Search results for

Why we love it: A boutique resort that perfectly merges relaxation with exploration

Highlights:
- Amenities like an infinity pool, spa, and outdoor fire pits to help you unwind
- Unique offerings like daily yoga classes and nightly social hours with wine
- Weekly stargazing sessions with local astronomy experts

The Review:
This eclectic 100-room property attracts adventurous extroverts ready to explore the surrounding red rocks, then swap tales over morning coffee or happy hour wine. Inside, decor honors the area’s Native American heritage, incorporating elements like grass-woven baskets, headboards crafted from local fallen trees, and desert flower hues against soothing neutrals. Pet-friendly rooms also feature luxurious touches like Italian linens, modern art, and Atelier Bloem toiletries, while suites up the ante with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the desert.

Outdoors, guests can gather around the heated pool and hot tub or several crackling fire pits and admire views of Sedona’s iconic Snoopy Rock. There’s also an award-winning spa for when you need respite from all the hiking, plus a signature restaurant, SaltRock, which serves Southwest favorites alongside creative mezcal cocktails. On Monday nights, local astronomy experts lead stargazing sessions to take in Sedona’s dark skies, and daily yoga classes are included in the resort fee. Other amenities include access to top-rated golf courses, a full-service fitness center, complimentary bikes, and a shuttle that ferries guests within a one-mile radius of the property.

Miami comes to Los Angeles at this Sydell Group hotel that took over the historic Commercial Exchange building in the center of downtown. Although it has deluxe amenities like a doorman and room service, the Freehand L.A. has a range of room types, from 167 private accommodations to 59 shared rooms with four, six, or eight bunk beds. The hotel deftly manages to combine the social culture of a hostel with innovative design by Roman + Williams, exceptional food and drinks, and stellar communal spaces where locals and travelers mingle naturally. Places to hang out include the lobby area outfitted with handcrafted furnishings, vibrant tapestries, earthy decorative elements, and murals by local artists; the lobby bar, serving tea-infused cocktails and light bites; the grab-and-go Café Integral; the plant-filled restaurant; and the rooftop pool, which is home to the award-winning Broken Shaker lounge. Providing more greenery off the lobby is a floral-filled concept store by Venice’s Flowerboy Project.

Terraced like the surrounding rice paddies, Soori Bali occupies an undeveloped stretch of fertile coastline roughly 25 minutes from Tabanan, a town northwest of Denpasar known for traditional farming and artisan crafts. The resort’s modern design plays on the shapes, colors, and landscapes of the surrounding area and incorporates local stone. (At the recommendation of the surrounding village’s elder, the property also constructed 10 stone temples onsite within the property.) Outdoor spaces feature bright green trees and grasses along with infinity pools, while high ceilings, cool colors, and marble floors inside create a tranquil escape from the heat. The property’s spacious rooms and wood-slat shades give off an art-gallery vibe, and the reading-room lounge displays the works of the hotel’s artists in residence. Food is another big focus here, both at the resort’s three restaurants and in tours that explore rice cultivation, exotic ingredients found at the Kerambitan market, and the spices, cacao, and coffee from nearby Jatiluwih.

Nothing’s more romantic than strolling across a bridge with a beloved, but this bridge means more than just amor—Széchenyi Chain Bridge was the first structure across the Danube in Hungary, built in the mid-1800s and, as a suspension bridge, a marvel of architecture and engineering at the time. Now one of seven bridges across the river, it was the first to connect Buda and Pest, shifting the flows and development of the city. Budapest natives see it like New Yorkers see the Brooklyn Bridge. Lion sculptures guard its entries, it’s lit up at night to dazzling effect, and of course it offers stunning views of the literally blue Danube.

Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, sits on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, offering guests exceptional views of the Sea of Cortéz. Each of the hotel’s 57 rooms faces the sea and Esperanza’s private beach but also offers access to four separate swimming pools. Hotel staff keep guests as busy as they want to be with a full schedule of activities, some of which are the usual Baja resort suspects like yoga lessons and cooking classes. A number of options are quite unique, however—book a master tequilero to teach you about the fine art of tequila appreciation, or take classes in Spanish, salsa, painting, and more. Guest rooms are gorgeous, with an earth-tone color scheme and fine, locally made handicrafts as decorative accents. Bathrooms in the casitas look out onto water, while villas have full kitchens and dining rooms.

