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Envisioned by Hong Kong-based architect Andre Fu, the Upper House was designed to give guests the experience of staying in a luxury residence within easy reach of the design stores, markets, and nightlife of the Wan Chai neighborhood. Every detail here has been carefully considered, from the environmentally friendly paint to the arrangement of the hotel’s 400-plus works of original art. As they climb the levels of the hotel, guests encounter sculptures with names like Silence, and Rise, and Lifted, which take them on an upward journey that ends at the 49th-floor Sky Bridge—a candle-lined walkway overlooking the atrium that’s lit by a James Turrell–esque skylight.

All the rooms, suites, and penthouses offer a choice between two color schemes: “bamboo,” with ash flooring, bamboo timber, and lilac upholstery, or “celadon,” furnished in green tea upholstery, limed oak flooring, and creme oak timber. Particular attention was given to the bathrooms. Each is nearly 300 square feet and outfitted with concealed televisions and sound systems as well as open-plan rain showers. Some have soaking tubs carved from Turkish limestone, from which guests can take in views of Victoria Harbour or the surrounding mountains. In contrast to many Hong Kong hotels, the Upper House’s restaurant, Café Gray Deluxe, emphasizes simple dishes prepared from the best local and organic produce. The result is high quality but not pretentious, much like the hotel itself.

In a remote spot off Vancouver Island in British Columbia, surrounded by rain forest, mountains, and beaches, the Clayoquot Wilderness Retreat first opened in 1998 as an overnight floating lodge experience; since then, it has grown into a luxury tent retreat. While the camp has a rugged outpost atmosphere, with huge stone fireplaces and a long wooden cookhouse, it’s an outpost with every possible luxury: from white linen tablecloths and polished silverware to soft comforters and high-thread-count bedding.

Towering 42 stories over the Mong Kok district on the Kowloon Peninsula, the Cordis is one of the best options for adventurous travelers looking to experience the “real Hong Kong.” The hotel is surrounded by mazes of markets. as well as shops and restaurants that are popular with locals. But getting off the beaten path doesn’t mean foregoing luxury. The Cordis has rooms with plush bedding and oversized windows, as well as homey touches like soft carpeting.

The biggest draw of the Cordis, Hong Kong, is its collection of 1,500 works of contemporary Chinese art, one of the largest hotel collections in the world. Guests can browse the collection on their own with the help of free iPod art tour cards. The hotel attracts an edgy crowd of young artists and professionals who mingle in the Garage Bar—a food truck and craft beer destination with Western-Asian fusion food and a selection of over 40 brews—late into the Kowloon night.

Occupying a modern tower next to Hong Kong Park and attached to the Pacific Place shopping center, Island Shangri-La is an earthly paradise on the edge of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls in the lobby face a 140-year-old banyan tree; the outdoor swimming pool is set amid grass and trees as well as skyscrapers; and the Roof Garden on the 56th floor is enveloped in the misty greenery of Victoria Peak.

The hotel’s interiors are equally inspiring, with more than 900 works of art on display, including a 16-story silk landscape painting called Great Motherland of China cascading down the atrium. Accommodations combine Asian silks, floral wall paintings, and Chinese tea sets with European antiques and crystal chandeliers. In 2009, the Horizon Club Lounge became the highest executive lounge on Hong Kong Island, offering sweeping views of Victoria Harbour. Dark wood, black marble, jewel-tone leather, Austrian chandeliers, and qi pao-inspired staff uniforms create an elegant setting for complimentary breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés, or an afternoon work session.

Within an hour, travelers can transport themselves from the lights and sounds of Central, Hong Kong, to the green hills and deserted beaches of Lantau Island. Opened in 2012, the Tai O Heritage Hotel encourages guests to immerse themselves in the natural beauty and history of Tai O, a colorful fishing village where stilted houses line the waterways of western Lantau Island. A collaboration between the government and the Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation, Tai O Heritage Hotel was built in the former Tai O marine police station, from which officers defended Hong Kong from pirates for more than 100 years. Three buildings were transformed into nine guest rooms, an interpretation center, and a glass-roofed restaurant, earning the project a UNESCO award for cultural heritage conservation. Historic features such as cannons, guard towers, searchlights, and holding cells, as well as original architectural details like French windows, Victorian granite steps, a Chinese-tiled roof, and century-old fireplaces, were all restored in the process. The hotel also serves regional foods, employs villagers, and gives back to the Tai O community, demonstrating its commitment to celebrating the local culture. Beyond the historic walls of the hotel is a mystical landscape with dozens of butterfly species, Chinese white dolphins, and Hong Kong’s best sunsets.

