Harper's Bazaar editors on their favourite hotels around the world

A wise man once said, "Jobs fill your pockets, while adventures fill your soul.” Travelling exposes you to cultures, landscapes, and people, making the experience all the more memorable. Another most beautiful part of travelling is calling boutique hotels, luxurious palaces and grand hotels your home for those days. Be it a luxurious property where one is spoilt for choice with the room service or a villa nested in the lap of nature.    

This feature includes a host of editors across Bazaar International who give us more than a sneak-peek in the one luxurious property that made for a very memorable trip and made them fall in love with travelling all over again. 

Frances Hedges, Executive Editor

Madame Rêve, Paris, France 

I have stayed twice at this elegant hotel in a former post office near the Louvre: once on holiday with my family, and the second time for a fleeting trip to interview the actress Lily Collins. On both occasions, I was equally impressed: the plate of Pierre Hermé macarons in every room is a nice touch (very Emily in Paris), while the views over Notre-Dame—to be admired from the comfort of your suite, or from the rooftop terrace—are beyond compare. A basket of freshly baked croissants in the courtyard is a pleasant way to start a working day, but at the weekend, I’d always choose to indulge in the lavish brunch, served in the magnificent surroundings of the brasserie, with its high ceilings and live piano music.

Madame Rêve (www.madamereve.com), from £440 (approx. ₹45,900) a room a night.

 

Ravinder Bhogal, Contributing editor

Hapuku Lodge, Kaikoura, New Zealand

One of the charms of treehouses is that they fascinate the child in almost every adult, yet there is nothing infantile about the ones at Hapuku Lodge. This country hotel in New Zealand’s South Island is set amid a stag park in Kaikoura, an oceanfront town with its own resident seal colony and spectacular opportunities for whale-watching. Designed by its architect owners, the lodge cultivates a toasty atmosphere. Every detail has been lovingly thought out, from the enormous bathtubs and wood-burning stoves to the custom-made mattresses. Held up by giant stilts, the treehouses have 360-degree wrap-around windows that allow incomparable views of the jagged mountains and the Pacific Ocean. 

Hapuku Lodge (www.hapukulodge.com), from about £495 (₹ approx. 62,000) a room a night

 

Tom Usher, Creative Director 

Villa Sola Cabiati, Lake Como, Italy 

I can see why the Dukes of Serbelloni used to retreat to Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s six-suite 16th-century Villa Sola Cabiati on Lake Como. It’s not just about the majesty of the place, with its detailed frescoes by the Italian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, swirling ornate staircases and marble balconies, nor the fact that the surrounding gardens are an ideal setting for unwinding with a Negroni. After spending a much-needed weekend of R&R here enjoying views overlooking the lake, which we explored on a classic Riva boat, I realised that Como living is about pure escape, where you are looked after as though you are one of the owners.

Villa Sola Cabiati (www.grandhoteltremezzo.com), from about £12,310 (₹ 13,00,000) for three nights.

 

Lydia Slater, Editor-in-chief

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

I was capivated by every Oberoi hotel I stayed at on a recent trip to India, but the Udaivilas was the most delightful of all. Standing on the shores of Lake Pichola, it is constructed along the lines of a royal palace, with marble corridors, tinkling fountains, mosaic-studded domes and lush gardens on all sides. Our suite came with a tented pavilion overlooking the hunting lodge of a former Maharana and had a private pool accessed directly from the bedroom steps. The hotel offers scenic boat tours, but simply taking a seat at the bar on the banks of the lake and gazing over the waters at the city’s grand buildings, while hummingbirds frolic in the blossoming shrubs before you, is hard to beat. 

