Last weekend, Candice and I were giddy thinking about how many great hotels we've stayed at during the years. Here is our list of top ten favorites, in no particular order.
Le Chateau Fronternac
Where: Quebec City, Canada
Style: Beautiful castle perched on a hill overlooking the heart of Quebec city. Rooms aren't overly luxurious (as if there was such a thing) but traditional and classy.
Scene: Everyone under the sun, central location to all attractions.
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: Who gets to stay at a castle? We do, that's who. Also, amazing buffet for brunch. Usually buffets suck but with the french in charge, just relax and know that the freedom fries you're about to enjoy will be delicious.
Royal livingstone
Where: Victoria Falls, Zambia
Style: Elegant colonial, every detail is thoughtful and extravagent.
Scene: Rich, older people but in a good way
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: Situated on the banks of the Zambezi river, this luxurious property is only steps away from legendary Victoria Falls. It boasts it's own heard of zebra that freely roam the property. Bonus: included with the room is the most amazing a la cart breakfasts, of which you can order as much as you want. At said breakfasts entertainment is provided by gentlemen shooing pesky baboons with sling shots.
Kimber modern
Where: Austin, TX
Style: Modern, mid-century cool, I want to live in this building
Scene: Hipsters, those who appreciate architecture and site planning. Hidden away yet close to live music, shopping and good restaurants.
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: Feels like you're staying at a bed and breakfast, no front desk, no checking in or out, no key. Open kitchen with stocked food for breakfy. Plush towels and bathroom accessories. Very modern and simple yet luxurious. Good design is found every which way.
Broadmoore
Where: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Style: Traditional, very regal feel which includes ornate murals, grand fire places and ornate wood work.
Scene: A lot of families, the powerful, convention folk
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: So close to home, amazing mini vacation. It's fun to explore it's vast spaces as each area has it's own feel and personality. Beautiful art is found everywhere. The hotel is also close to hiking and has it's own lake.
Ngorongoro crater lodge
Where: Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Style: Hard to define, african, artsy, architectural, middle earth, banana leaf ceilings, high-end
Scene: Mostly older people but also families
Cost: $$$$, we ended up having to pay twice, which really sucked. $5,000 for one night will really put you in a good mood.
Why we love it: What's not to love, personal butler who supplies you with top notch mocktails when ever you want. Sitting in your bubble bath overlooking the Ngorongoro crater eating chocolates and smelling the fragrant 4 dozen roses in your hut. Wild african beasts roam around the grounds, including the dangerous ones. Breakfast brought to you in bed. Many buildings have centuries old trees growing out of them sorta like a world class tree house. They have a lot of spears, lots of spears. Maasai warriors on staff in traditional garb but not in a disneyland way. Amazing, one-of-a-kind design.
Duba Plains
Where: Okavango Delta, Botswana
Style: African chic, 5 star tents featuring outdoor and indoor showers, private decks overlooking the delta.
Scene: Couples, and some families
Cost:$$$$
Why we love it: This small camp is beautiful both because of it's secluded location (the only way to get there is by bush plane) and it's elegant design which blends well with the native landscape. The real draw is of course, the animals. This place is special though, it's the only place in africa that you will be virtually guaranteed to see lions hunt during the day. Specifically, you see lions fighting and killing cape buffalo. It remains to this day the most exciting african bush experience we have ever had. We saw two kills while we were there and we will never forget those experiences. Sounds brutal but it's not so much about the killing but rather the hunt that is so exciting. Considering it's remote location, Duba Plains offers outstanding food and service.
Hotel De Glace
Where: Outside of Montreal, Canada
Style: Icy, cold, blue
Scene: Couples
Cost: You have to book either a package or promotion. I can't remember the one we picked but I think it was around $$$$ but that included snowmobiling, dinner, dogsledding and a warm hotel room in addition to our ice room. Certainly, you can have the experience for much less.
Why we love it: Ice hotel, hello? No explanation needed. So everyone always asks us how cold it was inside the hotel and if we were able to sleep. Here's the skinny. Inside the hotel it felt cold, like 20- 30 degrees F or so. But you dress for it and drink a lot of hot chocolate. Also, our room had a sauna and hot tub which we used to warm our cores, thus making us less cold. As far as sleep, you sleep about how you would camping, in fact, you sleep in a sleeping bag. The quality of sleep is fine but you don't sleep as well as you would on a regular bed with sheets etc. Amazing work of art and a must do for sure.
St. Martins Lane
Where: London, England
Style: Modern boutique
Scene: The "cool" kids
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: After visiting the continent six times it's been our experience that most european hotels are fine but most don't stand out as being anything superlative. Not to say that amazing hotels don't exist but we haven't been lucky enough to experience many of them. That said, St. Martins Lane is stylish and convenient. Part of the Morgans hotel group, this hotel was also designed by famed architect Philippe Starck and exudes the same quirky yet sophisticated atmosphere that it's sister hotels do. What was down right shocking was the size of our room, massive by european or NYC standards. On top of that, the room service was yummers, a rare thing for a presumably English chef.
Grand Hyatt, Beijing
Where: Beijing, China
Style: Big nice hotel with comforting/elegant finishes
Scene: Mostly business peeps
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: Huge disclaimer: After spending a few months traveling around Asia in mostly hostels and cheap hotels this sparkly mammoth seemed to us a glimmering oasis of comfort and western desserts. Not sure if we would still feel that way but this is what we remember. Amazing location, walking distance to the forbidden city, tiananmen square and great restaurants and shopping. In fact, there's a mall right underneath the building with some really great restaurants. Great chocolate shop conveniently located in the lobby, check. The workout room was filled with the latest and greatest which includes flat screens on every machine and water bottle. The pool is dimly lit and accented with fiber optic lighting and surrounded by a lush jungle of sorts. Look, it all seems very vegasy now but at the time we were in heaven.
JW Marriott Guanacaste
Where: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Style: hacienda, beach
Scene: Families, couples
Cost: $$$
Why we love it: Brand new and beautiful. Everything about this hotel feels upscale. Even though there are families staying here, you'll never wake up to the sounds of kids screaming at the pool. There are several restaurants on site and all delivered the goods. The concierge made arrangements for me to work with the chef for our own private dinner on the beach. Also, breakfast was set up on our balcony overlooking the ocean each morning. We felt pampered. The spa surrounds one with a sense of tranquility and style. All the treatments received were both rejuvenating and relaxing.