The Miami outpost of a hotel brand well known for its Los Angeles and New York properties, The Standard Spa, Miami Beach is less a hotel in the traditional sense, and more a spa with guest rooms set amid tropical gardens. The concept extends to the hotel’s atmosphere, which is downright staid compared to the party scene of so many Miami Beach hotels. A nearly all-white color scheme and extra-comfortable linens, pillows, and robes give rooms—small by local standards—a calm, comfortable air. Extra attention has been invested in the hotel’s common areas, with lots of Danish and 1950s-inspired furniture and spaces arranged in such a way that some spots offer solitude while others focus on bringing people together. There’s a reason many guests have called The Standard a playground for adults: a co-ed hamam, gardens with hammocks and swing chairs, and a hydrotherapy circuit (including bayside infinity and icy plunge pools) are just a few of the on-site attractions.

The Beaumont’s 1926 exterior isn’t altogether conventional. The curious, cubelike sculpture on the left-hand corner of the facade is the creation of one of Britain’s foremost artists. Antony Gormley is best known for creating works such as the “Angel of the North” in the English town of Gateshead, but on this occasion he agreed to create ROOM—an “inhabitable sculpture” with a luxury suite hidden inside—at the behest of his old friend Jeremy King.

King, for those not familiar with London’s restaurant scene, is one half of Corbin & King. The pair have been working together for 30 years and have accrued a following at spots including the Wolseley, the Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel, and Colbert.

It’s perhaps fitting, then, that the first thing guests encounter upon entering the Beaumont is a pair of double doors pointing the way to the Colony Grill Room and the American Bar. Both spaces are fitted with decadent walnut finishes, Art Deco artwork, and dim, atmospheric lighting. The look and feel recapture the glamour of America during the 1920s and 30s, and that theme pervades the hotel.

It’s nice to know I don’t need to get on a plane back to India to enjoy a plate of decent dal in PDX. The Bollywood serves the “people’s food” of India, simple, fresh and undeniably delightful. Most Americans think Indian food is all tandoori chicken and curry. Fact is, these are the banquet foods served only in high-end restaurants or wedding parties on the subcontinent. I was in Assam province in the Spring at a street cafe, eating whatever was being served on the banana leaf in front of me; no utensils, no problem. Except for the warm beer, eating in India is nothing like eating Indian food here, until Bollywood.

There is nothing pretentious about the physical plant. Amid the chaotic decor, aromas from the kitchen fill the place making it all the more homey and inviting. Lot’s of vegetarian options, with a focus on the standby beans and potatoes. The spicing is classic. The plates and cups are metal, much like you’d find on a corner eatery in Kolkata. Order at the counter and have a seat. Get a paneer, a chaat and a dal with a side of paratha to soak up the sauces. They have a short selection of beer and wine and the former is cold and cheap. There are always specials and you should just order them. The plates are small, so if you have a big group, order a bunch. Then sit back and enjoy the ride...

Nearly hidden behind a tall row of hedges is Delano South Beach, a landmarked hotel built in 1947 and renovated by Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck in 1995. Schrager and Starck wanted Delano to feel like a home; to that end, Starck created a series of discrete “living spaces,” with mismatched furniture, in the hotel’s common areas. Each of the spaces is intended to evoke specific images and experiences from his childhood, such as a wall of nightlights. The Delano’s backyard and pool area are an extension of the lobby’s “living room,” and that’s why a table and two chairs sit in a shallow section of the pool, and why the hotel’s veranda features the kind of comfortable furniture usually found inside a building, rather than outside it. In rooms, guests will find oversized marble bathtubs, said to be a favorite among NBA players because of their seven-foot length, along with Malin + Goetz toiletries.

When Freehand launched in Miami at the end of 2012, it became a welcome alternative to the city’s glitzy hotel scene. The retro-inspired, summer-camp-style hotel is housed in a 1930s building outfitted with vintage furnishings and wood paneling by New York design firm Roman and Williams. Laid-back activities (art classes, yoga) encourage mingling, while the Broken Shaker cocktail lounge has become a local hangout and earned two James Beard Award nominations.

Freehand Miami bills itself as “a hostel for a new generation of travelers.” Indeed, a visit here confirms that it’s very far from the stereotypical dingy hostel. In fact, were it not for the shared rooms, the Freehand would likely fall into the “boutique hotel” category.

Room decor includes vividly colorful modern art and Mexican blankets, and free Wi-Fi is available. There are also private rooms that come with work desks and flat-screen TVs. The complimentary breakfast is popular with guests and includes Cuban pastries and locally roasted Panther coffee. Evenings are well-spent at the hostel’s on-site bar, the Broken Shaker, which in 2014 was listed #22 on Drinks International’s World’s 50 Best Bars list. It specializes in inventive “garden-to-glass” cocktails, which blend familiar spirits with unique homemade bitters and ingredients that aren’t usually found in cocktails, such as green bean juice.
One could argue that the stylish, affordable hotel trend was actually ushered in by a pop-up craft cocktail bar in the courtyard of a defunct historic hotel just north of the South Beach fray. Five years later, The Broken Shaker is a permanent fixture of Miami Beach nightlife and the anchor of The Freehand Miami, a hip hotel-cum-hostel with both private and shared rooms designed by Roman & Williams in a subtle nautical theme. It’s also home to 27 Restaurant serving seasonal farm-to-table fare inspired by Miami’s melting pot of cultures. Perennially popular amongst locals, it should be at the top of every traveler’s list. The concept’s proven such a hit that they’ve recently opened hotels in Chicago and L.A. with New York on the horizon.


