Make a reservation at Villa d”‘Este

Set on the shores of Lake Como, Villa d’Este was built in 1568 as the summer residence of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio. The property has 25 acres of gardens, whose statues and landscape have been photographed for centuries. The design of the lower part of the gardens is from the Renaissance period. The two most outstanding landmarks are the 500 year old plane tree and the 16th century Mosaic with its Nympheum

The favourite playground of an Empress, an English queen and aristocrats,  it was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1873.

Continuously renovated and updated, today  the legendary resort has  152 rooms, all different in decor.  The main house built in 1568 and known as the Cardinal’s building counts 125 rooms while the trompe l’oeil masterpiece known as the Queen’s Pavilion, inaugurated in 1860 has 27 rooms. In 1873 the two Villas combined into one property became Villa d’EsteVilla Malakoff and Villa Cima are available for short term tenancies with services ranging from housekeeping to full private butler and chef service.

A beautiful 18-hole golf  course  winds its way through chestnut, ash and pine trees sheltering golfers even from the intense summer heat.

Make a reservation at Villa d”‘Este

Mount Nelson Hotel  is the most iconic hotel in Cape Town situated within a  lush garden estate in the heart of the city’s vibrant cultural center. Set at the foot of Table Mountain,  Mount Nelson Hotel is perfectly positioned  to experience the historic city center and the neighborhood people refer to as the ‘new Cape Town’ – the trendy areas of Kloof and Long Street. Mount Nelson Hotel opened in 1899 as the first hotel in South Africa to offer hot and cold running water. Since opening the Hotel has been  of choice for well-heeled travelers. From politicians and royalty, to actors and actresses, to models and religious leaders  -  celebrity guests like Agatha Christie, Marlene Dietrich, Winston Churchill,  Al Gore,  David Bowie, Margaret Thatcher,  Bono, John Malkovich,  Nelson Mandela,  the Dalai Lama,   have been spotted here for years.

The hotel has  two heated swimming pools within its  lush ‘urban oasis’ garden setting,  For golfers there is an on-site golf practice net, and seven world class golf courses are located within twenty minutes of the hotel. The Hotel boasts six individual accommodation wings, each with its own unique character, private gardens and facilities. The 201 spacious rooms & suites are individually decorated with old-world charm, complemented by modern luxury. Fine dining has long been a tradition at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Hotels Cape Colony restaurant   is one of the best in South Africa. The stylish bar, Planet, provides the perfect setting for sipping champagne and cocktails under the African night sky. Do not miss the famous traditional  afternoon ‘High Tea” that is served daily in the Lounge.

Make a reservation at One and Only Ocean Club

One&Only Ocean Club, is the most elegant resort of The Bahamas.. The club was once the exclusive private estate of Huntington Hartford, who developed Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
What we like most in One&Only Ocean Club is the imported 12th-century Augustinian Cloisters and exquisite Versailles Gardens. The 35 acres of garden face out into the beautiful, green Bahamian Sea.
The stone remains of a 12th-century French monastery traveled a long road to end up in Bahamas. Newspaperman William Randolph Hearst imported the dismantled stones to the US in the 1920s, but they remained just random pieces of a giant puzzle until Huntington Hartford purchased them in the ’60s and had them reassembled (without plans) on his oceanfront Ocean Club estate which turned to One&Only Ocean Club

The Club is on the magnificent Cabbage Beach’s quietest stretch, eastern end of the Paradise Island, the most civilized in all of The Bahamas. The Club is very private and intimate although it is minutes apart from another Kerzner property  The Atlantis,  a mini-VegasOcean Clubs 105 luxurious spacious colonial-style rooms include Beachfront and Garden View Rooms and Suites, Garden Cottage and three private villas with round-the-clock butler service and luxurious touches

Created exclusively for the luxury resort market each One&Only has a restaurant with a  world known celebrity chef. Ocean Club’s signature restaurant, Dune, is the creation of uber-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who has virtually redefined fine dining in the tropics and the well known French architect  Christian Liaigre . In Dune you can dine on in tasteful surroundings on the best French Colonial cuisine. The menu blends French-Asian flavors with Bahamian fresh fish and herbs.

Apart from the acclaimed restaurant, the resort has also world-class golf and spa and of course, waters – the elixir of Bahamian life.
The One&Only Spa features a fusion of ancient Asian holistic philosophies with uniquely Bahamian hospitality while the championship 18-hole Ocean Club Golf Course designed by Tom Weiskopf.
Make a reservation at One and Only Ocean Club

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All pictures are courtesy of One&Only

Make a reservation at Ritz Paris

The Ritz remains the classic Paris hotel since its establishment in 1898.  Ritz is a legend since it has a great story as the first hotel in the world. It was constructed in the early part of the 18th century as a private dwelling. In 1854 it was acquired by the Péreire brothers who made it the head office of their Crédit Mobilier financial institution.
The façade was designed by Jules Hardouin Mansart. Converted to a luxury hotel by César Ritz, it opened on June 1, 1898. Together with the culinary talents of minority partner Auguste Escoffier, Ritz made the hotel synonymous with opulence, service, and fine dining.

