To seek out the lodges value touring for this 12 months, Journey + Leisure despatched 64 reporters to vet new and renovated properties in 44 nations. We stayed at top-tier resorts from big-name manufacturers, independently owned boutique lodges which are redefining metropolis neighborhoods, and even a lavish, overwater Maldives scenario that can run you greater than $5,000 an evening. We’ve got an inventory devoted to reasonably priced luxurious lodges, proving an elegant keep doesn’t must price greater than your mortgage—and, for the second 12 months working, we’ve included the perfect new cruise ships, as a result of it’s laborious to argue with a floating resort that takes you to locations alongside the Mediterranean Sea. If the resort affords accessible widespread areas and rooms outfitted for vacationers with disabilities, it’s famous throughout the entry. And, in fact, every resort chosen aligns with T+L’s core values.
Right here, the 100 finest lodges that opened final 12 months. See you on the tented tree home bar. —Edited by Elizabeth Cantrell and Maya Kachroo-Levine
Lodges by Class
100 Princes Avenue, Edinburgh
Murray Orr/Journey + Leisure
Edinburgh’s latest hideout, 100 Princes Street, is ready 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 unique, the remainder of the 30-room property has been renovated to fanciful perfection by the family-owned Pink Carnation Resort Assortment. The design can 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, equivalent 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 Resort & Swim Membership Athens, Greece
De Pasquale + Maffini/Courtesy of Ace Resort & 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 direct burst of power. This 120-room outpost from the ever-cool Ace model retains a classic seaside resort aesthetic, whereas nonetheless embracing a refreshingly trendy Greek sensibility. Interiors mix tactile minimalism with native artistry: Rooms have {custom} 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 middle, the resort is completely positioned for each lazy seaside days and fast jaunts to the Acropolis. Accessible resort. Doubles from $326. —Laura Ratliff
Alexander Resort, Mexico Metropolis
Courtesy of Alexander Resort
Leisure vacationers don’t typically go to Mexico Metropolis’s cosmopolitan enterprise capital, however the brand-new Alexander Hotel affords 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 dwelling of Aztec and Habsburg emperors. Inside, the smooth design feels extra aligned to the visitor in tailor-made Brioni than the linen units well-liked within the extra bohemian elements of city. The room’s lounge chairs and benches are {custom} 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
Almare, a Luxurious Assortment Resort, Isla Mujeres, Grownup All-inclusive, Mexico
Rafael Luhrs/Courtesy of Almare, a Luxurious Assortment Resort, Isla Mujeres
Repurposed from a earlier life as a mid-range all-inclusive right into a Marriott Luxurious Assortment resort, the adults-only Almare affords a much-needed shot within the arm to sleepy Isla Mujeres, throughout a peaceable bay from the excitement of Cancun. Right here, the vibes are extra “summer season camp” than seclusion—I joined my fellow visitors at morning yoga, mezcal tastings, and even a jog to Punta Sur, the island’s southernmost level. The 109 rooms are spacious and vibrant; some vacationers would possibly discover the Mexico-meets-modern vibes a bit too sparse, however I appreciated the Byredo toiletries, spacious soaking tubs, and sunset-facing balconies. The meals was additionally a success: all-day restaurant Boga focuses on native fare from the Yucatan, and The Breeze, a lunchtime pool bar, has tacos, ceviche, and a very good burger. Should you just like the comfort of an all-inclusive (limitless drinks!), the attraction of a boutique resort (workers that is aware of your espresso order!), and the reliability of a mega-brand (loyalty factors!), Almare has a profitable method. Doubles from $1,025, all-inclusive. —Laura Ratliff
Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, Indonesia
Courtesy of Anantara Ubud Bali Resort
It was pouring once I arrived at Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, however rain fits the place. The 85-room resort sits in a valley contained in the Payangan rainforest, a few 30-minute drive north of Ubud. The first constructing, a glassy hilltop construction, homes Kirana, an all-day Indonesian restaurant, and Amerta, which serves fire-roasted entrées. The resort additionally has a spa, two swimming pools, a lounge, and a bar that serves cocktails made with arrack, an area cousin of rum. Looking from my villa’s infinity pool after the rain had cleared, I noticed nothing however slopes coated with bamboo, banana vegetation, and palms. Accessible resort. Doubles from $600. —Hannah Walhout
Anna & Bel, Philadelphia
Douglas Lyle Thompson/Courtesy of Anna & Bel
Fishtown, an enclave northeast of Philadelphia’s Middle Metropolis, “wanted a resort,” says co-owner Dor Barkai Berkovitz. He and his spouse, co-owner Galli Arbel, dwell across the nook and have watched “Fishtown actually make a reputation for itself within the final 10 years,” because of an attention-grabbing meals scene (I’m significantly taken with Kalaya Philadelphia from James Beard Award-winning chef Nok Suntaranon and Michael Solomov’s newest idea, Jaffa Bar). The historic constructing that turned this stylish, 47-room resort blends in with the neighboring row properties. Once I stayed with my husband and four-month-old son, our second-floor room opened onto a communal balcony. We grabbed breakfast within the glass-enclosed courtyard, which feels very very similar to a personal greenhouse in the midst of Philly, then performed chess by the hearth in the lounge and browsed the artwork assortment curated by native gallery Paradigm Artwork Advisory. On a much less healthful night, I checked out the Caletta bar for some arancini and a Cynar-heavy tackle a Boulevardier. Accessible resort. Doubles from $300. —Maya Kachroo-Levine
Arev St. Tropez, France
Courtesy of Arev St. Tropez
“Un rêve” means “a dream” in French. And certainly, a keep on the 50-room Arev—St. Tropez’s latest hideout, set on a leafy, quiet avenue, however solely a 10-minute stroll from the bustle of Place des Lices—seems like a reverie you gained’t need to wake from. Spanish designer Luis Bustamante took inspiration from the close by Outdated Port, utilizing a nautical, subtle, purple, white, and blue palette all through the property. I loved a tasting within the outside Champagne Lounge (my bubbles had been served from an elegant classic trolley cart) and spent my days lounging by the pool, or strolling the courtyards and gardens full of magnolias, bougainvillea, and olive timber. Accessible resort. Doubles from $643. —Robin Allison Davis
Atzaró Okavango, Botswana
Courtesy of Atzaró Okavango
Atzaró Okavango’s inception started as an unlikely collaboration between Beks Ndlovu, the Zimbabwe-born founding father of African Bush Camps, and Philip Gonda and Victor Guasch, the co-owners of the very trendy, design-forward hospitality group Atzaró. The resort’s foyer bar and linked lounge areas are full of a powerful assortment of African artwork, from masks to textiles like mud fabric sourced from Benin, the Congo, Ethiopia, and the Tuareg folks. The luxurious tents, starting from 1,740 to 4,130 sq. toes, have bathtubs and each mid-century and vintage African furnishings. However it’s the safaris themselves, led by a number of the area’s finest guides (Ndlovu began his profession as a information, so he has managed to draw and prepare the perfect) which are the explanation to decide on Atzaró. The animal sightings are frequent and thrilling, and the resort has implausible post-safari cocktails; the camp’s resident mixologist would possibly even present as much as combine you a sundowner within the bush. Doubles from $690 per individual, all-inclusive. —Gisela Williams
Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Luis Garcia/Journey + Leisure
From the plunge pool exterior my villa at Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe, I may nearly attain out and contact the grapevines. Channeling a way of place in Mexico’s preeminent wine area was a aim for architect Michel Rojkind, who made the valley’s pure magnificence the star of this resort. Its 30 sand-colored villas, which mix into the hillside, have from one to a few bedrooms; every has a hearth and a wine bar, plus a bathe that opens onto an outside deck. As serene as my quarters had been, the widespread areas are the place the 16-acre property actually shines. I beloved stopping for a burrito or a sip of mezcal at Roka, a repurposed Airstream trailer; elsewhere, I discovered a yoga platform, a spa, a meditation labyrinth, and a temescal. Important to any keep is a go to to Pictograma, the resort’s vineyard, which grows grenache grapes. Accessible resort. Doubles from $599. —Nina Ruggiero
Basq Home, Byron Bay, Australia
Elise Hassey/Courtesy of Basq Home
Certainly one of Australia’s most well-known seaside cities may be the final place you’d look forward to finding a boutique resort modeled after a Moroccan riad, however that’s precisely what you get at Basq House. The combo-and-match aesthetic of this 32-room property lends it a inventive vibe: basket-like pendant lights; a {smooth} leather-based sectional; an ornamental vintage terra cotta vase; smattering of large-scale work depicting every thing from summary mosaics to watercolor portraits. The indoor-outdoor library that spills into the courtyard is an particularly candy retreat, with its {custom} floor-to-ceiling bookcase and comfortable seating: excellent for a post-swim glass of wine. Some rooms have balconies that look out into the village or over the courtyard. And, whereas the curved partitions of the open-air bathe stalls won’t be to everybody’s style, it actually affords an attractive contact to each keep. Accessible resort. Doubles from $251. —Chadner Navarro
Brach Madrid
Courtesy of Resort Brach
Earlier than I arrived in Madrid, I picked out a couple of websites and eating places I needed 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 needed to go away Brach Madrid. The resort opened in January, becoming a member of a powerful portfolio that features Paris’s Cour des Vosges and Nolinski lodges 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 personal balconies. The resort is full of 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 means up the partitions, with bespoke paintings and books curated by native authors, and even reaches the lighting, with outsized golden seahorse lamps I used to be significantly taken with. There’s only one purpose to go away your room: to go to the spa, La Capsule. It affords bodywork and massages alongside some high-tech magic, together with red-light remedy masks you possibly can try for the night time to make use of within the consolation of your room. Accessible resort. Doubles from $525. —Stacey Leasca
The Brant, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Courtesy of The Brant Nantucket
Rising up, I spent my summers on Nantucket, however I nonetheless return to the tiny island—a mere 14 miles lengthy and three.5 miles huge—for quintessential New England holidays, full with cobblestone streets, cedar-shingled properties, and hearty lobster rolls. This previous spring, a refurbished resort with 26 rooms throughout 4 buildings seamlessly folded into the mildew, shingled exterior and all. Whereas the property from family-owned Salt Lodges seems to be the half, what I discovered throughout my two-night keep was an surprising, and really welcome, air of ease and playfulness. In true Nantucket style, I used to be welcomed by two Brant-branded Jeep wranglers sitting within the shell-lined driveway. Behind the vehicles, the luxurious garden was sprinkled with lounge chairs, yard video games, and bicycles parked off to the aspect. The bar doubles as a check-in desk, the place I had espresso and breakfast within the morning and cocktails within the night. Room types differ from studios to spacious multi-bedroom suites—mine had an outside bathe; others have bunk beds for youths or swing seats on personal entrance decks. The Brant’s location is especially interesting as a result of it’s lower than a 10-minute stroll to the center of Principal Avenue, and a brief bike journey from top-of-the-line seashores to catch a sundown, Steps Seaside. But, it’s nonetheless tucked away; I discovered it an ideal retreat after a protracted day within the solar, like visiting a pal’s personal dwelling, the place you’re greeted with a drink and a heat smile. Accessible resort. Doubles from $400. —Jess Feldman
Borgo dei Conti Resort, Umbria, Italy
Dario Garofalo/Courtesy of Borgo dei Conti
As soon as upon a time, within the Umbrian countryside, there was an enchanted Nineteenth-century villa, constructed on the foundations of a Thirteenth-century fortress. It was inhabited by Rely Lemmo Rossi Scotti, who spent his days portray and tending to the backyard. Quick-forward greater than 100 years, and now that enchanted villa is a luxurious resort run by The Hospitality Expertise, the hoteliers behind different Italian properties like The Place Firenze and Londra Palace in Venice. Naturally, the villa’s new homeowners labored to protect its historic integrity, restoring the frescoes and wood-beamed ceilings, whereas nonetheless bringing it into the Twenty first century. Perhaps it was all of the lore surrounding the place, however I did really feel a bit like a modern-day countess, whether or not I used to be savoring risotto with goat cheese and Mediterranean herbs or cozying up on the couch in my spacious suite. Perugia, Umbria’s Medieval capital, is only a 30-minute drive away, however don’t be shocked if you happen to really feel an nearly supernatural pull urging you to remain put and discover the 40-acre grounds as a substitute, maybe with a picnic within the woods. Absolutely, Rely Rossi Scotti would have needed it that means. Doubles from $600. —Laura Itkowitz
Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Resort, 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 numerous 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 the town’s key cultural and historic websites, just like the Zeitz Museum of Modern Artwork and Robben Island ferry gateway. Mid-century modern-style furnishings accented by geometric-patterned rugs, South African artisan-crafted ceramics, and unique modern artworks by Cape City artists has changed the outdated English decor, antiques, and dreary coloration palette. Rooms—significantly 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 house—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 varieties 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 elements, like Jerusalem artichokes from the Winelands and South Coast rock lobster from Cape City. Accessible resort. Doubles from $950. —Lane Nieset
Casa Loma Seaside Resort, Laguna Seaside, California
Chris Mottalini/Courtesy of Casa Loma Seaside Resort
Casa Loma was born from a $15-million renovation and complete rebrand of the previous Inn at Laguna Seaside—however that doesn’t imply it’s erased its previous. “What we tried to do with loads of sensitivity, respect, and humility is communicate to the roots and ethos of Laguna Seaside earlier than Laguna Seaside turned so acknowledged,” says John Grossman, the president of Marc & Rose Hospitality, the resort group behind Casa Loma. “We went a lot additional again in time to the start of what made Laguna Seaside so particular, and that was the artists.” It’s true: The resort maintains Laguna’s laid-back, bohemian roots, even with a location within the thick of the downtown buzz. A sun-worshipping goddess by the graphic designers at Land fills the principle foyer wall, setting the temper whereas a {custom} radio station performs curated tunes. As we walked the halls, my husband and I had been amused by the best way the playlist flowed seamlessly all through the resort—however we nonetheless couldn’t resist interrupting it with a vinyl on the LP&No.1 report participant in our oceanfront suite. The one facilities that paired even higher with the clifftop sundown view over Principal Seaside had been the picture-perfect charcuterie board and the agave spirit-only minibar beside it, recent lime ready to be sliced. Although it doesn’t have a restaurant, Casa Loma affords a menu of “grazing boards” utilizing native merchandise that pair properly with its checklist of natural juices and wines. They are often loved wherever visitors discover themselves in want of a snack, together with on the pool deck, the Pacific Terrace rooftop bar, and the (seasonal) cabanas on the seaside. All three are excellent spots to laze the day away, however we spent most of our time searching the retailers and galleries on our doorstep. “You’ll be able to park your automobile as soon as and by no means get in it once more,” Grossman advised me earlier than my go to, and whereas some would possibly anticipate to tour Orange County in a flashy sports activities automobile, we discovered one of the best ways to see the actual Laguna was early morning walks within the sand, self-curated afternoon artwork strolls, and heat cookies earlier than mattress in a quiet little resort that shortly got here to really feel like dwelling. Accessible resort. Doubles from $529. —Nina Ruggiero
