Search results for

What do amenities mean in the age of the millennial traveler? At the stylish yet understated Alda Hotel, guests receive a complimentary Android phone that’s preloaded with apps to help you explore the city, from the hottest new restaurants to the best shops for Icelandic wool. If your beard needs a trim, a barbershop is connected to the hotel by way of the Barber Bar, so clients can settle into the chair, craft cocktail in-hand. Rooms are sleek and spare, in Nordic hues of gray and white with an occasional splash of color; all bathrooms have contemporary walk-in showers, while upgraded rooms also feature large soaking tubs. Rooms on the third floor enjoy views to the mountains and North Atlantic, while those on the fourth floor have access to a rooftop terrace with city, mountains, and ocean vistas. The Alda is just a few minutes’ walk to downtown (including the pickup spot for most tours) and to the seafront; at the end of the day, the outdoor hot tub is a perfect way to relax and inhale the clean Icelandic air.

On a quiet white-sand beach within the gates of the historic Hacienda Pinilla ranch, just a few miles from the bustling surf town of Tamarindo, the JW Marriott is an ideal choice for families, offering a wide range of on-site activities for every fitness level—think surfing, volleyball, golf, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and the list goes on. The kids’ club provides organized daily adventures for children ages four to 12 while parents steal a few relaxing hours at the oceanfront infinity pool or indulging in beachside massages at the spa. Five restaurants and two bars serve everything from casual burgers for picky eaters to sushi, Asian fusion, and contemporary Costa Rican for those with more refined palates. And all of the 310 guest rooms have balconies or terraces with ocean, garden, or pool views, as well as marble bathrooms with oversize tubs for maximum comfort. Spring for a spacious one-bedroom suite, which has a separate living-room area—a great plus if your little ones are early risers.

Short of visiting the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque itself, you won’t find a better view of the whitewashed masterpiece than at this Shangri-La hotel, which shimmers like a jewel opposite Abu Dhabi Island on the mainland of the Arabian Peninsula. The rest of the hotel’s palatial appeal sprouts from a deep appreciation for Middle Eastern tradition, seen in spectacular carved archways, mosaic-tile baths in the rooms, and winding waterways navigated by an abra (local ferry boat). Hop on board to journey to the hotel’s contemporary take on a souk, where you can purchase clothes, jewelry, and other souvenirs before choosing between French, Vietnamese, and Chinese specialties at four on-site restaurants. Four pools ensure you won’t wilt in the desert heat, while a CHI spa provides soothing comfort for those beat from a day spent skyscraper hopping.

Spain takes its food seriously. After all, it’s the country that gave birth to El Bulli and, as of 2015, has 169 Michelin-starred restaurants (11 in Madrid alone). So it comes as no surprise that a top hotel on a main boulevard in the capital should be home to one of these temples to gastronomy, the two-Michelin-starred Santceloni. But the Hotel Hesperia Madrid doesn’t content itself with just a world-class restaurant. No, this sleek retreat—decorated boldly by some of Spain’s top designers, including Pascua Ortega, Erico Navazo, and Mercedes Gonzalez López-de-Carrizosa—is devoted to the best of contemporary Spanish dining, with a total of three acclaimed restaurants and a sultry scotch bar attracting the most discerning palates in Madrileño society. In between decadent meals—and exploring the ritzy shopping and myriad sights just outside the hotel’s front door—work up an appetite at the open-air gym up on the rooftop, yet another of the Hesperia’s claims to fame.

This modern 11-story hotel, built on the end of the beachside Larvotto strip, is a chic but unpretentious family-friendly resort that attracts travelers for its prime location and the amicable Mediterranean-style village atmosphere. Guests come for the three restaurants, spa, and two pools (one with an artificial sand-bottom lagoon), plus the Bay Casino, jammed with the latest high-tech slot machines. If guests want to relax, chances are they head to the lounge chairs surrounded by the botanical gardens or head down the road to the Monte-Carlo Beach for water sports. The comfortable, sleek, contemporary-style rooms have dark or blond wood furnishings, duvet-covered beds, plasma-screens TVs, and spacious white bathrooms. Another highlight is the sea-view terraces, with a dreamy vista of the illuminated pool, gardens, and the Sporting d’Eté complex. The highly affordable off-season prices are a deal, considering the Principality’s mild climate is reliably sunny, even during the winter.

Istanbul’s Ottoman heritage and contemporary urban pulse collide at this city retreat. The hotel sits within Akaretler’s historic row houses where high-ranking officials of Sultan Abdulaziz’s reign once lived. Designed by Mahmut Anlar, the interior is stamped with vibrant jewel-toned hues and bold geometric shapes that create an ultra-modern vibe down through the regal 1875 foundations.

