Your favorite hotels of all time
May 24, 2020, 7:38 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 8
Your favorite hotels of all time
Hi,
I would like to start a little survey. If you're interested in sharing yours and keen to know what others think please feel free to participate
What are your Top 5 favorite hotels of all time and what's the most exciting hotel opening?
Mine are:
1. Soneva Kiri
2. Bulgari Bali
3. Aman Sveti Stefan
4. Belmond Portofino and Le Sirenuse
5. Mandarin Oriental Bodrum
And excited for the Aman New York and One&Only Portonovi.
I would like to start a little survey. If you're interested in sharing yours and keen to know what others think please feel free to participate
What are your Top 5 favorite hotels of all time and what's the most exciting hotel opening?
Mine are:
1. Soneva Kiri
2. Bulgari Bali
3. Aman Sveti Stefan
4. Belmond Portofino and Le Sirenuse
5. Mandarin Oriental Bodrum
And excited for the Aman New York and One&Only Portonovi.
May 24, 2020, 8:24 am
#2
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,455
Hi,
I would like to start a little survey. If you're interested in sharing yours and keen to know what others think please feel free to participate
What are your Top 5 favorite hotels of all time and what's the most exciting hotel opening?
Mine are:
1. Soneva Kiri
2. Bulgari Bali
3. Aman Sveti Stefan
4. Belmond Portofino and Le Sirenuse
5. Mandarin Oriental Bodrum
And excited for the Aman New York and One&Only Portonovi.
I would like to start a little survey. If you're interested in sharing yours and keen to know what others think please feel free to participate
What are your Top 5 favorite hotels of all time and what's the most exciting hotel opening?
Mine are:
1. Soneva Kiri
2. Bulgari Bali
3. Aman Sveti Stefan
4. Belmond Portofino and Le Sirenuse
5. Mandarin Oriental Bodrum
And excited for the Aman New York and One&Only Portonovi.
Great topic/thread...Mine, in no particular order:
Park Hotel Vitznau
Aman Tokyo
Amanoi
Edit: Rosewood Hong Kong
The Brando
Good odds that one of these will be bumped off the list by Cheval Blanc Randheli soon.
I'm also most excited about AMAN NYC later in the year. But we shall see if that timeline changes, again.
Was most excited about Aman Kyoto last year and went in December. Great stay but slight let down, too.
Last edited by BESVISOR; May 25, 2020 at 3:14 pm
May 24, 2020, 8:54 am
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
I don't really have a list, but my number one is the Oriental in Bangkok. I could tell so many stories...but I'll give you just a quick one:
In the mid-1990s (hadn't been there in some years), I flew in from Hong Kong, and was already late for a meeting I had intended to have in the lobby, my guest had been waiting for about 15 minutes when I arrived. I asked the driver who had picked me up from the airport to arrange to hold on to my suitcases and told him that I would check in after my meeting. No problem, he would arrange for that. Having stayed at the hotel many times (in fact I lived there for six months as a child as our house wasn't quite finished yet) I knew that they would take care of it, and expected them to take my suitcases up to the room.
My meeting lasted about 90 minutes. We both got up, shook hands, and as I'm about to go to the front desk, I'm approached by a senior member of staff who informed me that everything has been taken care of, no need to check in, he'd accompany me to my room to make sure it was to my satisfaction. We walk to the elevators which, as those of you who've stayed at the Oriental, will know to be under the command of Khun Anusorn, who knows what floor you are staying on and presses the button for you, but from the outside and without looking at the buttons! The room is perfectly fine, lovely as always, and I spot a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket. I don't see my suitcases and ask if they could perhaps be brought up quickly, as I'm keen to change before dinner. He takes a step forward and opens the closet. Everything has been unpacked, ironed, folded, and the dirty clothes clothes have been washed (and ironed and folded)! In 90 minutes. Unprompted. And the charge never showed up on the bill. Kurt Wachtveitl had that place shipshape.
