The Best in Travel, From New York’s Fifth Avenue Hotel to a River Lodge in Bhutan
The Big Idea: Alone in a Crowd
Don’t bother buying a hotel. There’s no need now, as it has never been easier to enjoy the feeling of your own private resort (if temporarily). Call it an owner’s lodge, a royal villa, or the principal’s home: The must-have of the moment is a mansion-size, hotel-run lodging that has access to all of the amenities but keeps you far away from fellow guests.
This trend is influenced by a permanent shift in travel patterns. According to Black Tomato’s Sunil Metcalfe, bookings for eight people or more increased by 35 percent in 2022 compared to 2019. Such group travel now makes up almost a third of the company’s bookings. “The private-villa and private-staff trend that was massive during Covid is on the wane, but what’s stayed is a desire for private residences within desirable hotels,” he says. Adventure specialist Gray & Co. has seen a similar shift: In 2023, multigenerational travel had doubled.
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Properties from urban centers to beach resorts are adding offshoots primed for such buyouts: Oslo’s Sommerro offers the smartly named 11-room Villa Inkognito. At Caiman, the resort-cum–wildlife preserve in Brazil’s wetland Pantanal region, the private villa Baiazinha sleeps 12. And on Lizard Island, in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the deck of the Lizard House overlooks a beach David Attenborough is said to have called one of his favorite places in the world.
Need more than just a single structure? Not to worry. Fiji’s Kokomo Private Island has five residences with three or more bedrooms, each perched on a hilltop. At Long Bay Villas on Anguilla, you can book a trio of homes separately or together. One&Only’s new Greek property Kéa Island, meanwhile, looks more like a village of luxury homes than a hotel. And in Africa, the luxury-safari realm’s move toward micro camps, such as Botswana’s North Island Okavango or Tarkuni Homestead (on South Africa’s Tswalu game reserve), is also driven by this trend.
On St. Barts, Eden Rock takes this a step further, offering a catalog of 200 privately owned homes dotted around the island. The program is so successful it has spawned both clones (local rival Hotel Le Toiny has its own portfolio of over a dozen) and expansion. Eden Rock operator Oetker is now offering a similar service along the Côte d’Azur. It’s a reminder of that well-worn piece of financial advice: Why buy when you can rent?
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Safari Camp: Loapi, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
You wouldn’t expect to stumble upon six cutting-edge glass, steel, and canvas structures in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. Unless perhaps you’re within Tswalu, South Africa’s largest private game reserve. The Oppenheimer family, which owns it, has been restoring these lands since 1999. While conservation and sustainability are top of mind here, so are privacy and high design. Loapi, the aforementioned collection of micro camps, is the third and newest addition to this 282,000-acre reserve. It offers a private guide, a butler, and a chef who can cook everything from tapas to curries to freshly baked bread.
The views from the rooms and outdoor terraces are staggering: Grassland and red soil meet the low mountains that jut upward into a cerulean sky. The interiors are stunning, too, appointed with intricately carved wood-paneled walls, cork ceilings, and coffee-colored rounded bouclé couches that beg for a post-safari nap. From $2,428 per person
Beach Resort: Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawaii
When news spread that the posh Rosewood brand would resurrect Hawaii’s beloved Kona Village resort, which was decimated by a tsunami in 2011, there was both celebration and concern. Could the laid-back vibe guests returned for year after year be re-created? By the time it reopened last July, it had Wi-Fi, plus a striking new spa improbably built into the lava flow and a sea-to-table restaurant with an outstanding selection of white Burgundy (both impressive additions).
But the soul of the place lives on at the restored Shipwreck Bar, a beached schooner-turned–watering hole that belonged to the founders. The vessel, where Jim Morrison once infamously consumed a record 21 mai tais, miraculously survived the storm. (Staff joke that the only thing stronger than the drinks is the boat itself.) Take a seat and listen closely enough, and you can overhear guests reminiscing about stays here as long ago as the ’60s. It’s proof that even with modern upgrades, the place can still transport you to the Hawaii of another era. From $1,800
Luxury Adventure: Shinta Mani Mustang, Nepal
You don’t have to leave the remote grounds of Nepal’s Shinta Mani Mustang, the third property in architect Bill Bensley’s eponymous hotel collection, to feel immersed in the culture of this ancient mountain kingdom. Guests can join a monk in the on-site puja room for sunrise chants or partake in a healing session with the resident amchi, an 11th-generation doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. The surrounding powder-dusted peaks are perfectly framed in each bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the yak-fur-lined bar serves local apple brandy, and the restaurant’s nine-course momo tasting menu schools guests in the region’s staple steamed dumplings.
