Make a reservation at Four Seasons Florence

Four Seasons Florence, one of the most beautiful hotels in the world is located on the edge of the Florence and occupies two protected Renaissance palaces, the 15th century Palazzo della Gherardesca and the Conventino, a 16th century Palazzo, which was once a convent. Between them lie Florence’s largest private garden – the 11 acre Giardino della Gherardesca – one of the most beautiful and undiscovered green spaces.

The palace’s ornately painted and crafted interiors offer to view 15th – 19th century artworks in their original context. Frescoes, bas-reliefs, stuccoes and silk wallpapers have been carefully restored to reveal vivid detail. Original Florentine art and craftsmanship can also be found in several of the Hotel’s 117 bedrooms and suites.

Hotels main restaurant Il Palagio,offering traditional Tuscan cooking with local  ingredients. The two-storey spa features  natural products created by Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, one of the world’s oldest pharmacies, which continues to use natural ingredients and follow the traditional recipes of monks from the 13th century. The Hotel also has an outdoor pool..This is a dream hotel in a fairy tale city where you can also find traditional  Four Seasons service, what else do you want?

Make a reservation at Four Seasons Florence

Hoshinoya Kyoto is nestled among the mountains and rivers in beautiful Arashiyama region of Kyoto City, a traditional vacation area dating back to the Heian era (794-1185).

Upon boarding a boat from the famed Togetsukyo Bridge, among Arashiyama’s natural scenery with a fifteen-minute journey up the Oigawa River you arrive to the ryokan resort. It is said that these private waterfront residences once served as the personal dwelling and library of famed shipping merchant Ryoi Suminokura (1554-1614). Here you can take pleasure in the same ambience of seclusion and the sophistication of Kyoto culture.
The resort inherited traditional Japanese architecture and offers a variety of opportunities to experience Japan like the self enlightenment through morning zen meditation in Buddhist temple, or Monko, a Japanese incense ceremony..

The resorts has 25 spacious rooms mixed the trational Japanese architecture with Kyoto”"s craftsmanship and contemporary touch. All guest rooms spread out along the riverside, providing a gorgeous view of the river andmountains with trees that change colors by season.! For an authentic Japanese expereince with modern comfort…

Adour is the new successful New York restaurant of Alain Ducasse. The success lies behind the approachability and humility of the menu and service, compared other Alain Ducasse Michelin star restaurants.  The menu created by the Executive Chef Joel Dennis and Wine Director Thomas Combescot where dishes and wine-paring balance one another. The 88 seating restaurant and bar is designed by David Rockwell inspired by wine. He used wine bottles, burgundy and chardonnay tones in this elegant room inside the legendary St. Regis hotel.

Adour has an extensive wine list and accompanying tasting menu and is very affordable compared other high end Ducasse restaurants.

Make a reservation at Oberoi Udaivilas

Udaipur is the capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Mewar, one of the oldest surviving dynasties in the world on Lake Pichola, against the dramatic backdrop of the Aravalli Hills.  The Oberoi Udaivilas, conceived as a Mewari palace is in this tranquil setting, recreating the romance of the past and yet completely in keeping with the 21st century, The hotel is spread over an expanse of 30 acres on the banks of Lake Pichola.Rambling elegantly around courtyards and walkway, gentle rippling fountains and reflecting pools and verdant gardens, The Oberoi Udaivilas is instilled with an overall serenity.

The guestrooms are very spacious and all of them are with private terraces, large marble bathrooms with separate shower stalls and freestanding Victorian bathtubs that overlook private walled courtyards. Restaurants serve traditional Rajasthani, Indian and International cuisine. The outdoor swimming pool of the spa is the most charming place of the hotel, overlooking to the City Palace and two 17th-century island palaces on the lake – Jag Mandir and Jag Nivas. With its location, service,architecture, amenities and serenity Oberoi Udaivilas is for sure one of the greatest hotels in the world

Do not forget to make an afternoon excursion with hotels traditional rowboat on the lake Pichola.

