Search results for

Outdoor enthusiasts with a penchant for luxe living will feel right at home at this Brooklyn Heights stunner, which takes much of its inspiration from adjacent Brooklyn Bridge Park—the neighborhood’s very own opportunity to commune with nature while embracing the big city. Find natural elements in details like original heart-pine beams from the former Domino Sugar Factory, walnut from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and pine flooring from the Old Crow Distillery in Kentucky, along with plenty of living green elements.

The proprietress, her team, and the Mushroom Stand have become important staples at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market. With a huge following in Baltimore, she is known to many as the “Mushroom Lady” because she sells the most amazing mushroom dishes. The favorite (well, my favorite really) are the mushroom fritters: oyster mushrooms, beer-battered, fried, served over greens with sheep’s cheese, basil, and their special homemade hot sauce (if you like hot sauce, you should ask for a generous helping). Other equally great dishes include the portobello quinoa and portobello sandwiches. The portobellos are marinated and roasted on what looks like a big smoker. All dishes are served with the cheese and hot sauce. A logistical note: the wait can usually be a bit long, but you’ll make friends with fellow mushroom lady groupies in the process. Do a lap around the expansive market and you’ll run into a long line towards the back (not far from the pit beef stand) where people are waiting for their mushroom dishes. You’ll pay first near the fresh mushrooms and you’ll be given a number. Find a table or a parking block and don’t wait to eat. You’ll guaranteed be asked what amazingness you’re eating or bond with fellow Mushroom Stand patrons over the deliciousness.

Part of the Dorchester Collection, this Palace-designated hotel is deeply connected to its setting on the avenue Montaigne, the historic home of haute couture in the Triangle d’Or (Golden Triangle). Just across the street, Christian Dior opened his first shop in 1946 then showed his inaugural collection at the hotel. To this day, the subterranean Dior Spa (currently under renovation before a September relaunch) celebrates the link to the designer. The 154 guest rooms and 54 suites are likewise imbued with a chic couture vibe, whether you choose the classical style or newly renovated art deco rooms, punctuated with pops of red to echo the facade’s geranium-filled window boxes.

Guests at this 13-room retreat in Costa Rica’s central highlands can tour the estate’s 36 acres of coffee fields. After the walk, try a “cupping,” or tasting, of the shade-grown organic blends. End with a soak in your suite’s jungle-view tub. From $250. (305) 395-3042


After a couple days resting up at The Retreat Costa Rica, I was off on my next adventure. Finca Rosa Blanca, which doubles as a boutique hotel and coffee plantation, proved the perfect setting for exploration both near and far. I stayed in the La Guaria junior suite—each has it’s own name—this one named after a local flower. Having come from New York where apartments are cramped, I was pleasantly surprised by the spacious layout of the villa. The entrance leads into a circular area, with sky lights above that form a sort of dome. There’s a separate kitchen and dining area, a bathroom complete with a whirlpool, and a separate bedroom featuring a kingsize bed. My favorite part of La Guaria were the two balconies. There’s a small one right off of the bedroom, where I’d usually listen to the rain falling hard against the roof in the afternoon. In the mornings and again in the evenings, I’d make myself a cup of coffee and catch up on my emails outside on the larger terrace. It overlooks a large grass farm, as well as the flowers that grow on the property.


Speaking of coffee, Finca Rosa Blanca, is also a coffee plantation. On my first full day at the hotel, I signed up for their guided coffee tour, where I learned the ins and outs of coffee-making in Costa Rica—things like how Arabic coffee is the only type of coffee grown here and how the blonder the roast, the more caffeine it has; I always assumed the opposite. Our tour group was small but we had a guest appearance by the finca’s two adopted dogs—aptly named Finca and Rosa. It’s a mother and daughter, and I loved watching them run around the plantation and play in the little waterfall separating one bank from the other. The second part of the tour was an actual coffee tasting, where we sampled a “good” cup of coffee and an “over roasted” cup. I was surprised how many flavors and aromas I could pick up despite always claiming that I have a poor sense of smell...and silently resolved to skip the milk and sugar next time.