But hotelier Jason Friedman, a partner in the project, intended the 29-suite retreat to be a cushy base camp. Guests can enjoy immersive excursions, such as a trek to a medieval village believed to be the last place in Mustang where the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon is still practiced, or a lunch of Thakali curry cooked in a local home. The real luxury, Friedman says, is getting to explore a region few people have ever seen. From $1,800
Natural Immersion: andBeyond Punakha River Lodge, Bhutan
If you’ve traveled to andBeyond’s African camps, you know to expect the unexpected: Makeshift bars set up near watering holes frequented by elephants and zebras; picnics arranged in the bush as giraffes graze in the distance. So how does the seasoned operator transport that experience to the Bhutanese countryside? At first glance, andBeyond Punakha River Lodge’s six sumptuous, tentlike lodgings may seem familiar to safari-goers, but the ethos is distinctly local. There are no game drives here; instead, tours lean into the Himalayan kingdom’s rich history and Buddhist traditions: archery lessons, treks to sky-high temples, and visits to secluded mountaintop villages, all surrounded by snowcapped peaks. But (spoiler alert) the surprises continue—a breakfast spread overlooking a temple might await you at the end of an early morning hike, lunch can materialize on a cliff surrounded by colorful prayer flags fluttering in the breeze, and drinks appear on a sandy riverbank as the sun sets over the 17th-century Punakha Dzong monastery. Suites from $890
Historic Conversion: La Palma, Capri, Italy
The long-delayed two-and-a-half-year gut renovation of Capri’s oldest hotel, which dates back to 1822, was finally completed last summer. And it was worth the wait.
The 50 or so rooms and suites were reimagined by interior designer Francis Sultana in a palette of pale sherbets. They have every possible amenity—yes, that’s a branded bath pillow—and guests receive a generous gift every night at turndown, from cookies to night masks, as is typical at Oetker-operated hotels. The configurations of the rooms differ wildly, but the splashiest is the 861-square-foot La Palma suite. Social butterflies will prefer the smaller suites on the second floor (numbers 110 to 115) whose terraces have direct access to the new pool.
On an island where sandy beaches are rare, La Palma’s greatest asset is off-site: Its shore club, Da Gioia, is a time- warpishly fabulous hangout offering a jolt of dolce vita glamour, even in midsummer while crowds throng nearby. Book the private cove, which can accommodate up to six people and is thankfully close enough to the restaurant to keep the rosé flowing. And spend at least one evening at the nightclub in the basement, Anema e Core. The branded tambourines you’ll use to tap along to the house band are the best souvenir. From about $2,677
Updated Classic: Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico
Interior designer Tara Bernerd brought her swaggering style to the multimillion-dollar reimagining of this property, the first of Belmond’s historic North American hotels to benefit from the deep pockets of new owner LVMH.
She met the challenge magnificently. Checking into one of the 72 rooms or villas, decorated in a style best described as Mexican midcentury modern, feels like staying at the beachfront home of a sophisticated friend. The airy spaces are heavy on earth tones, with dashes of turquoise and yellow on details such as the floor tiles—made, like 80 percent of the decorative elements, right here in Mexico. The suites are jam-packed with thoughtful touches, too: Take the branded sunglass-cleaning cloth, or the minibar and its full cocktail-making set, plus unisex cotton caftans (not robes) to wear in the room or on the beach.
The Curtis Stone–helmed restaurant, Woodend, is fine, but the food’s just as good at the hotel’s own all-day spot, Casa Mayor. Make sure to order its Catch of the Day in Molcajete, a tart, corn-studded ceviche of locally caught fish. Better yet, make it two. One won’t be enough. From $1,095
Renovation: Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia
In 2020, wildfires incinerated nearly half of Kangaroo Island, the hardscrabble, beautiful landform off the coast of South Australia. Its premier property, Southern Ocean Lodge, was razed; after nearly four years of renovations, it reopened in December. It’s a credit to the architect, Max Pritchard, that few realize this is a close replica of the original. Suites—the only room category—still project like a tentacle from version 2.0 of the airy, central great room. And a sense of residential comfort still dominates. There are books everywhere. The dining room doesn’t take reservations. (Guests simply call ahead to say when they’d like to eat.) The central bar is self-service. Want wine? Just walk into the cellar and take what you like. At oversize resorts, they call this sort of thing “all inclusive,” but here, it’s just easy, the way it would be at home.