Rooms are doused in hot-pink highlights and open out to private terraces or gardens, with suite rooms offering beach-style cabanas for a slice of inner-city resort living. Munchie boxes, Bose radios, and king-size beds with 350-thread-count linens make rooms extra welcoming.

The W Hotel’s whatever-whenever service philosophy takes a highly customized approach. Staff can arrange tailor-made itineraries that help guests discover hidden sights and the newest restaurants and nightlife. The hotel’s iPhone app allows guests to scope out the city scene from the comfort of their room and order in-room dining at a touch of a button.

Opened in 2013, Andaz’s first and only Hawaiian property has four cascading infinity pools (plus many more private plunge pools) and an enviable location on Mokapu Beach, meaning guests are never more than a few steps from water.

The 290 rooms and suites are decked out in stylish, contemporary furnishings—some even come with Viking grills on private lanais—and 10 luxurious villas feature up to four bedrooms, with the largest maxing out at a sprawling 4,000 square feet.

The resort’s full calendar of activities offers everything from coconut leaf weaving to kayaking, outrigger canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding—plus GoPro shooting and editing lessons to best capture it all. At Morimoto Maui, one of four restaurants on the property, renowned chef Masaharu Morimoto combines Japanese and Western influences in inspired dishes like yellowtail “pastrami,” served with a gin-spiked crème fraîche.

At the ‘Awili spa, where guests can choose locally sourced ingredients for a custom body treatment.

Housed in a historic turn-of-the-20th-century building renovated to include nearly 10,500 square feet of exhibition space, 21c Museum Hotel is equal parts art gallery and modern lodging. Guests and the public will find a range of programs, from solo and group shows to rotating installations, curated by Alice Gray Stites. You’ll also find a touch of whimsy in the form of the brand’s signature penguin sculptures, a playful gesture that extends to the guest rooms. Featuring light hardwood floors, white walls, and colorful modern furnishings, they serve as a coordinating backdrop for original works by local artists; flat-screen televisions, Nespresso coffee makers, and Malin + Goetz bath amenities keep things comfortable. Downstairs, the chef at Gray & Dudley transforms ingredients from neighborhood markets and farms into dishes like pan-roasted duck breast with apple purée and black-eyed pea falafel. Another must-try indulgence? The small spa requires 24-hour advance reservations, but the calm respite after a day of sightseeing makes it worth the wait.

Founded in 1979, the mission of this institution is clear—it’s committed to preserving, presenting, and interpreting art created after 1940. Its methods, however, are ever changing. Three distinct venues in the city shine a spotlight on forward-thinking artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Start at the Grand Avenue location, arriving right at the 11 a.m. opening for a chance to contemplate Mark Rothko’s emotional color studies in peace. After exploring work by such artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Joan Miró, and Nijideka Akunyili Crosby (who created the mural that wraps around the building), grab lunch from Lemonade café to enjoy in the Sculpture Plaza. One mile away, the same general admission ticket gets you entry to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which opened in Little Tokyo in 1983 after a renovation of a former police car warehouse by Frank Gehry; today, it hosts the museum’s more experimental exhibits. Architecture aficionados should also visit the third location, the MOCA Pacific Design Center, about 10 miles away in West Hollywood. (A fourth MOCA location, called Double Negative, requires much more of a detour—it’s a work of land art by Michael Heizer in the middle of the Nevada desert.) Art talks, screenings, and live music alongside food trucks make MOCA Grand and Geffen as much social venues as they are cultural ones. Pro tip: For an in-depth look at the collections, book the completely customizable educator-led tour (request a couple weeks ahead). For a livelier experience, visit on a Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is free.

Built in the 1920s by a Croatian businessman, Palacio Astoreca underwent two years of refurbishment and restoration before opening its doors as a boutique hotel in 2012. The work was carried out to a meticulous degree, maintaining the original parquet floors, and adding splashes of color with art deco furniture and modern art, including one piece by Switzerland’s Frédéric Clot. The stucco-and-brick mansion rises up from the streets of Chile’s port city, Valparaíso, like a piece of red-and-white confectionary.

A statement staircase winds up to the 23 rooms, some of which have stand-alone bathtubs. And the basement level is home to a small spa with an open-air, wood-fueled hot tub set alongside a living wall. The reception level and entrance hall open out onto a terrace where lunch, tea, and cocktails are served, allowing guests prime views over the hilly city and Pacific Ocean. There are quiet corners for those seeking a solitary moment, including a library and a piano bar, which comes to life in the evenings with live music.