Cascada, Portland, Oregon
Courtesy of CASCADA Thermal Springs + Resort
Lately, it looks as if any resort with a spa calls themselves a “wellness vacation spot.” However at Cascada Thermal Springs + Resort in Portland’s Alberta Arts District—a neighborhood full of unbiased boutiques, eating places, and galleries—that moniker feels well-earned. The centerpiece of this 100-room glass-and-timber resort is the town’s largest hydrothermal spa, comprising 5 swimming pools of various temperatures (plus steam and dry saunas), most of that are positioned in a dimly lit, cavernous subterranean house. Throughout my keep—over a cold March weekend—I visited the thermal baths thrice in as many days, biking between the ice-cold plunge pool at one finish and the steaming scorching one on the different, with lengthy dips within the mineral water swimming pools in between. It was an ideal foil to the sometimes drizzly spring climate in Portland. The well being and wellness ethos extends to each different a part of the property, too: the in-house cafe, Alberta Avenue Espresso, has nutritious, high-protein grab-and-go lunch choices alongside ethically sourced teas and low beans; two massive gyms (one for power coaching, one for cardio); and breathwork and meditation programming, together with the sound bathtub I did on my first night time, which used a mixture of high-vibration singing bowls, gongs, and the ethereal voice of our practitioner, Stephanie, that despatched me to a different realm. Cascada’s main restaurant, Terra Mae, in the meantime, serves a Japanese-Portuguese mashup menu with revelatory dishes just like the “Fisherman’s Stew” (black cod, miso, tiger prawns, and clams in a wealthy seafood broth) and a tonkatsu sandwich (Japanese breaded pork cutlet served between gentle milk bread and slicked with black garlic mayo) that’s value a go to, even if you happen to aren’t staying on the resort. Doubles from $299. —John Wogan
The Celestine, New Orleans
Alessandra Amodio/Journey + Leisure
Within the coronary heart of the French Quarter, this 18th-century constructing—as soon as a resort the place Tennessee Williams wrote “A Streetcar Named Need”—has reopened as The Celestine, a 10-room hideaway with a luxurious cocktail bar, Peychaud’s. Each room has four-poster beds, vintage furnishings, and in some instances, balconies overlooking the courtyard or the famed Toulouse Avenue. The resort does not have a restaurant, however affords dwell music most nights of the week, which I loved whereas sitting by the fountain within the courtyard. Once I requested the bartender to combine up his favourite tipple, he made a Roffignac, a NOLA basic, utilizing the unique 1938 recipe with eau-de-vie and raspberry shrub. Doubles from $250. —Alessandra Amodio
Cheval Blanc Seychelles
Oliver Fly/Courtesy of Cheval Blanc Seychelles
This 115-island nation within the Indian Ocean simply welcomed the LVMH resort model’s first African outpost. Cheval Blanc Seychelles does away with the anticipated thatched-roof aesthetic in favor of 52 modern-looking villas, with one to 5 bedrooms every, by celebrated designer Jean-Michel Gathy (Aman New York; Marina Bay Sands, in Singapore). I stayed in a smooth villa painted bone white, with views of aquamarine waves, a 41-foot-long pool, and an outside bathe I shared with a large snail sooner or later and a pair of curious geckos the following. The minimalist important lodge has stylish lounges, two infinity swimming pools, and 4 of the resort’s 5 elegant eating places. The fifth, Mizumi, is on the waterfront, serving East Asian dishes together with dim sum and wonderful sushi in a historic cottage. The Guerlain Spa has a hammam and eight hillside cabanas, every with completely different design touches: a quartz therapeutic massage desk in a single, mother-of-pearl partitions protecting one other. Doubles from $2,500. —Travis Levius
Clara Arte Resort, Inhotim, Brazil
Courtesy of Clara Arte Resort
After greater than a decade of anticipation, artwork buffs can now keep in a resort on the Inhotim Institute, one of many world’s largest open-air museums, about an hour and a half from the town of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Clara Arte opened in December 2024 on the fringe of the museum’s botanical backyard, which options 4,000 tropical plant species and 700 artworks throughout 24 stand-alone galleries, all designed by distinct architects. Clara Arte’s 46 stilted villas spill down a lush hill by the doorway; São Paulo-based designer Marina Linhares crammed each with stone and wooden furnishings that gesture to the panorama. All stays embrace three meals and a lavish afternoon “tea” with surprisingly sharp Brazilian brut and the addictive cheese bread pão de queijo. Because the solar units, you hearken to the chirps and croaks of the Atlantic Forest, or loosen up with a caipirinha on the piano bar, which hosts nightly bossa nova music. After all, the principle purpose you come right here is to browse modern artwork on the Inhotim Institute, a five-minute stroll away. It takes repeated visits to completely immerse your self within the towering installations, which embrace massive names like Matthew Barney and Yayoi Kusama. Accessible resort. Doubles from $410, all-inclusive. —Mark Johanson
Corinthia Grand Resort Astoria Brussels
Courtesy of Corinthia Grand Resort Astoria 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 live shows. I took afternoon tea beneath a 12-meter-high stained-glass roof painstakingly recreated from pictures of the unique. After shuttering for 17 years, this legendary tackle within the coronary heart of the Belgian capital is again and its new proprietor, Corinthia Lodges, has paid cautious respect to its wealthy historical past, right down to the soothing egg-white and sage-green heritage coloration scheme within the light-filled foyer, Palm Court docket. But the Maltese-owned luxurious resort group has been cautious to layer new with outdated. A whole subterranean ground devoted to wellness has been carved out to create the most important spa space of any resort within the metropolis, whereas the 126 rooms and suites have a basic modern really feel, with bespoke Belgian paintings hanging on the wall. Actually, the property is a poster for the perfect of Belgium at this time. 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 most likely solely uncover in case your trendy finest pal lived right here. Insider suggestions in Brussels are key and the concierge group can level you to the hidden cocktail spots, the neighborhoods the place stylish Parisians come to purchase antiques, the artwork galleries the place it’s best to linger, and, in fact, the perfect waffle joints on the town. Not solely does the opening herald a stage of luxurious the town’s resort scene had been lacking, however hopes are excessive that it additionally alerts a tourism revival for this underrated European capital. Accessible resort. Doubles from $745. —Chrissie McClatchie
Cunard’s Queen Anne
Courtesy of Cunard
Relating to cruise strains, there’s old-fashioned after which there’s Cunard. With a heritage courting again 180 years, the British model is without doubt one of the most fabled in maritime historical past, generally known as the operator of the famed Carpathia and the modern-day Queen Mary 2. Becoming a member of the fleet in Might 2024 was Queen Anne, Cunard’s first new ship in additional than a decade. With 1,498 cabins and an countless number of actions, it’s a quintessential trip vacation spot, providing an unabashed big-ship expertise, with dwell exhibits, a selection of swimming pools, a sizeable spa and wellness middle, and implausible eating at each the buffet (Artisans’ Foodhall) and within the a number of upscale eating places on board. But what stood out to me on a round-trip sail from Southampton, England, to Norway was how delightfully, properly, British the entire thing was: excessive tea every single day, two black-tie gala nights, the Golden Lion pub serving shepherd’s pie and correct pints, trivia contests with clues about Theresa Might and David Beckham. The ship additionally distinguishes itself by means of its 4 classes of journey; visitors e book into a category of service and are by extension granted entrance to the related eating room—although one can at all times go for an “various” restaurant, like the superb Sir Samuel’s steakhouse. I used to be glad with, if not blown away by, my entry-level Britannia lodging, that are a superb worth, beginning at lower than $1,200 per individual for a week-long journey, a beautiful balcony and all meals included. However an improve to Britannia Membership, Princess Grill, or Queens Grill is sort of actually value it if you happen to’ve bought room within the price range; the eating in “the Grills,” as they’re known as by Cunard regulars, is claimed to be a number of the finest at sea. Regardless of the normal hierarchy, everybody mingled across the pool and on the many wonderful bars on board. My fellow visitors had been relaxed, pleasant, and easily excited to be having a beautiful vacation at sea. I think about it’s been that means for almost 200 years. Accessible ship. Doubles from $1,199 per individual for a seven-night crusing. —Paul Brady
Delano Dubai
Natelee Cocks/Courtey of Delano Dubai
The brand new Delano Dubai brings a Miami-meets-Center East temper to the town’s Bluewaters Island, which is accessible from Dubai through 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 smooth rooms are full of mild, 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 visitors can dig into Turkish mezze platters. There’s a chic 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 night time, 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
Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure
Alessandra Amodio/Journey + Leisure
Disney Treasure, the newest addition to the fleet from the T+L reader-favorite cruise line, sailed its inaugural voyage in December 2024, inviting visitors to expertise beloved tales like “Aladdin,” “Moana,” and “Coco” in all-new methods, from theatrical dinners to Broadway-caliber stage exhibits. The ship’s 1,256 staterooms (with a most capability of 4,000 visitors) vary from cozy inside cabins and family-focused verandah rooms to the two-story Tomorrow Tower Suite, an Epcot-themed room contained in the ship’s ahead funnel. Disney nods to its personal theme parks and sights all through the brand new ship; bars impressed by beloved rides like Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise are among the many most sought-after spots on board (and had been my private favorites after spending three nights on the ship). Onboard eating experiences embrace the brand new Plaza de Coco restaurant—the setting for a Dia de los Muertos celebration with mariachis and a few visitors from the Land of the Lifeless—and the adults-only Enchanté, created by chef Arnaud Lallement of Michelin three-starred L’Assiette Champenoise in France. Participating children’ golf equipment and areas only for adults imply everybody can discover their model of a magical trip between memory-making moments, just like the breathtaking new “Disney the Story of Moana” present or Disney Cruise Line’s hallmark Pirate Night time celebrations. The Treasure’s inaugural season will supply seven-day Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries departing from Florida’s Port Canaveral. Accessible ship. Doubles from $1,098 for a three-night crusing. —Elizabeth Rhodes
Dunas de Formentera, Spain
Salva López/Journey + Leisure
Inside an hour of arriving at Dunas de Formentera, a 45-room retreat on the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, I had ditched my sneakers to stroll the undulating dunes. Formentera, a craggy 12-mile spit of land, is a low-key refuge from the social gathering scene in Ibiza, only a 30-minute ferry journey away. The resort is made up of 9 whitewashed bungalows a couple of steps from the seaside with its gentle sand and clear water. Its restaurant, Caliu, focuses on wood-fired dishes, just like the artichokes with cured egg yolk and ham that turned a favourite throughout my keep. Dunas places the eco in eco-resort: There are hourglasses within the bathe to maintain monitor of the time, and even the bedside telephones are made from wooden. I spent my days parked by the saltwater infinity pool, the place the cooling breezes had been, within the parched Spanish summer season, greater than welcome. Doubles from $550. —Julia Chaplin
The Dunes on the Waterfront, Ogunquit, Maine
Courtesy of The Dunes on the Waterfront
Should you’re after that old style, soft-focus imaginative and prescient of summertime in Maine—all white clapboard cottages, lobster shack lunches, and sailboats within the distance—then Ogunquit’s newly revamped Dunes on the Waterfront is the place to be. This seaside haven seems to be prefer it was plucked from a mid-century memento postcard, however a current $10-million overhaul by Maine hotelier Tim Harrington has ushered the 89-year-old resort into the fashionable period. Scattered throughout a 12-acre stretch of shoreline overlooking the Ogunquit River and the ocean past, the property’s 21 cottages are ethereal and recent, outfitted with spool beds, striped- and floral-print accents, and custom-made leather-based trunks that double as espresso tables. There’s no full-fledged restaurant, however sunny, easy comforts are a culinary throughline: I used to be charmed by heat chocolate chip cookies at check-in and pastries and a thermos of espresso on our door every morning, plus nightly s’mores by the firepit and a kitchenette stocked with treats like Topo Chico and Kettle chips. Some resorts hold visitors busy with a dizzying schedule of occasions and actions, however right here, lengthy, idle days felt, to me, like the last word luxurious. At Dunes on the Waterfront, the pleasure lies in flitting from one low-key seaside exercise to the following—studying in your screened-in porch, taking a dip within the heated pool, kayaking the Ogunquit River, and hopping aboard the resort’s natty yellow-striped Cabana Cruiser pontoon at excessive tide and hitching a journey to Ogunquit Seaside. And may languid afternoons lose their luster, you’re only a brief jaunt through seaside cruiser or golf-cart shuttle into city, the place a stroll alongside Marginal Approach, a present on the Ogunquit Playhouse, or a day mingling with the likes of Calder and Hopper on the Ogunquit Museum of American Artwork await. Accessible resort. Doubles from $650. —Lila Harron Battis
The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Assortment, Johns Island, South Carolina
Peter Frank Edwards/Journey + Leisure
South Carolina’s latest luxurious resort is a love letter to laid-back Lowcountry residing. The newest addition to Auberge Resorts Assortment—and the model’s first South Carolina resort—has 72 visitor rooms and suites unfold throughout a number of buildings that really feel extra like a bunch of Southern properties, many providing river and marsh views. Surrounded by marshland on Johns Island, the resort is simply 20 miles from downtown Charleston, however it’s a world of its personal. The property showcases designer Amanda Lindroth’s whimsical and nostalgic interiors that pair the pure great thing about the coast with a recent tackle the basic Lowcountry aesthetic, full with loads of pastels, wicker, and gingham. The Dunlin additionally has a serene Aster spa, a picture-perfect pool lined with Fifties-inspired umbrellas and loungers, and three eating places, plus a slew of actions that make the most of its Kiawah River location.