Make a reservation at Oberoi Udaivilas

Make a reservation at Aman Delhi

Aman New Delhi is the first ‘city-based resort’  from Aman group. For the first time an Aman has elevator, TV’s in the rooms and its restaurants and spa are also open to the public. But you can feel the ‘Aman spirit’ in every aspect. Aman Delhi sits on a  six acre green properts but ata the same time is in the heart of Delhi.

Contemporary lines and modern amenities are mixed  with traditional Indian design creating spaces of tranquillity and timelessness.  Olive-hued Khareda stone lies underfoot, warmed by handmade rugs in muted earth tones and dark wood panels accentuated by discreet lighting. Traditional ‘jaali’ screens provide terraces and exteriors with serenity and mystery, while patterns of sunlight and shade onto stone walls and floors.

Designed by Australian architect Kerry Hill, Aman New Delhi houses 31 Aman Rooms and eight two-bedroom Aman Suites in a dramatic nine-storey structure, each offering its own private plunge pool – a unique feature in a multi-storey city resort. Suites are furnished with crisp white linens and woollen throws dressing king-sized beds, upholstered day-beds, and brass vases of marigolds providing a splash of colour.

Rooms and Suites are of varying sizes and configurations, each complete with sitting/dining areas, writing desks, separate dressing areas, double vanities and large bathrooms. A glass picture window separates the bathroom and bedroom areas and frames a 5 m x 5 m private plunge pool with daybed and views of the city beyond.  All rooms feature terraces with outdoor seating.  Each floor features dedicated butler service.

The Health Centre, set in a tranquil sunken courtyard, includes tennis and squash courts as well as a gym. The 50-metre pool overlooks the Pool Bar where Indian snacks and a selection of light meals are served.  There are several dining options at Aman New Delhi ranging from authentic north Indian cuisine to international fare.

Make a reservation at Aman Delhi

Make a reservation at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Mandarin Oriental is a legend, its history is dating back to more than 130 years..It is, the most famous  and grandest of the great colonial hotels.

At the legendary Chao Phraya River, through the heart of Bangkok, the hotel is filled with stories of the celebrated guests through the years like Barbara Cartland,  Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John le Carre..

The original Oriental building  which was burnt down in 1865 and rebuilt in 1887, gives you a real flavor of those old days with its ceiling fans, carved balconies thick with climbing jasmine, old fashioned shuttered windows, intricately decorated four-poster beds, textured walls,  scent of tropical flowers.

The  new modern addition building, where the rooms, are  more comfortable, is rather standard but whether you are having breakfast or drinks in the evening, its terrace is magical. And the hotels Sala Rim Naan restaurant and its Oriental Spa is only a romantic ferry ride away.

Apart from all the above mentioned features, the most important aspect of this hotel is its superb service and great concierge: always smiling, sweet-faced, attentive, and round the clock.

In this hotel you can ask anything from concierge, anything..

Make a reservation at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Make a reservation at Aman Summer Palace

After 20 years Aman still continues to impress travelers with its new city resorts and Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing is the ultimate ‘urban resort’.

Opened at the end of 2008, Aman Summer Palace is the peaceful retreat just steps from the East Gate of one of Beijing’s most remarkable landmarks – the Summer Palace., an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Housed in a series of pavilions, some of which are over hundred years old,  which served as guest quarters for those awaiting an audience with the Empress Dowager Cixi at the turn of the last century. Aman has a private door which opens directly to the Summer Palace and gives you access to the beautiful gardens and architecture dating back to 12th century. If possible, wake up early and visit the summer palace gardens before the crowds.

Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing has the courtyard architectural style of the Palace with elegant Ming-Dynasty inspired furniture and the use of traditional materials. Although it is in one of the biggest and crowded cities of the world  balance and tranquility provides the perfect respite from the outside world, and the ideal base from which to explore the vibrant capital.Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing is the ideal portal through which to experience this multi-faceted city, and within the resorts walls a mysterious sense of peeking through the veil of time to the romance of another era lingers on.

