Ten hotels to splurge
(CNN) -
After more than a year of confinement, quarantine and estrangement, we are all more than ready for a vacation in a big way, of celebration and having endured a pandemic.
Unfortunately, with many international borders still closed and some countries facing their second, or third, or fourth wave of covid-19, much of the world is not ready for leisure travel to intensify just yet (although there are signs of progress) .
However, we can make plans, right?
From tropical island getaways, from the Maldives to Hawaii, to glamorous city breaks to Sydney, Hollywood and Singapore, we're dreaming and saving for these post-pandemic splurges.
Starting prices are in US dollars, per night.
The Brando, on an island 50 kilometers north of Tahiti, is a celebrity favorite.
(Courtesy of The Brando)
The Brando, French Polynesia
If you're looking for a once-in-a-lifetime bang for your buck, there's nothing better than The Brando, Marlon Brando's luxurious resort on the island of Tetiaroa, 50km north of Tahiti.
This remote resort is a favorite of celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Former President Barack Obama is also famous for escaping to the island to write his memoirs after leaving office in 2017. (Most recently, Kim Kardashian infamously threw her 40th birthday party on the island in October 2020).
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It has just 35 thatched-roof villas, each adorned with a private infinity pool, an outdoor dining area, and all the amenities you would expect from a five-star hotel in London or New York.
But the greatest luxury of all?
Your own private stretch of white sand and turquoise ocean, just steps from your room.
The Brando, private island of Tetiaroa, French Polynesia.
Prices from US $ 3,500.
W Melbourne, Australia
Opened in February 2021, the W Melbourne is the first international five-star hotel to open in Australia this year, a hopeful sign for tourism, although Australia's borders remain closed to international travel.
Built on the glittering $ 1.25 billion Collins Arch compound, which also houses luxury residences and upscale dining and shopping, the ultra-modern hotel features five restaurants and bars, as well as a heated indoor pool with a roof. Gold, which includes a poolside bar and a DJ booth.
Its 294 rooms are as luxurious and design-focused as you would expect from any W hotel, with the addition of luxurious soaking tubs and expansive views of the city or Melbourne's Yarra River.
W Melbourne, 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Australia.
Prices from US $ 450.
Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, Lanai, Hawaii
This adults-only wellness retreat is the epitome of post-pandemic luxury - for starters, it's located on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, which is so quiet and secluded that it feels like you're on your own private island.
Then there are the luxurious suites, hidden so discreetly among the jungle-filled, mist-shrouded Koele Mountains that the presence of other guests will hardly be noticed.
Finally, guests are provided with a personalized wellness itinerary drawn up by their own Sensei guide, offering spa treatments and wellness activities, from morning meditation to sound baths, to eliminate lingering stress and anxiety.
Sensei Lanai, 1 Keomoku Highway, Lanai City, Hawaii.
Rates start at US $ 1,130 for single occupancy and US $ 1,610 for double occupancy, including US $ 600 per person in Wellness Experience credits (room rates start at US $ 650, for single or double occupancy) .
Hawaii offers free trips to those who can telecommute and want to live temporarily in that paradise
Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé, France
Tucked away in the idyllic French Loire Valley, this serene 18th-century castle seems to be a million kilometers from the rest of the world, despite being only 55 minutes from Paris by train.
Its 17 spacious and sunny suites, each adorned with hand-painted murals, crystal chandeliers and antique Louis XV furniture, will make you feel like you've stepped back in time.
(The most opulent is the Le Grand-Lucé Suite, which has expansive views of the gardens and a lovely clawfoot tub.)
Outside, there are 32 acres of mazes, lakes, and rose gardens to enjoy, as well as a beautiful stone-edged pool - the perfect country getaway.
Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé, 9 Place de la République, 72150 Le Grand-Lucé, France.
Prices from US $ 720.
Secluded and luxurious, Jack's Camp is a once-in-a-lifetime retreat.
(Courtesy of Jack's Camp)
Jack's Camp, Botswana
If you're looking for an ultra-exclusive getaway, there is nothing more secluded than Jack's, a luxurious safari camp tucked away on a million-acre (nearly 405,000-hectare) private reserve in the Kalahari Desert.
(There are only two other campsites in the reserve.)
