100 Princes Avenue, Edinburgh
Murray Orr/Journey + Leisure
Edinburgh’s latest hideout, 100 Princes Street, is about within the former Scottish headquarters of the Royal Over-Seas League, a world members’ membership based in 1910. Whereas the lobby’s ornamented ceiling and the first-floor staircase are authentic, the remainder of the 30-room property has been renovated to fanciful perfection by the family-owned Crimson Carnation Lodge Assortment. The design can also be unmistakably Scottish: Do Not Disturb indicators take the type of the sporrans that males put on with kilts, and signature suites are named for the nation’s famed explorers, comparable to Isobel Wylie Hutchison, an intrepid Twentieth-century botanist and filmmaker. Additionally on theme is the menu, with haggis for breakfast and crumbly shortbread served with afternoon tea. Then there’s the whisky: almost 170 single malts are housed in Ghillie’s Pantry, an intimate tasting room with an intriguing assortment of uncommon bottles. Accessible resort. Doubles from $550. —Nicole Trilivas
Ace Lodge & Swim Membership Athens, Greece
De Pasquale + Maffini/Courtesy of Ace Lodge & Swim Membership Athens
Stepping out of the taxi in Glyfada, a seaside city on the Athens Riviera, and laying eyes on the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens, I felt a right away burst of vitality. This 120-room outpost from the ever-cool Ace model retains a classic seaside resort aesthetic, whereas nonetheless embracing a refreshingly fashionable Greek sensibility. Interiors mix tactile minimalism with native artistry: Rooms have customized sconces by Panos Profitis, plus textiles by Greek-Egyptian designer Salma Barakat. Some suites even include report gamers and guitars—a signature Ace contact. Naturally, the pool is the social hub—that is certainly one of solely two Ace “Swim Membership” properties the place DJs spin nightly, and a rooftop restaurant and bar serving modern Greek fare will open quickly. Till then, Sebastian, the resort’s bistro, delivers a Paris-meets-Athens menu, that includes standout dishes just like the Salad Sebastian, a vibrant mixture of beluga lentils, lardons, and child potatoes. And, being simply 20 minutes from Athens’ metropolis heart, the resort is completely positioned for each lazy seaside days and fast jaunts to the Acropolis. Accessible resort. Doubles from $326. —Laura Ratliff
Alexander Lodge, Mexico Metropolis
Courtesy of Alexander Lodge
Leisure vacationers don’t typically go to Mexico Metropolis’s cosmopolitan enterprise capital, however the brand-new Alexander Hotel provides a glimpse into the good-looking Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. The 26-room boutique spans three ranges of the putting Torre Virreyes, a jutting showpiece of the skyline with views stretching into the Bosque de Chapultepec, the area’s largest city park, as soon as house of Aztec and Habsburg emperors. Inside, the glossy design feels extra aligned to the visitor in tailor-made Brioni than the linen units in style within the extra bohemian components of city. The room’s lounge chairs and benches are customized Poltrona Frau leather-based, the identical materials you’d discover inside a Ferrari, and imported black ebony from Africa and white marble from Brazil line the partitions and flooring. At Caviar Bar, the resort restaurant and focus of the glass-paneled foyer, a collection of Petrossian caviars are labored into pastas and heaped onto chips from behind a bivalve-shaped counter. An Alexander Martini is the drink to order, served with Belvedere 10 and a Kumamoto oyster topped with Baeri caviar. It’s all about decadence right here. Accessible resort. Doubles from $527. —David Shortell
Brach Madrid
Courtesy of Lodge Brach
Earlier than I arrived in Madrid, I picked out just a few websites and eating places I wished to discover on my solo journey. Because it seems, I ought to’ve skipped all that planning as a result of I by no means wished to depart Brach Madrid. The resort opened in January, becoming a member of a formidable portfolio that features Paris’s Cour des Vosges and Nolinski inns in addition to Nolinski Venezia. Philippe Starck reimagined a surprising 1922 constructing alongside Madrid’s iconic Gran Vía, making a 57-room keep, together with a number of suites with non-public balconies. The resort is crammed with a heat, honey glow because of its dark-wood detailing, caramel leather-based furnishings, marble accents, and terra-cotta flooring with specks of silver, gold, and rose stones. This supremely cool styling makes its manner up the partitions, with bespoke art work and books curated by native authors, and even reaches the lighting, with outsized golden seahorse lamps I used to be notably taken with. There’s only one cause to depart your room: to go to the spa, La Capsule. It provides bodywork and massages alongside some high-tech magic, together with red-light remedy masks you may take a look at for the evening to make use of within the consolation of your room. Accessible resort. Doubles from $525. —Stacey Leasca
Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Lodge, Cape City
Courtesy of Accor
The rebirth of a grande dame is at all times controversial—how a lot of the heritage will stay after a resort emerges from a top-to-bottom, no-expenses-spared renovation and rebrand? I studied Cape Grace’s attribute, ochre-colored façade and sloped, Parisian-style mansard roofs from varied factors in Cape City’s V&A Waterfront earlier than stepping inside and seeing the transformation myself. Sitting unassumingly on a personal quay straddling the yacht marina and bustling V&A Waterfront, the 112-room property is surprisingly calm, an city retreat inside strolling distance of town’s key cultural and historic websites, just like the Zeitz Museum of Up to date Artwork and Robben Island ferry gateway. Midcentury modern-style furnishings accented by geometric-patterned rugs, South African artisan-crafted ceramics, and authentic modern artworks by Cape City artists has changed the outdated English decor, antiques, and dreary shade palette. Rooms—notably the duo of waterfront penthouse suites full with Jacuzzis overlooking Desk Mountain—are subtle whereas nonetheless feeling lived in. They virtually beg to be an entertaining area—which I embraced with the assistance of some mates who joined me for wine on my expansive terrace. Regardless of the realm’s heavy vacationer foot visitors, Cape Grace’s ground-floor Library Lounge and subterranean Bascule Bar, which sports activities 400-plus sorts of whiskey, draw a crowd of well-heeled locals. The tasting menu at Heirloom Restaurant, in the meantime, capitalizes on the Cape’s bounty of native, seasonal merchandise with pared-down plates spotlighting one or two star substances, like Jerusalem artichokes from the Winelands and South Coast rock lobster from Cape City. Accessible resort. Doubles from $950. —Lane Nieset
Corinthia Grand Lodge Astoria Brussels
Courtesy of Corinthia Brussels
On the Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels, I used to be served breakfast beneath glittering chandeliers and ornate cornices in a ballroom as soon as recognized for internet hosting classical concert events. I took afternoon tea underneath a 12-meter-high stained-glass roof painstakingly recreated from pictures of the unique. After shuttering for 17 years, this legendary deal with within the coronary heart of the Belgian capital is again and its new proprietor, Corinthia Accommodations, has paid cautious respect to its wealthy historical past, right down to the soothing egg-white and sage-green heritage shade scheme within the light-filled foyer, Palm Courtroom. But the Maltese-owned luxurious resort group has been cautious to layer new with outdated. A whole subterranean flooring devoted to wellness has been carved out to create the biggest spa space of any resort within the metropolis, whereas the 126 rooms and suites have a basic modern really feel, with bespoke Belgian art work hanging on the wall. In reality, the property is a poster for the very best of Belgium as we speak. Helming the eating places are two of the nation’s hottest culinary names: David Martin, whose 10-course degustation menu at Palais Royal surprises with reimagined classics and lavish desserts, and Christophe Hardiquest, whose laid-back Le Petit Bon Bon plates Belgian bistro favorites. There’s additionally Coutume, the street-facing boutique stocking the handcrafted native wares you’d in all probability solely uncover in case your trendy finest buddy lived right here. Insider suggestions in Brussels are key and the concierge crew can level you to the hidden cocktail spots, the neighborhoods the place stylish Parisians come to purchase antiques, the artwork galleries the place it is best to linger, and, in fact, the very best waffle joints on the town. Not solely does the opening herald a stage of luxurious town’s resort scene had been lacking, however hopes are excessive that it additionally indicators a tourism revival for this underrated European capital. Accessible resort. Doubles from $745. —Chrissie McClatchie
Delano Dubai
Natelee Cocks/Courtey of Delano Dubai
