United747

SL Sydney buffet was good. Not the most expansive I’ve seen, but I give them credit for having properly cooked bacon (what many people in USA consider to be undercooked).

PH Melbourne wasn’t bad in any way, in fact what I liked most was having my room ready first thing in the morning after I got off the flight from LAX. Rooms probably need an update soon though.

vuittonsofstyle

If you liked Babylonstoren, then the same owners opened The Newt in Somerset (UK) this year and it is excellent.

Fliar

Highlights of 2019

1) sitting in a hot tub at 03:00 (totally bright) on the deck of our ship in Antarctica while icebergs are gliding past
2) trail-running in Patagonia (sadly as I fractured both of my feet during a rather extreme trailrun in NZ earlier this year this was the only major one I was able to do)
3) My first 100-point (my rating) meal at Ultraviolet (menu C+) in Shanghai (3*). Mind-boggling. A close second (third or fourth favourite meal ever) was de Librije (3*) in Holland. This was my third and by far the best visit.

Best bar
Park Hyatt Whisky Bar, Bangkok. My favourite bar in the world.

FLIGHTS: 77 flights, 203370 miles total
Best business class: Qatar Airways
Best first class: Etihad apartment (but for food and drink definitely Emirates)
Best economy class: Antarctic Airways (yes, really)

RESTAURANTS
Best restaurant: Ultraviolet, Shanghai
Others:
Raymond Blanc at le manoir aux quat saisons UK 2*, 90
De Librije Holland 3*, 98
de Lindenhof Holland 2*, 82
Auberge Moulin du Hideux Belgium 1*, 85
du Bon Laboureur France 1*, 88 (great value lunch)
l'Ameloise France 3*, 94.5
Beaulieu France 2*, 90
Oaxen Krog Sweden 2*, 91.5
Ode Tokyo 1*, 89+
Heinz Beck Tokyo 2*, 88
Mezzaluna Bangkok 2*, 92.5
Gaa Bangkok 1*, 92
Saawaan Bangkok 1*, 90
j'Aime Bangkok 1*, 88
Ultraviolet China 3*, 100
le comptoir de Gagnaire Shanghai 1* (I think), 88
Yannick Alleno Dubai 2*, 92
honourable mention: the Pizza Bar at the Oriental Hotel in Tokyo

HOTELS
Awasi, Patagonia: A- Superb views, lots of space, excellent food and great wine but (far) too many niggles and just not good enough to justify the price they charge.
Quark Expeditions Antarctica: A- Great excursions, older but comfortable ship
Alila Anji: C+ Chinese service level, lots of issues, despite the nice location.
Alila Wuzhen: A very busy but otherwise superb.
Banyan Tree Huangshan Taichun Villa: A- service reasonable (excellent by Chinese standards) but in particular the villa was gorgeous.
Four Seasons Shanghai Pudong: A- loved the pool and the room decor
Amansara: A finally made it here, loved it. Not a huge fan of the rooms but just really great service.
Shinta Mani villas Siem Reap Cambodia: A purely in terms of hardware the most interesting/beautiful room I've stayed in this year. Superb service but only within the villas - the rest (restaurants/bars/public areas are too busy).
Four Seasons at the First Residence: B Not bad (superb by Egyptian standards).
Le manoir aux quat saisons: A- very nice, just find it a bit overpriced
St Gerlach (Holland), A- such a beautiful castle, reasonable prices
Auberge Moulin du Hideux (Belgium): A-to B+
el Maha Dubai: A
Banyan Tree Maldives: A- to B+
Nanuku Lodge Fiji: B- Amazing kids' club (A+), great views, but not very good villas, food so-so and overpriced and weird service.
Glazebrook, New Zealand: A (if you really want to experience NZ, stay here)
Millbrook, New Zealand: A- Not luxury but very affordable and excellent
Singita Kwitonba, Rwanda: A Great views, beautiful rooms, superb wines. A few niggles but they'd only been open for 2 weeks when we were there
One & Only Nyungwe, Rwanda: A to A- I'm not a huge fan of the rooms here but overall the property and its setting are fabulous.
Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires: A- to B+. Gorgeous property, not very good service, average room.