As a local South Carolinian, I’m well-versed within the magic of the Lowcountry. I checked into The Dunlin this previous fall with my sister (a Charleston native) for a women getaway. Taking within the sundown over Charleston swizzles on the porch, eating on caviar-topped fried oysters at signature restaurant Linnette’s, and dipping within the marshfront pool had been all highlights, however essentially the most thrilling second of our keep occurred throughout our Into the Salt Marsh tour, when greater than a dozen dolphins jumped and swam throughout our boat within the Kiawah River. Accessible resort. Doubles from $749. —Elizabeth Rhodes
The Emory, London
Courtesy of The Emory
As I approached The Emory—a brand new resort from the hospitality group behind London’s iconic Claridge’s and The Connaught—I anticipated some fanfare: a top-hat-donning doorman, a chandelier-lit foyer, slick signage. However I discovered nothing of the type; discretion is without doubt one of the resort’s many luxuries. The Emory is quietly tucked inside a glass-and-steel constructing from architect Richard Rogers, who designed Paris’s Centre Pompidou, a detour from the standard white-stucco façades that line the remainder of London’s Belgravia neighborhood. The resort lies proper subsequent to Hyde Park, and also you gained’t quickly neglect it: The 61 rooms—between 600 and three,000 sq. toes—have floor-to-ceiling home windows peering over the Royal Park. Each two flooring are the imaginative and prescient of a unique designer, together with Pierre Yves Rochon (The Savoy) and Alexandra Champalimaud (Raffles Singapore). My husband, son, and I stayed within the André Fu-designed Hyde Park Balcony Suite, and we fortunately made ourselves at dwelling: My 1-year-old son giggled as he shuffled from the huge closet to the sprawling, spa-like rest room throughout a rousing spherical of hide-and-seek, my husband helped himself to the complimentary in-suite snacks, I flipped by a espresso desk e book whereas lounging on the curved, cream-colored couch, and the three of us collectively loved a stunning breakfast unfold within the eating room each morning.
Different unique facilities embrace a rooftop bar with all of London on show; a personal cigar bar with moody lighting; complimentary airport transfers through black automobile or helicopter (the latter for these arriving by personal jet to close by airfields); and Surrenne, a four-floor members’ membership with a spa. A lot of the property feels hush-hush, however Jean-George Vongerichten’s ground-floor ABC Kitchens restaurant—the chef’s first U.Ok. outpost—is delightfully buzzing with chatter from each locals and visitors sharing colourful, plant-forward plates (rainbow beet carpaccio, roasted cauliflower dusted with purple zhug) that properly complement the brilliant Damien Hirst paintings splashed all around the partitions. Accessible resort. Doubles from $2,043. —Alisha Prakash
The Eve Resort 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 residing 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 street. From avenue stage, The Eve beckons with gleaming portals of pomegranate-red zellige tiles that led me into surprising 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 enjoying over and beneath 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 house 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 elegant trendy Greek at Olympus Eating and Southeast Asian plates at Island Radio—has remodeled Sydney’s Redfern neighborhood. Accessible resort. Doubles from $350. —Kendall Hill
Eriro, Tyrol, Austria
Alex Moling/Courtesy of Eriro
Bärig, a dialectical German phrase not often used past western Austria, means “great.” It’s the right description for Eriro, an expensive nine-room lodge perched on a meadow in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps. Its environment are superb, with mountains throughout; to the north is the Zugspitze, the very best peak in Germany, which straddles the border with Austria. Owned by three native households, Eriro goals to guard the delicate Alpine ecosystem; No new building is permitted in these meadows, so the lodge is technically a re-building, on the positioning of a derelict outdated inn painstakingly dismantled in order that the outdated wooden could possibly be reclaimed and utilized in Eriro’s ceiling paneling.
Although the lodge’s exterior is basic Alpine chalet, the inside is strikingly trendy, with hand-hewn wood furniture and massive image home windows. Almost every thing the kitchen serves, besides the espresso and a few wine, comes from inside a 50-mile radius; Since there’s no citrus, as an illustration, foraged berries present acidity, and the juice on the breakfast desk is apple and quince. Within the craft room, an area artisan affords wood-carving classes. Even the spa’s therapeutic massage oil is house-made, with herbs gathered from the close by woods. The nice and cozy welcome and comfortable vibes of Eriro are maybe finest embodied by the thick socks hand-knit from native wool which are given to each visitor on arrival. Doubles from $1,696, together with all meals. —Jeff Chu
Explora Journey’s Explora II
Ivan Sarfatti/Courtesy of Explora Journey
“We even have the most important lead-in suite in the whole class,” says Chris Austin, president of Explora Journeys in North America, explaining the ample 461 suites aboard the Explora II. I used to be on board to take a seven-day sail from Miami: two days at sea, then island-hopping by Anguilla, Dominica, Guadeloupe, and St. Martin, earlier than disembarking, with my husband and youngsters, in Puerto Rico. The ship, launched in September 2024, sails the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Arabian Peninsula, and is a research in luxurious, with 11 eating places, 12 bars and lounges, 4 swimming pools—one, the Helios Pool, reserved solely for adults—a pickleball courtroom, working monitor, leisure venues, a on line casino, a spa, a children’ membership, and even purchasing. The Explora II, the second within the fleet (and never the final, as 4 extra ships will comply with swimsuit, by 2028) has set a excessive bar for luxurious, from the decor–herringbone flooring, backlit quartz within the foyer bar, brushed suede banquettes within the eating rooms–to the meals. On the informal Emporium Market, the place meals are served all day and night time, my youngsters giddily ate by a roster of recent pastas and pizzas as I sampled choices from the uncooked bar. Fil Rouge, a proper French-inspired idea, affords time-capsule classics, like lobster thermidor and veal Wellington. However my favourite dish aboard the ship arrived on my remaining night time, on the European steakhouse, Marble & Co. Grill: an appetizer of fingerling potatoes, served in a hoop mildew and floating in a sea of Normandy butter, got here topped with a decadent quenelle of Calvisius caviar. Off ship, we waded by waterfalls in Dominica, explored botanic gardens in Guadeloupe, and snorkeled with barracuda in St. Martin. Nonetheless, the best pleasure, we discovered, lay within the journey, and never within the vacation spot. Accessible ship. Doubles from $2,295 per individual for a five-night crusing. —Hannah Selinger
The Flat Iron Resort, Asheville, North Carolina
Andy Body/Courtesy of The Flat Iron Resort
Consideration to historic element informs each side of The Flat Iron Hotel, a 71-key, restored Nineteen Twenties-era grand dame, which is filled with artwork deco parts, like an unique brass letterbox hanging between two hand-crank elevators, and a 1939 purple Steinway piano within the foyer. At numerous factors in its historical past, the constructing contained an array of companies—together with a bar, a dance studio, a detective’s workplace, and a barbershop—and all through the hallways, a collection of plaques depict the lives of a number of the characters who labored there. In the meantime, Luminosa, the ground-floor restaurant, honors Appalachia’s foodways. Every chunk showcases govt chef Graham Home’s sturdy connections to the area people of farmers and foragers, with dishes like paper-thin, crispy nation ham and grilled rapini with whipped herbed tallow and sorghum. The bar, Pink Ribbon Society, presents fascinating cocktails crafted from kitchen trim, foraged elements, and native spirits. One sip of the Meet Cute—gin, orange wine, chickweed, lemon, and honey—took me straight to the peak of summer season. Accessible resort. Doubles from $249. —Carrie Honaker
Few & Far Luvhondo, South Africa
Jemma Wild/Courtesy of Far & Away Luvhondo
A carbon-neutral lodge carved into South Africa’s distant Soutpansberg mountain vary, Few & Far Luvhondo is near the nation’s border with Zimbabwe. The resort, by the founders of the U.S. glamping empire Below Canvas, has simply six suites—all solar-powered and adorned with native artwork—plus a spa and a farm that grows produce used at Luvhondo’s restaurant (together with its wonderful arugula pesto). The resort’s showstopper is a solar-powered cable automobile—with an onboard bar. The sport drives are additionally spectacular; my favourite second was stalking leopards and figuring out their elusive tracks within the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. Doubles from $1,800 per individual, all-inclusive. —Carrie Honaker
4 Seasons Resort 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 up to date structure and wealthy historical past. The property has private and non-private ofuros (conventional Japanese baths) and a rooftop bar on the thirty seventh ground with impeccable views and nice drinks. However its most unusual function is the “Gensui” ground, the place every of the 21 ryokan-style rooms is within the design of conventional Japanese inns courting again to the eighth century (suppose tatami flooring, sliding doorways, and low-to-the-ground eating tables, all with out sacrificing trendy conveniences). The whole thirty sixth ground is devoted to the spa, which has metropolis views from every therapy room. The eating places are so good that visitors don’t have to go away the resort—no small feat in such an iconic meals metropolis. Farine, the grab-and-go bakery, had locals and visitors snagging treats like candy and savory stuffed brioches, whereas the resort’s flagship restaurant, Jiang Nan Chun, focuses on 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
4 Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol, Mexico
Erin Agostinelli/Journey+Leisure
Once I arrived in Los Cabos, six months pregnant with my second baby and away from my toddler for the primary time, I desperately wanted a break. The considerate, extra-attentive workers put me comfortable instantly; By no means was I in want of water, a recent towel, or a sunscreen refill. This should be how my toddler feels every single day, I assumed, as I sat in my personal cabana on the adults-only infinity pool, staring into the cerulean water simply past. The 96-room Four Seasons Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol occupies a major piece of actual property alongside the Baja California coast, recognized for its lovely, rugged seashores and lively marine life. I visited simply weeks shy of the humpback whale migration season, a lot to my dismay. However because of the guides on the beachside 360° Baja Journey Middle, who fitted me with flippers and helped me waddle into the waves, I used to be capable of spot faculties of tropical fish whereas snorkeling proper off the seaside. The suite I shared with my husband had a wraparound balcony with a personal plunge pool, the place I spent every morning, consuming my espresso and watching the solar rise over the Sea of Cortez, and the place, on the final night time, I noticed a big humpback whale soar from the water. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,500. —Erin Agostinelli
Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, Utah
Courtesy of Grand Hyatt Deer Valley
Rising like a stone-and-glass fortress alongside U.S. Route 40 in Utah, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley anchors what has been billed because the the most recent alpine ski space in North America since 1981. When accomplished, the ski space, Deer Valley East Village, could have 4,100 acres of skiable terrain, 130 trails, and a base village full of retailers, eating places, spas, and multimillion-dollar properties.