As for the food and lounge areas, there are some really creative spots. The El Tigre Vestido restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating; I mostly ate in their open-air sections but definitely took advantage of the fire crackling in the evenings. It can get a little chilly there at night. On my last full day at Finca Rosa Blanca, I went all out. First up was a scenic (and very uncrowded) hike to Barva volcano. I learned that, while a national park, it’s one of Costa Rica’s hidden secrets. There were few tourists along our path, allowing us to feel like we had wandered into an enchanted forest out of a story book. Back at the finca, I indulged at their spa, with their Pura Vida Coffee Detox Package: a Swedish full-body massage, a coffee and chocolate body scrub and a refreshing facial. After a challenging hike that morning, it was just what the doctor ordered. Fun fact: There’s some great art here and I’m not just talking about the murals on the walls (there are some super colorful ones at the pool); One of the owners, Glenn, is an artist by trade and he designed all the metal work seek throughout the property, right here on-site.

Set on what was once the original campus of the University of Washington, this downtown landmark was opened in 1924, and now sits on the National Register of Historic Places. Its stately spaces have played host to generations of weddings, proms, banquets, and other opulent events, as well as a number of notable guests; John F. Kennedy stayed in the Presidential Suite during his visit to Seattle, for example.

Following a renovation in 2016, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel now features 450 rooms and suites with sophisticated décor, comfortable furnishings, and Le Labo products. Among the dining options are the elegant Georgian, a much-lauded favorite for breakfast, lunch, and the famous Afternoon Tea; The Terrace Lounge, for great drinks and live music; and Shuckers, one of the city’s oldest (and best) oyster bars. The latter pairs fresh seafood with local microbrews, including the hotel’s signature honey ale, made using honey from the building’s rooftop hives. Other amenities include a day spa and salon, and a health club with Jacuzzi, sauna, and indoor pool.

The W Taipei showcases the city’s geography and cutting-edge technology. The lobby’s light installation reacts to human motion, and guest rooms feature dramatic skyline views. The W is also home to some of Taipei’s hottest nightspots, including the Bar at Yen on the top floor. From $314. 886/(0) 2-7703-8888. This appeared in the November/December 2012 issue.

I’m not sure any other city epitomizes the California dream as well as the surf-centric college town of Santa Cruz. The Dream Inn is the perfect base for exploring and has affordable rooms, a retro-chic design, and a beachfront location within walking distance of the famous boardwalk. The hotel can arrange surf or SUP lessons (you’ll want to rent a wetsuit, even in the summer!). For those who’d rather take in the action from the shore, rent a bike from nearby Pacific Ave Cycles and peddle along West Cliff Drive until you reach the famous surf break, Steamer’s Lane. You’ll be able to watch talented surfers (and ambitious novices) surf some serious waves. A short drive away you’ll find Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. From the parking lot, take the Meadow Trail to the Loop Trail to Pipeline Road. Follow the road along the river and turn left at the Ridge Fire Road and follow it to the Observation Deck. You’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. For an even greater reward, grab a seat at the Dream Inn’s new Jack O’ Neill lounge and try one of the great cocktails (the Old Timer is a mix of Knob Creek, lavender sweet tea, and muddled fruit) and if you’re lucky, there might even be a live band.

The torrent of Anglo eateries that have popped up across Paris in recent years can largely be attributed to the searing success of Rose Bakery. I had my doubts years ago when I first heard about the internationally-staffed organic canteen - how good could English food be, really? Expensive though it may be, it’s one of my favorite places to go for warm cheese scones, fresh vegetable and a variety of cakes suitable for breakfast or afternoon tea. Rose began in London, hopped over to Paris on rue des Martyrs, expanded to the Marais, settled into a 3rd location within La Maison Rouge foundation in the 12th and most recently took over a 2nd floor corner of the chic department store Le Bon Marché. And that’s saying nothing of their international locations. Its appeal was virtually immediate and RB quickly established itself as the spot among hipsters, artists, celebrities (the likes of Natalie Portman and Julie Delpy, who I spotted last year) and tourists for organic, English fare. They open early, excel at pancakes and healthy veggie options and sell a number of British products to-go. Other establishments may have come onto the scene but Rose is a breakfast mainstay.

