2025 Travel Trend
At Home While Away
The properties that seamlessly blend upscale service with a sense of genuine connection and ease set themselves apart in a world where the ultra luxury traveler is accustomed to a particular level of service, and small touches make for a far more memorable travel experience.
From a treehouse in Tennessee to a room fit for a queen in France's Loire Valley, we’ve rounded up a selection of true ultra-luxe properties that fit the mold of hotels that feel like home.
Right: Bolt Farm Treehouse | Whitwell, TN
Always En Vogue
For over a century, Hôtel Plaza Athénée has remained at the pinnacle of luxury hotels in Paris.
One can imagine the spirits of past Paris' haute couturiers as gossamer threads, gently tugging at the hearts and pocketbooks of contemporary fashionistas, drawing them en masse to the storied hôtel particuliers lining Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement. From the balcony of my Prestige Suite in the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, I sipped a latte from a delicate bespoke Jaune de Chrome porcelain teacup while my eyes slowly surveyed the scene like an iPhone camera’s Pano mode.
Text: Bridget Williams
Image: Haute Couture Suite. Photo by Mark Read
Storming the Castles
An alternative to day-tripping, AMERON Neuschwanstein Alpsee Resort & Spa offers a more leisurely and luxurious way to experience a storybook Bavarian village with two castles.
Text: Bridget Williams
Image: The 4-star AMERON Neuschwanstein Alpsee Resort & Spa Situated sits beneath Hohenschwangau Castle on the banks of Lake Alpsee in Bavaria’s Allgäu Alps. Photo by Jannis Hagels
Going for the Gold
I am a tour newbie.
Once decades ago, while living outside Glasgow, I schlepped to Paris with a slew of Scottish schoolteachers. They brought their own tea and marmalade. They got cranky. Frequently. The hotel was old — and cold. It was one of those okay-but-not-so-great experiences. Except for a spectacular safari in Kenya, I've sidestepped group outings ever since.
Little did I know what an incredible difference tapping a company like Luxury Gold makes.
The trip, titled "Spain and Portugal Travel in Style," involved visiting nine cities in two countries over 13 days.
It's not for the faint of heart.
Text: Christy Marshall
Image: Constructed on a plateau that overlooks the city of Granada, Spain, the Alhambra palace and fortress was built largely between 1238 and 1358. Photo by Will Selarep
Wonderment in the Wilderness
Hotel Rangá is an ideal base for exploring the marvels within Iceland’s famed Golden Circle
Written by Claire Williams
Photography courtesy of Hotel Rangá
As Soothing as Sweet Tea & Sunshine
The all-inclusive Windy Hill Farm & Preserve in rural East Tennessee is an ideal place to explore and unwind.
Text: Bridget Williams
Image: courtesy of Windy Hill Farm & Preserve
Queen for a Stay
Sister properties 45 Park Lane and The Dorchester in London's posh Mayfair district bordering Hyde Park provide guests with distinct interpretations of the royal treatment.
Text: Bridget Williams
Image: Mark Read courtesy of The Dorchester Collection
A Shore Thing
Third-generation hotelier Valentina De Santis is not in the business of making her guests cry. Still, it occasionally happens, recalls Gregory Bradelle, Hotel Manager of Passalacqua, the crown jewel of the De Santis' family holdings on Lake Como. During a recent visit, he recounted that several guests, upon the stunning setting of the Bellini suite (the largest on the lake at 2,600 square feet), have been brought to tears by its grandeur. In response, Valentina, whose sunny disposition elicits the sun's gravitational pull, making you want to remain in her orbit to bask in her innate gioia di vivere as long as possible, threw her head back in laughter.
Lake Como is a dreamy destination on its own, and embellishing the fantasy is all in a day's work for a woman who fondly remembers childhood summers spent as a real-life Eloise in the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the first hotel on Lake Como and one of its most legendary. As an only child, Valentina says she regarded the hotel as her personal castle, with her reigning (and running the halls) as its princess. This past spring, the princess of pop, Taylor Swift, made another of the DeSantis' properties —Villa Sola Cabiati—"Insta famous" when she and Travis Kelce stayed at the exquisitely restored 12-bedroom, 16th-century lakefront villa, which typically rents for $21,000 /night.