The Hôtel Ritz consists of the Vendôme and the Cambon buildings with rooms facing Place Vendôme and on the opposite side, rooms overlooking its famous garden. The hotel became a favorite of many of the world’s wealthiest people, with luxurious suites named for some of its notable patrons from the past like Ernest Hemingway, for whom a bar in the hotel was named, and F. Scott Fitzgerald,  Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich,  Jean-Paul Sartre,  plus couturier Coco Chanel who made the Ritz her home for more than thirty years.

Each of the 103  rooms has great Paris views and combines today’s convenience and classical charm

Make a reservation at Ritz Paris

Make a reservation at Amanusa

Amanusa is nestled between the most beautiful white beach of Bali and a manicured golf course. The resort has panoramic views of the indigo-hued Indian Ocean and unparalleled access to one of the region’s finest golf courses..Amanusa, opened 20 years ago has been designed with an artist’s eye to celebrate space and Bali’s natural beauty.

Amanusa’s design is influenced by ancient Hindu poetry, the surrounding miles of breathtaking views and by the spiritual and naturally peaceful lifestyle. Amanusa is all about comfort and as a result, rooms are spacious, authentically decorated in a soothing palette of browns, beige, cream and honey. All the 35 thatched-roof suites have wooden four-poster beds, draped in white veils.  The cavernous bathrooms feature sunken baths with directional lighting, enhancing the foliage alongside. Each suite is enclosed in a sensuous tropical setting and an outdoor shower is built into a high paras-stone wall. The walled garden courtyards are private and romantic, and have their own swimming pools.

The Terrace has views of Bali, the golf course, the Indian Ocean, Nusa Dua and the Bukit, Bali’s southern peninsula. Open only for dinner, The Italian Restaurant offers seating in an elegant room of high ceilings and leaded windows, as well as in a romantic outdoor courtyard amongst flowering frangipani trees, overlooking the pool.

The Beach Club is located on a  private white-sand beach.  The picture-perfect beach is one of Bali’s finest, and is fringed by a coral reef that provides a safe lagoon for swimming and seasonal water sports. The Beach Club is also the setting for candlelit barbecues, and sunrise breakfasts can be enjoyed in the privacy of the bales.

This over 20 years old resort is a very good example when it comes to ‘timeless design’.

Make a reservation at Amanusa

Make a reservation at One and Only Palmilla

One&Only Palmilla is a very good reason to travel to Los Cabos. The charming resort  is located on the Baja Peninsula where the ocean merges with the Sea of Cortez; at the southernmost point of Baja California along the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez within the Los Cabos Corridor, a 21-mile stretch between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Los Cabos Corridor is well known with its 360 days sun..Only 5 days you may get the rain.. This makes this location very unique.

The resort was built in 1956 as a 15-room luxury hideaway by Don Abelardo Rodriguez, son of the President of Mexico.  It was a tropical hideaway hot spot for people like Ernest Hemingway, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Dwight D. Eisenhower and was accessible only by yacht or private plane.
Following the construction of the Transpeninsular Highway in 1970, the resort became increasingly popular and grew to 50 rooms by 1984. In 1991, the Palmilla Golf Club opened, and in 1996, the property was again expanded to 115 rooms. The glamorous flavor and ambiance of the original resort were carefully preserved in legendary One&Only Palmilla, for the new generation of travelers and  opened in February 2004 by Kerzner group. The new resorts became an attraction point for Hollywood celebrities and people who want to have an unforgettable wedding.

The resort features expansive ocean-facing, spacious and elegant rooms, each with veranda, balcony, sun beds, and indulgent amenities. All 172 guestrooms allow optimum privacy and 24-hour butler service assures every wish and whim is fulfilled. The service and attention to detail were exceptional. From the moment they pick you up at the airport every moment of your vacation is first class.

Michelin stared chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents a unique dining concept in resort’s restaurant Market, his first outpost South of the Border.  His signature style blended with Mexican overtones using traditional ingredients. Guests will be invited to enjoy ‘couture cuisine’ allowing them to customize their meal through a choice of cooking techniques Market,  designed, by Adam D. Tihany, evokes understated elegance using warm natural colors and a collection of original

One&Only Palmillas spa  is in a village within the resort , consisting of individual charming spa houses. Ancient and modern, Mexican and Asian healing techniques bring body and spirit in harmony with nature..A complete sanctuary we loved so much..

With its historic chapel exuding an aura of romance One&Only Palmilla is a heavenly location for a wedding. Located on a hill overlooking the resort’s tropical grounds and beaches, the chapel is in traditional Mexican style, whitewashed with arched doorways and windows.
The resort also boasts the 27-hole Palmilla Golf Club,  designed by Jack Nicklaus in a very local nature.

Make a reservation at One and Only Palmilla

Pictures by Ozlem Avcioglu and courtesy of One&Only