10th: The Imperial, New Delhi
One of the world’s most famous hotel, “The Imperial” from New Delhi, is a mix between Victorian, Art Deco and colonial designs and the architecture is an important symbol of Indian history. Part of the “Four Maidens of the East” , The Imperial was built in 1930 and along with “The Strand Hotel” from Rangoon, the “Raffles Hotel” from Singapore and “The Great Eastern & Oriental” hotel from Calcutta, they were the famous “four maidens”. The Imperial hotel held many important meetings in the history of India, like the one regarding the creation of Pakistan where popular names like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten were present. Today, the imposing antiques and art objects are part of India’s history.
Honors and awards
The luxurious hotel holds many honors and awards, being a chosen hotel for the best city hotels in Asia and rated by Fodor’s Travel as the “Best Hotel in Delhi” from 2014. It became famous because of the great placing in the heart of the capital, resonating with the peaceful days of Raj. Activities outside the hotel include shopping in the famous district and at a 30-minutes’ drive away you can be at the airport.
The hotel has a total of 235 of guestrooms and 43 suites with magnificent interiors and overlooking the luxuriant gardens that are covered in historic architecture. You can choose from a range of rooms such as: “Deco Room, Imperial Room, Heritage Room and Grand Heritage Room. Whereas the suits are categorized in: Heritage Suite, Art Deco Suite, Luxury Suite and The Royal Imperial Suite, all promising a king-stay experience.
Culinary experience
The culinary experience from The Imperial got restaurants like The Spice Route winning awards for their impeccable dining services. The palette cuisine that ranges from Pan Indian to Italian at Daniell’s Tavern and San Gimignano gives guests a dining experience worth coming again. Restaurant’s menus from Daniell’s Tavern want to redefine their cooking expedition by recreating specialties from all over the world, from cities the chefs have visited.
Every restaurant has its own story based on the origin of the name or theme from where it was inspired. There are also two bars, the Royal Bar and the 1911 Bar that have an impressive selection of beverages and numerous wine lists from all over the city.
The Imperial Spa
Any spa can be luxurious on the inside, but the Imperial Spa is settled within the peaceful landscapes that surrounds the hotel with lavishing gardens. The luxurious spa offers hair, nail and skin treatments and rituals in a 16000 square feet salon that is only for non-resident guests. The resident guests can benefit from the authentic Ayuryedic spa rituals and everyone can enjoy the swimming pool while at the spa.
The hotel has the only stand-alone business center in the city near the Imperial Spa, and it offers lavish meeting space and impressive facilities. The “One Imperial Place” has an opulent pool close to the meeting room that serves for cocktail meetings.
Royal Ballroom
If you consider organizing your wedding at the Royal Ballroom you will be stunned by the color theme that follows the design of the ballroom and floral arrangements, being often the most famous destination for weddings ceremonies. The ballroom can be used for conference meetings, theme parties or corporate events holding up to 500 people. The arrangements are tastefully done by round tables and class seating that exudes elegance and style.
The is known for being one of the high-profiles of Asia but what sets it apart really is the luxurious yet vintage look and atmosphere. The beauty center, business rooms, royal ballroom, live entertainment, also amazing gardens and courtyards are just modern additions that make The Imperial a perfect destination. Not to mention its award winning spa center. The hotel stands for elegance, inspiring views and historic heritage.
9th: Ritz-Carlton Hotel, South Beach
“Puttin’ on the Ritz!, as Fred Astaire said in his famous song from 1927, a slang expression implying dressing very fashionable, inspired by the lavish hotel Ritz-Carlton. There are 84 hotels and resorts in 26 different countries from around the world. The Ritz-Carlton Company is featured on many top lists for their dining services and for the hotels themselves like the hotels from Dallas, USA or the one from Wolfsburg, Germany who received honors from the Zagat Surveys in 2009. A subsidiary of the Marriott International hotels, the Ritz is also the only hotel company who won two “Malcom Baldrige National Quality Awards” in 1992 and again in 1999.