What was once a pop-up bar, The Broken Shaker is now a permanent fixture at the Freehand Miami. The James Beard Award-nominated bar is located in the high-end hostel on South Beach serving up a selection of handcrafted cocktails. The bar itself is a tiny room by the pool with a 1950s Havana look. You can grab your cocktail—made with elixirs, syrups and infusions using herbs and spices from the onsite garden—and drink it in the bar, or head outside to the pool and nestle into one of the lounge chairs. Away from the hustle and bustle of South Beach, The Broken Shaker offers a more intimate setting than the lavish pools at high-end hotels in the area.

Fontainebleau is perhaps Miami‘s most legendary hotel, dating back to the mid-20^th-century golden age of South Beach’s social scene. Opened in 1954, the hotel has seen a number of celebrities—as well as scandals—over its six decades. Frank Sinatra filmed the movie A Hole in the Head here, and the Black Tuna Gang used the hotel as a front for its drug-running activities. Fontainebleau has had several owners over the course of its existence; it closed in 2006, only to reopen again in renovated splendor two years later. Common areas have Vegas-like glitz and glam, with lots of gold accents and sparkly chandeliers (made by, of all people, Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei). The hotel’s art collection is enviable; besides Ai, there are Sol Le Witt and Damien Hirst pieces. Rooms are full of attentive design elements, too. Turquoise-and-green color schemes evoke the ocean, and high-tech amenities include 20-inch iMacs. Concerts take place at several venues on the property, including poolside and at the nightclub, and the hotel has some serious star pull. Recent concerts have featured Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Pitbull.

Close to Miami’s busy center, but set back from it, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami enjoys a quiet spot and the designation of the only hotel to sit on Brickell Key, a small island connected to Brickell Avenue by a bridge. This location gives the Mandarin Oriental a sense of both exclusivity and privacy; it also means that rooms offer some pretty incredible views of Biscayne Bay, the city, and one of Miami’s causeways. And what rooms they are; with 13 different types, expect a variety of choices with respect to layout and amenities. Standard in every room, though, are oversized tubs, large flat-screen televisions, Illy espresso machines, luxurious linens, and Carthusia toiletries. Turndown service is also included, as is the guest’s choice of newspapers, delivered to the room each morning. Mandarin Oriental, Miami does not have beachfront access, but it does have a pool. Finally, although the hotel doesn’t go out of its way to advertise the freebie, Wi-Fi is complimentary for guests who set up an account on the hotel website.

One of only two hotels right on Biscayne Bay (the other is the Standard), rooms at Mondrian South Beach are coveted by guests wanting a stellar view. Designed by Dutchman Marcel Wanders, the hotel’s decor is intended to evoke a sense that one is floating around in an underwater world, and the property is described as an homage to Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The slightly whimsical and slightly creepy mermaidlike woman whose face appears on walls throughout the hotel is the “keeper” of this “castle,” where incongruous elements—traditional blue-and-white Dutch porcelain juxtaposed with busy black-and-white patterned wallpaper, say—somehow work in odd, unexpected harmony. Everything about the hotel feels spacious, including oversized rooms, many of which are flooded with sunlight and enjoy bay views.

This brilliant, partially covered amphitheater offers views not only of the stage but of the stunning Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountain ranges in the distance. The world-renowned opera company presents five works in repertory each summer. Book well in advance, and don’t miss the elegant tailgating in the parking lot (some participants go as far as white table linens and sparkling wine) before the performance. A picnic can be ordered (at least 48 hours in advance) for pick-up two hours before performances, or you can cobble together your own basket of goodies from local restaurants. Tablecloths not included.

Most people visit the national parks during the summer, but winter provides a completely different wildlife- viewing experience. Guests at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole have multiple options for taking in a snowy Yellowstone. Get a bird’s-eye view of the park on a helicopter photo safari with one of the hotel’s in-house wildlife biologists, who can expertly spot moose, elk, bison, and grizzlies. At night, the hotel’s resident astronomer takes guests to Grand Teton National Park for stargazing sessions. More active travelers can rent fat bikes with oversize tires and pedal out to the Jackson Elk Refuge. From $579. This appeared in the November/December 2014 issue.