The brand new Delano Dubai brings a Miami-meets-Center East temper to town’s Bluewaters Island, which is accessible from Dubai by way of a driving or pedestrian bridge. Squeezed between the shimmering sea and Ain Dubai, the world’s largest Ferris wheel, the brand new outpost echoes the unique Delano Miami Seaside with the identical floaty gauze curtains and apple-a-day amenity within the rooms. However there’s loads right here that’s new, too. The Delano’s 251 glossy rooms are crammed with gentle, washed in shades of oatmeal and rose gold, some with their very own gardens and swimming pools. There’s a contact of “Alice in Wonderland” in some areas, like Blue Door, the place a checkerboard path winds to a picturesque garden the place friends can dig into Turkish mezze platters. There’s a sublime seaside membership the place a handsome crowd sips Ruinart rosé and nibbles caviar-topped mozzarella sticks poolside; the beautiful Maison Revka restaurant, serving French- and Slavic-inspired dishes; and La Cantine Seaside, a personal seaside with wicker chairs and an adults-only pool shaded by baby-blue parasols. Late at evening, the motion strikes to the louche Rose Bar the place a blinding mirrored hall results in the restrooms, bouncing your reflection again from each floor. Accessible resort. Doubles from $544. —Nicola Chilton
The Eve Lodge Sydney
Greg Roske/The Eve Sydney
This five-story, 102-room resort is constructed on the positioning of colonial Sydney’s Nineteenth-century gardens and honors its roots with a plethora of greenery discovered on the balconies, rooftop, courtyard, and a dwelling wall that faces the sundown. Rooms begin at a large 290 sq. toes and have Australian palettes of eucalyptus and ochre, their heat tones enhancing the luxurious of leathers, velvets, terrazzo, and timber. Generously stocked private bars showcase homegrown heroes, together with home spirits by Archie Rose Distilling Co. in close by Rosebery, caramels from cultured-butter kings Pepe Saya, and craft beers brewed down the highway. From avenue stage, The Eve beckons with gleaming portals of pomegranate-red zellige tiles that led me into sudden conditions. I climbed the assertion staircase to discover a boldly furnished reception the place blinding-blue Gervasoni Nuvola seats and footstools meet pink mohair armchairs. On the rooftop, a glowing pool awaits, shaded by palms and cabanas, with chill-out tunes taking part in over and underneath the water. Neighboring Lottie is the rooftop Mexican restaurant and mezcal joint, a pink travertine playground the place the open kitchen and bar dole out handmade tortillas, tamales, and tequila-based cocktails. Streetside Bar Julius is a jewel-toned area serving caviar for breakfast and all-day Bloody Marys. Its artwork assortment, together with a Seventeenth-century Belgian portrait in a gilded body, is fabulous. The Eve anchors the brand new Wunderlich Lane precinct, which, with its emphasis on artwork, design, and gastronomy—together with chic fashionable Greek at Olympus Eating and Southeast Asian plates at Island Radio—has remodeled Sydney’s Redfern neighborhood. Accessible resort. Doubles from $350. —Kendall Hill
4 Seasons Lodge Osaka, Japan
Courtesy of 4 Seasons Resorts
When the Four Seasons Hotel Osaka opened within the historic Dojima district of Japan’s third-largest metropolis, it mirrored Osaka’s mix of latest structure and wealthy historical past. The property has private and non-private ofuros (conventional Japanese baths) and a rooftop bar on the thirty seventh flooring with impeccable views and nice drinks. However its most original characteristic is the “Gensui” flooring, the place every of the 21 ryokan-style rooms is within the design of conventional Japanese inns courting again to the eighth century (assume tatami flooring, sliding doorways, and low-to-the-ground eating tables, all with out sacrificing fashionable conveniences). Your entire thirty sixth flooring is devoted to the spa, which has metropolis views from every remedy room. The eating places are so good that friends don’t have to depart the resort—no small feat in such an iconic meals metropolis. Farine, the grab-and-go bakery, had locals and friends snagging treats like candy and savory stuffed brioches, whereas the resort’s flagship restaurant, Jiang Nan Chun, makes a speciality of conventional Cantonese fare. I loved the impeccably curated breakfast buffet each morning, however nonetheless reminisce over the crevettes à la nage (poached tiger prawns wrapped in zucchini and served in lobster oil with kabosu fruit dressing) at Jardin, a French-inspired all-day bistro. Accessible resort. Doubles from $850. —Susmita Baral
Lodge d’Inghilterra, Rome
Courtesy of Starhotels
Whenever you arrive at Hotel d’Inghilterra, observe my lead: seize one of many few bar seats on the tiny Café Romano Lounge and order an impeccable martini. A noble residence within the Sixteenth century for friends of the close by Palazzo Torlonia, this hideaway steps from Piazza di Spagna, on the base of the Spanish steps, and posh buying avenue by way of Condotti, turned a resort in 1845—internet hosting Elizabeth Taylor and Gregory Peck in its heyday. The 80-room resort, now a part of Starhotels, has lately reopened after a meticulous restoration; The historic façade and lobbies have been returned to their splendor, the rooms have been improved by the contributions of Italian grasp artisans (textiles are from the Venetian home Rubelli). From my Balcony Suite, I had a terrific view over Roman rooftops and cupolas. On the restaurant by chef Angrea Sangiuliano, who’s a whiz at glorifying the materia prima of the encompassing area, I discovered the Spaghettone with pannocchie di mare, zest of lemon from Terracina, a coastal village close to Naples, and oil perfumed with garlic and chili, to be irresistible. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,079. —Federico De Cesare Viola
