The high life is yours for the taking with these decadent stays
December 9, 2019
Six Senses Zil Pasyon. Photo: Courtesy
From the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world to a tropical rainforest, limestone cliffs and the emerald waters of the Andaman Sea, if it’s a five-star service and experience your heart desires then look no further than these eight luxury properties around the world. Featuring stunning architecture, world class amenities, award winning spa treatments and fine dining, the high life is yours for the taking with these decadent stays.
Click through the gallery below to find out which hotels we are planning on visiting.
A sanctuary in which to relax after a tiring day of scouring the shops, the 159-key Rosewood Bangkok—whose form is inspired by the “wai”, a palms-together gesture that accompanies the customary Thai greeting—cuts a sleek silhouette on Ploenchit Road in the heart of the city. Evoking a modern Thai home, the well-appointed rooms and suites, all with separate living areas and floor-to-ceiling windows, feature rich woods, and rattan-inspired patterns, weaves and panels as designed by Celia Chu Design & Associates. It is the “Houses”, though, that elevate luxe hotel living. The largest, the 291sqm Bannakarn House, spans the entire top floor, and boasts amenities such as a foyer entrance, a kitchen, a guest bathroom, a large walk-in closet, and a private terrace and plunge pool. Spectacular city views are par for the course here, as are pampering spa treatments, and dynamic cuisine and libations.
Set in culturally vibrant Marrakech, Royal Mansour affords a wonderfully lavish, authentic experience. Built at the behest of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, who reportedly often houses his own guests there, the decadently elaborate property instantly pulls you into the warm embrace of the exotic, colourful world of the ancient imperial city with its sensorial environment—think luscious fabrics, sumptuous carpets, opulent furnishings and rich colour palettes. Instead of hotel rooms, it wows with 53 traditional riads, all dressed for ornate lounging with three floors rich with distinctly local decorative arts and fitted with the best of modern technology, a vast roof terrace and a private plunge pool. Further evidence that pampering is serious business here: The stunning 2,500sqm multi-level spa and the strikingly luxurious settings in which heavenly meals and drinks are served.
Six Senses Zil Pasyon, the only resort on the dramatically beautiful Félicité Island in Seychelles, guarantees a sweet stay in any of its 30 one- and two-bedroom pool villas, each with an infinity pool and external deck. Level up by booking the Private Four-Bedroom Residence. Extravagance at its finest, the palatial 1,416sqm residence comes with an expansive terrace with a 92.5sqm infinity-edge pool, glorious ocean and island vistas, a generous living area, a gourmet kitchen, and bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms featuring double vanities (the second-level master bedroom even has its own plunge pool). The fact that the resort has activities for every tribe—lounger, sunseeker, naturalist, culture vulture, adrenaline junkie—is just icing on the cake.
Designed by the award-winning Kerry Hill Architects, One&Only Desaru Coast, which is set to open in in March 2020, will offer a breath-taking collection of 42 Junior Suites, two expansive two-bedroom Grand Suites and an exclusive 1,500m2 four-bedroom Villa One, all featuring private plunge pools, abundant indoor and outdoor living spaces and thoughtful Malaysian-inspired design features. Created exclusively for the ultra-luxury market, the property will provide seasoned travellers with a curated range of active and mindful pursuits, including access to the first One&Only Spa by Chenot to experience a revolutionary scientific and holistic approach to health and wellness. The resort’s world-class restaurants and bars will also showcase the seasonal bounty of the region’s land and sea through a diverse range of cuisines, from artful Japanese tempura to inspired local specialities.
Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa is the only lodge in the San Pedro region of Chile that is totally enveloped by natural surroundings. Located in the lush Catarpe Valley of the Salt Mountain Range, the Alto Atacama’s design was influenced by local village architecture and conceived to blend seamlessly into its environment and appear as a part of the terracotta-coloured ridge that rises behind it. Environmental sustainability and a strong connection with the local culture have put the property in a category of its own, as has its “Andescape” concept of decorative flora and stable of friendly llamas and alpacas, local cuisine, and Leave No Trace-schooled guides. Alto Atacama’s Suite Tilo rooms are the most privileged of the rooms and are located in the gardens, offering guests an open view to the quiet pond and the Catarpe Valley.
Tucked away within an UNESCO World Geopark and flanked by a tropical rainforest, limestone cliffs and the emerald waters of the Andaman Sea, Four Seasons Resort Langkawi is as dramatic as it is serene. Designed by architect Bill Bensley and award-winning Lek Bunnag, the property is reflective of its natural surroundings and inspired by a blend of Moorish architecture and traditional Malay “kampung”, or village setting, with pavilions and villas blending Asian and Arabic influences. Located on one of the island’s most idyllic and longest beaches on the north-eastern cape of Tanjong Rhu, Four Seasons Resort Langkawi’s 68 pavilions and 23 villas ooze effortless luxury for both multi-generational family vacations and couple retreats. Whether in search of adventure, culture, or relaxation, you can enjoy a bespoke collection of experiences that includes sailing on a naturalist-led boat safari into the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park as well as an immersive mangrove tour departing straight from the resort’s beachfront, trekking up a rainforest, and discovering traditional Malay cooking techniques from world-class chefs.
Tucked away at the foot of the scenic Oloololo escarpment (the rim of the Great Rift Valley) in Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara National Reserve, &BEYOND Bateleur Camp is a romantic and completely private camp that reflects the ambiance of Kenyan safaris back in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Amidst the reserve’s astounding year-round concentration of animals, including the Great Wildebeest Migration, guests can experience an unsurpassed game drives as well as bush walks, hot air balloon safaris and interactions with the Maasai. A deep, refreshing lap pool provides cool comfort in between game viewing adventures, while delicious meals are served in a memorable setting beneath the stars, followed by fireside port and cigars. Bush breakfasts and romantic sundowners on the edge of the Rift Valley offer an unforgettable African experience.
Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is nestled among the awe-inspiring beauty of the towering dunes of the Rub Al’Khali – aptly named the Empty Quarter. This untouched landscape – the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world, can be found 200 kilometres from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Each of the 206 elegant rooms offer picturesque desert views. The luxurious accommodation is decorated to reflect the Arabian heritage of the resort’s location, with earthy hues, beautiful Middle Eastern fabrics and bronze chandeliers. Every bathroom features an oversized bathtub and rain shower. If you visit during the cooler, Al Falaj offers a Bedouin-style dining experience, complemented by the unique flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine, which is not to be missed. Immerse yourself in local tradition and relax on Arabic-style seating as you dine to flickering lights of the bonfire. Anantara Spa offers an idyllic range of rejuvenating body treatments, including Thai massage, aromatherapy and lavish body scrubs, using the finest indigenous ingredients. There’s even a a Moroccan hammam with heated marble beds.
The recently opened InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort boasts 81 Beach, Lagoon and Overwater Villas and Residences and is the first to offer all guests access to the world-class service and amenities of Club InterContinental throughout the entire island. Each villa is allocated a curator – a role evolved from butler. The first-of-its-kind in the Maldives, the two-story Lagoon Villas combine overwater views with direct beach and lagoon access, as well as private infinity and jacuzzi pools. The most expensive accommodation is the three-bedroom royal beach residence, which costs US$22,500 per night. The resort is near Baa Atoll, the Maldive’s only UNESCO biosphere reserve, and home to Hanifaru Bay, one of the very few places in the world where visitors can snorkel amongst feeding congregations of whale sharks and large groups of enigmatic and graceful reef manta rays.