That imaginative and prescient started to take form this winter with the opening of the Grand Hyatt. I used to be greeted by a hovering, two-story foyer that led to a wall of glass framing the mighty Jordanelle Reservoir and the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains. A terrace with blazing firepits invited me to take a more in-depth look, however it began to snow, so I explored the nice and cozy and toasty foyer as a substitute. Once I visited the 436-room resort, there have been households seated on plush sofas round a hearth, decompressing after a day of snowboarding and having fun with artisanal scorching candies with Oreo cupcakes. Youngsters performed chess of their pajamas. {Couples} shared bottles of wine. Down a protracted hallway, youngsters in bathrobes and flip-flops had been working to the heated outside pool, which overlooks Deer Valley. In the meantime, a gradual stream of black SUVs rolled up, depositing yet one more batch of skiers and their mountain of substances. All of it appeared like organized chaos. And if it took somewhat longer for the s’mores cookies to reach, few appeared to thoughts. Company understood this was a brand new resort in a brand-new ski village. Whereas some kinks wanted to be labored out, they had been stoked to be among the many first to ski down the nation’s freshest trails. Accessible resort. Doubles from $799. —Denny Lee
Gundari, Folegandros, Greece
Ana Santl/Courtesy of Gundari
Folegandros, an unspoiled island about eight miles lengthy, is barely a 50-minute ferry journey from busy Santorini, however it seems like one other world. Excessive on a abandoned clifftop overlooking the Sea of Crete, Gundari would really feel radical anyplace. However on this location, the hypermodern resort feels nearly revolutionary. After opening, the property’s 30 cliffside suites and villas shortly turned Instagram-famous. However Gundari’s ambitions go far past the visible. The principle restaurant, Orizon, is run by Lefteris Lazarou, who earned the Athens restaurant Varoulko a Michelin star. Lazarou’s moussaka, made with shrimp as a substitute of the normal lamb, was mild and fragrant; a risotto of brown orzo with Greek cheese, chili pepper, and wine from the close by island of Lemnos was by some means each healthful and indulgent. There’s additionally a putting subterranean spa the place an Australian therapist gave me a world-class therapeutic massage utilizing oils infused with Greek botanicals. Doubles from $654. —Flora Stubbs
Resort d’Inghilterra, Rome
Courtesy of Starhotels
While you arrive at Hotel d’Inghilterra, comply with 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 visitors of the close by Palazzo Torlonia, this hideaway steps from Piazza di Spagna, on the base of the Spanish steps, and posh purchasing avenue through 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 not too long ago 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 encircling 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
Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxurious Assortment Resort, Good, France
Juliette Charvet/Journey + Leisure
Hidden away in Good’s Outdated City, Hôtel du Couvent is the stylish property this coastal metropolis craved. The Seventeenth-century convent—dwelling to the Poor Clare and Salesian orders till the Nineteen Eighties—bought a $100-million renovation and is now a resort with 88 visitor rooms. Mine had Italian flea-market finds and {custom} furnishings constructed from outdated ceiling beams. A terraced backyard comprises greater than 300 plant species, a lot of which provide the three on-site eating places. Underground is a recent interpretation of the Roman baths excavated in close by Cimiez, with a heat tepidarium, a scorching caldarium, and a frigidarium, or chilly plunge. The latter was significantly restorative, as was the Negroni No. 2 at Le Bar, within the cloister, which provides beets and strawberries to the basic recipe. It was a delicate reinvention that, just like the resort itself, improved upon the unique with out shedding its soul. Accessible resort. Doubles from $545. —Paul Jebara
Resort Hana, Paris
Courtesy of Resort Hana
East playfully meets West at Hotel Hana in Paris’s second arrondissement. This boutique magnificence occupies a Haussmann constructing on the fringe of the 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 once I arrived. A spacious rest room fetchingly outfitted in rust-red and cream checkerboard marble got here stocked with Diptyque toiletries. I significantly loved the mornings bathed in golden mild, 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 affords revolutionary cocktails, like a sansho-pepper martini made with Japanese gin. Publish-prandial leisure awaits in a reiki or reflexology therapy at Hana Spa, or an invigorating counter-current pool, which you’ll be able to e book 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 your step lies buzzy Rue Sainte-Anne, the place neon-lit karaoke joints, udon bars, and matcha cafes supply a myriad of how to cap off your night time earlier than retreating to the tactile comforts of your room. Accessible resort. Doubles from $431. —Shamilee Vellu
Resort Humano, Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Edmund Sumner/Courtesy of Grupo Habita
When Hotel Humano opened in December 2024 within the La Punta Zicatela zone of Puerto Escondido, the visage of this backpacker surf spot bought a pleasant slather of high-end SPF. Constructed with concrete and latticed brickwork and studded with stick-in-your-mind design parts, like a dramatic burgundy tile motif, the 39-room property inserts sophistication in between the beachwear boutiques and fish taco grill-outs. The centerpiece pool, lined with royal palm timber and a hovering palapa restaurant, may maintain your consideration all day, with icy Mexican lagers and ample daybed loungers. However La Punta shouldn’t be the sort of seaside city the place you come to only veg out, and Resort Humano capabilities finest as a sort of luxurious base camp. On my first morning, the resort organized a lesson for me with their go-to surf faculty, Artwork of Browsing. Whereas the principle stretch of Zicatela Seaside to the north is a pro-surfer paradise, the cliff-hugging nook of La Punta is ideal for learners. Because the solar began to go down, I made my approach to Humano’s rooftop bar. On the weekends, DJ units create a dancey vibe, however throughout my keep the temper was decidedly extra impressed—I watched vacationers at two separate tables sitting quietly, penning their reflections into journals, and felt compelled to do the identical. Accessible resort. Doubles from $195. —David Shortell
Resort Saint Augustine, Houston
Taylor McIntyre/Journey + Leisure
The 71-room Hotel Saint Augustine, in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, occupies prime actual property, adjoining to the Menil Collection—a monumental museum with key Twentieth-century works by Picasso, Matisse, and Pollock. There are different nods to Houston historical past and trivia: the restaurant Perseid, named for the meteor bathe, nods to the town’s significance in house exploration; a cocktail, the Noble Night time Heron, with white rum, rhum agricole, lemongrass, pineapple, and lime, is called after the town’s official chook. Certainly, the title Saint Augustine is taken from Augustus Chapman, who helped discovered Houston in 1836. The brand new keep from Bunkhouse Lodges feels true to the vacation spot and is an ideal addition to Houston’s rising hospitality scene. Accessible resort. Doubles from $429. —Taylor McIntyre
Jacumba Sizzling Springs Resort, California
Luis Garcia/Journey + Leisure
Jacumba Sizzling Springs, with a inhabitants simply shy of 900, lies about 70 miles east of San Diego. There aren’t any stoplights and barely any companies, only a few retailers and weathered ranch-style properties. Driving in, it appeared like a gold-mining village from the Outdated West. However then I noticed a fab signal that learn: “Restaurant. Bar. Mineral Swimming pools. Enter the Vortex.” These mineral-water swimming pools, fed by underground scorching springs, are the principle draw of this 20-room property, however as I discovered throughout my keep, there’s a lot extra. A darkish grotto bar and its Mexican-inspired cocktails—the border is ever seen from the city’s important street—invite visitors and locals to step away from time and revel in a Oaxacan quaint or a zero-proof marg. The indoor-outdoor restaurant serves modern California fusion: Sonoran brief rib with charred cauliflower, carnitas tacos. There are various methods to loosen up throughout the resort’s partitions: yoga lessons, soundbaths, or just studying a e book together with your toes dipped within the mineral waters. (Daytrippers may also purchase a visitor cross to the swimming pools and reserve a cabana.) However the magic additionally extends off-property. When the brand new homeowners bought the resort, additionally they acquired a close-by lake that they restored and opened to the general public, plus a number of close by outdated storefronts, which they plan to become much more eating places and retailers. One spotlight is an outdated bathhouse that’s solely a two-minute stroll from the resort. Jacumba’s homeowners transformed it into an open-air live performance house, the place native musicians carry out weekly. Warmed by warmth lamps and candle mild, beneath a superb cover of stars, I couldn’t have requested for far more. Doubles from $220. —Rosecrans Baldwin
Jannah Lamu, Kenya
LEILA BREWSTER/Courtesy of Jannah Lamu
For many years, on Lamu, a tiny island off the coast of Kenya that has lengthy been modern with a sure free-spirited European crowd, the Peponi has been the trendy resort of selection. Now, because of the opening of Jannah Lamu (the phrase jannah means “paradise” in Arabic), there’s one other extraordinary place to remain. This elegant and quirky B&B—with seven lodging—within the village of Shela is owned and designed by Kenyan designer Anna Trzebinski. Some rooms have stained-glass home windows, others have bespoke wood-carved furnishings, and all have Trzebinski-designed materials. Whereas there isn’t a restaurant on web site, there’s a decadent breakfast, together with sliced avocados, recent fruit, samosas, and fried donut-like treats known as kaimati. The property additionally recommends a number of cafes that ship scrumptious Swahili dishes so visitors can dine on one of many property’s wind-swept terraces. Whereas positioned on Shela’s important sq. fairly than on the seaside, the property affords visitors the choice to spend time on certainly one of three superbly crafted conventional boats. There’s nothing like crusing one of many elegant wood dhows (with a canopied deck coated in pillows) by mangrove-lined channels, then diving into water, earlier than a picnic of grilled lobster and fish curry again on deck. Doubles from $350. —Gisela Williams
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 lower cost level than its ultra-luxe sibling. At Janu Tokyo, the 122 rooms and suites are serene and spacious; most have personal balconies (mine got here with a view of Tokyo Tower). The eight eating places lure each visitors and locals, however the greatest draw is the 43,000-square-foot wellness middle, 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 powerful health club with 5 motion studios. Centrally positioned, Janu is a relaxed and modern base from which to discover the town. Doubles from $1,068. —Rebekah Peppler
Kibale Lodge, Uganda
Courtesy of Kibale Lodge
Kibale Forest in western Uganda, is named the perfect place on the earth to see chimpanzees, and there’s no higher base to discover this underrated a part of Africa than Kibale Lodge, a brief drive away. The lodge is Volcanoes Safaris’ fifth on their nice ape safari circuits by Uganda and Rwanda. Perched excessive on a ridge, the property boasts spectacular 360-degree views of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains and greenery of rural Uganda. It’s an intimate affair, with simply eight papyrus-thatched bandas, every solar-powered and handbuilt by proficient native craftspeople. On the coronary heart of the lodge, a welcoming widespread space encourages visitors to collect for drinks and meals, together with Ugandan specialities and extra acquainted dishes utilizing native or homegrown elements. I swapped safari tales with my fellow guests over freshly caught tilapia, firinda (bean stew), and dodo (steamed greens), whereas treks had been fueled by freshly squeezed passionfruit juice and on-the-go “rolex” (rolled omelettes). The principle draw to Kibale Lodge is, in fact, the chimpanzees, however it’s properly value taking the time to benefit from the 150 acres of rewilded grounds right here, together with the pool, sauna, and complimentary massages to ease post-trek aches. It’s the right sanctuary to retreat to after looking for primates within the thick Ugandan jungle. Doubles from $990, all-inclusive. —Gisela Williams
Kimpton Bem Budapest, Hungary
Jancsó Gergely/Greg Photos/IHG/courtesy of Kimpton BEM Budapest
Once I arrived at Kimpton Bem Budapest, I used to be offered with a welcome drink that appeared, to my non-expert palate, like a fantastic Champagne. However these had been flutes of pezsgő, Hungarian glowing wine. This preliminary toast is simply one of many methods the brand new property stays rooted in Hungary and its beguiling capital metropolis, whereas bringing one thing recent to a resort scene recognized principally for its stately grand dames. Housed in a Nineteenth-century former barracks on Buda’s Bem József Sq., the resort’s neoclassical exterior belies the flamboyant, quintessentially Kimpton type inside. The imaginative and prescient of Dutch inside designer Marcel Wanders is eclectic however wealthy with folkloric and historic reference: a big stag sculpture on the middle of the foyer is a reference to the csodaszarvas, a central determine within the Hungarian origin fable; the ornate mosaic protecting the reception desk (and the towering tiled columns of AGOS, the principle restaurant) would possibly conjure Budapest’s Roman or Ottoman eras. At Fennen, the rooftop lounge, and the ground-floor Bar Huso, the drinks checklist consists of loads of pálinka, the native brandy. Wanders’ signature whimsy additionally shines by in every of the 127 visitor rooms and suites: Some have partitions that appear wrapped in purple velvet, for instance, whereas others are coated with huge white poppies. Mine had a carpet—patterned just like the foamy floor of a darkish, stormy sea—which appeared to mix into the wall behind the mattress, printed with ocean creatures and dramatic waves. They echoed the rolling blue Danube proper exterior my window. Doubles from $263. —Hannah Walhout
La Roqqa, Porto Ercole, Italy
Courtesy of La Roqqa
It was Giorgio Bonotto, La Roqqa’s simpatico basic supervisor, who provided the phrases I’d been looking for. I’d organized to fulfill him for aperitivi on the resort’s roof terrace, with its views over Tuscan rooftops and a harbor filled with bobbing boats. The Sixteenth-century fort that crowns the hill throughout the bay was absorbing the final rays of the setting solar as he mentioned, “I like to explain La Roqqa as an city resort in the midst of a fishing village.” I want I’d considered that. It is the distinction between the stylish inside design and the refreshing authenticity of Porto Ercole, the laid-back coastal city exterior its doorways, that makes the 55-room La Roqqa such an unique arrival on the Tuscan scene. Stroll 10 minutes to the port and also you’re in a movie about small-town Italy, wherein grandparents and youngsters stroll alongside the jetty, gelato in hand. Stroll, or be pushed in certainly one of La Roqqa’s electrical vehicles, 10 minutes within the different course and also you’re in a dolce vita romance set in a wild, rocky bay the place lovely, tanned folks loll on loungers on the resort’s seaside membership. Accessible resort. Doubles from $515. —Lee Marshall
Le Château de Théoule, Théoule-sur-Mer, France
Gaelle Le Boulicaut/Courtesy of Château de Théoule
After greater than a decade residing in France, I’ve seen my justifiable share of castles, however Château de Théoule is completely different. Like a cat with 9 lives, the constructing has undergone a number of renovations since its humble begin as a savonnerie, or cleaning soap manufacturing facility, in 1630. For this newest reinvention right into a 44-room retreat, inside decorator and vintage seller Marie-Christine Mecoen paid tribute to the château’s former homeowners (which embrace a Scottish lord and rich French silk retailers) with delicate touches. Every room’s design is anchored round a hand-picked vintage, so no two are alike. Some are outfitted with luxurious, draped silk headboards and boudoir-style fringe lamps. My ochre-colored duplex room, dubbed La Valériane (after the flower utilized in fragrance), channeled a Nineteen Sixties South of France vibe, with floor-to-ceiling gauzy, eggshell-white {custom} linen curtains, violet velvet armchairs, and rattan palm tree lighting fixtures. I additionally appreciated the relaxed location—not like close by Cannes, with its worldwide jet-setters, the city of Théoule-sur-Mer attracts in-the-know locals who come to hike trails within the surrounding Massif de l’Estérel mountains, and get away from all of it. Doubles from $680. —Lane Nieset