Lodge Hana, Paris
Courtesy of Lodge Hana
East playfully meets West at Hotel Hana in Paris’s second arrondissement. This boutique magnificence occupies a Haussmann constructing on the fringe of town’s vibrant Little Tokyo. Inside, a Japanese-inspired bolthole brimming with colourful particulars and textures. My Status Room—certainly one of 26—was a cocoon clad in iroko wooden and woven straw, tastefully accented with cherry blossom-embroidered cushions, lacquered purple cabinetry, and a sakura-shaped travertine desk that was topped with matcha and black sesame madeleines after I arrived. A spacious toilet fetchingly outfitted in rust-red and cream checkerboard marble got here stocked with Diptyque toiletries. I notably loved the mornings bathed in golden gentle, which I spent lingering on my room’s balcony overlooking the bustling avenue markets under. The East-West theme continues downstairs within the resort’s cozy, street-level restaurant, Hanabi, which serves Japanese-inflected French fare like Camembert tempura with aonori seaweed and yuzu jam and hōjicha tiramisu. Breakfast choices vary from buttery viennoiserie to ochazuke rice soup, whereas the bar provides revolutionary cocktails, like a sansho-pepper martini made with Japanese gin. Put up-prandial rest awaits in a reiki or reflexology remedy at Hana Spa, or an invigorating counter-current pool, which you’ll be able to guide by the hour for full privateness. Main sights just like the Louvre, the Palais Garnier, and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré are a 10- to 15-minute stroll away, however proper at the doorstep lies buzzy Rue Sainte-Anne, the place neon-lit karaoke joints, udon bars, and matcha cafes supply a myriad of the way to cap off your evening earlier than retreating to the tactile comforts of your room. Accessible resort. Doubles from $431. —Shamilee Vellu
Janu Tokyo
Courtesy of Janu Tokyo
Aman’s new spin-off model, Janu, seeks to take care of a excessive stage of design and repair at a cheaper price level than its ultra-luxe sibling. At Janu Tokyo, the 122 rooms and suites are serene and spacious; most have non-public balconies (mine got here with a view of Tokyo Tower). The eight eating places lure each friends and locals, however the largest draw is the 43,000-square-foot wellness heart, which incorporates an 82-foot indoor lap pool and a heated lounge pool; hydrotherapy and thermal areas with a chilly plunge, Japanese baths, and steam rooms; and a formidable fitness center with 5 motion studios. Centrally positioned, Janu is a relaxed and modern base from which to discover town. Doubles from $1,068. —Rebekah Peppler
Le Grand Hôtel Cayré, Paris
James McDonald/Le Grand Hôtel Cayré
At lunch at Le Grand Hôtel Cayré, simply past the Left Financial institution’s vacationer fray, you’ll discover tables of coworkers from the high-end design shops in Saint-Germain-des-Prés easing into the genuinely scrumptious meals on the resort’s all-day brasserie, Annette. Do they know the restaurant was named for Annette Kolb, the Franco-German author who checked into the artwork deco resort in 1944 and lived there for nearly 20 years? It’s secure to say they’re too busy marveling over phenomenal oeufs en meurette and different expertly up to date classics. The sourcing behind a number of of the desserts exhibits simply how nicely located this resort is for the gastro-tourist, from the cheeses delivered by the legendary Maison Barthélémy across the nook to the darkish chocolate from chocolatier Nicolas Berger that goes right into a footed silver bowl of wealthy chocolate mousse, and the regionally well-known éclair from Hugo & Victor pâtisserie two blocks away. I polished off all three, together with a pot of Mariage Frères tea, earlier than the locals had returned to work. Within the resort’s 123 rooms, sensuous textures and sinuous traces replicate the modernized artwork deco decor. And on the seventh flooring, French curator Gilbert Kann, who put collectively the ornamental arts furnishings choice for Le Bon Marché close by, has furnished a room and suite that may be joined into an house by which each vintage, customized, and one-of-a-kind piece is on the market to ship house. If solely I may have shipped house the chocolate mousse. Accessible resort. Doubles from $331. —Christine Muhlke
Longfellow Lodge, Portland, Maine
Carly Rudd/Longfellow
