Search results for

Why we love it: An intimate property with updated rooms and a historic restaurant

The Highlights:
- Newly renovated rooms and amenities
- An iconic restaurant with live piano music at night
- Convenient shuttles to Bald Mountain and Ketchum

The Review:
Located next door to the extravagant Sun Valley Lodge, the intimate Sun Valley Inn provides a quieter, less flashy retreat. Don’t expect drab accommodations, however. All 97 rooms were refurbished for the 2018–19 winter season with irresistibly comfy beds and sumptuous carpeting. The iconic Ram restaurant and bar were also remodeled, while preserving their extensive woodwork (the building dates from 1937, when Sun Valley became one of the first ski resorts in North America). Amid antler chandeliers, Austrian cowbells, and velvet drapery, diners enjoy steaks and fondue—minus any canned Muzak. Come evening, a pianist tickles the ivories of the Ram’s baby grand. The restaurant also offers a rotating lineup of “heritage dinners,” which highlight the Ram’s historic favorites, such as Hungarian goulash (on Saturdays) and schnitzel (Wednesdays).

The inn’s meeting spaces attract conventioneers, and the heated pool appeals to families with school-aged kids. Teens also enjoy roaming the resort campus, which extends beyond the Sun Valley Lodge to Dollar Mountain (Sun Valley’s original ski hill that now includes beginner slopes and a terrain park). Guests can also hop on the buses connecting the Sun Valley Inn to Ketchum’s downtown and to Bald Mountain, Sun Valley’s main ski area.

Why we love it: A hipster hotspot that’s as stylish as it is affordable

Highlights:
- A range of room types for all travelers
- Local hangouts like the on-site diner and pool bar
- A prime location in one of Austin’s coolest neighborhoods

The Review:
While locals are committed to keeping Austin weird, there’s nothing strange about the new East Austin Hotel, a soon-to-be hipster haunt where millennial pink accents and midcentury chic mix with details that embody the city’s independent spirit. Here, guests find a variety of accommodations to suit all types of travelers, from cabin rooms with shared bathrooms to poolside suites with private balconies, but all feature Scandi-inspired furnishings and quirky touches like turtle-shaped ottomans, Moroccan pillows, and retro Victrola radios.

Vintage pendants hang over the bar at on-site restaurant Sixth & Waller, a self-described “global diner” that serves international comfort food like family-style latkes, chicken-fried steak, and mango cream pie. Equally stylish is The Upside, a rooftop bar with cocktails inspired by the Caribbean and Central and South America, and Pool Bar, which welcomes both guests and locals with frozen drinks and Instagram-friendly dishes like gochujang queso and jackfruit bánh mi. The hotel also boasts a stylish gift shop with local gifts like handcrafted ceramics and leather goods, but if you’d rather venture out, stop by the concierge desk and grab a curated map that highlights neighborhood hotspots with live music, authentic food, and more.

The 34,400-square-foot Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre engages visitors on many levels. Socially, it is the first joint cultural project between two separate native nations in North America. The center is also a stunning architectural addition to the community. The design of the concrete, cedar, and fir structure melds the longhouse of the coastal Squamish people with the traditional Lil’wat pit house. Permanent displays of carvings, dugouts, and implements used by the coastal fishermen and hunters are supplemented by temporary exhibitions, including a presentation about Canada’s infamous residential schools. The SLCC also anchors one of Whistler’s most exciting new projects, the Cultural Connector—a path that links six local arts institutions—which is another indication of Whistler’s rising status as a fine arts destination.

Le Diplomate brings France’s chic bistro culture to D.C.’s trendy U Street Corridor. Upon entering through its bright blue door frame, the high ceilings, antique decor, and bread-cart centerpiece will have you checking for your passport. The classic French cuisine is on display with colorful salads, juicy steak frites, and rich crème brûlée. The only reminders that you’re still in America are the generous portions and the warm, attentive service. Request a seat in the glass-enclosed and tiled sunroom, where the wall reads “Blanchisserie de Chemise,” an homage to the location’s former life as a laundromat. This District arrondissement certainly welcomes the tasty transformation. Bon appétit!

On the northern edge of Tucson, you can drive through a condensed version of western North America’s ecosystem in about half an hour. On the way up the Mount Lemmon Highway (also known as “Catalina Highway” or “Sky Island Scenic Byway”), you traverse almost all of the different life zones you would encounter if you were to actually drive from Mexico to Canada: starting with the saguaro-studded Sonoran desert, up through grassland, junipers and oaks, pines, and finally a mixed-conifer forest with stands of aspen. You begin at about 2500 ft. and end up at almost 9100 ft. above sea level (about 760 to 2770 meters). In the summer, especially, southern Arizonans love this road: “thirty miles, thirty degrees cooler,” as the saying goes. When it’s 105 degrees down in the city, it’s a perfect 75 up on the mountain. In the winter, you can go skiing in the southernmost ski resort in the U.S.