If you are more interested in the night life of Lisbon, I highly recommend to stay in the area of Barrio Alto, known as the nigh-life and entertainment district of Lisbon. One of the most beautiful hotels in Barrio Alto is LX Boutique Hotel, which was a historic building, that turned into the current hotel. Each floor in the hotel is designed and dedicated to a concept related to Lisbon; One floor is dedicated to the fado music, another floor is dedicated to the Tagus river, and others are dedicated to Barrio Alto, the Seven Hills of Lisbon, and Fernando Pessoa, one of the greatest poets of Lisbon. If you are looking for a great night hang out, just cross the street to Pensão Amor, one of my favorite bars in the city. LX Boutique Hotel, Rua do Alecrim 12, Lisboa

Since it was constructed at the top of Telegraph Hill in 1933, Coit Tower has been an integral part of San Francisco’s downtown skyline. Named after a 1920s patron to the city’s firefighters—but not designed to resemble a firehose, as the urban legend goes—Coit Tower’s observation deck will give you 360-degree views out over San Francisco, including the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Entrance fees range from free (children four and under) to $7 (adult non-residents); visit the website for all prices. Coit Tower is open from 10 am to 6 pm May through October and 10 am to 5 pm from November through April.

The large Destreland Mall, located at the entrance to Basse-Terre as you exit Grande-Terre, is your one-stop shopping center for whatever you need. Generally open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., over 100 stores fill the space with French and local products. You can find fashion, beachwear, sports gear, arts and crafts, electronics, chocolate, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Adjacent to the eponymous hotel, this shopping center near the cruise ship terminal in Pointe-a-Pitre has several boutiques stocking colorful island-style jewelry and accessories, and beauty products. It is named after the 19th-century French poet and Nobel laureate who was born and raised in Guadeloupe. You’ll also find local shops surrounding the center selling textiles, arts and crafts, and souvenir trinkets.

Believe it or not, Orlando has an impressive—and ever-growing—arts and culture community. To get a feel for the scene, visit CityArts Factory, a collective of contemporary art galleries in the heart of downtown Orlando. Admission is free and exhibits by both local and international artists rotate monthly, meaning there’s always something new to see.

The name of this park, which alludes to going barefoot, is both description and invitation. Take off your shoes and tread among nature’s sublime textures in the park’s sandpits, Zen garden, fountains, and leafy grasses. You’ll also find a bamboo forest and an interactive science museum, but the biggest attraction is people-watching: children splashing in fountains, teens pitching woo, everyone soaking up the sun. A guided (barefoot) park tour offers insight into its history as part of a citywide renovation program.

For such a remote region, Big Sur has more than its share of amazing places to stay. One of the most unique is Treebones Resort, nestled high in the foothills of South Big Sur overlooking the Pacific. The off-the-grid property offers 16 signature yurts as well as oceanfront campsites, a 500-square-foot “autonomous tent,” and the “human nest,” a spherical dwelling woven from tree branches by local artist Jayson Fann. Even nesters have access to the resort’s pool, hot tub, and restaurant, which highlights produce from the on-site organic farm and houses what has to be one of the world’s most scenic sushi bars.

Set halfway between the old town and “newer” neighborhoods like Ville Nouvelle, this 40-acre urban resort perfectly marries historic details with cosmopolitan style. Surrounded by views of the Atlas Mountains, it features a collection of low-slung buildings, set around Moorish-style gardens and two glittering swimming pools (one is family-friendly with integrated whirlpools, while the other is 131 feet long and only for adults). Other amenities include clay tennis courts, dedicated programming for both kids and teens, and a gorgeous spa for Moroccan hammam rituals and nourishing argan-oil massages.

Catering to all types of travelers, the 139 accommodations range from spacious rooms in the main building to standalone pavilions, one-bedroom suites, private-pool suites, and villas with two or four bedrooms. All feature contemporary décor, handcrafted Moroccan accents, marble bathrooms, modern conveniences, and terraces or patios with views of the gardens or mountains. The poolside Azzera restaurant serves everything from flame-grilled meats to Thai papaya salads for lunch, while the romantic Inara lounge features cocktails and Moroccan cuisine made with herbs and spices from the resort’s gardens. Also on-site is Quattro, which serves a buffet breakfast in the morning, then morphs into an elegant Southern Italian eatery for dinner.

Too often us intrepid experiential travelers can get caught up in the whole effort of trying to do it all. “I must explore this off-the-map place!” “I have to try this exotic dish!” It’s easy to forget that sometimes the best way to get to know a place is to simply stroll aimlessly. Luckily, Barbados makes it an attractive prospect.

Movie director Francis Ford Coppola had traveled the world, but when he visited Belize in the 1980s, in search of a “jungle paradise” like the one where he had filmed Apocalypse Now, he was taken by the untamed land and bought Blancaneaux, the first of two resort properties he would eventually own in Belize. (The other is Turtle Inn.) Initially, Blancaneaux was a family retreat, but by the early 1990s, Coppola decided to turn it into a small luxury resort. Today, guests with deep pockets enjoy visiting Blancaneaux for its sense of exclusivity; travelers have to really want to stay here. An hour’s drive down a bone-jarring road away from civilization, one doesn’t just happen upon the resort. Accommodations are gigantic villa- and cabana-style lodgings lavishly decorated with handmade furniture, textiles, and crafts. Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and swimming are a few of the activities for guests on-site at Blancaneaux.