In the middle of a metropolitan area of twenty million, Seoul’s historic Bukchon neighborhood has kept a traditional village feel. “Hanok"—traditional courtyard houses, with upswept tile roofs and latticed sliding doors—line the hilly streets. Some of them have been opened as small guesthouses. After a trans-Pacific flight, and then a bus ride into the city (from the new airport, built on reclaimed land in the Yellow Sea), I walked a few blocks up narrow lanes and through a wooden gate. I felt as if I’d stepped back into the Korean countryside of a century ago. A rooster and a rabbit shared the courtyard, filled with hydrangeas and herbs. A persimmon tree towered overhead. My room had sliding papered doors; a simple low bed and table; no TV...but free Wi-Fi! The friendly owner, whose family lives in one wing of the house, showed me the hot water machine where I could make instant ginseng tea and “ko-pi” (coffee). Not all hanok lodgings are so spartan. Behind the main courtyard of this house, a “sarang-chae” is also available—it’s like a mini-house (or casita), with its own private garden: rustic luxury. While staying here, I met an Israeli man and his Japanese wife on their way back to the Middle East, as well as a couple of professors of Indian languages from Seattle on their way to New Delhi. Bukchon is becoming more widely known as one of Asia’s urban gems. (For more information: http://www.seoul110.com/html_en/1.html)

A five-star property in an old transformer station, Hotel Herman K brings industrial-chic style to the heart of Copenhagen. Much of the building’s raw, unpolished architecture has been preserved, lending the hotel an edgy vibe. A façade of dark bronze slats and large glass doors leads to the lobby, where a custom-designed artwork by Pio Diaz hangs from 40-foot ceilings. Down moody, dimly lit hallways, each of the 31 rooms and suites hides behind a black curtain, which is pulled aside for the duration of your stay. Inside, sleek furniture, soft carpets, and concrete walls contrast with white marble bathrooms, creating an altogether futuristic feeling. In fact, guests can even control the lights and sound from bed via panels in the headboard or steam their home media directly to the TV and speakers. If you need a break from all the technology, many rooms also include private balconies or terraces.

Herman K comes courtesy of Brøchner Hotels (Denmark’s leading boutique hotel chain) and features many of the company’s signature amenities, including a healthy, organic breakfast and a “night cap hour” with complimentary drinks. Should guests want something more substantial, Herman K is also home to Roxie, a three-story restaurant from the team behind two-Michelin-starred Nordic restaurant Kadeau.

An Art Deco landmark on Rio’s famous stretch of sand, the Belmond Copacabana Palace has set the standard for visiting celebrities and discerning guests for nearly a century. In the luxurious rooms, muted colors, original artwork, and botanical murals serve as the backdrop for views of the ocean and black-and-white boardwalk. Outdoors, guests can lounge around the almost Olympic-sized pool—much like Marilyn Monroe once did—or take advantage of the hotel’s beach service, complete with assistants to watch your belongings while you swim. Visitors also have access to the hotel spa, which uses Brazilian fruits and Amazonian ingredients in its treatments, as well as an impeccable concierge team, which can arrange exclusive sunrise visits to Christ the Redeemer before it opens to the public.

The restaurant and nightlife scene may be hotter in Ipanema these days but Belmond guests are spoilt for dining choices. Hotel Cipriani Restaurant—named for the Copacabana’s sister hotel in Venice—serves elegant Northern Italian, while Pérgula is bustling day and night thanks to caipirinha cocktails prepared tableside and a menu of Carioca favorites like grilled seafood and steaks. For an award-winning meal, there’s also Mee, which holds a Michelin star for its haute Pan-Asian dishes and extensive sake selection.

It’s not that newer is necessarily better—Antonio Obrador, the hotelier and designer of famously luxurious retreats like Mallorca’s Cap Rocat, would hardly choose a neoclassical, turn-of-the-century palacio for his latest project, were that the case—but when a hotel gets the kind of buzz that the Urso Hotel & Spa got when it opened in the fall of 2014, there’s usually a reason.