What started as a hobby by Fred Koehler and his wife back in 1975, has turned into something that we all now reap the benefits of. Lynfred Winery was founded in 1979 in Illinois, of all places. Urged by some to take his talents to California, Fred refused to leave his roots and set up shop in Middle America. Over the years Lynfred has produced some award-winning vino, some of which you can sample in their tasting room in Wheeling. Grab a glass or a bottle and make yourself comfortable on the grassy lawn outside, or settle into a comfy chair in the tasting room/wine shop inside. Varietals range from Pinot Grigio to Viognier all the way to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes are sourced from all over, with an abundance from California, and even a few from Washington and Chile as well. A visit to Lynfred Winery is the perfect way to while away a couple of hours over a nice glass (or two) of wine.

Formerly the residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur, and now one of Jaipur’s most elegant luxury hotels, the 19th-century Rambagh Palace has had a front-row seat to history—and has hosted a long list of royals, dignitaries, and celebrities along the way. As an homage to those regal roots, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant spotlights the cuisine of four of India’s former princely states: Rajasthan, Awadh, Punjab, and Hyderabad. In what used to be the palace’s banquet hall—still dripping with gilded mirrors and Italian frescos—enjoy dishes like laal maas (a Rajasthani spicy lamb curry), chicken cooked with raw mango and saffron, skillet-grilled lobster, and apricot-stuffed cheese dumplings simmered in tomato gravy. Cap off the night with a drink in the nearby Polo Bar, which serves fine spirits and cocktails inspired by the royal equestrian sport.

Housed on a 1,100-foot stretch of beachfront, Grace Bay Club is as stylishly current as it was in 1993, when it became the first luxury hotel to open on the then nearly empty sands of Grace Bay. From its original 21 rooms, the upscale property has grown to 82 suites, each of which features ocean views, a private veranda or patio, and chic interiors by renowned designer Thom Felicia. Guests can also look forward to superior service, including a personal concierge available day or night via a provided cell phone.

When hunger strikes, there’s the oceanfront Infiniti Restaurant & Raw Bar, which boasts sea-to-table fare and the longest bar in the Caribbean, as well as several other family-friendly venues, including The Grill. If it’s pampering you seek, make time to visit the spacious Anani Spa, where you’ll find six treatment rooms, including one just for couples. A spa tent is also available for beachfront massages.

There’s a different way to see the African wildlife in their natural habitat than a safari and it’s called Boulder Beach. We ventured to the Eastern side of the Peninsula (Indian Ocean) to meet and spend time with the locals, Cape Town‘s penguin colony. Following the wooden boardwalks, you gain access to Foxy Beach, a sheltered cove with soft white sand, crystal clear water, massive granite boulders, and birds in butler-style tailcoats. Its nothing short of an Instagram-worthy photo op but I recommend climbing atop a boulder and spending time to take it all in. It’s impossible to capture how majestic this destination truly is.

Why we love it: A condo-style property near Pier 60 that’s perfect for traveling families

The Highlights:
- Spacious, residential-style rooms with kitchenettes
- A kids’ club for children and rooftop cantina for adults
- A prime location steps from the Gulf and Pier 60

The Review:
Steps from the ocean and famous Pier 60 stands the flamingo-pink Hyatt Regency, favored for its friendly, attentive service. A residential-style property, the hotel boasts 287 generously sized rooms and suites, complete with some combination of walk-out balcony, kitchenette, dining table, living area, and workspace. Also on site is a 24-hour gym, a serene spa with sun-warmed shell massages, and a heated pool on the eighth floor overlooking the beach.

Though rooms here cater to those who like to prepare their own meals, the hotel still shines with dining options. Guests can start the day with freshly brewed coffee and pastries from the grab-and-go Market and end it with a handcrafted cocktail at Off SHOR or the Latin-inspired Tropicana Rooftop Cantina (order your drink in a souvenir glass and it will come in a coconut carved into a monkey’s head). For dinner, there’s SHOR American Seafood Grill, which boasts a spacious patio and regional seafood dishes like whole local snapper and line-caught Florida swordfish.