In a tucked away corner of Lisboa, in the no-man’s land between the core of Lisboa and Belem, is the bustling new design and arts district, the cornerstone of which is the LX Factory. Set on movie-set looking ground of an old manufacturing district, the LX Factory is a great place to get away from the more tourist parts and hang out amid the design firms, production studios, restaurants and shops — all having a design-centered focus. Very cool retail and restaurants, even a hotel, all tucked under the constant roar of the off/on ramps to the Big Bridge. It’s a destination place, so don’t do what I did and try to walk there from Barrio Alto on a 98 degree day! The cool thing is they didn’t gloss it up, but kept the place to its core history, with wonderful decay and industrial bones still in place. Two great places to be sure to check out: the 1300 Taberna restaurant, set in beautiful space with factory skylights and extremely nice people and, the Ler Devagar bookstore — which is the store that attracted me to this special place and often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It is set amidst an old printing plant, which like the rest of the area, they left all the old parts in place, so the whole bookstore is built around the old two story printing press, with seats, racks and even a cafe nestled amidst the old printing units, catwalks and folders. So cool. Worth the trip. A lot happenin’ here.

This unpretentious and welcoming old-fashioned restaurant is a favorite with locals and tourists alike, and many guests are regulars. The elegant interior design features traditional linens on tables and modern art on brick walls, and the dining space is split into multiple small rooms as well as an outdoor patio. The food is local, with a selection of Venetian classics such as Canastrelli scallops and grilled orata fish (bream) with zucchini sauce. The pasta is homemade, and beyond fish and seafood, there are plenty of meat choices. The wine list is carefully curated by one of the owners. Service is friendly and efficient.

This property is currently closed for renovation and expects to reopen in early 2020.

An intimate boutique hotel with a B&B feel, La Colombe D’Or (meaning “golden dove” in French) is a Texas landmark built in 1923 as a private residence, for the founder of Humble Oil. Acquired by Steven Zimmerman in 1979, the “Fondren Mansion” became one of the smallest luxury hotels in the world. The unique property also has its own art gallery and Le Grand Salon event space, which has carved wood panel walls that originally hung in a French chateau. The third-floor gallery displays sculpture and oil paintings by local and international artists as well as works on paper by Picasso, Dali, and Man Ray, and there are many more pieces sprinkled throughout the property.

With only five suites (all named after French artists such as Monet and Degas) and nine villas (across the street from the ballroom), all flush with original art and 19th-century French antiques, the hotel feels personal yet posh. Bonus: 24-hour concierge service and complimentary Wi-Fi.

A colorful working-class neighborhood near downtown that had fallen on hard times, Woodstock has been revitalized with a mix of galleries, artists’ studios, boutiques, and restaurants. Much of the area’s original vibe remains, however, thanks to the long rows of colonnaded shops that edge Albert and Victoria roads. Among the nearby storefronts that are open throughout the week are Espresso Lab Microroasters and Luke Dale-Roberts’s award-winning restaurant, the Test Kitchen. Continuing down Albert Road, you’ll find spots like the Woodstock Co-op and the very trendy Woodstock Exchange, with a great array of places to eat and stores selling local goods. At the end of Albert Road, there’s a concentration of galleries, including the Stevenson, Goodman, and SMAC. On Saturdays, Woodstock draws crowds to the Neighbourgoods Market, a prepared foods extravaganza in the Old Biscuit Mill.

Past the bouncer and down a black staircase 32 feet below ground is Paris‘s most buzzed-about semi-private club, Le Silencio. Housed where Molière was allegedly buried and Zola printed “J’accuse”, it’s of little surprise that the enigmatic director David Lynch would select the location for his louche lounge-cum-entertainment space, which he designed (expect gold-leaf walls, raw wood cladding, bespoke neo-1950’s furniture) - mere steps into the labyrinthine halls and you’ve entered the entrails of another world, one that evidently takes cues from Lynch’s art. Before midnight, it’s member’s only but once midnight strikes, a smartly dressed crowd of cocktail-crazed creatives floods inside, snatching up seats in the art library, loafing at the bar or lighting up in the mirrored smoking room that was conceived to resemble a forest. Killer cocktails and exclusivity aside, Le Silencio’s biggest draw is its broader offering. Presentations from the local artistic set are frequent as are culinary/cultural events, intimate concerts and private screenings. As the guest of a member, my first visit was not so much to explore the space (though there is plenty to unearth here) but for a private tasting of chef Flora Mikula’s work. A couple hours into the evening and I realized Le Silencio wasn’t about being seen but about discovery - of high culture and the utterly bizarre.