Each hotel is being equally honored in no particular order.
The word suite summons something different for each of us. Visions of quality prevail, lavish touches of luxury that transport us as travelers to a restive, indulgent mindset. But ultimately what constitutes an over-the-top suite is subjective, personal — even idiosyncratic. It might be spaciousness, a stellar view, or the deepest, most hedonistic bath tub on earth that captivates us. Perhaps a private outdoor shower overlooking the sea, replete with opulent finishes, makes our eyes widen. For long-stay travelers, an actual kitchen feels imperative, as does a nanny’s room, plentiful common spaces for children to play, and a dedicated study. In ski country, we want a fireplace. When hiding away from the paparazzi, we require an entire floor with private elevator access, a personal pool, and a section of a secluded beach to call our own. Design buffs hanker after eye candy, while history lovers crave a backstory (such as which notables slept here before). Epicureans book suites staffed with personal chefs. Fitness and wellness enthusiasts look for a room kitted out with private gyms and spas. To help you cull the list for your “suite-est” stay in 2024, we offer a sublime collection for work and play.
Shangri-La Paris, L’Appartement Prince Bonaparte, France
The stuff of fairy tales, Shangri-La Paris, ensconced in the bygone palatial home of Prince Roland Bonaparte on the Right Bank (in the less mobbed 16th arrondissement), satisfies those with a penchant for Parisian glam and gilt. Brandishing views of the Eiffel Tower (even from the swimming pool), peerless art, palace distinction, and Monument Historique status, the hotel adds its own twist with its indefatigable preponderance of supreme Asian hospitality. Mirroring the hotel’s Grand Salon (think decorative carvings, beamed ceilings, castings, and plush fabrics), L’Appartement Prince Bonaparte draws authentically from Prince Roland’s era for mood. Offering a capacious primary bedroom, private kitchen, living room, and dining room (for up to eight), the suite gets extra mega points for its bathroom, a haven of marble and crystal, kitted out in the 18th-century’s Directoire style.
The Penthouse Suite at The Post Oak Hotel Houston, Texas
Proving that things aren’t just bigger, but also more glamorous, ritzy, and indulgent in Texas, Houston’s The Post Oak Hotel — a pinnacle in the city’s Uptown neighborhood — sets a jaw-dropping luxury standard with its Penthouse Suite, a 22,000-square-foot, bi-level embodiment of breathtaking opulence. On floors 32 and 33 of the hotel (a soaring modern tower which has a grand Swarovski crystal chandelier inspired by the one in the Dubai Opera House in the lobby), the Penthouse Suite wows with five bedrooms, 28 televisions, museum-quality art from the owner’s private collection, a basketball court, chef’s kitchen, a movie theater, infinity pool, interactive putting green, a state-of-the-art fitness center, spa, rooms and furnishings by the likes of Michael Alexander — among other virtues. Our favorite flourishes to justify the $125,000 nightly price tag? The his-and-her closet with room for 150 pairs of shoes and that 360-degree city view, awash with twinkling city lights at night.
Six Senses Ibiza, Cave Royale and Cliffhanger Suite, Spain
Bringing a wellness angle to northern Ibiza, ever celebrated as a sybarite’s paradise, Six Senses Ibiza sprawls along Xarraca Bay with haute monde flair and an innovative spa. Choose between two premier suites, each wondrous with extraordinary features. Cave Royale references the island’s bohemian reputation with an oversized bed, outdoor living spaces, and nooks to engender creativity — such as a secret door that leads to a recording studio. Alternatively, The Cliffhanger captivates as a five-bedroom mansion that wraps along the crag. A 15-meter pool, numerous terraces, private entrances, and a wine cellar makes this supreme for larger parties seeking solitude.
Solage Auberge Resorts Collection, Estate Suites, Calistoga, California
Perhaps Napa Valley’s most distinctively charming town, Calistoga has attracted the wellness crowd for eons thanks to its healing thermal waters and mud baths. Amid vineyards and steps from the main drag, Solage, like an inviting village, has stand-alone suites and guest rooms, each conceived as a tiny house (long before the trend). Move into one of the cottage-style, two-bedroom, Estate Suites, each with 1,900 square feet of indoor/outdoor space, including a patio with jetted hot tub and outdoor shower. Exclusive to the Estate Suite, amenities include a designated Mercedes-Benz for the duration of the guest’s stay, in addition to in-room Pelotons and a Napa Pantry mini-bar filled with local items from Napa’s iconic Oakville Grocery.
Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Lagoon Sunset Overwater Rooftop Pool Villas, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Anyone familiar with the graceful Asian brand Banyan Tree knows that even its “regular” rooms — at any of its worldwide resorts — feel like suites. Most spread out and incredibly spacious and include an eye-popping private pool. Experience this openess at Banyan Tree Mayakoba where new over-water suites deliver panache and style. Set in the Yucatan Peninsula’s verdant Mayakoba nature reserve (a unique, 595-acre enclave flush with wildlife, jungles, and lined with lagoons), the resort craftily imparts an Asian ambiance amid Mexican soulfulness and culture. It fuses two worlds with great success. Just launched, the Lagoon Sunset Overwater Rooftop Pool Suites stretch 2,385-square-feet to straddle the lagoon, poised just steps from the beach. Sporting a two-level layout, the one-bedroom domains impress as the only overwater accommodations at Mayakoba, home to several resorts. Flanked by mangroves for extra privacy, Lagoon Sunset Overwater Rooftop Pool Villas feature upscale Mexican furnishings and art, made perfect with a heated plunge pool and sunset views.