Total immersion is the draw of the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, which sits on a bluff 150 feet above the Pacific’s craggy coastline. The hotel delivers Ritz-Carlton’s trademark luxury—two pools with bucolic garden views, beach butlers on the sand—but also an authentic sense of place. Naturalists lead whale-watching and snorkeling excursions, as well as an ocean-inspired art program that was developed by marine-life artist Wyland. Spa treatments include seaweed wraps, marine collagen facials, and a foot massage inspired by the rhythm of the ocean. Even the resort’s marble-bedecked interiors integrate the environment, including a sculpture in the lobby by artist James Aarons made of 225 ceramic and gold pieces inspired by American cliff swallows, which migrate through the area. Shuttles take guests to and from the swimmable, surfable Salt Creek public beach below. Meals at the six restaurants are indulgent but never fussy, whether it’s pasture-raised beef and artisanal cheese at enoSTEAK, or pan-seared scallops with morita-glazed pork belly at the pan-Latin restaurant Raya. Pro tip: Before the sun dips below the horizon, grab a spot by a fire pit at the lounge 180blu, order a tamarind-togarashi margarita, and enjoy the views of the Pacific.

Gramercy Tavern in the Flatiron District can fairly be described as a New York institution. When the restaurant opened in 1994, Tom Colicchio, who has gone on to fame as much as a television chef as one who cooks in his kitchens, presided over the restaurant. In 2006, he passed the reins to Michael Anthony. Gramercy Tavern is actually two restaurants in one. The Tavern, in the front, is a lively, buzzy space where the menu is à la carte; the more formal Dining Room, in the rear of the restaurant, also has an à la carte menu—as well as prix fixe and tasting ones—at lunch, though only set menus at dinner, when a three-course version is $129 and a seasonal tasting one is $179. The vegetable tasting menu at dinner, for $159, is perhaps among the most gourmet vegetarian meals anyone will ever experience. (All prices include gratuities.) The dishes in both spaces could be described as American comfort food elevated with some gourmet touches. You can expect fresh produce to be emphasized in plates like the duck meatloaf and the cobblers and pies—the restaurant is known for its desserts.

Peggy Dulany, a New York philanthropist and daughter of David Rockefeller, bought J Bar L to protect the 620-square-mile Centennial Valley, a former Native American hunting ground settled by a few cattle-ranching families in the late 19th century—and which still has no towns, let alone paved roads, gas stations, shops, or subdivisions. To conserve the rangeland way of life, she hired locals to run a holistic grass-fed cattle business on the principles of rotational grazing and natural stockmanship. To share the landscape with nature-loving travelers and to keep the valley looking as it was, Dulany restored several abandoned 19th- and early 20th-century homesteads. These self-contained vacation rental homes range from a Sears Roebuck family house, now solar-powered, to isolated cabins on a bend of the Red Rock River. All come with fully-equipped kitchens and are tastefully filled with Western-themed furnishings and antiques; some have outdoor hot tubs.

J Bar L no longer offers working weeks for would-be cowboys but will match guests with geologists as well as with hiking, bird-watching, and fly-fishing guides. Horse lovers can hire ranch mounts for guided daily rides on rangeland that is home to pronghorn, elk, and Black Angus cattle, or up the slopes of the 10,000-foot Gravelly Mountains where wolves, grizzly bears, and bald eagles roam.

This Scottsdale megaresort opened in 1988 as an Americanized vision of European style, which explains the white marble in the lobby, the mother-of-pearl tiles lining one of the pools, and the 11 Steinway pianos (including one in each of the four presidential suites). Over the years, though, the Phoenician has melded with its surroundings to become one of the classic Arizona desert hotel experiences. The 27-hole golf course, the 11 tennis courts, the eight pools (one with a 165-foot waterslide), the spa, the hiking, and the alfresco dining all make it the kind of place people contemplate when they find themselves looking at a closet full of winter coats and scarves. The rooms are spacious, with large Italian marble bathrooms, and have a private terrace or balcony. The service is tip-top, and the kids’ club even features a Bunny Hoppy Hour. Recent renovations updated the hotel’s public spaces, including the lobby, restaurants, pool area, and spa.

Classic luxury in a colonial building is what visitors can expect of Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, located near the swanky neighborhood of Polanco and the sprawling Chapultepec Park. Proximity to the park offers respite from some of the noisier parts of the city, as does the hotel’s own expansive courtyard. Citrus trees and other greenery, tended by the same gardener since the hotel opened, radiate from a central fountain, while sculptures by Mexican artist José Luis Cuevas add even more atmosphere to the peaceful setting. This sense of refinement extends throughout the property, with Four Seasons’ signature service on full display—housekeeping, for example, is performed twice daily, and the staff can arrange for in-room massage services. Guests can also look forward to a contemporary Latin American restaurant, a tequila and mezcal bar, and a health club with a sauna and whirlpool.