In the hip, up-and-coming Salesas neighborhood, across the street from the recently reopened (and equally lively) Barceló food market, Madrid’s first five-star boutique hotel looks, from the outside, like many grandes dames: ornate, decadent, and just a bit over-the-top. Inside is another story; while many of the original details (hand-painted azulejo tiles, grand marble staircase, stained-glass windows, windowed wooden elevator) have been painstakingly restored with the help of local craftsmen, the style is undeniably contemporary, with even a hint of Scandinavian-inspired minimalism to offset the pull of the antique. This devotion to design alone would have merited the aforementioned buzz, but Obrador and his team didn’t stop there, throwing in one of Madrid’s most innovative restaurants, most soothing spas, most understatedly cool bars, and, of course, the superlative service required of any five-star stay.

Dutchman Dirk de Graaff left a demanding consulting position in Hong Kong to become a hotelier in Siem Reap, falling for Cambodia’s natural beauty, smiling residents, and laid-back way of life. He ran the first gay-friendly guesthouse in town before opening two hotels, a boutique hotel and the more upscale Rambutan Resort, a 16-room property, where he’s successfully re-created the traits that led him to the country in the first place. The simple but stylish rooms employ local, natural materials, with custom-made, chocolate-brown and white-flecked sugar-palm beds (of eco-friendly wood), brightly hued silk lamps, and private outdoor terrazzo soaking tubs. Modern Asian art—including comical pieces by Chinese artist Yue Minjun—adorns the walls. A lovely slate-and-stone tiled, tree-shaded pool anchors the property, its cascading water feature lending a meditative quality.

And though Rambutan’s flair is more than enough reason to stay, it’s the exceedingly personable staff that makes it a true standout. Guests are welcomed like old friends (many are on return visits); the affable check-in crew and servers artfully walk the line between doing their jobs and making time for a chat. De Graaff invests in his team—providing scholarships to further their careers in hospitality, for instance—and their mutual affection for the place shows.

Most London hotels can’t claim to have a bowling alley in the basement. But then Ham Yard isn’t most hotels. The new address, opened in June 2014, also features a 190-seat cinema with Dolby surround sound, a spa with its own Hypoxic Studio for high-altitude training, a roof terrace with a full vegetable garden, and a karaoke bar curated by Lucky Voice. Ham Yard is the eighth opening for Firmdale Hotels, the chain run by husband-and-wife team Tim and Kit Kemp. Tim brings business brains to the partnership, while Kit handles the interior design. It’s this aspect for which the brand is best known, and Ham Yard is the most exuberant of Kit’s colorful creations. Kit has filled the space with her trademark mismatched fabrics and art works sourced from the likes of Shilo Engelbrecht. Curious touches, such as light installations from cult-creator Gods Own Junkyard, lend the hotel an idiosyncratic edge. The unusual name derives from the Soho square in which the hotel stands. Ham Yard’s emergence has not only created London’s hottest new opening, but also a courtyard space where locals come to sit and linger at the hotel’s partner shops, including Brazilian beachwear brand Frescobol Carioca and a Press London juice bar.

My first night at Galley Bay, I decided to take in their signature dining experience at Ismay’s. This is their top-of-the-line restaurant. Menu items include baked escalope of mahi mahi with olive and pine nut crust parsley; roasted cherry tomatoes, chilled caponata, sweet potato wafers, and balsamic reduction; and gratin of shrimp, crimson grapes, fresh dill, and champagne cream. Certainly impressive names, but perhaps the most impressive is the name of the restaurant itself. You see, when the then unnamed restaurant was being built in 2008, employees overwhelmingly suggested it should be named after one of their own: Ms. Ismay Mason. Ismay had been with Galley Bay for 45 years at that time during which she’d never called in sick and was a steadfast member of the team and community at large. Five years later, when Ismay finally retired, the tribute to her contribution toward the exceptional vibe of Galley Bay continued with the formation of The Ismay’s Foundation which provides for further career training and education within the community. Incidentally, I had the grilled beef mignon and sauté of shrimp, fondant potato, lemon, parsley and white wine emulsion.