo, Hotel Fasano Rosewood Beijing São Paulo Berlin, Das Stue; Hotel Shanghai, Fairmont Adlon Kempinski Peace Hotel; Te Peninsula Boson, Ames Hotel; Shanghai XV Beacon , Rafes Hotel; Buenos Aires, Alvear St. Regis Singapore Palace Hotel; Palacio Duhau– Stockholm, Ett Hem; Park Hyatt Grand Hôtel Cape Town, Belmond Mount Tel Aviv, Te Norman Nelson Hotel; One&Only Tel Aviv Cape Town , Shangri-La Capri, J.K. Place Capri Charleson, Zero George Venice, Aman Venice; Street; Wentorth Mansion Belmond Hotel Cipriani; Chengdu, JW Marriott Gritti Palace Hotel Chengdu Washington, D.C., Te Chicago, Te Langham; Hay-Adams; Te Jeferson; Te Peninsula Park Hyatt Washington Copenhagen, Hotel Zurich, ;

d’Angleterre Fenn Photographcourtesy El

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0117-TR-GLJA10 They’re SORT OF

OUT OF THE WAY BUT WORTH THE TRIP

Tese hotels may require a longer drive or a connecting flight (or to), but that “are we there yet” feeling will be replaced with “I’m never leaving” as soon as you walk through the door at these otherworldly properties.

Amangiri, Canyon Babylonstoren, South Africa Point, Utah “Just 45 minutes outside “Paradise on Mars. And Cape Town, this seven- I dream of the perfectly teenth-century Cape Dutch chilled sage lemonade farm and wine estate has a they put in your hiking fabulous bamboo-clad spa backpack.” A.W. and hammam, an onsite

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to live bluegrass before having an amazing massage followed by an epic nine-course meal.” R.M.

Shakti Ladakh, The Himalayas “Te knowledgeable guides will have you hiking, moun- tain biking, and visiting with local monks and oracles.” David Prior

Tierra Chiloé Hotel & Spa, IT’S Chiloé Island, Chile BASICALLY “A to-hour flight south of A to Santiago, this rugged ever- WHERE GET green-forested island is like FRONTIER HEALTHY-ISH Chile’s version of Maine, and SETTLEMENT this propert is your best Te medi-spa trend is way in. Hikes, sails to nearby OF LOG exploding, and more hotels islands, and horseback rid- CABINS, are killing it with state-of- ing are all included. Or you the-art wellness programs. can just relax by the fire with ONLY But this year we’re all about a pisco sour and watch the the places that let you live bakery, and to great THE ROOMS sun set over the bay.” P.B. it up a bit outside the treat- restaurants sourcing almost The view of HAVE ment room and the gm. everything from the Thiksey Monastery from Twin Farms, Barnard, DEEP- surrounding fields and Shakti Ladakh, Vermont Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, in the Himalayas. orchards.” P.J.L. “It seamlessly pulls of SOAKING Like something out of The Sound of Music, this an incongruous mix Dromoland Castle TUBS Tyrolean family-run lodge of Yankee outdoorsiness Hotel & Country Estate, country, it’s been thought- AND with ten and and white-glove service baths fed by Alpine springs County Clare, fully reconstructed and on a glorious patch of (plus dairy cows!) is “It’s a comfortable castle— decorated with many of the BELGIAN wooded farmland. In other the rare spa that’s also kid- if you can imagine such original antiques, LINENS, words, a day of hiking friendly. Jennifer Miller a thing. It’s really more of salvaged by the in-house or fly-fishing followed by a THE SALOON COMO Shambhala Estate, an estate, set on one of historian.” Y.E. glass of champagne.” A.P. Ubud, Bali the best golf courses in SERVES The Point, The Adirondacks, Yes, it has three pools, Burren, which is not at all Lenox, New York , ALSATIAN a private waterfall, and nine super lush but raw and Massachusetts types of massage, but the “Te staf intuit everything beautiful in its own way.” “A Farrow & Ball paint book RIESLINGS, real treat of staying here is here. Tey’ll hand you Maeve Nicholson fantasy come to life, with AND THE the food. Many places make another drink when there’s good, even excellent, low-cal excellent food and Olmsted- Explora Rapa Nui, a sip lef in yours and BATHHOUSE all-organic macrobiotic designed grounds.” P.G. Easter Island, Chile leave boots, in your size, fare, but no one does it with HIDES A as much style and subtlety “Do the megalithic statues, outside your door if it snows Tofino, Wickaninnish Inn, of flavor as this retreat. H.Y. go to the summit of overnight. Tey even had a , Canada HOT-SPRING- Maunga Terevaka, and hike to-go lunch packed and “Explore tide pools, hike the FED POOL. Kamalaya, Koh Samui, through lava tubes over- ready for us—fried chicken, surrounding coastal rain The monastic-chic vibe Alex Postman on of cabins with plunge pools looking the Pacific, then cap brownies, sparkling water— forest, and kayak to nearby Dunton Hot Springs in built into a jungle-y hillside it all of with a night swim so we didn’t have to stop Meares Island. Tat’s Dolores, Colorado gives this Thai stalwart the in the hotel’s pool under on the five-hour drive back where I paddled past forests feel of a Buddhist sanctu ary, the richest blanket of stars to New York Cit.” L.D. of thousand-year-old not a boot camp. D.P. you’ve ever seen.” P.B. cedar and followed a pod Primland, Meadows Les Sources de Caudalie, of gray whales.” R.M. Omni Bedford of Dan, Virginia Bordeaux, Soak in the hot spring pool, Springs Resort, Bedford, “Tink of it as the hotel get a vinotherapy massage, Pennsylvania equivalent of eating caviar then roll over for a wine “One of the oldest resorts with potato chips: I went tasting from the spa’s in the U.S., with one of horseback riding, shot vineyard, Château Haut

Photographcourtesy Shakti Himalaya the first indoor pools in the clay pigeons, and listened Smith Lafitte. Y.E.

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