In the mid-1990s (hadn't been there in some years), I flew in from Hong Kong, and was already late for a meeting I had intended to have in the lobby, my guest had been waiting for about 15 minutes when I arrived. I asked the driver who had picked me up from the airport to arrange to hold on to my suitcases and told him that I would check in after my meeting. No problem, he would arrange for that. Having stayed at the hotel many times (in fact I lived there for six months as a child as our house wasn't quite finished yet) I knew that they would take care of it, and expected them to take my suitcases up to the room.
My meeting lasted about 90 minutes. We both got up, shook hands, and as I'm about to go to the front desk, I'm approached by a senior member of staff who informed me that everything has been taken care of, no need to check in, he'd accompany me to my room to make sure it was to my satisfaction. We walk to the elevators which, as those of you who've stayed at the Oriental, will know to be under the command of Khun Anusorn, who knows what floor you are staying on and presses the button for you, but from the outside and without looking at the buttons! The room is perfectly fine, lovely as always, and I spot a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket. I don't see my suitcases and ask if they could perhaps be brought up quickly, as I'm keen to change before dinner. He takes a step forward and opens the closet. Everything has been unpacked, ironed, folded, and the dirty clothes clothes have been washed (and ironed and folded)! In 90 minutes. Unprompted. And the charge never showed up on the bill. Kurt Wachtveitl had that place shipshape.
May 24, 2020, 9:23 am
#4
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
May 24, 2020, 3:57 pm
#6
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
High Lux
La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Las Alamandas, Costalegre, Mexico
Le Bristol, Paris
Gravetye Manor, Sussex, England
Laucala, Fiji
Cap Juluca, Anguilla
Las Ventanas Signature Casita, Los Cabos
Hotel Beverly Hills
Twin Farms, Vermont
Low Lux
Soniat House, New Orleans
Saint James Paris
Casa Natalia, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Iceland
No Lux
Mahekal Beach Resort, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Las Alamandas, Costalegre, Mexico
Le Bristol, Paris
Gravetye Manor, Sussex, England
Laucala, Fiji
Cap Juluca, Anguilla
Las Ventanas Signature Casita, Los Cabos
Hotel Beverly Hills
Twin Farms, Vermont
Low Lux
Soniat House, New Orleans
Saint James Paris
Casa Natalia, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Iceland
No Lux
Mahekal Beach Resort, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
May 24, 2020, 5:38 pm
#7
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
May 24, 2020, 8:21 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 167
Resort:
1. Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle
2. Sanctuary Chief's Camp
3. Laucala Island
4. North Island
5. Amanzoe
City:
1. Aman Tokyo
2. Mandarin Oriental New York
3. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
4. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
5. Four Seasons George V Paris
1. Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle
2. Sanctuary Chief's Camp
3. Laucala Island
4. North Island
5. Amanzoe
City:
1. Aman Tokyo
2. Mandarin Oriental New York
3. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
4. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
5. Four Seasons George V Paris
May 25, 2020, 12:53 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,145
I don't really have a list, but my number one is the Oriental in Bangkok. I could tell so many stories...but I'll give you just a quick one:
In the mid-1990s (hadn't been there in some years), I flew in from Hong Kong, and was already late for a meeting I had intended to have in the lobby, my guest had been waiting for about 15 minutes when I arrived. I asked the driver who had picked me up from the airport to arrange to hold on to my suitcases and told him that I would check in after my meeting. No problem, he would arrange for that. Having stayed at the hotel many times (in fact I lived there for six months as a child as our house wasn't quite finished yet) I knew that they would take care of it, and expected them to take my suitcases up to the room.
My meeting lasted about 90 minutes. We both got up, shook hands, and as I'm about to go to the front desk, I'm approached by a senior member of staff who informed me that everything has been taken care of, no need to check in, he'd accompany me to my room to make sure it was to my satisfaction. We walk to the elevators which, as those of you who've stayed at the Oriental, will know to be under the command of Khun Anusorn, who knows what floor you are staying on and presses the button for you, but from the outside and without looking at the buttons! The room is perfectly fine, lovely as always, and I spot a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket. I don't see my suitcases and ask if they could perhaps be brought up quickly, as I'm keen to change before dinner. He takes a step forward and opens the closet. Everything has been unpacked, ironed, folded, and the dirty clothes clothes have been washed (and ironed and folded)! In 90 minutes. Unprompted. And the charge never showed up on the bill. Kurt Wachtveitl had that place shipshape.