GetSetJetSet

Any suggestions closer to Den Haag? I am playing in an ice hockey tourney there in March and could use 1-2 great places to pop into. I checked out the above and they're both 2+hr train rides away, but it sounds like you have Netherlands scoped out!

Fliar

Indeed! (I was born in Holland).

My favourite is Ciel Bleu (2*) in Amsterdam. A very strong 2* indeed and great views.
Parkheuvel in Rotterdam is a very solid option too.
I have heard good things about Bord'Eau but haven't been.

callmedtop

St. Regis New York: B+. Stayed here twice this year and twice last year. Beautiful rooms and hard product, but F&B Is a disaster. I want to love the King Cole Bar so much, and at its best it is fantastic, but service is just so spotty. Concierge confirmed a reservation the night before (originally made months earlier) for a restaurant that was fully shut down when we arrived at 7:30pm on a Saturday night in the Village. Needless to say we were not pleased and I don't think the service recovery was adequate. Housekeeping is consistently great, and the butler service actually works here. I will likely not return, but it was a great deal on Marriott points (now less-so, but still not bad).

Fullerton Bay Hotel: B+. Three nights here in May. Again, fantastic rooms and love the location. F&B was good, but not spectacular. Service in general was borderline dismissive. Would likely try the Raffles next time (it was not open yet during our stay).

Amanpulo: A. Nearly flawless stay. I did a full trip report but in short had really had a great time. It would have been elevated that much more if there was comfortable outdoor casita seating. It is crazy that there are only benches and no way to dine or comfortably lounge outside (other than on the beach). Just such a big miss that is easily fixable. Food was excellent, service was even better.

Legend Metropole Hanoi: A-. My favorite hotel bar in the world. Rooms were stunning. Check-in at 2am was the opposite of smooth and we got put in a terrible room. Service recovery in the morning was swift and everything was smooth sailing from then on. The only logical place to stay in Hanoi, especially considering rates are very, very reasonable by US standards. The lounge is not worth a single cent.

Carmel Valley Ranch: B. Stayed 2 nights for a wedding but had a good chance to sample the hotel's offerings. Rooms feel like an upscale Marriott, not true luxury. Service was well-intentioned but a bit of a mess. Breakfast was fantastic. Location is beautiful. Not a horrible stay by any means, but when returning to Carmel would likely not stay here.

Carlyle Hotel: A-. Quick one-night stay upgraded to a very large residential suite. Older room with a bathroom in desperate need of a renovation, but so much character otherwise. Breakfast was delectable, as were drinks at the bar. Service 110% the entire time, and we were rather needy for a one-night stay. The location is one of my favorites in NYC and the residential feel of the hotel is as close as it gets to actually living in NYC.

Mandarin Oriental Beijing: A+. An essentially perfect stay. One of the best hard products I've seen in a city hotel. We did a cocktail-making class at MOBar and had a ton of fun. Drinks every night at MOBar was a highlight. Cafe Zi was quite good for dinner. Breakfast was great, but not amazing. Concierge was unbeatable. Service perfect. Gym/spa is fantastic - spa manager is formerly Amanfayun and an absolute joy. The pool was closed for repair but they took care of us. Not cheap for Beijing but you get what you pay for. Would return in a heartbeat.

Ritz-Carlton Tokyo: B+. Had high expectations for this stay, but it kind of fell flat. Room is not as outdated as people say, but it is too dark. Not enough light at night to the point of frustration. Lobby is beautiful but the bar just doesn't live up. Service was cold and unwelcoming. The lobby atmosphere feels a bit like a convention center with massive crowds. As an American, I can say that there were just too many Americans. Breakfast was divine. Gym and sauna area one of the best. Service was perfunctory but left a little wanting. The concierge didn't miss a beat for months leading up to our stay, and executed everything perfectly. Would likely try Aman, MO or the new FS next time, but was an absolutely phenomenal deal on points (60K per night for a $1,200/night room).

kevincure

Honeymoon + many international work trips, so I have a fun collection here. The worst hotel was the Funduq al-Haram in Wadi Halfa, which at $7 might be the best option in town. More of a dormitory for migrants headed to Egypt than anything. On to the more fun stops!