With Aman Summer Palace Aman also started an initiative about Wine. Amanresorts’ new wine and spirits program launched just last year.  The family and boutique producers from every corner of the globe to make available some of the world’s most coveted wines and spirits at select Amanresorts properties worldwide. Many producers have developed brand extensions, including reserves and single-vineyard bottlings of their finest vintages, exclusively for Amanresorts. Others have made their previously ‘off-limits’ caves, private reserves and personal library selections available to Amanresorts alone.  Guests of Amanresorts will also be welcomed into the wineries, chateaux and homes of partners around the world by prior arrangement. Aman Summer Palace has its own private wine selection which is available through all its restaurants and bars and in its tasting room.

The resort has 8 Guestrooms and 10 Courtyard Guestrooms  and 8 Suites, all facing to a private courtyard.  With its cultural private tours, impressive Aman Spa and indoor pool, elegant lounges and bars, and different restaurants for all tastes and of course with usual exceptional Aman Service this is THE place to stay in Beijing and experience both the 12th and 21st centuries.

Make a reservation at Aman Summer Palace

photos are courtesy of Aman Resorts

The Spa at Aman Summer Palace is the ultimate city spa one can ever see and experience.  The Spa is located inside the Aman but is also available for the outside guests.

Whether it is for an entire day of pampering or a soothing treatment after a strenuous day on the Great Wall, the spa offers it. 9 spacious spa suites have been designed with comfort, privacy and rejuvenation in mind.  Each individual suite consist of one relaxation are, a bath and shower area and massage room. To complement the space is a comprehensive menu with everything from traditional local offerings to foreign favorites and since you are in China try the traditional Chinese massage.

Before or after your treatment the indoor 25 meter lap pool surrounded by the beds  is available for your pleasure..

The Oriental Spa is one of the destination spas in Thailand, created by Mandarin group. It is only a boat trip away from Mandarin Oriental and is one of the most beautiful day spas of the world. In a traditional Thai-style house of beautifully carved, golden teak wood, the Oriental Spa is an oasis of tranquility

Fourteen perfectly appointed suites, ancient Ayurvedic remedies, soothing aromas, and effective treatments performed by our professional therapists all come together to bring you a transcendent Spa experience.

This, as they say, is how ‘all spas should be. But be aware that the hotel guests get the priority, so non-guests must book ahead.

Overlooking to the Place de la Concorde, being walking distance to the Champs-Elysées and situated next to the elegant Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, the Hôtel de Crillon seduces with its exceptional location. Hôtel de Crillon being one of the most luxurious hotels inof Paris has also a very rich history. In 1758, the architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel drew up the plans for the future “Place Louis XV”, including two palaces of nearly one hundred meters in length, fronted by a Corinthian colonnade. One of the palaces was initially home to the Duc d’Aumont, who decorated it sumptuously in the typical French style of the period. In 1788, the Comte de Crillon acquired it, and gave it his name. The Crillon remained a family home until 1907, before being turned into a hotel in 1909.

Hôtel de Crillon has a very impressive lobby, 103 rooms, 39 suites and 5 luxury apartments, and great personalized service..
Hotels Michelis starred restaurant Les Ambassadeursnis run by by Jean-François Piège, L’Obélisque”, offers a traditional regional cuisine, also under Piège’s supervision. “Le Jardin d’Hiver”, a lounge opening onto a magnificent patio, serves afternoon tea, drinks, light lunch and snacks all day. “Le Bar Crillon” designed by the sculptor César and decorated by Sonia Rykiel opens from lunch time to late evening, serving drinks and light lunch..
To stay in Crillon is a Parisian experience but avoid to stay here during the visit of an American President, because the security closes all the traffic and you have to walk to the hotel with your luggage..