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 protected 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 properly 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 strains mirror the modernized artwork deco decor. And on the seventh ground, 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 condominium wherein each vintage, {custom}, and one-of-a-kind piece is obtainable to ship dwelling. If solely I may have shipped dwelling the chocolate mousse. Accessible resort. Doubles from $331. —Christine Muhlke
Le Mas Candille, Mougins, France
Courtesy of Le Mas Candille
Le Mas Candille, set within the hilltop village of Mougins within the French Riviera, appears to outline the realm’s storied glamour. With majestic views of the bay of Cannes and the Lérins Islands, it’s simple to be swept away by the surroundings, however the interiors of this 46-room property—which initially opened in 2001 and has come again to life after a cautious restoration by French-Mexican architect Hugo Toro—are simply as compelling. Furnishings and decor was sourced at Provençal flea markets, and I adored the inexperienced carpet and matching drapes in my suite (each custom-crafted by Toro). The Clarins spa was one other revelation. After a number of laps within the indoor-outdoor heated swimming pool, I relaxed within the steam room and even braved the chilly plunge pool, earlier than an hour-long facial with plant extracts, nearly all of which had been grown on the property. Properly-nourished by chef Romain Antoine’s Mediterranean-inspired feast of langoustine and scallops, I retired to the library to skim the gathering of classics. Accessible resort. Doubles from $532. —Kasia Dietz
Les Lumières, Versailles, France
Courtesy of Resort Les Lumières
It’s simple to really feel like royalty when staying at Les Lumières, a resort throughout the road from the Château de Versailles. In all places, there are gestures to France’s most well-known palace: The gold-plated bar at Le Bar des Philosophes pays homage to Louis XIV’s courtroom outfits, and the resort perfume is by Trudon, a Versailles candlemaker that dates again to 1643. The 31 rooms and suites are additionally named after famed French writers and philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment, like Voltaire and Denis Diderot, and explorers, like Navy officer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. All of it contributes to a sense of studying, information, and contemplation. (There was even a journal in my suite for me to write down in and take dwelling.) I additionally took benefit of the Dream Machine amenity, a lightweight machine dropped at my room for a self-hypnosis expertise. Accessible resort. Doubles from $428. —Robin Allison Davis
Longfellow Resort, Portland, Maine
Carly Rudd/Courtesy of 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 examine all of the bins fairly like Longfellow, which opened this spring within the picturesque West Finish, far—however not too far, significantly with a fleet of bicycles and a complimentary chauffeur on supply—from the throngs of vacationers crowding the Outdated Port. The 48-room property is the town’s first really luxurious mid-size boutique keep, thanks partially to the hand of hotel-design heavyweight Publish Firm. The sweeping foyer lounge, with its hovering home windows, geometric brass chandeliers, and gilt-framed oil work, is a chic marriage of basic and modern. Throughout my keep, it was abuzz with visitors and locals, significantly within the evenings, when it remodeled into 5 of Golf equipment, a bar serving eclectic small plates equivalent 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 visitors to heretofore unknown planes of leisure.) This being a metropolis resort, you’d be remiss to not discover Portland, and several other gems lie simply exterior your step: 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 have a look at this vibrant little metropolis by the ocean. Accessible resort. Doubles from $499. —Lila Haron Battis
The Lotus Palace, India
Courtesy of The Lotus Palace
The ornate mansions of Chettinad, in southern India, have, for a number of years now, been on the radar of structure and design lovers. In-built each conceivable aesthetic type, a number of of those grand residences have been became landmark lodges. However once I visited the 15-key Lotus Palace, which is housed in a historic 1790s construction, it felt recent, because of using daring colours like vermilion and bottle inexperienced and French home windows that give the rooms a way of airiness. Whereas the resort’s Ayurvedic spa isn’t a primary for this area, the cocktail bar actually is. You could come for the design, however you’ll keep for the meals and experiences. Anticipate hyperlocal snacks at excessive tea and home-style delicacies that displays seasonal meals habits. Signature experiences embrace swimming in an area’s properly and visits to archaeologically important temples. Doubles from $206. —Prasad Ramamurthy
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, the 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 fairly 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 constructed 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 residences, 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 dwelling 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 purchasing 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 (suppose 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 residences, and a subterranean spa with an 82-foot-long pool. The foyer concierge and check-in desks are welcoming, barely demure areas that make means for the actual heartbeat of the resort: the spectacular, triple-story house anchored by a spiral staircase common 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 night time. 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 completely eliminated, cocooned even, from the motion; image hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, marble loos, 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 group 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 thing beneath the solar, I discover it’s the little issues that depend. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,079. —Jacqui Gifford
Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing
Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental
Brochure phrases equivalent to “genuine experiences” and “residing like an area” have grow to be clichés, with each city resort claiming to immerse its visitors within the surrounding neighborhood. Few, nonetheless, ship on that promise fairly as actually as the brand new Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, the model’s second outpost within the Chinese language capital. Scattered round a conventional hutong neighborhood on the perimeter of central Beijing’s Forbidden Metropolis, the resort’s 42 courtyard suites alternate with native properties alongside the hutong‘s stone-paved alleys. Right here, your neighbors aren’t different resort visitors, however actual Beijingers going about their each day lives.
The suites take over meticulously renovated courtyard homes and mix heritage with excessive design: beneath their century-old wood ceiling beams, they function marble-clad loos, plush residing rooms furnished with modern Chinese language artwork, and beds framed in beautiful headboards from brass and silk embroidery. The communal areas are equally woven all through the district. The foyer, set in a gingerbread-trimmed siheyuan courtyard constructing on the hutong‘s perimeter, doubles as a day tea lounge, and connects to a village-like wellness middle with a Chinese language tea home, spa, and courtyard for qi yuan gong baths. One alley over, Yan Backyard by chef Fei offers in fantastic Cantonese and Chaozhou specialities equivalent to butter-smooth pork char siu and deep-fried fish maw. The resort’s perch connects visitors to Beijing’s courtyard tradition, weaving amid native dumpling joints and ni hao-nodding centenarians. This is not only a recent addition to the town’s already star-studded resort lineup, however a daring experiment that radically redefines what a resort may be. Doubles from $1,777. —Chris Schalkx
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 Customary Worldwide spin-off that simply opened in SoHo. It spans 13 flooring, full with The Rooftop—a bar serving mild bites that can open solely to resort visitors in Might, with metropolis views and all. The second ground is a gathering house, centered round a colossal floor-to-ceiling fire with plush couches and chairs sprawled alongside the encircling 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 hen 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 bought prepared for dinner. Accessible resort. Doubles from $799. —Jess Feldman
Mara Toto Tree Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya
Andrew Howard/Courtesy of Nice Plains Conservation
The safari began from the aircraft. I noticed my first elephants whereas approaching the Ol Kiombo Airstrip, a 45-minute flight from Nairobi. After landing, I spied warthogs, Cape buffalo, and Grant’s gazelles—their coats glowing pale yellow within the East African solar—on the drive to Mara Toto Tree Camp, a Nice Plains Conservation camp run by safari stars and legendary conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert. What they’ve created here’s a feeling of complete immersion and intimacy: Mara Toto Tree Camp has simply 4 tented suites on the Ntiakitiak River. Each, lifted almost 10 toes off the bottom and linked with snaking wood walkways, feels a bit like a tree home, with all the journey you could possibly ask for. After all, the lodging are exceedingly snug, and the hearth dinners of blackened ribeye, herb salads, and creamy native cheeses are scrumptious. However you’re actually right here for the sport drives, that are unmatched. Mara Toto has entry to each Maasai Mara Nationwide Reserve and Mara North Conservancy, the latter part of the identical ecosystem, however with a fraction of the crowds. “Privateness counts,” says Dereck. “It’s a must to watch out to keep away from the abundance of tourism, however in Kenya, there are greater than sufficient personal corners in nature to discover.” I might say this nook is without doubt one of the finest. Doubles from $1,445 per individual per night time, all-inclusive. —Nicole Trilivas
Marisma Camps, Patagonia, Argentina
Sofia Franchella/Courtesy of Marisma Camps
With species together with Magellanic penguins, sea lions, and 5 varieties of whales, Argentina’s southerly Chubut Province nearly feels just like the Galapagos of Patagonia. It’s on this pristine stretch of untamed land, between the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, that Rewilding Argentina, a conservation NGO, has constructed Marisma Camps. Marisma has simply six stand-alone casitas, made within the native type with corrugated steel and quaint wood trims. Every is rustic and cushty, providing a personal deck overlooking the South Atlantic, with woolen blankets to cozy up with.
Stays are all-inclusive, with three meals and two each day excursions. I went on a gaucho-led horse journey by the golden steppe at sundown, in addition to a dawn hike to Tehuelche shell mounds, the place my information spoke of the realm’s Indigenous historical past. I additionally cold-plunged in a protected cove, mountain biked down the brown-sand coast, and kayaked the namesake marisma, or tidal marsh. Llama-like guanacos, dwarf armadillos, and big flightless birds, known as choiques, had been all frequent guests. Company dine collectively on three-course menus at a protracted wood desk, sharing tales of each day outings and wildlife sightings. If Patagonia’s infamous winds dissipate, there are even nightly bonfires and asado-style barbecues by the ocean. From $230 per individual per night time, all-inclusive. —Mark Johanson
Maryhill Property, Glumslöv, Sweden
VIKTOR NILSSON/Courtesy of Maryhill Property
At Maryhill Estate, set in Skåne on Sweden’s southern coast and a fast prepare journey from Copenhagen, groovy tunes set a laid-back temper as quickly as I walked in. One other hit from Nordic hospitality firm ESS Group, this resort, with luscious Swedish baths and 163 rooms, takes over the historic Hill Home fort, courting again to 1918. The floral decor all through the huge residing areas evokes an everlasting spring. I settled right into a velvet armchair in my swanky suite overlooking one of many 4 heated outside swimming pools and inhaled the coastal views. Comfortable beds and curiosities within the type of paintings, books, and video games enhance every of the country-chic rooms. After a glass of Champagne on the Sugar Pool Bar, a protracted balmy bathtub beneath a crisp night time sky renewed and refreshed me. As I floated again to my suite, I eyed the animated teams of colleagues and mates circling the billiard tables, dart boards, and backgammon units. With 11 bars and two eating places–one serving French-Scandi delicacies, the opposite targeted on Mediterranean classics, there is no lack of foods and drinks. Come morning, I felt overdressed as a number of visitors poured over the beneficiant breakfast buffet of their plush inexperienced bathrobes, nonetheless glowing from a morning dip. Accessible resort. Doubles from $270. —Kasia Dietz
Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, Turkey
Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum
Final Might, Türkiye’s Maxx Royal Resorts made a showstopping entrance into the luxurious resort scene on the Bodrum Peninsula with Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, a wildly stylish paradise that appears to sprout organically from the dreamy Aegean panorama. Low-slung suites and villas, a few of which flank the watery fringe of a brilliantly conceived, nearly labyrinthine pool, unfurl right down to a secluded bay and seaside. All have balconies or terraces, and plenty of have personal swimming pools. The resort is constructed principally of {smooth} stone and wooden, giving it heat and class. With seven eating places and 4 bars, the gastronomy is uniformly very good, and eliminates the necessity to ever enterprise off property. Partnerships with Caviar Kaspia, way of life hospitality model Scorpios, and Spago by Wolfgang Puck amongst others supply worldwide cachet. The 62,000-square foot Maxx Wellbeing Centre can be a dizzying universe of wellness and an oasis of serenity. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,129. —Marcia DeSanctis
Melbourne Place
Courtesy of Melbourne Place
Melbourne has lengthy been thought-about the inventive capital of Australia however till now hasn’t had a resort that actually captures its character. Enter Melbourne Place, a particular 14-story tower latticed in concrete and glass on downtown’s vibrant Russell Avenue. Architects Kennedy Nolan have distilled the town’s essence into this 191-room resort, showcasing spectacular artwork, together with hyper-realist portraits by South Sudanese-Australian artist Atong Atem. The textured rooms, gleaming with oiled jarrah wooden and Australian terrazzo and marble, vary from 205-square-foot On a regular basis Queens to the 1,460-square-foot Daybreak Penthouse with a 10-seat eating desk and child grand piano. My Horizon suite one ground under was a 700-square-foot pleasure pad with a terrace, eating for eight, and a musk-pink hallway bathtub. Avenue-level restaurant Marmelo channels Iberia in hand-painted azulejo tiles and a brashly scrumptious menu the place Portuguese tarts flip savory with celeriac and spanner crab and the {custom} charcoal grill lends smoky depths to entire fish and paella-style arroz de marisco. Basement bar Mr. Mills (with a separate laneway entrance; very Melbourne) radiates supper-club vibes from its velvet and timber surrounds, tapas-style snacks, and Douro Valley wines. However its rooftop bar Mid Air that finest captures the town’s spirit. With Mediterranean-inspired menus by rising star Nick Deligiannis and a drinks checklist that leans into distinctive wines from Australia and overseas, this indoor-outdoor house with fire and brick masonry “eyes” framing skyline views is a dramatic stage to play out life’s dramas. Accessible resort. Doubles from $190. —Ok.H.