In the mid-1990s (hadn't been there in some years), I flew in from Hong Kong, and was already late for a meeting I had intended to have in the lobby, my guest had been waiting for about 15 minutes when I arrived. I asked the driver who had picked me up from the airport to arrange to hold on to my suitcases and told him that I would check in after my meeting. No problem, he would arrange for that. Having stayed at the hotel many times (in fact I lived there for six months as a child as our house wasn't quite finished yet) I knew that they would take care of it, and expected them to take my suitcases up to the room.
My meeting lasted about 90 minutes. We both got up, shook hands, and as I'm about to go to the front desk, I'm approached by a senior member of staff who informed me that everything has been taken care of, no need to check in, he'd accompany me to my room to make sure it was to my satisfaction. We walk to the elevators which, as those of you who've stayed at the Oriental, will know to be under the command of Khun Anusorn, who knows what floor you are staying on and presses the button for you, but from the outside and without looking at the buttons! The room is perfectly fine, lovely as always, and I spot a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket. I don't see my suitcases and ask if they could perhaps be brought up quickly, as I'm keen to change before dinner. He takes a step forward and opens the closet. Everything has been unpacked, ironed, folded, and the dirty clothes clothes have been washed (and ironed and folded)! In 90 minutes. Unprompted. And the charge never showed up on the bill. Kurt Wachtveitl had that place shipshape.
OMG! I just LOVE your story. Maybe we should have a separate thread to share those kinds of perfect service experiences. Or do we have one already?
May 25, 2020, 1:19 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,265
Laucala would be my absolute number one. Have not returned yet but definitely still on my list to visit every few years if possible (it's so damn far for EU people).
Others where I would return any given day or have returned (even several times): Al Maha, Soneva Fushi, Amanruya, Thanda Island.
Hotels that really surprised me in a good way: Vila Vita Parc and Lupaia. Not that I had low expectations but my stays were really top notch. I am not that much into EU travel (being based in EU) in general but these are hotels I would return to for a quick break.
Worth mentioning as in unique experience: Kimondo tented camp Tanzania. Not lux but certainly the best location in high season to see river crossings/great migration.
I also liked Frégate private island. Certainly the most beautiful island in Seychelles. Really looking forward to their revamp.
Others where I would return any given day or have returned (even several times): Al Maha, Soneva Fushi, Amanruya, Thanda Island.
Hotels that really surprised me in a good way: Vila Vita Parc and Lupaia. Not that I had low expectations but my stays were really top notch. I am not that much into EU travel (being based in EU) in general but these are hotels I would return to for a quick break.
Worth mentioning as in unique experience: Kimondo tented camp Tanzania. Not lux but certainly the best location in high season to see river crossings/great migration.
I also liked Frégate private island. Certainly the most beautiful island in Seychelles. Really looking forward to their revamp.
May 25, 2020, 3:53 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: France
Posts: 971
Amanbagh and Amanjiwo for the whole experience
Oriental Bangkok and Raffles Singapore which were our first luxury stays
Villa Feltrinelli, Aman Sveti Stefan, Amankila, Aman Venice, Amanjena, Hotel Bel Air, Four Seasons Florence, Bawah Reserve, all special places
Bvlgari London (we celebrated our wedding there, plus it's the nicest city hotel pool ever)
Oriental Bangkok and Raffles Singapore which were our first luxury stays
Villa Feltrinelli, Aman Sveti Stefan, Amankila, Aman Venice, Amanjena, Hotel Bel Air, Four Seasons Florence, Bawah Reserve, all special places
Bvlgari London (we celebrated our wedding there, plus it's the nicest city hotel pool ever)
May 25, 2020, 5:30 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
Lockdown delirium -
CAMBODIA
Amansara, Siem Reap
We stayed here in 1992, when it was the Apsara Villas, then again a few years ago. We appreciated the change in every respect. Amansara really has this Angkor thing sorted.
