1. NINE ORCHARD, New York City, USA
Dimes Square is having a moment. Here, in the mini-neighbourhood Nine Orchard calls home, there’s a buzz that’s reminiscent of some of Downtown’s earlier golden ages – and, in Nine Orchard itself, there’s a hotel with enough character and personality to become a proper neighbourhood institution.
2. COSME, Paros, Greece
Cosme is set on the northern coast of Paros, an island that’s rather more tranquil than some of its neighbours. And in its 40 suites you’ll find a thoughtful, tasteful approach to luxury, and a style that’s memorable and modern while remaining unobtrusive. The setting and the seascapes are still the main attraction though.
3. LA BARONNIE HOTEL & SPA, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, France
In 1785, King Louis XVI bought a gift for his wife, Marie-Antoinette: a mansion built on the ruins of a 13th-century castle on Île de Ré, an island off the west coast of France. Today, that mansion is La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa, a boutique hotel with all the elegance of days gone by – plus a sun-drenched Cinq Mondes spa.
4. CASA POLANCO, Mexico City, Mexico
This small and intimate boutique hotel, set in one of Mexico City’s poshest neighbourhoods, occupies a forties neocolonial mansion and the modernist addition next door. Together they contain just 19 rooms and suites, all unique and all decorated in a style that’s unmistakably luxe but maximally tasteful.
5. LIFE HOUSE, BERKSHIRES, Lenox, Massachusetts, USA
We mention that this old motor lodge was a particularly undistinguished one, not to criticize it, but to underscore how thoroughly its new owners have transformed it. Like the other Life House hotels, this outpost is also a beautifully realised, intricately detailed, retro-inspired but completely modern, luxury boutique hotel.