Naturally Pacific Resort, Campbell River, British Columbia
Michael Vanarey/Courtesy of Naturally Pacific
Stepping by the foyer doorways of Naturally Pacific Resort, within the city of Campbell River on Vancouver Island, I got here face-to-face with life-size images of the realm’s highly effective panorama: the dashing waters at Myra Falls, snow-covered Mount Washington, grizzly bears looking salmon within the Bute Inlet. These shows of untamed magnificence lengthen to the 100 rooms: textured wall coverings in blues and greens, earth-toned furnishings, and stone counters and vanities. It additionally has a ten,000-square-foot backyard, an apiary, and an orchard, which provide the resort’s restaurant. However maybe essentially the most memorable function was the choice to say no housekeeping and, as a substitute, buy one sq. meter of protected rainforest in my title by the resort’s accomplice, Wilderness Worldwide. Accessible resort. Doubles from $124. —Carrie Honaker
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Rafael Luhrs/Courtesy of Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Peninsula Papagayo
I spent my first night at Nekajui—the Ritz-Carlton Reserve’s latest resort, on Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo—midway down a cliff at a tented tree home bar. The sundown had turned the entire sky a darkish pink, the identical coloration as my cocktail, a Negroni sbagliato made with hibiscus and mango leaf focus. These views are par for the course on the 107-room cliffside resort. The subsequent day, I loaded my eight-month-old son into the glass elevator, which takes visitors right down to Niri Seaside Membership, narrating the view to him as we descended; We may see azure water lapping in opposition to a half moon–formed cove. On the seaside membership, we grabbed a wicker sofa overlooking the water, the place we slurped eagerly from child coconuts and shared tapas (mashed Spanish tortilla for him, wood-fired prawns and pan con tomate for me). There’s a bevy of excursions on Peninsula Papagayo that visitors can e book at Nekajui’s Explorers Membership—zip lining, mountain climbing, snorkeling, and ATV off-roading included. However we caught most of our thrills on the resort, navigating the suspension bridge that connects fine-dining Peruvian restaurant Puna to extra out-of-the-way suites, lazing in a poolside cabana, visiting the spa to strive all of the jets in Central America’s largest hydrotherapy pool, and strolling right down to the seaside to really feel the nice and cozy water on our toes. Doubles from $2,390. —Maya Kachroo-Levine
Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Saudi Arabia
Courtesy of Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
On a distant archipelago off Saudi Arabia’s Pink Coastline, the primary Ritz-Carlton Reserve within the Center East fulfils each desert island fantasy: Nujuma’s pearl-white sands may have been scooped from the Seychelles, and its calm, turquoise shallows stolen from Zanzibar, Mauritius, or the Andaman isles. However don’t be fooled: it’s all pure and all Saudi Arabian. From Neyrah Spa’s moringa oil used for massages to Tabrah restaurant’s recent sea bream (served nonetheless scorching from the coals), Nujuma champions Saudi-sourced elements. The resort opened in Might 2024, simply a few months after the region first opened to tourism. Earlier than that, the islands—reached by a 30-minute speedboat journey from the mainland—had been frequented solely by fishermen.
As a first-time customer to Saudi, I used to be captivated by Nujuma’s insights into the nation’s tradition. Its in-house specialists supply cultural perception through casual Q&As, whereas tours embrace diving on the Pink Sea’s pristine reef, planting mangroves, and stargazing with an area astrophysicist. Below a velvet-black sky, I used to be spellbound by Habib Bafeil’s tales of how historic seafarers used the celebrities to navigate—and I returned to my villa to discover a telescope arrange beside my personal pool. With solely the ocean breeze for firm, I explored the complete moon’s craters in breathtaking element. The resort’s 63 villas, designed by Foster + Partners, are spacious, shell-inspired domes, certainly one of which is tailored for wheelchairs (and the whole resort is step-free). They’re scattered throughout the seaside and overwater promenade, laden with luxuries, like butler service, Diptyque toiletries, and sea views from mattress. Accessible resort. Doubles from $2,133. —Hazel Plush
One&Solely Kéa Island, Greece
Marco Argüello/Journey + Leisure
The street that results in Greece’s first One&Only resort shouldn’t be for the faint of coronary heart. The hairpin bends between precipitous valleys and parched hills seem to careen off the cliffs into the ocean till you’re lastly ushered to the highest and step into an enormous, light-filled atrium. From this panoramic hilltop pinnacle, tiers of double-height, glass-fronted villas cascade right down to a sheltered cove and seaside membership. After all, you could possibly skip the drive altogether and are available by speedboat (a 45-minute, adrenaline-fueled journey from the Greek mainland), by helicopter (there’s no airport on Kéa), and even on foot (through a stunning coastal path from Pisses seaside). Higher but, constitution Stavros, a good-looking wood kaiki moored on the personal jetty, for mild cruises round Kéa’s beach-fringed shoreline. Right here, it’s all too simple to easily hunker down on the resort and give up to the blissful isolation and solicitous consideration. I spent hours idly watching seagulls from my miniature infinity pool or considering the play of sunshine on the hazy hills etched on the horizon from Kosmos bar. A devoted host is on name 24/7 through WhatsApp to e book spa remedies, tennis classes, diving periods, or dinner reservations. I discovered the big spa a bit sterile, however the sea-view yoga pavilion motivated me to get in a exercise earlier than a protracted, gradual breakfast of kayianas (scrambled eggs with tomatoes, feta, and oregano) and a chilled infusion of chamomile blossom. Doubles from $1,672. —Rachel Howard
Ovo Patagonia, Argentina
Cristóbal Palma/Journey + Leisure
The journey to this assortment of 4 egg-shaped capsules suspended 885 toes up a cliff is an journey in itself. After arriving at El Chaltén, a city on the north entrance of Argentina’s Los Glaciares Nationwide Park, I transferred to Estancia Bonanza, the place a 4 x 4 took me to the reception home of Ovo Patagonia. From there, a information accompanied me on a brief hike to the bottom camp to loosen up awhile earlier than setting out on a through ferrata climbing path as much as my sleeping pod. Every has three ranges: an entryway with a lounge and toilet; an upper-level bed room; and a decrease portion with a glass backside that reveals the earth under. It’s an exhilarating place to spend an evening. A staffer delivers everybody a dinner of beef tenderloin or trout; after that, all that’s left to do is absorb the panoramic views of landmarks like Mount Fitz Roy, a legendary 11,000-foot peak—and watch the celebrities come out. Doubles from $1,600. —Cristóbal Palma
Palazzo Talìa, Rome
Courtesy of Palazzo Talia
Rome has no scarcity of splendidly renovated palazzo lodges, 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 faculties—with trendy modern design prospers created by the studio of Luca Guadagnino, the director of hit movies equivalent to “Challengers” and “Name Me by Your Identify.” The result’s, naturally, cinematic. The general public halls all have hovering ceilings coated with unique Sixteenth-century frescos and are lined with stately marble busts of historic Roman emperors and army heroes. However the resort’s Twenty first-century touches embrace furnishings in vibrant, uplifting colours and cheerful patterned carpets, the railings on the staircase are sheathed in sensual leather-based, and the courtyard has been became a beautiful 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 massive baths. There are luxurious lounges for visitors 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
Palm Home, Palm Seaside, Florida
Courtesy of Palm Home
Palm House, the primary American property for the London-based Iconic Luxurious Lodges, opened in Palm Seaside not with a bang, however fairly with a mother-of-pearl shimmer and a pastel-colored splash. The resort, housed in a pink Mediterranean-Revival constructing from the Nineteen Sixties, seems like stepping right into a whimsical fantasy of Murano-glass chandeliers, shell and coral murals, pink marble, and plush, ruby-colored seating (Minda Dowling, the resort’s artwork curator, advised me it’s “’The Little Mermaid’ meets ‘Alice in Wonderland’” throughout my keep). Muza Lab, chargeable for the inside design, labored with Dowling to plan a extra modern model of Palm Seaside’s basic design codes. The restaurant, with indoor and outside seating, has views of the pool deck and serves conventional Japanese sushi, nigiri, and kushiyaki alongside Peruvian ceviches. The resort’s seaside concierge service is one other spotlight—the group will arrange all requirements on the close by Midtown Seaside. However it’s the palm-fringed pool deck, with its pink-and-white striped daybeds and a turquoise-tiled swimming pool, that steals the highlight and makes the resort really feel undeniably like a Palm Seaside scorching spot. Throughout my current go to, my 6-year-old splashed in it for hours whereas I appeared on from a close-by shaded daybed, having fun with chilled drinks served by the pool concierge. Accessible resort. Doubles from $499. —Dobrina Zhekova
Pendry Natirar, Peapack, New Jersey
Courtesy of Pendry Natirar
Excessive on a ridge overlooking the rolling hills of Somerset County, New Jersey, the 66-room Pendry Natirar is a revelation for New Yorkers: a real luxurious resort simply an hour’s drive from midtown Manhattan. The stately manor, as soon as owned by King Hassan II of Morocco, sits on a 90-acre parcel, to which Pendry has added an natural farm, a fancy with two swimming pools and a scorching tub, tennis courts, and an occasion house. I spent a lot of my late-fall go to cozied up by the unique fireside within the Nice Room, Vesper cocktail in hand. The almost 20,000-square-foot spa was one other spotlight, with its salt cave and cedar saunas. Simply as spectacular had been the eating choices, whether or not the distinctive burger at Ladd’s Tavern or my dinner at Ninety Acres, the place chef Peter Rudolph places an emphasis on native merchandise—some harvested simply exterior the again door. Accessible resort. Doubles from $850. —P.B.
Peter Island Resort, British Virgin Islands
Sarah B. Swan/Journey + Leisure
Days are gradual and sun-baked at Peter Island Resort, which was broken in Hurricane Irma in 2017 and has now been restored. A lot of the 52 rooms are on Deadman’s Seaside, with sliding glass doorways that open proper onto the sand. Mine had its personal kitchen, however I beloved consuming within the resort’s two eating places: the Drake, a basic steak home, and the extra informal, open-air Drunken Pelican, which serves jerk hen wings, roti filled with curried hen, and a potent Painkiller, the BVI’s famed rum drink. The resort has 5 seashores; my favourite was White Bay, a powdery stretch I had all to myself for a blissful afternoon of snorkeling and sunbathing. The concierge can manage excursions to close by islands like Virgin Gorda, however I stayed put, mountain climbing the Sundown Loop path across the island and soaking in my personal scorching tub. Doubles from $1,000. —S.D.
Populus, Denver
Yoshihiro Makino/Courtesy of Populus
The 13-story, wedge-shaped Populus cuts a putting determine in Denver. Its façade, which is punctuated by eye-shaped home windows, was impressed by the bark of Colorado’s native aspen tree, Populus tremuloides. Biophilic design continues contained in the 265-room property: headboards are crafted from fallen pine timber, and a few paintings is made with pressed wildflowers. Within the elevators, visitors hear birdsong recorded in Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park, and within the street-level restaurant, Pasque, an attention-grabbing set up constructed from 500 sheets of reishi-mushroom “leather-based” hangs above the bar. What’s extra, with its dedication to producing zero meals waste and utilizing completely renewable electrical energy, Populus is the primary carbon-positive resort within the nation. Accessible resort. Doubles from $299. —D.Z.
The Potlatch Membership, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Flora Stubbs/Journey + Leisure
Within the Nineteen Sixties, The Potlatch Club, on the island of Eleuthera, hosted VIP visitors like Paul and Linda McCartney, who honeymooned on the resort in 1969. Final summer season, it reopened following a meticulous renovation, with 11 suites and cottages scattered throughout 12 lush beachside acres. Some lodging are new, some are unique, however all are enlivened with era-appropriate accents—cute wallpaper right here, a classic mannequin ship there. Consider it as a Slim Aarons shoot recreated for the Instagram age. Over in the principle home, I discovered McCartney’s lyrics to “Oh Darling” written on a Potlatch Membership serviette, framed on the library wall. Doubles from $775. —F.S.
Princes’ Palace Resort, Büyükada, Turkey
Courtesy of Princes’ Palace Resort/Main Lodges of the World
Reachable by helicopter or boat, the 69-room Princes’ Palace is positioned on Büyükada, the most important of the 9 Princes’ Islands off Istanbul, the place Ottoman intellectuals retreated within the 1800s. The crescent-shaped resort’s glass facade is seen solely by sea, making fairly the primary impression while you dock. The principle constructing’s minimalist design revolves round sweeping views of the water and Istanbul’s skyline, which you’ll see all over the place from the terrace of seasonal, farm-to-table Ema’s Eating Room, the place seafood is sourced off the coast and herbs are grown within the on-site backyard. Once I was one of many first to go to Princes’ Palace in mid-December, it was too brisk to take a dip within the swimmable seaside under, however I had a major view of the sundown from my balcony suspended over the Mediterranean-style seaside membership and the tiered infinity swimming pools. In Turkey, a hammam is virtually a given, however the slate-gray, marble-and-tile one right here is an expertise in itself, particularly when paired with a dip within the sea-facing indoor pool. Doubles from $675. —L.N.