Nubian Rest House, Karima, Sudan: B. The best hotel in Sudan, run by an Italian group. Interesting traditional design, and great location right beneath the Jebel. Food is a nice break from the rest of the country

Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan, Egypt. A-. Incredible location. Fantastic renovation of the rooms. The deck for drinks and breakfast has to be one of the best in the world, right at the bend of the Nile of Elephantine. The 1902 restaurant is absolutely dreadful (though they try). Service good (a few bucks slipped into the pocket of a janitor = a private tour of the Agatha Christine rooms), aside from an unfortunate bill dispute.

Four Seasons First Residence, Cairo. B. Fantastic staff, and amazing buffet breakfast. Rooms are decent. Location is ok. The ground floor feels like a casino, because it is.

Acacia Village, Juba. B, A given the location. A hideout with pool, great bar, tasty meals, and a tennis court....in Juba, South Sudan. Even without grading on a curve, perfectly acceptable.

Park Hyatt Paris (Diplomatic Suite). A-. Mistake on our initial room assignment led to the Diplo suite with 3 bathrooms, a champagne fridge, and a view of Rue de la Paix. Location is not really my favorite for Paris, but of course it's not bad.

Angama Mara, Masai Mara Kenya. A+. Incredible in every way. On the bluff from Out of Africa, with gorgeous modern rooms, great staff, absolutely no nickel and diming, a private drive down into the Mara with no time restrictions. From the couple behind andBeyond.

Norfolk Hotel (Karura Suite), Nairobi. C. Security concerns have led a big wall to block the street, ruining the century-old deck. Too expensive for what it is and very much in need of a refresh.

Forestside, Grasmere, UK, B. Restaurant is fantastic in every way. Rooms are pleasant, and it's an easy walk into Grasmere town. Front desk service was not what you would expect at a hotel of this level.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. C+. Old dame railway hotel, filled with tour groups, and in need of further renovation for the rooms.

IC Willard (T. Roosevelt Suite), DC. A-. Fantastic given the rate we paid. Concierge worked with me for a great upgrade, and went over the top preparing the room including snacks and drinks from everywhere we'd been on our honeymoon.

IC Dhaka, B+. Modern business hotel in Dhaka. Probably the best choice in the city. Food is nothing special. A nice respite after a long stretch in the Bangla countryside.

IC Bahrain, C+. Perfectly ordinary business hotel. Effectively no different from a Holiday Inn in the ME.

IC Jeddah, B+. Gets a lot of flak online, but I found the room perfectly fine, the club staff very friendly, and the location better than those in the far north of the city.

Park Hotel Sommenhot, Vaduz, B. Best option in the (tiny) country, with a nice deck and view, and a 1* restaurant. Food was perfectly acceptable. Even the "large" rooms are tiny for a North American. Friendly staff.

Park Hyatt Milan, B-. "Cool" design and great location...but staff were quite abrupt, and it is crazy to me to build a luxury hotel in 2018 where you can hear every hallway conversation perfectly from inside the room.

Bom Bom Resort, Principe, A-. The first borderline-luxury hotel in Sao Tome, with the best location astride two incredible beaches. Somehow has better Wifi than I have at home in Toronto.

Tribal, Granada, Nicaragua, B+. Tiny hotel owned by an Italian restaurateur from NY. It is literally like staying in the luxury villa of your coolest gay friend who has fallen into money. A couple blocks of the main square in Granada, which is lovely.

La Toubana, Guadeloupe, B+. A very "French" small resort. Food is great, as you might imagine. Beach is....ok. Rooms are laid out in a reasonably private way for a mid-level resort. An interesting change from the Anglo Caribbean.

Knini Paati, middle of nowhere Suriname, B+. Two hours in a motorized canoe downriver from the end of the road to this camp in the jungle. Definitely not high end luxury, but perfectly acceptable private rooms and a pet macaw. Not a bad option at all.