Cinematic projects
The Ritz has been many times the center of attention to several cinematic projects, starting with F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1922 when the short story named “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” was released. In 2003, the wedding setting from the movie “American Wedding”, was filmed at the Ritz-Carlton from California, Half Moon Bay. Recently, the character from the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire”, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi” has he’s characters setting at the 9th floor, which is entirely occupied as the real Enoch “Nucky” did in 1941 when he occupied all the suites from a floor at the Ritz-Carlton from Atlantic City up until he was arrested for tax evasion.
Luxurious level
There are many branches of the Ritz to pick from and decide which one is the best. We feel like the Ritz-Carlton from Miami, Bal Harbour is one that looks and feels like home. Located on an untouched white sand beach with a residential and warm atmosphere and a gorgeous view over the Atlantic Ocean, makes Ritz hotel the perfect destination for a vacation. The services and amenities are at a luxurious level and the neighborhood is welcoming as well.
You will find around the village outdoor adventures, art scenes, quick access to boutique shopping and a vivacious nightlife. When dining, the Bistro Bal Harbour is the most amazing place to eat and the sumptuous spa will surprise you with its waterfront treatments. The magnificent view of the beach from floor to ceiling is easy to admire from each guests room or suite. Oh and let’s not forget about the outdoor heated pool that has a European twist.
The spa experience is worth the ancient rain forest feeling and the casino is simply blazing at a roll of a dice. Guests from San Juan will immediately understand the luxury of the Ritz allure, judging just by its location that is on eight acres of untouched beachfront of Isla Verde and a view of the Atlantic Ocean that makes travelers feel they are in the perfect resort to escape their busy cities.
An amazing escapade is at the resort from St. Thomas, which is an island that surrounds itself by crystal-clear blue waters, beautiful white sand and sumptuous tropical green backgrounds. The hotel earns its luxury by the location at the beachfront from the Caribbean marvel designed with architecture inspired from the place’s culture and renovated where it is needed by the wish of creating a comfortable and contemporary resort that will represent Ritz-Carlton’s exuberant tastes.
Activities
Among outdoor activities, we find interesting the sailing that Great Bay beaches can provide, of course swimming or snorkeling shouldn’t miss either. Serving the dinner here means enjoying a delicious meal of fresh seafood and unwind to the tranquil treatments of the blissful spa or simply relaxing at the best resort in St. Thomas from the Virgin Islands.
You can enjoy a walk through the famous Red Square that used to be the place where the soviet troop used to parade in the Cold War days. A luxurious stay at the Ritz is priced at $17,355 per night in a 235 square feet suite that includes a grand piano and a wide library, also the best part is that the meals are free. Just a walk around the resort can relax you with the gentle wind that carries you through the open-air courtyard and as you take a deep breath you will be pampered with an ylang-ylang scent carried away through the palm leaves that sway back and forth from the flowers that infuses the smell all around the St. Thomas resort.
8th: Four Seasons, Paris
The Four Seasons from the City of Light has been well preserved over the last 50 years and beautifully restored where it needed to. The Four Seasons stands for elegance, unique architectural designs, formality, high ethical standards from the staff and lovely Parisian views like the Champs-Elysees, being only at minutes away from the hotel. The Four Seasons Hotel George V has private terraces that gives amazing view over Paris, beautiful embroideries from the 18th century and a reputation for reliability and correctness that the staff take pride with.
High-end service
The luxurious Four Seasons started with one hotel and because of its notoriety for high standards, expanded to 94 branches in 39 different countries. The consistency and success is due to their anti-bribery culture which made the hotel very popular for it. That is why, Four Seasons is more than just exceptional designs and impressive views.
The ethical standards are very strict and the staff is very committed to it, understanding the fact that in order to conduct a business you are exposed to risks that contractors, agents and employees are not willing to take. By all means, keeping a company’s consistency takes years and years of high-end services, cultural standards to keep and quality people to ensure it. Over the years The Four Seasons have demonstrated that their believes stand for something and as a result they gained prosperity and long-term benefits.
The décor of the hotel is known for the vintage look of the 18th century along with French antiques like furniture and tapestry that carries you in a French monarchy time. Entering the lobby, you will stumble across the Florence chandelier and bronze sculptures, not to mention the period pieces and gorgeous reproductions. The rooms and suites are also decorated in a neoclassical way with little tapestries and bronze coated chandeliers.