The legendary camp, which opened in 1993, closed for renovation in 2019 and reopened in January 2021 with 10 huge luxury tents (more than twice the size of the original tents) equipped with luxurious four-poster beds, beautifully decorated with Old world safari and private pools overlooking the Makgadikgadi salt flats.
There is also a library, billiards room, bar and sumptuous tea shop with Persian rugs and plush cushions, the perfect place to unwind with a glass of iced tea after a long and hot day on safari.
Jack's Camp, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Kalahari, Botswana.
Prices start at US $ 1,450 all-inclusive (safaris included).
The 1 West Hollywood has some of the largest and most luxurious rooms in all of Los Angeles.
Courtesy of 1 West Hollywood
1 Hotel West Hollywood, Los Angeles
If a glamorous city break is more your style, it doesn't get much better than this chic urban oasis on Sunset Boulevard.
Opened in 2019, just a few months before the pandemic, its rooms are some of the largest and most luxurious in all of Los Angeles, with earthy, minimal decor, sumptuous marble bathrooms, and unrivaled views of the Hollywood Hills.
There's also the pool with lounge chairs and cabanas, a true sanctuary of calm and tranquility above the busy, palm-lined streets of Los Angeles.
But most impressive of all is the brand's sustainability-focused ethic, seen everywhere from the design (the furniture is made from reclaimed California wood) to the food (an organic garden supplies herbs and vegetables to the restaurants).
In addition, the entire hotel is plastic and (almost) paper free, and guests can join a loyalty program that allows them to reduce their carbon footprint with each stay, details that make a difference as we enter a post-pandemic world.
1 West Hollywood Hotel, 8490 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California.
Prices from US $ 670.
Crown Sydney, Australia
The Crown Sydney hotel, opened on December 28, 2020 after four years of construction and at a cost of no less than US $ 1.7 billion, is the newest and most luxurious hotel in the city.
This gleaming petal-shaped skyscraper, advertised as a six-star hotel, features 14 restaurants and bars (including the world-renowned Nobu), an infinity pool overlooking Sydney Harbor (cabanas can be booked from US $ 500) and 349 rooms equipped with marble bathtubs and windows overlooking the city.
The decadent spa features yoga and meditation terraces, relaxation rooms, infrared saunas, and a separate hydrotherapy retreat inspired by a Roman bathhouse - the perfect place to take the worry out of it.
Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia.
Prices from US $ 850.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Italy
As European borders are beginning to open up again to international travelers, your first stop should be the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, an iconic Art Nouveau-style hotel located on the shores of Lake Como.
Its 90 rooms are individually decorated and feature indulgent details like spacious balconies, terraces, and whirlpool tubs.
Although the lake view rooms are worth every single euro, the garden view rooms overlooking the manicured grounds also offer an oasis of tranquility.
Outside, you'll find three pools, including one that floats directly above the lake.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Via Antica Regina, 8, 22016 Tremezzina, Italy.
Prices from US $ 980.
Soneva Jani, Maldives
If you want to give your family a jaw-dropping vacation, Soneva Jani is the place to be: its overwater villas are equipped with private infinity pools and slides that will transport you to the sparkling turquoise ocean below.
Other attractions for the family include a cinema on the water, a star observatory and an ice cream and chocolate room.
All villas have a retractable roof so children can sleep under the stars.
For the parents: a sumptuous spa, an extensive wine cellar, multiple dining options ranging from sashimi to Spanish tapas, and sunset cruises (you can take the kids with you, if you wish).
Soneva Jani, Medhufaru Island, Manadhoo, Maldives.
Prices from US $ 3,290.
Get vaccinated and vacation: Maldives offers vaccines to its visitors to encourage tourism
Raffles Singapore
If you want to splurge big, let's say 'Crazy Rich Asians', there is nothing better than Singapore's iconic Raffles - one of the world's largest hotels and the benchmark for many other five-star hotels around. the planet.
This 133-year-old establishment is the definition of luxury, from its newly renovated suites (with the same old-world colonial charm as always, but with subtle contemporary touches) to its elegant Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling cocktail was invented, in 1915. .
Each guest is assigned their own butler, offering an unusual, intuitive and attentive yet discreet kind of service, perhaps the greatest luxury of all.
Raffles Singapore, 1 Beach Road, Singapore.
Prices from US $ 940.
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