THE PENINSULA CHICAGO
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Ask just about anyone in the Windy City and they’ll be able to tell you exactly where the Peninsula is. Nestled in one whole block, literally held up by Tiffany...

ITC GARDENIA
BENGALURU, INDIA

“Everything is so modern in Bengaluru. Even the name is so new that we ourselves haven’t got to grips with calling it that yet,” laughs Ajay Kumar Nayak, Chief ...

MANDARIN ORIENTAL TAIPEI
TAIPEI, TAIWAN

Taipei’s star is shining bright; it is well known across the world as an ever vibrant, contemporary and energetic city. Unabashedly progressive, it remains reno...

THE BENSLEY COLLECTION, SHINTA MANI ANGKOR
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

A decade ago, Siem Reap oozed with exotic mysticism, with its neighbouring, monolithic, ancient cities being the main attraction. It was international, but low ...

THE MANDRAKE
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

The Mandrake must have put its alchemic name to good use, because in just a few short months from opening, it is the talk of London town. It was easy to underst...

AVANI HUA HIN
HUA HIN, THAILAND

Hua Hin, situated just two and a half hours away from Bangkok, is a favourite of Thai city-slickers looking to escape the capital. It rose in infamy after the l...

QT SYDNEY
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

You can’t go to Australia without stopping over in its OutThere capital, Sydney. The place we chose on this trip was the QT. Located in the heart of the city ce...

KIMPTON MASON & ROOK
WASHINGTON, D.C., UK

We like to ‘get local’ when we visit a city – and after our time spent at this chic, masculine Kimpton hotel, we certainly felt we had. Our spacious, beautifull...

COMO UMA UBUD
BALI, INDONESIA

We’re passionate about hotel breakfasts; we find it says a lot about a resort. The spread at the COMO Uma was outstanding – delicious Balinese delicacies sat al...

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
ANTARCTICA

The Explorer is literally the flagship of two National Geographic exploration crafts sailing the Southern ice, equipped to safely navigate the polar waters and ...

RESORTS WEST BY NATURAL RETREATS
PARK CITY, UTAH, USA

Resorts West offers luxuriously appointed private homes and lodge condos in choice Park City and Deer Valley locations with features including fully fitted gour...

RAFFLES GRAND HOTEL D’ANGKOR
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

If it weren’t for the obvious exception of Angkor Wat, Raffles could and would probably qualify as Siem Reap’s most recognisable landmark. Opened in 1932, the g...

RAFFLES HOTEL LE ROYAL
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

We almost overdosed on decadence at Raffles Phnom Penh. It may have been the five-course lobster brunch with champagne as the waiter flambéed scallops at our ta...

SRI PANWA
PHUKET, THAILAND

Our introduction to this huge luxury resort was by golf-cart, at sunset. As we arrived at check-in, our personal butler came out to greet us by name, rushing us...

THE SIGNATURE AT MGM GRAND
LAS VEGAS, USA

They say whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the Signature at MGM Grand – a glitzy, towering temple to entertainment just off the strip – are somethin...

PALAIS NAMASKAR
MARRAKECH, MOROCCO

Arriving at night to this majestic Moroccan Palace, 30 minutes from the medina in Marrakech, was like stepping into a dream. Minarets and domes were lit up by c...

DREAM PHUKET
PHUKET, THAILAND

Arriving in the dip of low-season unfortunately meant that we couldn’t see the Dream Hotel Phuket it all its glory, an alleged good-times, party-centric, oasis ...

KERRY HOTEL
HONG KONG, CHINA

The idea of ‘mixing old and new’ is a term used so commonly these days it almost runs the risk of becoming cliché, but never has it seemed so original as at the...

BELMOND LA RESIDENCIA
MALLORCA, SPAIN

Have you heard of Deià? We have to admit that we hadn’t, although we had come across the infamous Belmond La Residencia. This exceptional Spanish property in th...

PARK HYATT
BANGKOK, THAILAND

The family who runs the ‘Central’ empire of upscale shopping malls in Thailand are among the country’s most affluent and prominent hospitality business moguls, ...

NOBU HOTEL SHOREDITCH
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Walking up Great Eastern Street in London’s fashionable Shoreditch, you’d be mistaken for thinking a spaceship has landed. Tucked away off the main street, nest...

PESHEGAAR HOUSE HOMESTAY
ANEGUNDI, INDIA

We found out about the Kishkinda Trust in our efforts to seek out sustainable travel experiences in the Hampi area. Admittedly, it came up as one of the more co...

WESTHOUSE HOTEL
NYC, USA

On wandering into the Westhouse on 55th Street, we wondered if we had stumbled into a prohibition-era speakeasy – we’re told that we were spot on, as that was w...

11 HOWARD
NYC, USA

If there is such a thing as heaven for experiential travellers in Manhattan, hanging out in the vicinity of Howard Street in NYC’s Chinatown, would be it. Where...

FIVE ACRE BARN
ALDRINGHAM, UNITED KINDOM

As we travel the world to exotic far-flung places, it’s easy to forget just how much our own country has to offer. A hundred miles north-east of London on the S...