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 Amankila

Amankila is on an impressive setting, with spectacular views and seaside seclusion, to mountains and valleys rich with Bali’s diverse culture.  The fabled Mount Agung, a volcano revered as a home of the gods by the Balinese, rears 3,142m above sea level, providing a dramatic backdrop to the 34 timeless-styled-villas.

Being on the coast near the village of Manggis in East Bali, Amankila has a private beach, incredible views of the Lombok Strait and cliff-side grounds around the three-tiered pool. Surrounded by frangipani trees, the lobby affords exceptional ocean views, as well as views of the resort’s signature three-tiered pool. Down below the resort, set back from the private beach in a coconut grove, is the Beach Club which offers another pool, as well as casual dining.  The Beach Club is located at the base of the cliff, a five minutes’ walk below the main resort. The beach is ideal for surfing, boogie boards and kayaks rather than swimming.

The 34 stilted free-standing suites are tucked into the lush vegetation around the resort, and all have outstanding sea views.They reflect the lines and flow of their East Bali surroundings, in particular the royal water palace just outside Amlapura, the district capital.

Amankila is the ideal base from which to explore the cultural diversity and rich history of East Bali, a place of temples, palaces, rice paddies and ruins, of villages where crafts lost to the rest of the island are still practiced, and where religion is an intrinsic part of everyday life, seen both in colorful festivals and in simple daily offerings to the gods.

Make a reservation at Amankila

Photos: courtesy of Aman and Ozlem Avcioglu

Although Asiate is inside the Mandarin Hotel and has best view in the New York, it is far from a ‘touristic’ place.

To begin with the entrance of the restaurant is very dramatic with a wine wall of an impressive collection of over 1,300 bottles, then come the breathtaking Central Park and Columbus Circle views visible through 16 foot high windows. Designed by Tony Chi, the inside is dominated by a glittering tree-branch sculpture that hangs from the ceiling.

The French-Japanese fusion menu is an artistic and modern approach to Asian-inspired cuisine which changes as the seasons change in the park. Chef Nori Sugie trained in France and Japan, cooked at two world famous restaurants, Charlie Trotter’s and Tetsuya’s in Australia and created a very surprising menu together with the exiting and dazzling wine list.  We suggest to have the tasting menu and let them bring the accompanying wines.

Make a reservation at Amanbagh

Amanbagh  is a privileged oasis in the heart of Rajasthan. It is a true Rajasthani experience.

Situated in the foothills of the Aravalli Hills and built, haveli-style, using local materials like soft sandstone and pale pink marble, Amanbagh is a regal garden estate in the starkly beautiful wilds of Rajasthan. Circled by walls which enclose a verdant oasis watered by a nearby lake and tributaries of the Chambal River, Amanbagh was once the site of the Maharajah of Alwar’s hunting lodge, and his favoured garden retreat.

Amanbagh rests within a walled enclosure and its fertile soil, watered by a nearby lake, supports an exotic garden of statuesque palms, aged eucalyptus and fruit trees, frangipani and lawns of manicured jade green – a dramatic contrast to the surrounding rugged terrain of the Aravalli Hills. Styled after the grandiose architecture of the Moghul era, Amanbagh pays homage to Rajasthan’s golden age through its elegant, unique interpretation of a grand haveli, or nobleman’s palace.

Photos: courtesy of Aman and Ozlem Avcioglu

Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the Plaza Athénée, the famous chef created the  ‘Place of Excellence’ not only with food but with one of the worlds best wine list, service, and decoration..The restaurant is run by Christophe Moret who offers  contemporary French cuisine with a strong emphasis on authenticity in order to reveal the hidden flavors of the ingredients.The excellent wine list is created by Gérard Margeon, Chef Sommelier of all his establishments, together with Laurent Roucayrol, Sommelier of the Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the Plaza Athénée. They have compiled a thoroughly modern wine list that is easy to read and, they hope, is as objective as it is suggestive, grouping together the very quintessence of France’s vineyards in 1001 labels.