Grand Hotel Victoria, an R Collection Hotel, Suite Terrace Lake View, Menaggio, Italy
Artists and writers galore — from da Vinci to Goethe to George Clooney — have fallen under the soul stirring spell of Italy’s Lake Como. In the characteristic village of Menaggio, Grand Hotel Victoria beckons, a beacon of contemporary hospitality that marries the past and the present, vowing to both celebrate old stories (and traditions) and support guests with opulent elan (and dolce vita) as they create new ones. Boasting the world-class Erre Spa, an unequaled location at water’s edge, high-tech rooms, and VIP offerings from gourmet picnics to private boat tours, the hotel pampers guests in its Suite Terrace Lake View. The lavish elite suite, a 592-square-foot oasis, invites rest and transformation with a separate living area, soaking tub, and an oversized terrace, which seems to float like a magic carpet above the hotel’s grand lawn, shimmering lake, and the buzzy promenade.
Calilo, Passage to Love Suite, iOS, Greece
In a lesser frequented part of the quintessentially Greek Cyclades, family-owned, deliberately unique, Calilo exudes sexy vibes and offers an ideal destination for honeymooners. Think: heart-shaped rock pools, indoor cave suites, and swings that face the sea. Elevate that seductive aura to new heights in the Passage to Love Suite, a one king bedroom, 2,800 square-foot sanctum, celebrated for its first-in-class, 25-foot water “hallway” that leads to an indoor cave pool. With astonishing views of the beach on one side and mountains on the other, the suite has an enormous garden replete with a large marbled swimming pool and a double swing bed, backdropped with a waterfall.
ESPACIO The Jewel of Waikiki, Penthouse Diamond Suite, Hawaii
Surfing, hula, fragrant leis, and Elvis crooning on a beach all come to life in iconic Waikiki, where a vintage Hawaiian vibe sets the mood. Delve into it at exclusive ESPACIO, composed of just nine lavish suites — each occupying an entire floor of the hotel. On the top floor, the Penthouse Diamond Suite crowns the hotel, ensuring unforgettable views of the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head in the distance. Consisting of a palatial floor plan (multiple bedrooms, a dry sauna, private balcony with Jacuzzi, chef’s kitchen, and sumptuous bathrooms), the suite has amenities that heighten the already irresistible appeal. Enjoy round-trip luxury airport transportation, exclusive car service island-wide, a daily $300 credit for tours and activities off site, a wellness experience (such as an in-room massage or couples’ massage treatment), Champagne upon arrival, full in-suite breakfast daily, a private dining experience at Mugen or a Private Chef Kaiseki dining experience in suite, a $300 wine credit, rooftop sunset caviar and Champagne experience, and a nightly Mugen Happy Hour cocktail.
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge Hillside Family Tent, Vancouver Island, Canada
Unspoiled nature unfolds in all its glory on Vancouver Island, off Canada’s Pacific Coast. For travelers with a bias for eco-travel, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge grandly offers itself as a portal to 600-acres of wild, inspiriting terrain. An intimate safari stay that stylistically references the 19th-century and its epoch of prospectors and adventurers, Clayoquot trades brick-and-mortar suites for atmospheric white tents, raised amid a rainforest. Large enough for families, the generously-sized Hillside Family Tent comprises two adjoined tents. With two bedrooms (one, a primary), two bathrooms (with heated floors, deep-soaking tubs, and outdoor cedar-sheathed showers), the suite extends to include a private outdoor deck.
Gleneagles, Royal Lochnagar Suite, Scotland
Famous for its golf courses, resplendent Gleneagles enthralls as a Scottish estate that presents the bucolic Perthshire countryside at its ravishing best. An enclave that unfurls over 850 acres, edged by mountains and verdant expanses, it goes beyond golf to offer guests the best in wellness, gastronomy, and outdoor activities such as horse riding and falconry. Roaring fires are omnipresent. Pack your kilt and book the Lochnagar Suite, designed to recall Scottish heritage and grandeur. Encompassing some 1,600 square feet and recently redone and re-imagined with products and decor by local suppliers, it vaunts a private marble entrance hallway, a stately lounge and dining room, a glamorous bedroom complete with a storybook canopy-dressed four-poster bed, and pampering bathroom.
Presidential Suite, Hotel Barriere Fouquet’s New York City
The art of French living — in all of its glamor and elegance — is being played out in Tribeca at New York’s Hotel Barrière Fouquet. Inspired by the Art Deco movement, design extraordinaire Martin Brudnizki has meticulously worked his magic with Parisian flair. The lavish two-bedroom Presidential Suite, spanning the 7th and 8th floors (and complete with an executive office, dining and entertaining spaces), amplifies the grandeur. A massive Art Deco-style chandelier hangs in the stairwell, entry walls are covered in stunning floor-to-ceiling murals depicting exotic gardens and landscapes. The color palette is of blues, golds, and soft greens; while the the finishes are glossier, with lacquered walls and mirrored niches. Rich materials abound: burr walnut, gold leaf, antiqued mirrors, and Calacatta Oro marble. We love the artwork by both blue-chip artists (Richard Serra, Alice Neel) and emerging talents (Greg Jenkins, Dimon Buret). But the most over-the-top features are the three (yes three) private terraces, offering stunning views of New York, and the perfect setting for a moonlit tête-à-tête.
Cover, courtesy of Calilo; words by Becca Hensley.
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