FRANCE
Chateau de Bagnols, Bagnols
Seen it through various managements, from Aman onwards, and still regard it as the ultimate chateau hotel in France.
L’Oustau de Baumaniere, Les Baux-de-Provence
The first Relais & Chateaux and the first three-star Michelin meal of my life made an indelible impression on me. This is the furthest south I get to in France as I hate the bling-ugliness of the coast.
Hotel des Berges, Illhaeusern
A luxurious, characterful hotel attached to the best and most beautiful restaurant I have ever seen, the Auberge de I’Ill.
De Crillon, Georges V, Plaza Athenee, Paris
They all have their winning ways and can't be separated.
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Hotel Bora Bora, Society Islands
The legendary hotel, now sadly demolished, superceded by the tacky honeymoon havens out on the motus. My memories live on.
GERMANY
Bareiss, Baiersbronn-Mitteltal
Classic spa hotel with three world-class restaurants.
HONG KONG
Four Seasons, Hong Kong Island
Stunningly smooth, unpretentious luxury city hotel with resort facilities and amazing restaurants.
INDIA
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
Layers of history and colonial elegance, brought up to date.
INDONESIA
The Oberoi, Legian Beach, Bali
Back in the late 1980s this was the only place to stay and one of the most exquisitely beautiful hotels in the world.
Amandari, Ubud, Bali
My first Aman experience, in 1990, spoilt me forever but I'll never go back to Bali now.
Maulana Inn, Banda Islands
Colonial-style guest house in a Spice Island setting which is pure Joseph Conrad.
LAOS PDR
Amantaka, Luang Prabang
A converted hospital, stunningly designed, perfectly attuned to its location in the centre of one of Indo-China’s most culturally rich cities.
MAURITIUS
Le Prince Maurice, Flic-en-Flac
Quiet, luxurious, gloriously located, perfect resort food.
PHILIPPINES
Amanpulo, Pamalican Island
The best hotel in the Maldives and mercifully not in the Maldives.
SAMOA
Aggie Grey’s, Apia
A legendary hotel deep in the South Pacific, a bit shambolic with giggly service, haunted by the likes of Bill Holden on tropical trysts. Sadly, it’s now part of the Sheraton empire.
SEYCHELLES
La Digue Island Lodge, La Digue
It’s now the La Digue Resort, I think, but we went in the early 1980s and it was wonderfully rustique, a genuine backwater with octopus curries.
SRI LANKA
Ceylon Tea Trails, Hatton
An imaginative concept - five former tea planter’s bungalows converted into hotel rooms, a sort of tropical Tunbridge Wells. Adept service, supremely relaxing, well worth spending a week here to really wind down.
THAILAND
The Oriental, Bangkok
The perfect city hotel in a city I don’t much like. Lots of literary history, prescient service levels, a great pool and romantic riverside restaurant terrace.
UNITED KINGDOM
Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead
The perfect English Country House experience, now with a new glassed-in restaurant. No pool and no spa guarantees no riff-raff.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills
I was something of a regular here, always the same poolside cabana, where I took calls from Marlon and Warren, lunched with Billy Wilder, dined with Natalie Wood.
I'm sure there are a few others which slip my mind . . . but I should also mention the numerous cruise ships which have taken me to some of the remotest places on the planet. Something no hotel can achieve.
CAMBODIA
Amansara, Siem Reap
We stayed here in 1992, when it was the Apsara Villas, then again a few years ago. We appreciated the change in every respect. Amansara really has this Angkor thing sorted.
FRANCE
Chateau de Bagnols, Bagnols
Seen it through various managements, from Aman onwards, and still regard it as the ultimate chateau hotel in France.
L’Oustau de Baumaniere, Les Baux-de-Provence
The first Relais & Chateaux and the first three-star Michelin meal of my life made an indelible impression on me. This is the furthest south I get to in France as I hate the bling-ugliness of the coast.