Not quite hotels:
[Natural Paradise boat, Galapagos, A-: Lovely 16-passenger luxury boat in the Galapagos. Great staff. Galapagos rules mean you rarely see anyone other the folks on your ship (in our case, only 11 of us due to the protests in Ecuador). Having been on land on two islands, and done a boat, you would be crazy to stay on land for a Galapagos visit]

[Swiss F lounge day room, Zurich, A: It may be an airport day room...but the Hastens bed inside actually made us consider spending an obscene amount of money on a bed. It's that good. Also the blueberry smoothies...]

Pufnstuf

In 2019 we stayed at a few Marriott properties, burning up points and requalifying for next year (though this may the last time we try for that).

And it had the added highlight that my daughter came to agree with me that Tokyo DisneySea is the best of all the parks.

So with that said...


An Amazing Time
* Shangri-La Tokyo. — The proximity to Tokyo Station is a plus for us, as is the platform service when navigating with a kid. Loved the huge fresh persimmons as a welcome amenity, and our daughter loved the teddy bear with its own miniature teddy (!). Very high quality breakfast, especially the pastries. What sealed things for us was, when we told them my wife was feeling very ill and asked about having a doctor visit, they advised the local emergency room was a better choice and sent a team member to help us navigate the Japanese medical system. (My wife ended up having a very, very bad cold but the symptoms were severe.) We truly appreciated the kindness they showed us.

Excellent Places
* Gritti Palace. — Adored having breakfast overlooking the canal and loved the quality, though wished they started service before 7:30AM. Loved the classic feel throughout the public spaces. The cooking class was a highlight, and we didn’t object it ran a little long since it gave us more time to linger over food and enjoy the six wine pairings.
* Ritz Carlton Kyoto. — Loved the wonderful, huge soaking tub (appreciated when you’re 6’3”), and discovered wooden slats in a shower can be a pleasant thing. Excellent concierge service, calling around immediately after I asked about tripods being permitted at various night-illuminated temples to find the answer. Fantastic breakfast, and loved they asked how many pieces of French toast I’d like with my order. The morning bike tour was great.

Solidly Good
* Prince de Galles. — Loved the Mosaic suite upgrade we got, though I had to specifically request it after seeing availability online. Loved the breakfast. Loved the proximity to FS George V.
* St. Regis Osaka. — Great location for strolling around, and loved that my welcome amenity included a free Bloody Mary. Good breakfast, made all the more surreal when the extended jazz version of the ‘Sanford and Son’ TV theme song came on during service.
* San Francisco Palace. — Still our favorite staycation hotel, though with their GM moving we only got a junior suite upgrade instead of the bigger Palace suite. The buffet breakfast remains good, and our daughter loves the pool.

Merely Fine
* Ritz Carlton Cancun. — It feels big. Very, very big. And the grounds are a bit sterile. Insufficient # of outlets near the bed. F&B was very good throughout. They graciously accommodated our daughter at the Club Grille, with a special amuse-bouche and mocktail. At Fantino they also treated her wonderfully, and we inadvertently discovered she can handle a fine-dining meal when we realized dinner took 2.5 hours. Good kids’ club, though I prefer it being “free” at FS. Our daughter loved the cooking class, and was eager to share the churros she made. The massages we got at the spa were merely OK.
* Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi. — We’d had good stays here years ago, but the room felt tired this time and the buffet breakfast felt weak. F&B never really excited at all, and I ended up leaving unspent FSPP F&B money and ate at Tokyo Station instead. I can’t imagine returning, and instead would revisit Shangri-La (though am interested in reviews of the new FS near the Imperial Palace).
* Four Seasons San Francisco. — We decided to try a new local place, but I don’t think we’ll return; the “value” just doesn’t feel there. Very comfortable room, but lack of a pool our daughter can use is unfortunate. She enjoyed the cookie-decorating, and the showing of “The Grinch.”

Special Mention
* Le Cinq (Four Seasons George V). — Our multi-hour dinner at RC Cancun gave us the confidence to bring our daughter to Le Cinq for lunch, and they were fantastic with her. We appreciated they had a kids’ menu, and pleasantly surprised it included most amuse-bouche too. Fantastic food. Fantastic cocktails. Fantastic mocktails. They had the best vanilla ice cream we’ve ever tasted, with such a strong intensity. I dream about returning for another meal, and hope we can stay here some day.