Portland, Maine, has hit its stride as a journey vacation spot in recent times, and the following wave of resort openings run the gamut from quirky apartment-style stays to big-name chains. However none test all of the containers fairly like Longfellow, which opened this spring within the picturesque West Finish, far—however not too far, notably with a fleet of bicycles and a complimentary chauffeur on supply—from the throngs of vacationers crowding the Previous Port. The 48-room property is town’s first really luxurious mid-size boutique keep, thanks partly to the hand of hotel-design heavyweight Put up Firm. The sweeping foyer lounge, with its hovering home windows, geometric brass chandeliers, and gilt-framed oil work, is a sublime marriage of basic and modern. Throughout my keep, it was abuzz with friends and locals, notably within the evenings, when it remodeled into 5 of Golf equipment, a bar serving eclectic small plates comparable to chicharrones with avocado mousse and zucchini bread with a sweet-tart yuzu curd. Wellness is a touchstone, beginning within the rooms themselves, that are outfitted with luxe beds from Mattress Concierge and Loftie clocks for a mild, sound bath-induced slumber. Downstairs, the compact Astraea spa punches above its weight, with massages, facials, guided breathwork, and personal Nordic sauna suites. (My private Astraea spotlight: a session in a Thoughts-Sync Harmonic Wellness Lounger, a zero-gravity chair that syncs full-body rhythmic therapeutic massage with binaural beats to carry unsuspecting friends to heretofore unknown planes of rest.) This being a metropolis resort, you’d be remiss to not discover Portland, and several other gems lie simply outdoors the doorstep: Wayside Tavern and Tandem Bakery are steps away, or wander barely farther afield to mainstays like Green Hand Bookshop, Smalls, and Zu Bakery for a real native’s take a look at this vibrant little metropolis by the ocean. Accessible resort. Doubles from $499. —Lila Harron Battis
Maison Barrière Vendôme, Paris
Courtesy of Maison Barrière Vendôme
Paris is studded with secret gardens—certainly one of my new favorites is the jewel-sized patio on the coronary heart of Maison Barrière Vendôme, town’s second resort opening from the famend Barrière Group, which additionally owns Fouquet’s on the Champs-Élysées. Tucked only a block away from the Tuileries Backyard in a personal mansion, this romantic resort opened in early 2025 on the stylish Rue du Mont-Thabor, behind sliding glass doorways and a easy gold plaque. The 26-room property eschews the pomp and circumstance of its stately neighbors, whose grand marble lobbies are bustling locations to see and be seen; right here, it’s slightly like getting into into an enchanted forest, the place thick inexperienced drapes hush the road sounds and a whimsical mirrored set up abuts the central staircase.
Femininity and French craftsmanship are on outstanding show, with bespoke headboards produced from Pierre Frey materials in each room, in addition to murals from Atelier de Ricou, bird-like Lalique sconces, and restored wood beams on the ceilings. In my suite, an homage to beloved French actress and activist Simone Signoret, the home windows—wearing luxurious ochre-hued curtains from Declercq, which additionally provides Versailles—appeared out over basic Haussmann flats, with Sacré-Cœur like a mirage within the distance. It was fairly the backdrop for a gluttonous room service breakfast (croissants, butter sculptures, recent OJ—you title it), which is served all day. The resort’s bar and restaurant, Frida, is equally impressed—a putting steel-and-glass construction seemingly plucked straight from the Centre Pompidou and set in an emerald-tiled oasis that’s meant to honor the colourful house of Frida Kahlo. Right here, you’ll discover a small, modern crowd sipping jalapeño-infused margaritas and quietly gossiping over sea bass ceviche and mini al pastor tacos after buying in neighboring Place Vendôme. Doubles from $662. —Sophie Dodd
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair
Does London want two Mandarin Orientals? The brand new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, on Hanover Sq., makes a compelling case for a second outpost, set in a light-filled constructing that alternates purple bricks with metal beams. Whereas the Knightsbridge flagship leans conventional (assume Edwardian structure; British-influenced delicacies from hometown star Heston Blumenthal), the brand new resort, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, seems like a contemporary, eight-story British townhouse, with 50 visitor rooms, 77 flats, and a subterranean spa with an 82-foot-long pool. The foyer concierge and check-in desks are welcoming, barely demure areas that make manner for the true heartbeat of the resort: the spectacular, triple-story area anchored by a spiral staircase normal from inexperienced Ming