The Ranch Hudson Valley, New York
Ellen McDermott/Courtesy of The Ranch Hudson Valley
Malibu, California’s The Ranch—the famend luxurious well being and wellness retreat from husband-and-wife duo Sue and Alex Glasscock—has grown a cult-following over the past decade. Who can say if it’s the each day therapeutic massage, the scenic hikes, or the natural plant-based meals, however one thing in regards to the restorative program affords a welcome respite from actuality. In April 2024, the model opened its very first East Coast location in Sloatsburg, New York, just a bit over an hour’s drive from Manhattan. The Hudson Valley providing is ready inside a newly renovated, historic 40,000-square-foot property initially in-built 1902. Once I arrived on a sunny day in early June, I seen detailed trimmings alongside the excessive ceilings, a light-filled grand staircase, and marble-tiled flooring. New York design agency SR Gambrel curated a palette of nature-inspired colours for the 25 rooms and customary areas, just like the residing and recreation rooms, the Nancy Meyers-esque eating room, and my favourite spot, the health club that was as soon as a ballroom. There’s additionally an outside pool, sprawled in full view of Sheppard Pond, which is open within the hotter months. Whereas the setting actually made me really feel like royalty, it’s the signature Ranch programming, obtainable for three-night, four-day stays at minimal, that takes the expertise to the following stage. Every day at this opulent sleepaway camp for adults goes somewhat one thing like this: 5:30 a.m. wakeup, morning stretch, group breakfast; 7:30 a.m. hike within the Hudson Valley on a close-by path prescouted by our mountain climbing guides. Following both a two- or four-hour hike, visitors return to a whiteboard schedule the place they’ll select which yoga or exercise class they need to enroll in, and discover their each day therapeutic massage time. After my each day therapeutic massage, I might typically select to unwind within the 5,000 square-foot solarium that includes an indoor heated pool, cold and hot plunges, and an infrared sauna. Accessible resort. Doubles from $2,955 per individual for a minimal three-night keep. —J.F.
Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain
Courtesy of Accor
The tiny kingdom of Bahrain, within the Persian Gulf, has lengthy been overshadowed by glitzier neighbors equivalent 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 System 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 comfortable lounge areas, and a bed room adjoined by an indoor-outdoor rest room 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 remedies 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. —C.S.
Raffles Jaipur, India
Athul Prasad/Journey + Leisure
Should you’ve ever dreamed of residing like a maharani, Raffles Jaipur is the place to show fantasy into actuality. Styled like a zenana—the a part of an Indian Muslim dwelling reserved for girls—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.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Assortment’s Ilma
Don Riddle/Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Assortment
This floating resort has a seaside membership, a big outside lounge space with a staircase main on to the water, and an enormous inflatable platform, full with cabanas and solar loungers round a netted ocean pool. Two sides of the hull even fold right down to create bar seating hovering simply above the waterline. Because it courts the non-cruise crowd, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma seems like a resort, all the best way right down to the selection of furnishings, wines, and 700-piece artwork assortment, amongst that are an unique Picasso, Warhol, and Hockney. You’ll by no means set eyes on a buffet, both: helmed by two acclaimed cooks, Michael Mina and Fabio Trabocchi, the eating is a number of the most interesting at sea. Ilma is greater than its sibling Evrima and might carry 448 passengers in 224 trendy suites, all with balconies. With the very best ratio of house per visitor at sea, you by no means really feel crowded or as if you happen to’ve joined another person’s trip. Accessible ship. Doubles from $7,100 per individual for a seven-night crusing. —C.M.
Regent Santa Monica Seaside, California
Tanveer Badal Images/Courtesy of Regent Santa Monica
The beachside constructing that homes the Regent Santa Monica was constructed in 1989, and—I imply this in the absolute best means—feels completely of its time. On the coronary heart of the resort, which started as a part of the Loews model, is a multi-story atrium—that quintessential function of Nineteen Eighties malls and workplace complexes. Right here, although, all these glass panels form an ethereal birdcage that floods the foyer with West Coast sunshine.
In its former life, the resort had 347 visitor rooms—as a part of the Regent’s overhaul, nearly all of them have been merged with their neighbors, leading to 167 double-sized areas. My north-facing room had a spacious residing space with a cool modular sofa and a banquette seating space the place I ate my room-service breakfast each morning. (In a single day oats topped with peanut butter and a banana was a revelation, and has duly been integrated into my each day repertoire.) My floor-to-ceiling home windows supplied a panorama of the neighborhood, with views to the west, overlooking the Santa Monica Pier, and to the east, over busy Ocean Avenue. I had an outstanding therapeutic massage on the Regent’s Guerlain spa, the Paris-based perfume firm’s West Coast flagship. (I meant to work out within the spectacular 2,000-square-foot health middle, however lazier impulses prevailed.) However what I’ll bear in mind most fondly is the meals at Orla, chef Michael Mina’s signature restaurant, which hit each candy spot: hearty however not heavy, spiced however not overly so. Mina’s menu pays tribute to his household’s Egyptian roots, and every thing I attempted was knock-your-socks-off scrumptious: prawns wrapped in pastry, fluffy breads, a just-right hummus sprinkled with za’atar and pomegranate seeds, a decadent macaroni slathered in bechamel. It was an ideal confluence of Pacific and Mediterranean. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,100. —Peter Terzian
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 enchantment goes past its (fairly excellent) location, although. Each repeat stroll by the halls revealed a brand new clever 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 had been heaven-sent, sharing vacationer recommendation and whisking me through home automobile to the pier for a night river cruise. It was laborious to go away the premises, nonetheless, with Regent’s eating shops: Save for the foyer’s stylish pastry lounge, the entire eating places include showstopping riverfront views of the Bund. My connoisseur 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 an identical 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
Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, Salzburg, Austria
Courtesy of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl
Within the fifteenth century, the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg constructed a grand lodge on Lake Fuschl, in Austria’s mountainous Salzkammergut area. Now, the schloss, or fort, has been reborn because the 98-room Rosewood Schloss Fuschl. Given the property’s lineage, I anticipated it to be thronged by European elites. However I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out locals and backpack-toting vacationers among the many combine—one afternoon, I squeezed onto a communal picnic desk beside a German household, the place all of us savored smoked trout and beneficiant pours of grüner veltliner. Doubles from $650. —Siobhan Reid
Royal Mansour Casablanca, Morocco
Cyrille Robin/Courtesy of Royal Mansour Casablanca
For all of the Outdated 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. Apart from the gorgeous oceanside Hassan II Mosque, one of many world’s largest, the 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 fashionable 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 e book one of many “distinctive suites,” which have personal entrances, butler service, personal hammams, health studios, and screening rooms. Doubles from $657. —Paul Brady
Salterra, a Luxurious Assortment Resort & Spa, Turks & Caicos
Agile LeVin/Courtesy of Go to Turks and Caicos Islands
This Marriott Luxurious Assortment resort, simply 10 minutes from South Caicos Airport, welcomes visitors with coral stone walkways main as much as the property. Menus on the six eating places incorporate native elements like conch and Bambarra Rum—I’m nonetheless fascinated about the platters of smoky grilled lobster at Cobo Bar & Grill and Key lime tart piled with marshmallow-soft brûléed meringue at Sisal, the foyer bar and restaurant. The 100 ocean-facing visitor rooms have hand-carved furnishings, textured wall hangings, and prints from a February 2024 research of the islands’ flamingo inhabitants. Particular person and {couples} therapy rooms, an aqua thermal facility with a steam room, a dry sauna, and a salt room be a part of a serene hammam within the spa. Right here, a therapeutic massage therapist eased my sore muscle tissues after days spent bonefishing, snorkeling, mountain climbing, and scuba diving. Throughout the property, the children’ membership affords each day actions, together with guided kayaking, paddleboarding, seaside discovery walks, and journeys to the College for Area Research’ Middle for Marine Useful resource Research, which helps restore Turks and Caicos’ coral reefs. I explored the underwater coral plantings as a part of the Snorkel for a Trigger program on the resort, which was my favourite a part of the journey. Doubles from $726. —Carrie Honaker
Silversea’s Silver Ray
Courtesy of Silversea
The 728-passenger Silver Ray manages to realize excessive pampering within the unstuffy means that modern cruisers crave. Company on the ship, a twin of 2023’s Silver Nova, are touring top notch, and that comes with each a way of privilege and room to unfold out. On the sultry rooftop pool and within the glass-encased indoors, too, you’ll end up mesmerized by uninterrupted views of sea and shore. That native meals and libations can be found on board—because of Silversea Cruises’ S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Style) program, which features a restaurant, bar, and cooking faculty—is one other reminder that you’re not in a stagnant resort, however on a voyage. Company bask in Michelin-star eating, countless complimentary Champagne pours, and fancy massages—and sink into the sort of comfortable furnishings that make you bear in mind the heat of your childhood teddy bear. Everybody stays in an outsized suite with a marble-clad rest room and balcony. Six suites in two classes are wheelchair accessible, as are public areas. Butlers attend to everybody’s wants, and on a cruise in Portugal and Spain, mine requested what would make me completely happy—after which handled me to a caviar snack each day at 5 p.m. It was my warmup for (onboard) nights in town, and right here the ship even manages to realize a retro-cool issue, together with not solely lavish meals within the eating places however dwell jazz and light-weight bites in a supper membership. Company hit the tables on the energetic on line casino, watch performing singers and dancers, and gush over classic Hermès baggage within the boutiques. My favourite night was spent dancing the night time away to a band enjoying Nineteen Eighties tunes, with views of the Moorish structure of Cadiz, Spain, as a backdrop. Silver Ray summers within the Mediterranean and winters within the Caribbean. Accessible ship. Doubles from $4,650 per individual for a seven-night crusing. —Fran Golden
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 hot 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 might 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 a protracted soak within the tub overlooking our personal courtyard. As soon as restored, I attempted the resort actions meant to attach visitors 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 beloved the superbly designed Develop With Six Senses children’ membership, the place he performed with wood toys, tossed boulder-shaped pillows down the slide, and discovered to make origami. Doubles from $1,118. —Lindsay Cohn
Soneva Secret, Maldives
Courtesy of Soneva
When it opened within the distant Makunudhoo Atoll, the hotly anticipated Soneva Secret turned the fourth Soneva resort throughout the Maldives and Thailand. With simply 14 palatial seaside and overwater villas (its first-of-its-kind floating villa continues to be beneath building), every lodging has a health club, spa room, one or two bedrooms, a kitchen, and countless locations to bask within the Maldivian breeze. I’ve been to 40 resorts within the Maldives, however I’ve by no means seen a program like Soneva Secret’s personal chef idea, the place visitors select a delicacies, and a chef with deep ties to its meals involves your villa and cooks a multi-course meal. Throughout my keep, I requested Chinese language, Italian, and Japanese, digging into recent Maldivian sashimi for lunch and al dente prawn pasta for dinner. Soneva Secret additionally has three eating places, together with an overwater spot known as Out Of This World, the place adventurous visitors arrive for a multi-course European fusion feast through the nation’s longest zipline, and The Residing Room restaurant, with Soneva’s beloved ice cream and chocolate room reverse its decadent charcuterie and cheese room. Nonetheless, I took most of my meals in my villa, the place sustainably sourced mild timber interiors, reclaimed steel finishes, and petrified wooden counters adorned my thatched-roof escape. I made good use of the principle bed room’s retractable roof and fell asleep beneath the celebrities. Doubles from $5,800. —Katie Lockhart
The Customary, Singapore
Courtesy of Customary Lodges
Singapore calls itself “the Backyard Metropolis,” and this 143-room property leans into that identification. From the skin, the Standard is, properly, fairly normal for the uber-modern metropolis: a cool, smooth glass field rising from the tree-lined streets of the Orchard neighborhood, named for the nutmeg and citrus farms that when dominated the realm. Inside, the temper immediately warms. Within the foyer, my eyes had been drawn to the terrarium on the check-in desk. The positioning-specific set up by Thai artist Eric Tobua is a miniature tropical wonderland, replete with orchids and butterflies. By way of the foyer’s floor-to-ceiling home windows, I may additionally see a multi-tiered backyard courtyard, that includes a hovering inexperienced wall alive with all method of tropical vegetation—philodendron, nettle, evergreen vines. The horticultural theme continued on the Cafe Customary, the resort’s all-day restaurant and bar, the place I sipped on a refreshing “botanical sling,” a spin on the enduring Singaporean gin cocktail. Upstairs at Kaya, an izakaya-inspired restaurant, one other Thai artist, Saran Yen Panya, has papered the partitions lavishly with intricate flowers, hand-embroidered by his mom and sister. At dinner, I delighted within the cleverly, if morbidly, named Discovering Miso; the beautiful char of the grilled flounder pairs superbly with tsuyu, a Japanese condiment made with soy and sake, right here enriched with miso. I additionally beloved the tiramisu, its taste deepened by miso’s umami. That night, I wasn’t fairly able to sleep, completely enamored by the glowing nighttime panorama of the cityscape—a view all The Customary, Singapore’s personal. Doubles from $216. —Jeff Chu
The StandardX, Bangkok Phra Arthit
Courtesy of The StandardX, Bangkok Phra Arthit
The StandardX Bangkok Phra Arthit—which marks The Customary model’s second outpost in Bangkok, beneath the extra wallet-friendly StandardX banner—is a love letter to Thai expertise and terroir. The cavernous foyer options rotating artwork exhibitions by creatives such Kantapon Metheekul (also referred to as Gongkan) and Anurot Chanphosri. The adjoining café serves brews from espresso beans sourced in northern Thailand’s Nan province, whereas the boutique is a one-stop-shop for jewellery by Bangkok-based Hizoga or natural skincare by Patom. The 62 spacious rooms strike a steadiness between simplicity and enjoyable, with clear strains and tongue-in-cheek touches, equivalent to tea baggage tucked into fake cigarette packs. Upstairs, the rooftop opens to a pool overlooking the Chao Phraya River, alongside a bar (strive the Mezcal Guavarita with pink guava cordial). Whereas a few of Bangkok’s high avenue meals districts, together with Yaowarat and Nang Loeng, are only a brief taxi journey away, the resort’s restaurant, Bang, makes staying in simply as tempting, with breakfasts together with Thai congee or coconut mango pancakes, and dinners of hen curry-smothered roti and zingy som tum papaya salad. Doubles from $112. —Chris Schalkx
Stockholm Stadshotell
From left: Henrik Lundell/Courtesy of Stockholm Stadshotell; Erik Olsson/Courtesy of Stockholm Stadshotell
There’s a trendy new tackle 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 beloved the expansive top-floor suites with fireplaces in every lounge. Black-and-white imagery by Swedish photographer Gunnar Smoliansky enhance the partitions of the 34 rooms, whereas woodworker Klara Knutsson enlivens the elevators with scenes depicting native life. Getting into celebrated chef Olle T Cellton’s Mediterranean-style bistro neighboring slick Salongen bar, I felt like an area at Sweden’s first Relais & Châteaux property. One night, I spent mingling with the Swedes over an off-the-cuff chunk on the buzzing bistro, and the following, 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 personal subterranean spa? The ice bathtub shortly confirmed my non-local standing. Accessible resort. Doubles from $378. —Kasia Dietz
The Retailer, Oxford, England
Courtesy of The Retailer Oxford
There’s a purpose why the college metropolis of Oxford has impressed so many generations of youngsters’s authors. The place is a rabbit gap of intrigue. Alas, its tight medieval middle doesn’t go away a lot house for Twenty first-century services, and for many years, it has lacked the resort that equals its reputation as a vacation spot.