GetSetJetSet

Anything IN Den Haag though? We are on the ice every day (sometimes multiple times/day) so I doubt i'll be popping into Amsterdam for dinner, even if it's only 30 minutes...also, any thoughts on Hotel des Indes? Thanks!

Bemelman's Bar is great, I actually drag myself uptown to drink there from time to time...all cocktails everywhere should come with a little sidecar carafe so you can top yourself up don't you think?

So...1. How was Sudan? 2. How was South Sudan, 3. Did you enjoy Sao Tome & Principe, good to see someone else who actually made it there! Wonderful country. On that note, seems we have similar travel interests, I am planning a Guyana & Suriname trip for 2020 and would love your input. Thanks!

kevincure

Sudan is great for ancient sites, though we were there right at the start of the protests, so take care these days. Meroe is effectively the only site you will see any tourists, even in Dec/Jan (the "peak" tourism season). Walking along the Nile in Karima, and spending Friday sunset on the mountain, is the best thing to do. The good sites require a 4x4 and driver (not expensive). The Acropole is quite literally the kind of place where you run into rum-runners and archaeologists at breakfast.

South Sudan - still too rough for tourism. More or less impossible to go much further than Juba these days, but hopefully will open up in the near future. Juba is generally fine now, though things can change quickly.

St&P is fantastic, especially Principe (which has great places to stay). Totally fine to walk around the capital of ST even at night. Lots of great nature. Surprisingly many tourists, though basically all are Portuguese plus a few S. Africans.

The Guianas - I went Cayenne to Georgetown. Read "The Wild Coast" for a bunch of places to be inspired by. Some recs: Space station tour at Kourou. Hmong village in French Guiana. Palmistes is the best place to stay in Cayenne. Suriname border crossing is a canoe. Paramaribo has great colonial architecture. The jungle is the best there, though (and I rec the lodge listed above). If you've not been to the tepuis in Venezuela, definitely leave Georgetown when you get to Guyana (it's ok) and head to the waterfalls then the ranches in the far south. The Georgetown airport sells a lot of one-off El Dorado rums (incl. the Port Mourant. Suriname/Guyana border is very annoying - can generally only cross at one time per day, with a multihour wait. Have fun!

GetSetJetSet

I know re ST, was there in Jan., didn't make it over to Principe though because I didn't have much time and wasn't up for STP Airways (or whatever it's called these days) . I will for sure check out that recommended reading and a few of those places for Guyana and Suriname. Thanks!

HKTraveler

For Kyoto, it really depends on what type of hotel you are looking for. Hosinoya and Aman are both resort-like ryokan which are best for a one night stay to experience the hotel itself and to stay at a Japanese-like ryokan if you haven’t done so. RC and PH are both city hotels which are good bases for multi-day stays. Hiiragiya and Tawaraya are more transitional ryokans located within the city center. If it is your first time, I would recommend one night at the resort ryokans and then RC or PH as a base for a few days. Have only been to Tawaraya and other than been there done that, not much desire to go back

GetSetJetSet

We have RC Kyoto before, then one night at Hoshinoya. Sounds like it should be a reasonable way to see things. We will do the tourism while at RC, then have the "ryokan experience" at Hoshinoya.

Epicura

All the restaurants at Okura at great. My favorite there would still be Sazanka if you like teppanyaki.

Librije is great, we return every year.

Groetjes van de Belg

Passportinonehand

Our list of 2019, our first year where we traveled this much! Did our fair share of luxury hotels, but our favourite trip was probably the one with the least amount of luxury when we traveled through Australia for 2 and a half months in a campervan :-).