marble. At his namesake London restaurant, Korean-American chef Akira Again seems crowd-pleasers (tuna pizza; Wagyu bulgogi tacos; creamy rock shrimp) lengthy into the evening. Nonetheless hungry? Flip a nook, and you may be one of many fortunate 14 to attain a seat on the counter of his extra formal Korean spot, Dosa, which simply earned a Michelin star. Upstairs in my suite, I felt totally eliminated, cocooned even, from the motion; image hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, marble bogs, and nice desks for the work-from-anywhere crowd. And after a day or two of settling in, extra enjoyable particulars began to disclose themselves: a gold rubber ducky within the tub; a tasteful, mounted fan designed by the style crew at Vivienne Westwood, simply inside the principle entrance; even cult-favorite Seed to Pores and skin facial merchandise, stocked within the spa. In a metropolis vacation spot that now appears to have every part underneath the solar, I discover it’s the little issues that rely. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,079. —Jacqui Gifford
The Method, New York
Tiana Schippa/Journey + Leisure
Detailed black-and-white marble flooring, darkish wood accents, and an almost 12-foot-tall sculpture greeted me at The Manner, a Normal Accommodations spin-off that simply opened in SoHo. It spans 13 flooring, full with The Rooftop—a bar serving gentle bites that may open solely to resort friends in Might, with metropolis views and all. The second flooring is a gathering area, centered round a colossal floor-to-ceiling hearth with plush couches and chairs sprawled alongside the encompassing partitions; beneath a retro chandelier is a communal eating desk, with pastries and low within the morning and serve-yourself drinks come completely happy hour. The vibe shifts within the adjoining, discreetly hidden Sloane’s, a cocktail bar and lounge the place martinis and rooster nuggets go hand in hand. After which there are the 97 visitor rooms, which have partitions which are both mirrored or painted vibrant shades of purple, yellow, or blue; no TVs or artwork are on show. My suite had not one however two decks overlooking the always-buzzing Thompson Avenue under and audio system constructed into the headboard, which I synced to and cranked the ‘70s music whereas I received prepared for dinner. Accessible resort. Doubles from $799. —Jess Feldman
Palazzo Talìa, Rome
Courtesy of Palazzo Talia
Rome has no scarcity of splendidly renovated palazzo inns, however most have a museum-like air and reverently showcase their vintage splendors. Not so the Palazzo Talìa, which artfully blends its over-the-top Renaissance grandeur—it began life within the 1500s because the mansion of a papal secretary, then turned one of many metropolis’s most aristocratic colleges—with trendy modern design prospers created by the studio of Luca Guadagnino, the director of hit movies comparable to “Challengers” and “Name Me by Your Title.” The result’s, naturally, cinematic. The general public halls all have hovering ceilings lined with authentic Sixteenth-century frescos and are lined with stately marble busts of historical Roman emperors and navy heroes. However the resort’s Twenty first-century touches embrace furnishings in shiny, uplifting colours and cheerful patterned carpets, the railings on the staircase are sheathed in sensual leather-based, and the courtyard has been became a stunning forest of potted vegetation, making it the perfect place for each breakfast and an aperitivo. The rooms ricochet with Roman sunshine, because of huge arched home windows, and are outfitted with minimalist four-poster beds and (within the suites) voluptuously giant baths. There are luxurious lounges for friends to unwind within the cavernous Aula Magna, or Nice Corridor. However the palazzo’s aesthetic centerpiece is Bar della Musa, which is lined with polished silver tiles that shimmer just like the scales of a mythic beast. After all, the cocktails are named after the Muses, together with the gin-based Erato (“she who provokes need”), the Clio martini (“she who could make well-known”), and the mezcal-based Melpomene (“she who sings tragedy”)—all of which may be savored with an array of oysters, caviar, or cacio e pepe potato chips. Lastly, the resort’s location is difficult to beat: The Fontana di Trevi is barely two blocks from the entrance door. Doubles from $745. —Tony Perrottet
Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain
Courtesy of Accor
