A Few Favorites: Destination Hotels!

Lake Como, Italy. Natural beauty, hard to enhance unless you can plop at the brilliant sapphire shore to gaze all day from Passalacqua. A stunning 18th century restored villa, owned and refurbished by the owners of nearby Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Best suites are authentically Italian, enormous and have grand lake views, at this intimate 24 room property. Terraced gardens, created for the Italian art of dolce far niente. Every season is memorable. Mosey through the secret tunnel to the lake to board your classic luxury wooden boat.

Amanzoe, Greece an ultra-luxury hilltop resort located near Porto Heli on the east coast of the Peloponnese in Greece.  Soar by helicopter or take the scenic route by car. No matter how you arrive, you’ll never want to depart! Blending classic Greek architecture with modern design, it features private pavilions and villas with individual swimming pools, a comprehensive wellness spa, and an exclusive beach club. Ancient olive trees line the hillsides, white arcades line personal pools, with 10 exceptional Villas and a private beach club. Scattered with UNESCO-protected ruins, the beach-fringed Peloponnese has been at the heart of Greek culture for millennia. A modern-day Acropolis from which 360-degree views encompass olive groves and the Aegean Sea. Pavilions and villas all offer private pools with stunning views and fragrant gardens, while a flagship Aman Spa pampers guests.

Airelles Chateau de Versailles, Versailles France. The days of paying insane fees for private tours has been eliminated by settling in at the grand Chateau! Private access before and after hours is guaranteed for all guests. A dream for Francophiles and foodies – reserve early, the dreamy 13 rooms are in demand!  Immerse yourself in the heart of French history at Le Grand Contrôle. Experience the royal splendor of the 18th century in this exceptional setting. Summer is lived outdoors. La Table des Jardiniers sets its tables on the terrace, facing the Orangerie, for unhurried lunches.  In the evening, the Bar de la Chapelle extends the day until twilight. Versailles, in summer, no longer needs embellishment; you simply settle in and let the moment linger.

Heckfield Place, Hamshire England. My recent visit, all too short, was a reminder of how much I love this Manor House! An inspired 19th Century estate, Heckfield Place is on the top of my list in countryside lodgings. Albeit close to London, but far enough removed, residing amidst 400 glorious acres of secluded Hampshire grounds. Formal garden terraces and provocatively described ‘pleasure grounds’ truly feel like a private park. The Manor house is brimming with the private art collection of owner Gerald Chan – stop and linger, impressive art in every room and hallway. In addition to the gorgeous rooms, Heckfield Place serves destination-worthy bio-dynamic cuisine made with ingredients grown on its Home Farm. When the sun sets, follow me to the Moon Bar. Nestled in the center of the mansion, inspired by the lunar phases, Moon Bar Cocktails are unique to Heckfield in concept, presentation and most importantly in flavor. Love the cocktail salon, with its glittering diamond ball. Finish up an afternoon walk at the Bothy Spa in the endless pool overlooking a meadow, a quiet haven!

Provence, France Art wonderland at Villa La Coste. An ultra-luxury, art-focused 5-star hotel and suite retreat set within a 200-hectare biodynamic vineyard at Château La Coste in Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, France, roughly a 15-minute drive north of Aix-en-Provence Twenty-eight Villa Suites: Private, modernist-inspired, and light-filled suites featuring large terraces, original art pieces, and expansive valley or vineyard views. Private Plunge Pools: Select high-level suites include private slate plunge pools or gardens. Renowned for its open-Air Museum: Set across 600 acres featuring site-specific installations, pavilions, and architecture by masters like Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Louise Bourgeois, Oscar Niemeyer, and Richard Serra.

Dar Ahlam “House of Dreams’ near Skoura, Morocco. A hotel of fables and fanciful experiences. There’s little about this 19th-century Kasbah that won’t leave you wanting to return. Relish a land of adventure near Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Moroccan desert. One of the most luxurious properties in Morocco, on the fringes of the Moroccan desert, shaded by ancient palms. Dar Ahlam features 14 luxury rooms and suites divided between a restored 20th-century kasbah and private garden retreats. We prefer the luxurious discreet garden suites offering ground-level indoor-outdoor living, open fireplaces, spacious en-suite layouts, and private terraces surrounded by nine acres of palm and fruit trees.

Sitting on the edge of the Great Sand Sea, Andere Amellal in the Siwa oasis, Egypt eco lodge offers remote lodging in rooms built of mud and rock salt, with no power, evenings are lit by fragrant beeswax candles and the endless starry desert sky.  A sense of place unlike any other, surf the dunes or effortless float in the spring fed pool amid the rows of olive trees. History surrounds you; this remote oasis attracted such explorers as Alexander the Great and his army.

Photo by Alberto Silliotti

Four Seasons Tamarindo, on the secret coast. The Four Seasons brand is an authority on sniffing out secluded locations and creating a beach paradise, before anyone else discovers a serene warm body of water and a private stretch of sandy beach. Escape to a tucked away nature reserve in Mexico’s Tamarindo, the pristine coastline where verdant jungle meets the Pacific Ocean. This rugged and pristine biosphere-protected swath of coastline in western Mexico, all 157 rooms and 63 suites are an expression of the region, with soaring private infinity pools hanging from your cliffside terrace – endless views of the sea. Recognized as the top resort in Mexico.

