Hotels

Capella Lodge - Volcanic Peaks Meet Barefoot Luxury on Australia's Last Unspoiled Island

There are places that make you question why you ever settled for ordinary vacations, and Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island is one of them. This nine-suite retreat sits at the foot of two volcanic peaks that tower over the world's southernmost coral reef, on an island so pristine that …

Tropical Glamping - Sleeping Above the Ocean on Nusa Penida's Wildest Coast

Wake to manta rays gliding through turquoise water 150 meters below your bamboo bed. This is glamping at its most audacious – a sustainable bungalow perched on Nusa Penida's dramatic eastern cliffs, where you can shower with ocean views, lounge in a net suspended over the void, and watch nature's …

The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore - Secret Societies, Opium Dens, and Cocktails That Map the Past

In the 1890s, this building on Robertson Quay was ground zero for Singapore's red-light district, a hub for opium dens, gambling houses, and Chinese secret societies who demanded 36 sacred oaths from new recruits. The street was known in Hokkien as "Chiu Long Lo" – Spirits Shed Street – after …

Parador Costa da Morte - Death, Rebirth, and Glass: Galicia's Most Daring Hotel

Spain's 98th parador took nearly two decades to build, rising from the ruins of an environmental catastrophe to become something genuinely special. Perched above a white sand beach on the Costa da Morte – the "Coast of Death," named for its countless shipwrecks – this glass and zinc structure disappears …

Hotel Føroyar - The Faroe Islands' Grass-Roofed Gateway

Sitting on a hillside above one of the world's smallest capitals, Hotel Føroyar doesn't just offer views of Tórshavn – it practically is the view. This is where international football teams crash after matches, where visiting musicians decompress, and where you can walk barefoot through rain and drizzle to reach …

Al Moudira - A Desert Palace Where Time Stands Still

In the shadow of the Valley of the Kings, on Luxor's west bank, sits a hotel that feels like stumbling into someone's private fantasy. Al Moudira sprawls across ten hectares of palm groves and gardens, a maze of 54 suites scattered around ten courtyards, each one different from the next. …

Hotel MYS Khao Yai - The Transparent Pool That Required Aquarium Engineers

Forget the beaches – Thailand's landlocked Khao Yai National Park offers something the coast can't: a transparent rooftop pool where you swim seemingly suspended above forested peaks. Hotel MYS Khao Yai, a five-star property on Thanaratch Road, brings Scandinavian minimalism to the heart of the country's oldest national park, a …

Somalisa Camp - Canvas, Copper Bathtubs, and Thousands of Elephants

Imagine sipping a gin and tonic by the pool when a herd of elephants ambles up to drink from it. This is the reality at Somalisa Camp, tucked into a private corner of Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, where the line between luxury and wilderness blurs in the most spectacular way. …

Cempedak Island - 50,000 Pieces of Bamboo and One Perfect Indonesian Escape

Imagine an island where 50,000 pieces of bamboo were woven into villas perched among granite boulders, where dolphins occasionally drift past at breakfast, and where the biggest decision you'll face is whether to watch the sunrise or sunset from your private plunge pool. This is Cempedak, a 17-hectare Indonesian hideaway …

The Trixie Motel: Inside the World's Only Drag Queen-Owned Hotel

In the heart of Palm Springs, a bright pink motel rises from the desert landscape like a fever dream made real. This is the Trixie Motel, the only drag queen-owned hotel in the United States, and quite possibly the world. It's a seven-room passion project in which every surface, fixture, …

Nobu Hotel Marrakech - A Fusion of Japanese Design and Moroccan Craft

In Marrakech's fashionable Golden Triangle, a towering Japanese bonsai tree rises from the center of a circular lobby, setting the tone for one of the more intriguing hotel experiments in North Africa. Nobu Hotel Marrakech took over an existing building in 2022 and transformed it into something that sits comfortably …

Chalet Resort Zu Kirchwies - Scottish Highland Cattle and Silence in the Dolomites

A place that opens with "We're not a wellness fortress with animated breakfast buffets" is making a specific promise. At Zu Kirchwies, a small chalet village in Laion, South Tyrol, you won't find golden taps or petting-zoo charm. What you will find: Scottish Highland cattle wandering the property, a family …

Maison Lézard - Mexico City's Eccentric New Guesthouse

Walking into what looks like a castle on a leafy Mexico City street and finding yourself surrounded by monochromatic rooms splashed with stained glass and contemporary art isn't your everyday hotel experience. Maison Lézard, which opened in September 2025, is the sort of place where herringbone floors meet electric violet …

The Old Cataract: Murder Plots, Martinis, and a Century of Nile-Side Glamor

Standing on a pink granite cliff above the Nile since 1899, the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan is the kind of place where history doesn't just whisper – it practically shouts from the ruby chandeliers and horseshoe arches. Agatha Christie sat on the terrace penning Death on the Nile here. …

Rosewood Luang Prabang - Jungle Luxury in Laos's Spiritual Heartland

In the forested hills above Luang Prabang, architect Bill Bensley has conjured something wonderfully eccentric: a 23-room resort that reimagines a 19th-century French colonial hill station, complete with safari-style tents perched in the treetops. The property sprawls across both banks of the Nam Dong River, connected by a bridge that …

Shebara Resort - Saudi Arabia's Sci-Fi Sanctuary on the Red Sea

Imagine stepping into a mirrored orb that hovers above turquoise waters, where your villa reflects the sky so perfectly it nearly vanishes into the horizon. This isn't a fever dream – it's Shebara Resort, Saudi Arabia's latest audacious leap into luxury tourism. Opened in November 2024 on Sheybarah Island, this …

Fuji Speedway Hotel - The Ultimate Petrolhead Paradise at the Foot of Mount Fuji

There aren't many places where you can soak in an outdoor hot spring while gazing at Mount Fuji, then drive three laps around a world-class race circuit before dinner. The Fuji Speedway Hotel, which opened in late 2022, occupies a unique patch of Shizuoka Prefecture where Japan's highest peak looms …

Minaret Station - New Zealand's Helicopter-Only Alpine Lodge Where Everything Else Drops Away

There are two ways to arrive at Minaret Station, and both involve a helicopter. You can land directly at the lodge, or you can ask the pilot to drop you halfway up the mountain so you can hike the rest of the way through woodland and past streams, arriving just …

The Marshall House - Savannah's Oldest Hotel Still Hosts Its Civil War Ghosts

Staying in a hotel that once served as a Union hospital, where faucets allegedly turn on by themselves and children's footsteps echo through halls at night, is delightfully odd. The Marshall House, Savannah's oldest operating hotel, doesn't shy away from its peculiar past. Built in 1851, this Greek Revival landmark …

The Apurva Kempinski Bali: A Cliffside Palace Above the Indian Ocean

Spread across Nusa Dua's cliffs like a modern interpretation of Bali's terraced rice paddies, The Apurva Kempinski Bali commands attention from every angle. This 475-room resort cascades down the hillside in a symphony of stone and water, with a 250-step grand staircase inspired by sacred temples running through its heart. …