The tiny kingdom of Bahrain, within the Persian Gulf, has lengthy been overshadowed by glitzier neighbors comparable to Qatar and Dubai. However in recent times, Bahrain has quietly begun making its case: A slew of latest developments, together with the two.2-mile Pearling Path UNESCO strolling path and the 35,000-square-foot Time Out Market meals hub, are luring vacationers past the famed Components One racing circuit. And whereas the hospitality scene has been steadily rising, few properties have turned as many heads because the Raffles Al Areen Palace. Set within the desert-cloaked south, some 45 minutes from the airport, the resort seems like an Arabesque fever dream: behind a colossal wood gate guarded by doormen in thawb livery, with Carrara marble-covered hallways, indoor gardens dripping in greenery, and modern artwork items by Bahraini artists. The 78 palatial villas are scattered round palm-lined gardens, every with a personal courtyard, a Jacuzzi, and a heated swimming pool. Inside, every villa homes a trio of cushty lounge areas, and a bed room adjoined by an indoor-outdoor toilet clad in creamy marble. Raffles’ legendary butlers elevate every stick with considerate, anything-is-possible service. They welcomed me with Arabic espresso and garden-grown dates, supplied to rearrange in-villa spa therapies and reservations on the resort’s Mediterranean restaurant, and ensured that even the smallest particulars—like drawing a shower infused with Jordanian olive cleaning soap—felt magical. Doubles from $902. —Chris Schalkx
Raffles Jaipur, India
Athul Prasad/Journey + Leisure
In the event you’ve ever dreamed of dwelling like a maharani, Raffles Jaipur is the place to show fantasy into actuality. Styled like a zenana—the a part of an Indian Muslim house reserved for ladies—the model’s second resort in India is a gilded retreat brimming with regionally crafted element. The 50 rooms are outfitted with bone-inlay furnishings, Mughal miniature work, lotus-shaped marble sinks, and canopied beds with views of the cloud-draped Aravalli Hills. Equally indulgent are the resort’s eating places, which embrace plant-based North Indian delicacies at Arkaa and Mediterranean dishes on the rooftop Sehara. Additionally a should: the fragrant Jaipur Sling—a twist on the basic Singapore Sling, invented at Raffles’ flagship in 1915—spiked with chandrahas, an natural liqueur. Doubles from $870. —S.V.
Regent Shanghai on the Bund
Courtesy of IHG
From my suite at Regent Shanghai on the Bund, alongside the Huangpu River, I might open the doorways to my balcony and see hazy, big silhouettes on sunny mornings and neon skyscrapers within the night hours. The resort’s attraction goes past its (slightly good) location, although. Each repeat stroll by the halls revealed a brand new suave element, many by Shanghainese creatives, just like the lobby’s lacquered portray of magnolias. There are 135 elegant rooms and suites, wearing lotions and desaturated greens, with shutter-lined home windows and closets that nod to the neighborhood’s colonial affect. Most rooms have panoramas alongside the Bund, and stand-alone bathtubs subsequent to floor-to-ceiling home windows give the phrase “absorbing the views” a brand new twist. As a Shanghai beginner, the Regent Expertise brokers have been heaven-sent, sharing vacationer recommendation and whisking me by way of home automotive to the pier for a night river cruise. It was laborious to depart the premises, nonetheless, with Regent’s eating retailers: Save for the foyer’s stylish pastry lounge, the entire eating places include showstopping riverfront views of the Bund. My gourmand Cantonese dinner at Jin Lin was outstanding by itself, the vista a candy bonus. As a substitute of standing among the many hordes alongside the promenade, I loved the same view from a sales space at Condé Boutique the place I indulged in lemongrass-marinated pork neck and a cocktail. Accessible resort. Doubles from $485. —Travis Levius
Royal Mansour Casablanca, Morocco
Cyrille Robin/Courtesy of Royal Mansour Casablanca
For all of the Previous Hollywood sparkle that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman bestowed on Morocco’s most populous metropolis, Casablanca stays one thing of a second-tier vacation spot for a lot of American guests. Aside from the attractive oceanside Hassan II Mosque, one of many world’s largest, town has few must-sees. Enter the Royal Mansour Casablanca, a surprising 149-room property that’s as a lot an city resort as it’s the key to discovering this underappreciated metropolis. Owned by King Mohammed VI, it has all the trendy luxuries one may presumably need, together with spacious rooms with marble baths, a number of eating places, a full-service spa, and a rooftop terrace. Entry-level rooms are fabulously appointed, however these with limitless budgets ought to guide one of many “distinctive suites,” which have non-public entrances, butler service, non-public hammams, health studios, and screening rooms. Doubles from $657. —Paul Brady
Six Senses Kyoto
Couretsy of Six Senses
