travelgirlcanada

Wondering if you can help me pick a luxury Fairmont property for me to take my mother for a nice visit? We have some free nights to use and I want to treat her (we both love St. Regis, Four Seasons, Aman, Mandarin level properties) and I know that some Fairmont properties can be/are a bit dated in decor/ameneties, etc. Open to travel anywhere in the world right now (we would just make it a longer visit) and we love beaches, shopping, culture outings, great food and wine and of course, just relaxing in a nice surrounding. Maybe your top three choices and why? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

CanadaDH

A lot of your wish list you won't find all at the same property. The Savoy or the Plaza will give you shopping, but there's no beach to speak of. Lake Louise will give you a beautiful setting, but don't expect much shopping and culture. Great food and wine you can find at most of them. Do you want historic or modern? Urban or beach or mountain? Are there places you haven't been that interest you? Your question is a bit broad without knowing what's most important to you on your list.

travelgirlcanada

Thanks - I know it is broad (done intentionally as I am just trying to scope for overall thoughts from those that appreciate high end hotels)....just YOUR favorite property (or properties) would be great and why and then I can filter through the suggestions. I love Lake Louise and the Plaza though (good choices)....thanks so much for your response - appreciate it!

nock

Grand del Mar is close to beaches, has a Forbes triple 5-star rating and a very highly rated on-site restaurant. La Jolla is close by for shopping. I'm not sure what you mean by cultural outings, but it's close to Mexico .

CanadaDH

We need to know YOUR interests and what is most important to you. I'll give you my favourite Fairmonts-- they are Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs, Tremblant, Montreux Palace and Chateau Frontenac, probably in that order. But I don't enjoy beaches or hot weather at all and I absolutely detest shopping, so I'm not sure my list of favourites is that relevant for you.

rny321

For natural scenery: Banff and Lake Louise. For beaches: Barbados, Bali & Hawaii. For wildlife: Mount Kenya and Mara. Inexpensive but excellent: Jaipur. Wildlife: Mara and Nanyuki. China sightseeing: Beijing and Shanghai. Quick trip from NYC: Bermuda. Skiing: Whistler. Shopping: Monaco. Just because: NYC and London.

I can provide more details if you tell us more about your preferences.

travelgirlcanada

Thanks for these suggestions my321, CanadaDH and Nock....I have enjoyed some of these properties but am intrigued by a couple of others that I have not yet had a chance to try so I am going to further research them. Any other thoughts are (of course) welcome. Appreciate you all taking the time to give me some ideas.

Jasper2009

I'd have to agree with the above sentiment - offering advice is rather difficult given your different interests and how different Fairmont properties are (resort vs. modern city vs. grande dame hotels). Also "most luxurious" does not necessarily equal "most expensive" / "best value using certs".

Not to mention that it is almost impossible to use free night certs at the Savoy and the Plaza, two of the most iconic Fairmont properties.

In Europe, both the Fairmont Montreux and the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg are outstanding properties; and offer outstanding suites if you want to also use a suite upgrade cert.

In the US, the Fairmont Grand Del Mar is definitely one of the top properties, though staying in a one-bedroom suite at the Fairmont San Francisco also is a great experience if you've never been to SFO.
Using free night certs at the two Hawaii properties often offers excellent value (especially since the Kea Lani is an all-suite property), but not necessarily more luxuruious than other 5* hotels such as Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons etc.

All the properties in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are fairly affordable, so while several of the properties are excellent, I'm not sure I'd use my certs there, eycept maybe to get a suite at the Fairmont Singapore or the Fairmont Peace Hotel.

I really like many of the iconic properties in Canada (Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont Empress, even the Fairmont Macdonald), but those probably wouldn't qualify as the "most luxurious properties".

MasterGeek

How about the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec city ? $600+ rates in summer, recently renovated, good location

travelgirlcanada

Yes, love it there......another great suggestion (did not know it had been renovated as it was getting quite tired last time I was there) and, it is closer to home. Thanks MasterGeek!

pandes

interesting thread, I have the same question