The 101-room Store, which opened final summer season, presents a superb answer to this downside. It’s a breezy, trendy resort, full with a spa (with Oskia merchandise) and rooftop cocktail bar (normally it’s important to sneak onto a school roof for such an excellent view). And but, it nonetheless has a little bit of Oxford attraction, being positioned in an iconic outdated constructing: the venerable Boswells division retailer, which was open for almost three centuries earlier than shuttering in 2020. The foyer presents a serene refuge from the vacationer hubbub exterior, and I discovered that the Treadwell restaurant affords ingenious spins on British classics, like curried hen pie. Doubles from $373. —Richard Godwin
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, Florida
Courtesy of The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort
Set on 18 acres overlooking the sun-kissed shores of Sarasota’s longest barrier island, St. Regis Longboat Key Resort is a 168-room vacation spot in its personal proper. There’s a welcoming buzz all around the property—most notably within the foyer, the place visitors are greeted by each day dwell leisure and a full-service bar. One other well-liked hangout spot is the principle pool space with an adjoining Polynesian-themed bar and a lazy river linked to a grotto with a scorching tub. Company soaking within the grotto’s scorching tub can press a button and get a glass of Champagne delivered. The resort’s 26 oceanfront suites, ranging in measurement from one to 4 bedrooms, are smooth and trendy with absolutely furnished residing rooms and balconies with lovely views of the solar setting over the Gulf of Mexico. There are seven eating places, however I particularly beloved eating at CW Prime, a high-end steakhouse with an unique speakeasy lounge, and at rooftop Oshen, serving seafood with Japanese- and Peruvian-inspired flavors. Different on-site facilities embrace a 500,000-gallon saltwater lagoon the place visitors can snorkel amongst tropical fish and feed stingrays, in addition to a 20,000-foot spa full with hydrotherapy circuits and an infinity pool. Accessible resort. Doubles from $3,000. —Annie Archer
The Surrey, A Corinthia Resort, New York
Courtesy of The Surrey
Once I dined at Casa Tua—a swank restaurant and members’ membership within the glowing Surrey resort (proper) on the Higher East Facet—it was brimming with New Yorkers searching for an excellent martini and a plate of hand-cut pappardelle. Initially opened in 1926, the resort hosted stars of stage and display screen, 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 Lodges, 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 fabric 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
Terra Palm Springs, California
Pablo Enriquez/Courtesy of Terra Palm Springs
Energy strolling down Palm Canyon Drive on an uncharacteristically chilly day in Palm Springs, I had just one aim in thoughts: to get myself again into the Himalayan salt sauna at Terra as shortly as attainable. The 13-room boutique retreat is the primary resort opened by its founders, a younger group of architects and entrepreneurs, however you’d by no means comprehend it. Diana Ossa, Soli Cayetano, Josh Dobken, and Carrick Younger have created what they’re calling Palm Springs’ first wellness-focused resort—and whereas their declare sounds daring in a vacation spot constructed for leisure, the reality is there’s nothing prefer it so near downtown. Revamping a poolside motel with trendy design actually isn’t a brand new method for the California desert’s hospitality scene (although the group’s use of natural supplies brings a recent vibe). But Terra’s immersive wellness choices make it an space standout. “There are such a lot of boutique lodges within the space, however we seen none of them had been catering towards that well being and wellness side,” Cayetano, the undertaking’s inventive director, advised T+L. “We needed to carry that right down to Palm Springs and permit folks to have a extra restorative expertise.” Along with Terra’s inviting Himalayan salt sauna, widespread areas embrace a chilly plunge, a Jacuzzi, and a “rain forest room” with a rain bathe, soothing thunderstorm sounds, and luxurious greenery. The self-led wellness circuit is free and low-key (nobody is judged for including a cease on the pool bar for a craft cocktail or mocktail and a snack catered from neighboring eatery Workshop). Company may also e book an Ayurvedic spa therapy and make use of in-room wellness merchandise like HigherDose infrared Pemf mats, Gracious Minds hydrating sheet masks, Plant Folks mushroom gummies, and Uncooked Juicery cleanses. Floor-floor rooms have personal gardens, with facilities starting from an outside soaking tub and a personal chilly plunge to a firepit. A movement-themed room comes with yoga gear, whereas one other is outfitted with expertise geared toward optimizing sleep. A yoga class and sound bathtub is open to all visitors on Saturdays.
“Everybody in L.A. and San Diego is craving that deeper reset,” Cayetano says. “They’re approaching trip they usually need to have enjoyable, however additionally they need to reconnect with themselves and disconnect with expertise.” As I exhaled within the quiet sauna, feeling the comforting warmth emanate from the pink partitions round me, I needed to agree—it was precisely the kind of reset this Angeleno was searching for. Accessible resort. Doubles from $400. —Nina Ruggiero
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 purchasing, or, if she had been an actress, artist, or trainer, to spend a couple of weeks earlier than she may discover an condominium? She might need gone to the Margaret Louisa Residence, a ladies’s resort that ran from 1891 to 1917, the place feminine visitors had been free to remain with no husband or male family member. The operation was funded by Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard (sure, these Vanderbilts) and supplied a protected, social atmosphere for a rising class of working ladies.
At present, after a considerable renovation by London’s Youngster 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 Jap restaurant, Cafe Zaffri, that’s open to the general public. Once I dined there on a Wednesday night time in the midst of February, it was filled with younger creatives sharing plates of fried eggplant with black sesame and toum or harissa-dusted octopus skewers, and sipping Lebanese wine. Executed up in shades of dusty pinks and burgundy, or, as my room was, deep, midnight blue and gentle cream, the resort felt hushed and attractive. Doubles from $695. —Elizabeth Cantrell
Valldemossa, Mallorca
Courtesy of Resort Valldemossa
A bit of-known secret about Mallorca is that you’ll find extra historical past (and unimaginable luxurious) if you happen to go away the seaside and head into the mountains. Enter Valldemossa, one of many latest properties to grace the peaks of the Tramuntana mountain vary. Constructed on the previous web site of Royal Charterhouse Palace, which as soon as housed visitors visiting the village of Valldemossa’s 14th-century monastery, the resort has preserved that vintage feeling. A stone staircase framed by olive timber results in the principle terrace, from which a meandering path will carry you to one of many 12 rooms. The pool is a major spot to benefit from the views of citrus orchards, and the village under—however a desk at De Tokio a Lima, the second location of Palma’s hit Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant—affords a good higher perch. Aesthetics apart, the center of the resort is the Sanctuary, the place visitors can obtain full-body spa rituals tailor-made to their particular person wants. After arriving for my appointment within the morning, I emerged from the therapy room hours later having utterly misplaced monitor of time, imbued with a newfound lightness and feeling recent to discover the village down the road. Doubles from $365. —Jamie Ditaranto
Viceroy at Ombria Algarve, Portugal
Letizia Cigliutti/Courtesy of Viceroy at Ombria Algarve
Once I moved to Portugal, I fell in love with the nation’s sense of calm. There’s at all times time to take a seat for espresso and respect the view, and there’s merely no rush. It’s a vibe that’s laborious to seize, however the Viceroy at Ombria Algarve by some means manages to embody this sense of calma. The resort has 76 visitor rooms unfold out throughout 24 buildings, all surrounding its “city sq.,” which sits within the midst of 370 acres of personal land, punctuated by fig, citrus, and olive timber. Right here, visitors can lean additional into Portuguese tradition with artisan-led workshops in pottery, tile portray, and bread baking, or select off-site actions like visits to an area honey farm, guided hikes, and horseback driving. Accessible resort. Doubles from $236. —Stacey Leasca
Voaara Madagascar
Courtesy of Voaara Madagascar
On the 90-minute drive from the airstrip on Sainte-Marie, a low-key island off the northeast coast of Madagascar, to Voaara resort, the hum of village life gave approach to an empty, palm-fringed coast and finally an indication that learn, “Final Cease Earlier than Paradise.” Unfold over 100 acres of jungle, with a pearly-white beachfront, Voaara’s secluded setting seems like a utopian personal island. The opening marks proprietor Philippe Kjellgren’s (the founding father of the Kiwi Assortment) foray into a brand new model of barefoot luxurious, designed for visitors who need to go to sleep to the sound of lapping waves, dine with their toes within the sand, and rinse off from the ocean in a jungle-shrouded outside bathe. “It’s not for everybody,” Kjellgren admitted. However it was actually for me. Seven bungalows and a three-bedroom villa are steps from the sand, and all function driftwood beams collected from close by seashores, funky raffia lighting, and outsized panorama prints from Madagascan photographer Pierrot Males. Company can snorkel the colourful home reefs, whale watch with the resident marine biologist, and be taught to wing foil with professional surfer Willow Hardy. Kjellgren drew on his favourite touches from some 2,000 lodges he’s visited to tell the property’s whimsical experiences, like a sushi dinner adopted by stargazing within the Chicken’s Nest, a wood-clad tower topped with an observatory. (Future Voaara areas are additionally deliberate for the Caribbean and Rwanda.) I’d say, paradise discovered. Doubles from $1,300. —Jen Murphy
The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa
Courtesy of Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa
When one thinks of Bora Bora, the primary picture that involves thoughts is probably going an overwater bungalow positioned over crystal-clear waters. The latest resort to the French Polynesian island since 2017, The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa, is not any exception. Certainly one of its important attracts is its location on the base of Mount Otemanu, providing an unobstructed view. The design, which is the results of an in depth renovation and rebrand (Le Méridien used to take a seat on this plot of the atoll), additionally brings the outside in. There are 14 seaside bungalows, in addition to 128 overwater bungalows—the most important assortment in Bora Bora—linked by a winding boardwalk. The vibe is laid-back, however I discovered the workers’s anticipatory service to be a delicate and welcome a part of the keep. For instance, on the second day, a server at Tipanier, one of many resort’s six eating places, introduced our espresso orders as quickly as we had been seated at breakfast. Snorkeling gear was left exterior the door of our bungalow following an offhand remark I made to a waiter about seeing stingrays from our plunge pool. On the spa, the masseuse added an area soothing serum to assist within the therapeutic of the sunburn I’d gotten on my again. And at Maere, the resort’s signature restaurant, the chef cooked all of the programs on seafood night time for my mom, who doesn’t eat uncooked shellfish—a disgrace, in my e book, however one the restaurant dealt with completely. Accessible resort. Doubles from $1,000. —Jess Feldman
Wilderness Bisate Reserve, Rwanda
Courtesy of Wilderness Bisate Reserve
The principle lodge at Wilderness Bisate Reserve, positioned exterior of Rwanda’s Volcanoes Nationwide Park, is a near-perfect duplicate of a royal Rwandan residence, with a towering thatched roof, a crackling fire, and an emerald bar. All that is earlier than you even get to your personal palatially appointed quarters. The reserve has simply 4 en-suite villas, accommodating a most of eight folks; every features a lounge space, absolutely stocked kitchen, and bar. Within the bed room, visitors will discover a roaring fire, a soaking tub, and a rainfall bathe, together with a wood-burning scorching tub with a view of the verdant hillside on the terrace. An unforgettable gorilla trek is sort of actually on the agenda, however visitors may also tack on a hike to see the golden monkeys swing between the timber and participate in quite a few on-site sustainability actions, together with planting a tree to assist in its effort to reforest the encircling land. Doubles from $3,200 per individual, all-inclusive. —Stacey Leasca
Wooden Resort Bodø, Brumunddal, Norway
Courtesy of Wooden Resort Bodø
Wood Hotel Bodø has one thing that few different Norwegian lodges do: a rooftop pool. Regardless of summertime temperatures not often exceeding 77°F in Bodø, the snug 95°F year-round water is without doubt one of the resort’s calling playing cards, as are the property’s panoramic views of the peninsula. Look left, and the snow-capped mountains of Straumøya are in view; look proper, and the huge Norwegian Sea and rounded, granite Landegode island dominate the horizon. Every room—furnished with cabinetry, chairs, aspect tables, and handblown glass lamps all made in Norway—seems to be out at both land or sea. On the property’s important restaurant, Attme, the menu is unapologetically Nordic: cod with bacon, marinated scallops with a sea buckthorn ponzo. The resort sits on Rønvikfjellet mountain, making it the right base from which to set out on the internet of mountain climbing trails that wind by the encircling greenery. Accessible resort. Doubles from $141. —Monique Ceccato