Within the historic Higashiyama district, Six Senses Kyoto is an 81-room sanctuary—a spot to unwind after a day spent visiting close by temples. The spa is a halcyon spotlight with cold and warm dipping swimming pools, saunas, and an Alchemy Bar to craft physique scrubs. Though I used to be tempted to stay robed, LED-masked, and with my toes up in a vibration remedy chair for the afternoon, that may have minimize into my time savoring miso-marinated Tamba pork at restaurant Sekki, sipping Japanese whisky on the jewel-box 9 Tails bar, and taking an extended soak within the tub overlooking our non-public courtyard. As soon as restored, I attempted the resort actions meant to attach friends with the native tradition, together with restorative incense rituals and portray sensu (folding followers) with pure pigments coloured by meals scraps on the resort’s Earth Lab. My son cherished the fantastically designed Develop With Six Senses children’ membership, the place he performed with wood toys, tossed boulder-shaped pillows down the slide, and realized to make origami. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,118. —Lindsay Cohn
Stockholm Stadshotell
From left: Henrik Lundell/Courtesy of Stockholm Stadshotell; Erik Olsson/Courtesy of Stockholm Stadshotell
There’s a classy new deal with in Stockholm’s hip Södermalm district—admittedly, in a constructing constructed in 1875 in reminiscence of King Oscar I. At Stockholm Stadshotell, I stayed in a breezy ground-floor chamber however cherished the expansive top-floor suites with fireplaces in every lounge. Black-and-white imagery by Swedish photographer Gunnar Smoliansky embellish the partitions of the 34 rooms, whereas woodworker Klara Knutsson enlivens the elevators with scenes depicting native life. Moving into celebrated chef Olle T Cellton’s Mediterranean-style bistro neighboring slick Salongen bar, I felt like a neighborhood at Sweden’s first Relais & Châteaux property. One night, I spent mingling with the Swedes over an informal chew on the buzzing bistro, and the subsequent, I floated up the spiral staircase to devour the chef’s tasting menu at restaurant Matsalen, set in a former chapel, the place I sat in Dorthé Atelier’s woven chairs beside velvety banquettes. And the way higher to finish a Swedish sojourn than with a dip within the non-public subterranean spa? The ice tub shortly confirmed my non-local standing. Accessible resort. Doubles from $378. —Kasia Dietz
The Surrey, A Corinthia Lodge, New York
Courtesy of The Surrey
Once I dined at Casa Tua—a swank restaurant and members’ membership within the glowing Surrey resort on the Higher East Facet—it was brimming with New Yorkers searching for a great martini and a plate of hand-cut pappardelle. Initially opened in 1926, the resort hosted stars of stage and display, together with Rosemary Clooney and Bette Davis. Following a three-year renovation by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, it has reopened as a part of Corinthia Accommodations, a European model making its North American debut. The design is elegant and richly textured: 100 rooms outfitted with Murano chandeliers; cream, gold, and terra-cotta tones; grass material lining the partitions. My room was certainly one of 4 with a hand-painted mural contained in the closet, depicting one of many bridges in Central Park, only a block away. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,000. —Elizabeth Cantrell
The Twenty Two New York
Alessandra Amodio/Journey + Leisure
In early Twentieth-century Manhattan, what was an unaccompanied, well-off lady to do if she wanted to spend an evening within the metropolis, maybe to do some buying, or, if she have been an actress, artist, or instructor, to spend just a few weeks earlier than she may discover an house? She might need gone to the Margaret Louisa Residence, a ladies’s resort that ran from 1891 to 1917, the place feminine friends have been free to remain with out a husband or male family member. The operation was funded by Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard (sure, these Vanderbilts) and supplied a secure, social atmosphere for a rising class of working ladies.
At present, after a considerable renovation by London’s Little one Studio, the constructing entered a brand new however no much less fabulous period as The Twenty Two New York, a smashing 77-room resort simply off Union Sq.. It’s the second location for the model, which debuted in London’s Mayfair neighborhood again in 2022; like its sibling, the New York outpost has a members-only nightclub and eating room. It additionally has a vibrant Center Japanese restaurant, Cafe Zaffri, that’s open to the general public. Once I dined there on a Wednesday evening in the course of February, it was full of younger creatives sharing plates of fried eggplant with black sesame and toum or harissa-dusted octopus skewers, and sipping Lebanese wine. Finished up in shades of dusty pinks and burgundy, or, as my room was, deep, midnight blue and comfortable cream, the resort felt hushed and attractive. Doubles from $695.—E.C.