HOTEL GRAND TREMEZZO
LAKE COMO, ITALY

When in search of a touch of rural Italian glamour, culture and food, look no further than Lake Como. It’s a place of exceedingly great beauty, with a populatio...

TWINPALMS PHUKET
PHUKET, THAILAND

The jaw-droppingly beautiful Surin Beach, home to the glorious Twinpalms, used to be a must-go hangout for the chic jet-set. Last year, the vibe changed, when t...

THE RACHA
PHUKET, THAILAND

If ‘Fantasy Island’ were real, this would be it. A 30-minute boat ride away from their executive boarding lounge at Chalong pier, this is a true getaway from th...

137 PILLARS SUITES & RESIDENCES
BANGKOK, THAILAND

This is the long-awaited Bangkok sister property to the exquisite Chiang Mai heritage getaway, the 137 Pillars House. A modern take on the traditional Thai hosp...

THE VINOY REINAISSANCE ST. PETERSBURG RESORT
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, USA

Our digs at St. Petersburg pink palace, the Vinoy, was an adequate choice for our trip to discover this Floridian city. The hotel wins on location, situated per...

JAIL HILL INN, GALENA, ILLINOIS, USA

Built to house the growing number of ne’er-do-wells attracted to Galena in its heyday as a lead-mining town, this imposing fortress-like building would have bee...

SHANGRI-LA, VANCOUVER, CANADA

The Shangri-La’s location, just a couple of blocks from Vancouver Harbour in the luxury shopping district, makes this a very convenient base. It occupies the fi...

BROWN BEACH HOTEL
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Gay-owned Brown Beach House is a chic, retro, summer-house meets urban boutique hotel. The fusion just works, it is located just moments from the stretch of san...

FOUR SEASONS LANGKAWI
MALAYSIA

Langkawi is a veritable paradise. White, powdery sands melt into an impossibly azure Andaman Sea, set to a backdrop of equatorial skies and lush, green, foreste...

THE EFENDI HOTEL
AKKO, ISRAEL

Uri Jeremiah, the acclaimed sea-to-table chef of Uri Buri fame, has meticulously and lovingly restored two 19th-century town houses and turned them into a wonde...

THE NORMAN
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Arguably Tel Aviv’s most talked-about hotel, this five-star, heritage boutique matches roaring 1920s sophistication and elegance with a contemporary brand of in...

CHICAGO ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

We loved this property’s 19th-century, retro-vintage vibe, with the scent of leather and tobacco in the air, dark wood and gentlemen’s racquets club feel. No ac...

ALEXANDER HOTEL
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

The Alexander is a wonderful, urban design property just a short walk from the seafront. The seven-floor property, set back from the beach, has spacious and wel...

MAMILLA HOTEL
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

In contrast to the rich, ancient-world, old-fashioned aesthetic of Jerusalem, the Mamilla offers contemporary designer digs, set right in the city’s historic co...

HOTEL MONTEFIORE
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Another gorgeous heritage, boutique property in the heart of the White City. The Gatsby-esque building has been completely reimagined, with every aesthetic deta...

THE CARLTON
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

The Carlton is one of the hotels on the seafront that has become synonymous with Tel Aviv beach chic, a towering luxury property overlooking the city’s marina, ...

CASTLE OF PALMYRA
PALMYRA, NR SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, USA

If you don’t fancy playing politician and staying in Springfield on your visit, take a leaf out of our book and go ‘royal’ instead. In just under an hour’s driv...

THE POLI HOUSE
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Bauhaus-chic Tel Aviv is brought to life in this self-billed ‘experimental luxury’ space, designed to titillate your senses through its own brand of contemporar...

INTERCONTINENTAL DAVID
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Everything about the Intercontinental David is big. We couldn’t help but notice this when we checked in, along with a reassuring sense of old world grandeur and...

THE SHENKIN
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

The Shenkin is an anomaly to the big brand hotels in the city and although we wouldn’t say it’s our stereotypical luxury property, we adored it. In the heart of...

VILLA BROWN
JERSUSALEM, ISRAEL

We were lucky enough to be in Israel for the grand opening of this new Jerusalem hotel from the people behind Brown Hotels in Tel Aviv. The team has brought the...

HILTON
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

The Hilton is legendary, as close to a grande dame you can get. The property’s reputation and hype has continued on, even decades later, after a complete renova...

ISROTEL DEAD SEA RESORT & SPA
EIN BOKEK, ISRAEL

A self-billed ‘island of health’, the hotel trades hard on its fantastic spa facilities on the shores of the Dead Sea. While a large resort, we really enjoyed t...

VROOMAN MANSION
BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, USA

If you’re stopping on your road trip, drop into Bloomington and experience the Vrooman. It’s a great way to down-pace in a magical, old setting and experience t...

AMBASSADOR
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

Locals will proclaim this as the return of an icon. A chic temple to minimalism, this once Ian Schrager-owned hotel has been given a new lease of life under wha...