Hotel des Berges, Illhaeusern
A luxurious, characterful hotel attached to the best and most beautiful restaurant I have ever seen, the Auberge de I’Ill.
De Crillon, Georges V, Plaza Athenee, Paris
They all have their winning ways and can't be separated.
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Hotel Bora Bora, Society Islands
The legendary hotel, now sadly demolished, superceded by the tacky honeymoon havens out on the motus. My memories live on.
GERMANY
Bareiss, Baiersbronn-Mitteltal
Classic spa hotel with three world-class restaurants.
HONG KONG
Four Seasons, Hong Kong Island
Stunningly smooth, unpretentious luxury city hotel with resort facilities and amazing restaurants.
INDIA
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
Layers of history and colonial elegance, brought up to date.
INDONESIA
The Oberoi, Legian Beach, Bali
Back in the late 1980s this was the only place to stay and one of the most exquisitely beautiful hotels in the world.
Amandari, Ubud, Bali
My first Aman experience, in 1990, spoilt me forever but I'll never go back to Bali now.
Maulana Inn, Banda Islands
Colonial-style guest house in a Spice Island setting which is pure Joseph Conrad.
LAOS PDR
Amantaka, Luang Prabang
A converted hospital, stunningly designed, perfectly attuned to its location in the centre of one of Indo-China’s most culturally rich cities.
MAURITIUS
Le Prince Maurice, Flic-en-Flac
Quiet, luxurious, gloriously located, perfect resort food.
PHILIPPINES
Amanpulo, Pamalican Island
The best hotel in the Maldives and mercifully not in the Maldives.
SAMOA
Aggie Grey’s, Apia
A legendary hotel deep in the South Pacific, a bit shambolic with giggly service, haunted by the likes of Bill Holden on tropical trysts. Sadly, it’s now part of the Sheraton empire.
SEYCHELLES
La Digue Island Lodge, La Digue
It’s now the La Digue Resort, I think, but we went in the early 1980s and it was wonderfully rustique, a genuine backwater with octopus curries.
SRI LANKA
Ceylon Tea Trails, Hatton
An imaginative concept - five former tea planter’s bungalows converted into hotel rooms, a sort of tropical Tunbridge Wells. Adept service, supremely relaxing, well worth spending a week here to really wind down.
THAILAND
The Oriental, Bangkok
The perfect city hotel in a city I don’t much like. Lots of literary history, prescient service levels, a great pool and romantic riverside restaurant terrace.
UNITED KINGDOM
Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead
The perfect English Country House experience, now with a new glassed-in restaurant. No pool and no spa guarantees no riff-raff.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills
I was something of a regular here, always the same poolside cabana, where I took calls from Marlon and Warren, lunched with Billy Wilder, dined with Natalie Wood.
I'm sure there are a few others which slip my mind . . . but I should also mention the numerous cruise ships which have taken me to some of the remotest places on the planet. Something no hotel can achieve.
Last edited by Pausanias; May 25, 2020 at 5:39 am
May 25, 2020, 7:52 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,265
The Beverly Wilshire! I was there when I was 18 years old, with my dad and my sister. More than 25 years ago 
Was a wonderful hotel indeed with great service. I also remember a small TV in the bathroom which was impressive for a teenage girl
Was a wonderful hotel indeed with great service. I also remember a small TV in the bathroom which was impressive for a teenage girl
May 25, 2020, 3:04 pm
#15
formerly known as deathscar
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Virtuoso | Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Rosewood Elite | Hyatt Prive - and more
Posts: 2,096
Resorts/Destination hotels
Amankila
Amanjiwo
Taj Falaknuma Palace
Amanpulo
Aman-i-Khas (specifically for the service)
Amanoi
137 Pillars House
City hotels
Oberoi Delhi
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Upper House
Peninsula Shanghai
Amankila
Amanjiwo
Taj Falaknuma Palace
Amanpulo
Aman-i-Khas (specifically for the service)
Amanoi
137 Pillars House
City hotels
Oberoi Delhi
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Upper House
Peninsula Shanghai