- Hotel Café Royal - London - 9/10: Favourite city hotel we've been to this year. Great service, food was delicious, spacious suite with great views on both Regent Street and Picadilly Circus. They missed the mark with the lighting in the spa though.
- Hôtel Lutetia - Paris - 8.5/10: Beautiful building, great location on the Left Bank, very good food, but service a bit cold at times.
- Raffles - Seychelles - 7/10: Huge suites but in need of a renovation after 10 years. The beach is really nice and there are some amazing beaches nearby. The spa is stunning and the treatments were good, but the food really wasn't good and the service in general was very mediocre.
- Six Senses Zil Pasyon - Seychelles - 9/10: Hard to fault this resort. Beautiful island, large comfortable private villas, amazing food. The spa is out of this world! Service was good, but nothing special.
- Fairmont Royal Palm - Marrakech - 8/10: A very good hotel, great for golfers and people who want to relax. Spa is beautiful and treatments very very good. The location is too far out of the city centre. Even without traffic it's a 30 minute drive to the city. Food ranged from bland to absolutely delicious.
- One&Only Reethi Rah - Maldives - 8.5/10: Really really enjoyed our stay here. Beach villas have an amazing large private beach (definitely recommend beach villas here instead of overwater villas) but miss storage space. Loved the food, but found the interior of the restaurants disappointing (interior design, cutlery, placemats, ...)
- Pan Deï Palais - St-Tropez - ?/10: Lovely pool area, perfectly located in the centre of St Tropez, but we had horrible weather during our stay which made us stay inside 100% of the time. Will have to go back to re-evaluate.
- St Regis Vommuli - Maldives - 9/10: Beautiful modern overwater villas, great food, and superb use of the butler service. Hard to fault. Private pools were a bit small and too cold, but who needs a pool when you have a perfectly calm ocean at your doorstep?
- Belmond Charleston Place - USA - 6.5/10: Just a very uninspiring Belmond property. The club lounge was ok for pre-dinner drinks and snacks. Didn't try the restaurants as Charleston has so much to offer food-wise. Could definitely use a refurb.
- The Strand - Myanmar - 7/10: Really liked the bar and the pool area. Our suite was nice, except for the bathroom, which was horrible. The butler service was annoying as hell and only good for coffee in the morning. Food was mediocre, cocktails very good.
- Ritz-Carlton New Orleans - USA - 6/10: I'm noticing a trend in this thread. RC quality going down. Same in New Orleans. Our suite was large and comfortable, but service was awful, club lounge was colder than a fridge and just wasn't a big fan of the decor. Extra half point for the live jazz band in the bar that was really good!
- Hotel Yountville - Napa Valley, USA - 7.5/10: Not sure this qualifies as a real luxury hotel, but we really liked our stay here. Great pool area and loved the fireplace in our room. The spa treatments were really good, too. The layout of the whole property is just really strange and the continental breakfast that was included was pathetic.
- Raffles Meradhoo - Maldives - 8.5/10: Stayed here pre-opening and we were the only guests on the island so difficult to judge the atmosphere. Service was great, food was really good and we loved the design of the place! Going back in January to try the overwater villas which weren't open yet and see how everything has evolved!
- Ritz Carlton - Hong Kong - 8/10: Fun to be in such a high hotel. It's really a great hotel if you don't have to get out much. Didn't like the location at all, but the club lounge is one of the best lounges we've been to! Some very good restaurants (and bar) on property. I feel they could have done better with the swimming pool area.
- One&Only Royal Mirage - Dubai - 7/10: Too big for us. You really get the whole 'big resort' feeling here. Had an amazing meal at their Moroccan restaurant and we really liked the size and decor of our room!
- Cliveden House - UK - 8/10: Stunning property and great service at Cliveden House. We found the food terribly overpriced and not up to standards. Had some of the best spa treatments here.
- One&Only Royal Palm - Dubai - 8.5/10: This was more our thing. Very intimate resort for Dubai standards. Great service and some very good food (especially the fine-dining restaurant by Yannick Alléno. Wonderful spa!

Hotels we stayed at that don't qualify for this forum: Constance Ephelia (Seychelles), JA Enchanted Island Resort (Seychelles), Barnsley House (Cotswolds - UK), Constance Moofushi (Maldives), Constance Halaveli (Maldives), Hotel Les Deux Tours (Marrakech), Anantara Dhigu (Maldives), Le Grand Galle (Sri Lanka), Sanctum Inle Resort (Myanmar), SO/ Sofitel Bangkok (Thailand), Grand Hyatt (Hong Kong)