The Oberoi Udaivilas (www.oberoihotels.com), from about £375 (approx. ₹ 39,000) a room a night

 

Caroline Lewis, Chief sub-editor 

Post Ranch Inn, California, USA

A few summers ago, I took a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway and a particularly memorable experience was stopping off at Post Ranch Inn. This 100-acre farm at the ocean’s edge is surrounded by towering redwoods, mountains and wild meadows. The sequoia-wood suites have curving decks, fireplaces and Pacific-facing baths – and the outdoor pools enjoy a similarly mesmerising vantage point. At the glass-walled Sierra Mar restaurant above the crashing waves, I enjoyed dinners of sunshine-infused produce. Nearby, I visited more of the free-spirited Big Sur coastline, but I didn’t want to be away from the ranch for long. California dreaming indeed…

Post Ranch Inn (www.postranchinn.com), from about £1,405 (approx. ₹1,40,000) a room a night.

 

Helena Lee, Supplement Editor 

The Peninsula, Hong Kong 

The Peninsula Hong Kong has been a beacon of elegance for more than 95 years. When I visited, the experience was as immersive as it was luxurious, with everything you expect from ‘the Pen’ – being picked up from the airport in one of its emerald-green Rolls-Royce Phantoms, sunset views of Victoria Harbour and spectacular Cantonese food. I also learnt the secrets of how to make Hainanese chicken rice (my childhood favourite) in the hotel’s kitchens, and was given an astute guide who took us through the back streets of Kowloon, off Nathan Road, where my father grew up. It will always occupy a very special place in my heart. 

The Peninsula Hong Kong (www.peninsula.com), from about £475 (approx. ₹ 50,000) a room a night

 

Juliet Nicolson,Contributing Editor

Macakizi, Bodrum, Turkey 

Half an hour outside the mediaeval city of Bodrum, and almost entirely hidden from view by road, air or sea, the spectacularly stylish Macakizi resort sits high up on a dreamy peninsula, where the zing of pink bougainvillea and the seductive scent of rosemary and thyme welcome lucky guests. Since 1977, supermodels, rock stars and international royalty including Mick Jagger, Rudolf Nureyev and Kate Moss have chosen to make this secret haven their favourite retreat. Tumbling terraces, an open-air spa, a marble-lined hammam, a glassdining-room and outdoor local-art installations guide residents down to the shimmering water’s edge.

Macakizi (www.macakizi.com), from about £385 (approx. ₹ 40,000) a room a night

 

Brooke Theis, Supplement Deputy Editor

Beaverbrook, Surrey, England

One could all too easily get used to life at Beaverbrook. Located in the leafy Surrey Hills, the hotel feels like the country house of a very glamorous friend, who appreciates magnificent art and offers generous measures at cocktail hour (I’d return just for the fig syrup Old Fashioned). Each room isnamed after a former guest, such as Charlie Chaplin or Wallis Simpson, who came here to revel with the media baron Lord Beaverbrook. The spa is heaven, as is the tasting menu at the Japanese Grill… I’m still thinking about the lighter-than-air raspberry, lemon and thyme sponge cake I had for pudding.

Beaverbrook (www.beaverbrook.co.uk), from £630 (approx. ₹66,000) a room a night. 

 

Sonal Ved, Digital Editor

Coco Shambhala, Sidhudurg, Maharashtra

Beach villas don’t get any better than Coco Shambhala in Sidhudurg, a narrow coastal plain in western Maharashtra which lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. While a guest has four fantastic luxury villas to choose from, this property—200m from the beach welcomed me to my private villa that overlooks the sea. As I looked for peace and tranquillity, a contrast to the hustle and bustle of my daily grind, the stunning views of the sea and the enticing turquoise waters of the infinity pool inspired me. While the exteriors had my attention right from the start, I couldn’t help but cast my eye on the array of books dotting the villas, the roofs made with traditional Mangalorean clay tiles, and the intricately designed coconut wood furniture in my bedroom. No prizes for guessing that it served the perfect base for a relaxing getaway.

Coco Shambala (www.cocoshambhala.com), from INR 70,000/- per night (per villa) which includes all meals & airport transfers.