Le Royal Treatment
"These days, you eat with your phone first," said pastry chef and entrepreneur Yazid Ichemrahen during a tasting of his sweetest hits at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris, where he was recently tapped to lead the pastry and dessert program. With 1.6 million Instagram followers, the thirty-something, who, at the tender age of 22, became the youngest chef to be named a World Pastry Champion, knows a thing or two about appealing visuals, backed up by a unique approach that's lighter on sugar and heavy on raw ingredients. "By adhering to a single rule – no more than three ingredients and three textures in any single dessert – a recipe for happiness emerges," said Ichemrahen.
Under Ichemrahen's direction, the dessert course at each of Le Royal Monceau's dining outposts becomes an event, with a member of the pastry team finishing off creations tableside. This elevation brings the last course up to par with first impressions upon entering the whimsical and wonderful Palace Hotel, located in Paris' 8th arrondissement. While just a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe, the hotel feels worlds away within a chic residential area notable for the charming Parc Monceau (established three years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence).
Text: Bridget Williams
Photos courtesy of Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris
Such Great Heights
Situated at the gateway to the Bavarian Alps, Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt is a luxurious home for visitors to the "Hamptons of Germany."
Text: Bridget Williams
Photos courtesy Althoff Hotels
Perched high above Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Grange Estate is the famed wine region’s newest luxury lodging option.
On Cloud Wine
Fall Foliage Getaways
Giulio the Truffle Hunter and The Elusive White Truffle
This past fall, my wife and I spent a month living as locals in Florence, Italy, and we discovered truffle hunter Giulio Benuzzi at the recommendation of our Airbnb host, Sophia. Before booking the experience, I carefully researched truffle hunters to see what would work best for my wife, me, and our three adult kids. Some truffle hunters were highly rated, but it took a half day to get to them, and they insisted we stay overnight at their bed and breakfast. Closer ones were too expensive and would fill most of the day.
On the other hand, Giulio was based in Bagno a Ripoli, a 15-minute cab ride from the center of Florence, and we could hunt for truffles and then have a truffle lunch before departing for an entire afternoon back in Florence. At $200-$250 per person, the experience wasn't inexpensive. Still, considering the total experience, including lunch, wine, and the truffles we took home, it was worth it and an unforgettable part of our trip. Giulio is a charming guy, full of stories and life experiences (he is a sailor, like me), and we have since become friends, catching up every month or so. As I discovered, everyone needs a truffle hunter friend!
Text & Photos: Craig Kaminer
Singing the Blues
Play the role of a pampered castaway during a stay at Caerula Mar Club on remote Andros Island in the Bahamas.
Text: Bridget Williams
Photos courtesy Caerula Mar Club
Home Again
The Omni Homestead, America’s oldest resort, reasserts its prominence following a $150 million renovation.
Minimal to the Max
While it's often said that "money can't buy happiness," I'd argue that a stay at Camp Sarika by Amangiri most certainly can. Having spent several days before our arrival exploring the natural wonders of the Grand Circle region, I was absolutely giddy with excitement en route from the Page (AZ) Municipal Airport to the 920-acre resort, surrounded by five national parks, several national monuments, and the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the United States.
Text: Bridget Williams
Photos:courtesy of Camp Sarika by Amangiri
Storming the Castle
Living the life of a “Golden Guinness Girl” at Ireland’s Ashford Castle.
Text: Claire Williams
French Connection
Location, location, location, as they say in real estate, is everything. The same could be said for the proliferation of luxury resorts on the chic tropical island paradise of St. Barth, where one in particular—Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf—stands alone. Its high hilltop location on the aptly named Sunset Hill provides sweeping views of Gustavia Harbor, Shell Beach, and Fort Karl, offering a simultaneous feeling of being away from it all but close to everything while enjoying the upscale service and amenities indicative of the family-run Hôtel Barrière Group.
Text: Bridget Williams
Odds-On Favorite
Almost 160 years after a bet by Johannes Badrutt created a winter tourism renaissance, Badrutt's Palace continues the family legacy that started it all.
Text: Claire Williams
Wild and Wonderful
Culture, philanthropy, and camaraderie enhance the safari experience at Mahali Mzuri.