Ol Jogi, Kenya. One of our favorite Safari destinations: A private home offers one of the most exclusive accommodation experiences on the African continent. With eleven bedrooms housed within eight cottages, the lodge is devoted to private parties. You also have the entire 58,000-acre Conservancy just for you. Ol Jogi’s home was built and crafted over many decades. It is a design masterpiece with a very unique style. A collection of museum quality artworks, china and silverware create an ambiance atypical of the more common lodge offerings. While the home is luxurious, it is also quite comfortable and relaxing. When you stay, you feel like it’s your own home, and the experience will be very different than what you would find in a commercial lodge. The most valuable treasure of Ol Jogi is the amount of wildlife that resides here. Right in front of the house is a watering hole with a constant flow of wildlife. You could probably never leave the home during your stay and you would still see all the wildlife Ol Jogi has to offer.

One of the most exciting features is an underground tunnel that takes you from inside the house directly to a hide at our watering hole. Imagine being a few feet away from a herd of buffalo, or an endangered black rhino, and being close enough to see the marks on its skin and hear its breath, all while being in complete safety and enjoying your favorite cocktail. And the pool… lush vegetation and flowing water streams surround the pool area, the entire experience, including the game drives, the staff and the food is Over The Top!

Fiji Laucala Island – we love and clients agree with so much to do and a fantasy island environment. Formerly owned by Malcolm Forbes, a nut on seclusion, now being refurbished by founder of Red Bull, closed until 2027. A myriad of activities include diving, a noted 18-hole golf course, hiking, horseback riding on land and in the sea, water sports galore, with a ring of spectacular reefs lining the island, snorkel or diving fans love this property!

The Brando, French Polynesia. Our recent honeymooners soaked in the privacy and luxury of The Brando Island. Just 33 miles from Tahiti, a private plane zips you across the sapphire clear seas. An elegant eco resort, sumptuous villas and a floating tree house couples massage suite high on the palm trees! The Ultimate in Every Way!

It’s a start! Highly Recommend!

On My List Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan – Bali High

Usually, a business lunch with our Four Seasons Hotel peeps involves champagne and a scrumptious lunch; it’s been awhile since this lunch with one of my VV Favorite Four Seasons GM’s, Randy Shimabuku, but I’m obsessed with the arrival at Four Seasons Resort, Bali, where he is now the General Manager. He has hosted me in the Maldives, filled my daily schedule with activities from dawn to dusk and a dinner date with an activity director or he & his lovely wife every night. Although my days of resort activities were exhausting, I became an expert on the resort, smart guy, Randy! Stand by for personal photos!

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

Many travelers balk at beach travel that includes a flight over eight hours. My first vast flight time beach holiday was to The Brando and to the Four Seasons in Bora Bora. Both are worth the journey; Hawaii is not Tahiti! Mexico is not Tahiti!

In Bora Bora, a beautiful beach with an endless horizon, nothing but palm trees or a massive Mountain. Imagine gazing at Mount Otemanu from a bubbling jacuzzi at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, a vista is a thousand times more beautiful than a beach amid humanity. The long flights are truly worth the destination. Bora Bora is in the middle of the Southern Pacific Ocean. And then there are the brilliantly black skies dripping with stars, the Souther Cross comes to mind!

Four Seasons Spa Bora Bora

Maldives invitation seemed so far…longer flight time, initially I was skeptical. Nothing prepared me for the beauty of the Maldives – I stayed two weeks and could have stayed longer. So many activities, endless beauty.

Bali is closer than the Maldives, will you now consider it?! Combine a tropical island getaway with ancient rainforests, enchanting temples and rice fields  With three unique river rafting experiences, there’s something for everyone to do on Bali’s longest river.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan offers the world’s first arrival by River Raft. I’ve been offered a resort landing with a kite surfer, luckily the wind was up and when the GM took me to the cliff side restaurant where I would have jumped – I said I could never have jumped from there! A river raft arrival, how cool is this? Just say Yes, or Suksema.

For a unique check-in experience, arrive at the Resort by river raft – exclusively available to guests transferring from sister property, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay. Duration: 2.5-3 hours.

Famed for its dramatic treetop arrival via a suspension bridge, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan  offers guests a 180-degree change of perspective, with Bali’s first hotel arrival by river raft.

Submerged in a river valley close to the artistic center of Ubud, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has launched the innovative rafting check-in as an option for guests transferring from its sister Resort, the beach front Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay on Bali’s south-west coast.

Avoid the usual 90-minute road transfer, travelers combining a stay at both Resorts can instead be taken by private car (60 minutes’ drive) to the departure point for a two-hour rafting adventure down Bali’s longest river, the Ayung.

While you enjoy a leisurely guided adventure through Class III rapids with views of lush jungle, rice terraces and majestic gorges, your luggage continues by car and precedes your arrival at Four Seasons Resort Sayan.

After discovering secluded sites – including a natural holy spring and an historic dam belonging to Bali’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed subak irrigation system – rafters land directly at the Resort’s Riverside Restaurant.

Waiting staff ensure a seamless check-in and within minutes guests are relaxing in their room, delivering a hotel arrival unlike any other.

This new arrival by river offers the opposite view with a slow reveal from under the canopy of trees, making it perfect for repeat guests who have experienced the bridge arrival before.

My mantra – the arrival sets the stage for the Journey, certainly applies to this magical adventure! It does not feel like a check-in experience, but rather a transition to another world, welcomed by the friendliest people on Earth, what could be better?!

Located amid two acres of rice fields and groves of fruit trees, vegetable, and herb gardens, 42 private pool villas and 18 suites enable guests to retreat from the world and embrace the valley’s healing energy. Float above treetops on a dramatic suspension bridge and cross into a different world. With locally inspired experiences and rice bowl-shaped architecture set against the lush Ayung River Valley, the Resort takes you closer to the heart and soul of Bali.

Unpacking List: It’s not the things you take with you that define your journey; it’s the experiences you have and the memories you bring home.