The tasting menu which consist of the seasonal dishes comes with very interesting wine paring according to the wines you like..The designer Patrick Jouin gave to the restaurant the appropriate illustration, creating a look and style that reflects both magic and poetry. The chandeliers have exploded into stardust, into a cloud of 10,000 dangling, illuminated crystal pendants…Eating at Alain Ducasse is not only about food, it is like being on a stage with a lot of actors performing excellent service around you..A reel once of a lifetime experience..

Make a reservation at Conrad Tokyo

Conrad Tokyo is one of the best city hotels we have ever been. The hotel is situated in the very top floors of a high rise building in a boring looking business district.However once you are taken directly to the lobby, all concerns disappear. . The lobby located on the 37 floors is overwhelming in terms of scale and the views over the bay to Odaiba, the Rainbow Bridge and Hamarikyu gardens is breathtaking …Hamarikyu gardens a former royal residence and the Tokyo Bay skyline.. Though surrounded by high-rises, Hamarikyu garden, a former royal residence dates from the Edo period and is arguably Tokyo’s best.

Conrad Tokyo’s architecture and classic-modern Japanese interior design, designed by Takenaka Corporation is a blend of contemporary Japan with traditional Japanese symbols and motifs like Mon (the Gate) and Sumi-e (Japanese brush painting).

Hotels unique feature is its extensive collection of contemporary Japanese art. Commissioned from twenty three of Japan’s leading master craftsmen and artists to reflect the hotels waterfront and historical garden location, the individual art works from sumi-e to ‘sculpture’ are on display throughout the hotel and in rooms.

Exhilarating panoramic views, exclusively created scents of optimized amenities, together with the generous size of the city’s largest luxury hotel guest rooms provide for a truly residential experience in Japan.Vibrance, drama and theatrical dining in Japan are all staged in this hotel..together with Michelin star chef’s restaurants..

The hotel houses Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo, the only Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Asia.. China Blue, which is awarded by one Michelin star last year, offers tastes, colors and textures of the Michelin star Chef Albert Tse’s avant-garde nouvelle Chinese cuisine. Its dark oak interiors, bronze lattice screens and private dining rooms lends intimacy to the sleek interior. Take your choice of a garden room, overlooking the lush landscape of Hamarikyu Garden, or a city room, featuring dramatic views of the lights and contours of the Tokyo skyline, you can be sure that you are in one of the best city hotels in the world..

Make a reservation at Conrad Tokyo

Make a reservation at Amandari

Amandari is one of the most original resorts in the world since it is  originals among Aman resorts. It is not only designed after a Balinese village , it is in the middle of a Balinese village surrounded by the rice terraces and  the rushing water of the Ayung River. In the early morning you see villagers are passing through the pathways in front of your balcony and working in the rice fields in front of your room..During evening they use the hotels alleys to return to their houses. You feel like you are really living in a Balinese village since there are no boundaries between Amandari and the village houses..

Located 129 steps down the hill from Amandari, this statue and surrounding temple are a reminder of the deep connection that exists between the resort and the community in which it resides. Balinese believe the path
leading through Amandari – which means “peaceful spirits” – and its surrounding rice terraces are sacred ground.

The resort located adjacent to the village of Kedewatan, five minutes from the arts community of Ubud, in central Bali, Indonesia. The resort built 20 years ago as second Aman with river-stone walkways and high paras-stone walls. The  open-air lobby with towering posts of coconut wood and a cool honey-toned stone floor is designed after a village meeting place. For more than 20 years it has regularly borne witness to colorful village processions, passing through on sacred ground to the holy shrine in the valley below.

Thirty free-standing thatched suites, some with private plunge pools, are located on either side of the lobby, separated by walkways, traditional Balinese-style gateways and private gardens. Local teak and coconut wood, as well as Javanese marble and volcanic stone, is used throughout the suites, creating cool contemporary spaces with all the warmth of a true Balinese home.

Being 20 years old, the first of Amans in Bali of course is not brand new, but it has mature well, the vegetation has grown impeccable, and it is well maintained for a 20 year property.

Make a reservation at Amandari