Varnis
After a three-year renovation, the former Austrian Hungarian Monarchy Bank headquarters located in Vienna’s Goldenes Quartier was transformed into the first Hyatt hotel in Austria. The 143 rooms are some of the largest in Vienna, and the location—within walking distance of St. Stephen’s Cathedral and surrounded by some of Vienna’s best shopping—makes this a luxury hotel that guests can certainly bank on.
Between historic quarter The Rocks and the ferry-flocked Circular Quay, towering five-star Four Seasons Hotel Sydney has grand public areas and commands some of the best views in town. (Gazing over Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge never gets dull!) Decor in the 531 contemporary rooms and suites radiates quality, with generous windows that let the Instagram-friendly views do the talking. Sydney’s largest heated outdoor hotel pool and on-site Endota Spa will leave you feeling refreshed, with Australian-inspired, all-natural treatments, a sauna, steam room, whirlpool bath, and gym.
What if you could actually visit the Garden of Eden? And what if it was surrounded by vineyards, historic Cape Dutch farm buildings, and a formal French-style potager garden, where you could pick your own strawberries and fragrant herbs? At Babylonstoren, in the Drakenstein Valley, 33 miles northeast of Cape Town, the mythical garden comes to life. Founded in 1690, the 590-acre compound is modeled on the farms that supplied the ships making their way around the Cape of Good Hope en route to India. The cottages and suites are minimalist but stylish. You won’t find a grand lobby or an obsequious concierge here, but the staff, most of whom are wearing T-shirts, aprons, or khakis, combine a genuine eagerness to help with a high level of knowledge about the farm and its long history. Stay long enough and eventually—after a visit to the on-site bakery, the winery, the cheesemaker, the butcher, and the farm-tank-style swimming pool—you may forget that you’re staying at a hotel.
This hotel has the ability to transport you to a relaxing oasis miles from the hustle and bustle of busy Dallas, despite being in the middle of Uptown. The spa and pool make it hard to beat, while a 2018 renovation has left the rooms and suites with incredible interior design and abundant natural light, via floor-to-ceiling windows. Food and drink is on point with the Dallas outpost of Nobu and stellar cocktails at Beau Nash.
Spread across two buildings—20 suites in the beautifully restored 1911 Shanghai Club, 252 rooms and suites in the newly built tower—this hotel is a magnificent homage to Shanghai’s swank European past. In addition to opulent colonial-style suites (poster beds, walk-in closets, claw-foot tubs), the old building, now called the Waldorf Astoria Club, has a jaw-dropping 110-foot-long bar with Bund views. Rooms are neoclassical—pale-green linen wallpaper, matching silk bedcovers, and carpets with swirling flower motifs—but have all the mod cons, as well as a bathroom where a TV is embedded in the mirror and the Japanese-style toilet has water jets.
Last autumn—desperate for a sanctuary from living in locked-down Brooklyn with a newborn—I found an Edenic combination of escapism and reconnection here. Unlike at some resorts, visitors here don’t block out the destination once they check in. The 300-acre estate is in Chiusdino, on the more rugged side of Tuscany, and feels like a microcosm of the region itself. The ricotta at dinner comes from the sheep you’ve spied on long walks through farms and forests; the fields of lavender and marigold provide ingredients for the face oils at the spa. None of this is to say that Borgo Santo Pietro isn’t sharp. Everything is done with a very Italian elegance: the manicured gardens and landscaped pool; the staff who appear with a Spritz and silver tray of truffled chips simply because they thought you needed it (and I did); the Trattoria sull’Albero, with its thick oak tree rising in the middle. During the harvest season, guests can pluck and stomp grapes at Borgo’s tumble of vineyards. There’s a six-foot-deep swimming hole in the middle of a rushing stream. It’s on the property but open to use by the 30 or so locals from a nearby village. Closer to the guest villas is a tall canopied wall beside the vegetable gardens, along which pilgrims in the Middle Ages trekked to the nearby Abbey of San Galgano. My stay was an opportunity to explore a pocket of wild southern Tuscany, thrillingly alone and free, without ever needing to backtrack through the great wide entrance gates. Doubles from $760. —Erin Florio
The Freehand is a “luxury” hostel, and it rents a range of private rooms, which means you won’t have to share a bunk bed with a stranger—at least if you don’t want to (shared rooms that sleep four or eight, and are either co-ed or all-female, are available at about a quarter of the price). Still, the decision to stay here goes beyond budget; there’s a deep feeling of kinship among the (largely millennial) guests, and it’s that sense of community that seems to be the Freehand's greatest asset. While there’s no room service to speak of, there are two standout places to grab a bite or meet other travelers: 27 Restaurant and the Broken Shaker bar, which serves up some of the best cocktails in the city.
Colombia has been rising through the ranks in terms of destinations in the past decade—and you can always trust W Hotels to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the hottest trends. Opened in late 2014, W Bogota is situated right in the heart of the capital city's upscale Usaquen neighborhood, putting guests next to embassies, restaurants, and boutiques. You can expect colorful, modern decor in all 168 guest rooms—especially in the Extreme Wow Suite, which includes a king-size bed with floral canopy, an avant-garde (and purple!) circular sofa, and 180-degree views of the city's skyline. Grab brunch or dinner at the Martin Kitchen before kicking back with a drink and live music at the W Lounge. Then it's back to your room to detox before repeating it all the next day.
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