Veterans will notice discrepancies. There are now 25, rather than 23, rooms. The bar is longer. There’s a new four-bedroom suite overlooking the lodge. What hasn’t changed are the daily guided excursions through this resilient landscape, rich with penguins, seals, koalas, and of course, kangaroos. From about $2,200
Aegean Retreat: Avant Mar, Paros, Greece
Don’t be surprised to see general manager Anna Asimakopoulou floating around this small property in the heart of Naoussa, her shaggy dog, Athena, trailing behind her. Like Mrs. Madrigal of 28 Barbary Lane, she’s equal parts warm and firm, which helps the 38-room property stand out from many of its rivals, where service is slapdash at best. Catch the eye of any staffer, and they’ll smile and offer to help without missing a beat.
Its design looks inward, centered on a 180-foot pool—don’t miss the chance to take a selfie or two at the infinity-edged end nearest the ocean. It’s a new build, which allowed extra amenities to be squeezed into the compact footprint. Matsuhisa Paros, Chef Nobu’s restaurant at the hotel, reopened in June, but there’s also an all-day bakery serving homemade Greek pastries right by reception. A gin-and-tonic-focused bar called the Bridge, the newest addition to the property, offers views of the Aegean and the nearby Naoussa port.
As for the rooms, the best will be one of the seven with a private plunge pool, each of which has a superb view over the beach and to the town beyond. From $772
Local Charm: Violino D’Oro, Venice, Italy
Think of this 32-room hotel, which opened in November, as a contrast to the bombastic names that dominate the hotel scene here—one powered by a generosity that only family-run properties can offer. (The jars of candy in the lobby are, dangerously, regularly refilled.) Owner Sara Maestrelli painstakingly restored a trio of buildings minutes from Piazza San Marco, and the gemlike result acts as a tribute to traditional Italian crafts. There’s glass everywhere, from elaborate Murano-blown chandeliers to the keepsake-like key fobs; the headboards are upholstered in custom fabrics by local textile house Rubelli. Even the gold-leather menu holders are made-to-order by Consani e Giannini.
Rooms 21 and 22 don’t connect, but they do share a discreet private staircase, so they’re perfect if you’re traveling in a small group. Or you can dispense with superstition and book room 13, Maestrelli’s favorite, which sits at the heart of the hotel, with its own private terrace hidden from the hubbub below. And yes, there is a golden violin, though it’s easy to overlook, in a glass vitrine right by the entrance. From $865
City Chic: The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City
For those craving a cozy antidote to sprawling anodyne luxury, the charming Fifth Avenue Hotel has opened its doors at long last. Owner Alex Ohebshalom and designer Martin Brudnizki have transformed a 19th-century McKim, Mead & White building, plus an adjoining new 24-story glass tower, into a colorful and kaleidoscopically eclectic take on clubby Manhattan hotels of yore. This is hospitality with a point of view—specifically, Gilded Age New York through a heady psilocybin buzz. Rooms hum with color, pattern, and texture, from pink and pistachio-mint walls to hand-painted bone china to a Murano-glass chandelier dangling a rainbow-hued harvest of fruits. Several of the 43 suites come with terraces; the sprawling Flaneur penthouse includes an outdoor soaking tub and Japanese garden overlooking the skyline.
The experience is one of dreamlike intimacy—the feeling that at the end of an ornate, Alice in Wonderland hallway sits your own Flatiron pied-à-terre with 24-hour butler service and an on-demand martini cart in the evenings. In true high-low N.Y.C. fashion, the seductively chic Portrait Bar offers both osetra caviar and a hot dog au poivre. Or head upstairs to Andrew Carmellini’s eponymous café, buzzing with Art Deco glamour, where the longtime star chef continues the reverie, serving his impeccably elevated Italian fare beneath a pair of soaring sculptural trees. From $895