The ballroom
For meetings and events, the Four Seasons is a perfect for such occasions. With a total space of 13,596 square feet, the ballroom sparkles with art objects and lights as for the meeting rooms, the famous palace has one of the most innovative selection of conference rooms that will ensure success to any social or business gathering.
The ballroom’s beauty consists in the hotel’s famous floral designs which you can choose from or even have a florist assist your desires. The salon of the ballroom has a beautiful view of the courtyard and facilities like lightning artwork along with other two other spaces for events that are unique through their vintage fireplaces and antique tapestries. The amazing ballroom can be even greater with the catering services.
Menus
Chefs from Four Seasons are delighted to create menus for different cultures and religions but if you want to get inspired for your own catering, you should discover the samples menus that renowned chefs have prepared. And since we are talking about Four Seasons cuisine, let’s put our imagination at work and talk about the exquisite menus from “Le Cinq Restaurant”. As the iron doors open we are welcomed by a golden-gray decorated salon which gives it a spacious and intimate atmosphere while dining.
The prices of the menus vary from season to season. A four course menu like the “Seasonal Escape” costs €145.00, whereas the nine course menu “Epicurean Escape” is priced at €310.00. The chefs describes their cookery as “flavors”, “concentrated and moving”. One of the famous dishes is the turbot with truffled fingeling potato emulsion, large Bretagne crusty prawns along with citrus emulsion or, by choice, whipped oysters. One of the signature assets from Four Seasons is the wine cellar that includes only vintage wines, for which many grape growers choose their own bottles.
To visit the Four Seasons from Paris is like taking a time journey, when France had a gorgeous architecture and culture, now reproduced in a modern yet sophisticated vintage look that takes you on a cultural journey.
7th: Secrets Marquis, Los Cabos
As the name suggests, the “Secrets Marquis” resort from Los Cabos is an oasis of recreation and fun. Settled between the famous golf courses from Los Cabos, the hotel stands on a beautiful beach of Sea of Cortez, being at just a short drive away from the renowned attractions of Cabo San Lucas and the famous historic town San Jose del Cabo where the best thing that you can do is enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Sun, fun and beautiful people.
Perfect getaway
The beautiful Resort and Spa will strike your imagination from the beginning of entering the lobby. The splendor of just the lobby is that it is open-air and the arch that features it gives the guest’s arrival a dramatic and clear view of the sea. The spectacular beachfront isn’t just stunning by itself but the additional swimming pools around turns it into a breathtaking place to view and explore.
This is a perfect gateway for couples and romantic people but also for the ones who can appreciate a remarkable resort of such kind. You will be blown away by the excellent services that Secrets Marquis has to offer. For only-adults members, Secrets Marquis provides gourmet banqueting options without additional reservations at the restaurant, unrestricted premium drinks and beverages, pool and beach wait services, room service available 24-hours, live performances and daily activities at the guests’ disposition. What more can you ask from this splendid haven?
Tourist Corridor
Located between the vivacious city of Cabo San Lucas and the historic and peaceful San Jose del Cabo, the “Tourist Corridor” is a sunny beaches and sumptuous resorts stretch that Los Cabos has to offer to their tourists. Among other activities, you can participate in the world-popular fishing for marlin, dorado and tuna, you can join in the championship golf courses of Cabo del Sol, Palmilla and Cabo Real.
Not to underestimate is the blazing nightlife, the sunset tours of “El Arco” and of course the aquatic activities like jet skiing, snorkeling and diving. The Sea of Cortez is the home to many marine creatures like tropical fish, whale sharks, rays and others, all for the delight of the nature lovers. In Baja Sur during winter, it is an enchantment to watch the whales migrate into warm waters. Los Cabos has so many activities and services that will please each and every one of the Secrets Marquis’s guests.
Accommodations
As for the accommodations of Secrets Marquis’s resort, guests can enjoy the plush linens, the amazing decorated suites and artwork, the Sea of Cortez’s views, as well as the deluxe bathrobes and slippers or the courtesy of the mini bar. The rooms or casitas, are widely spacious and also include private dipping pools. The bathtubs are specially designed so guests can enjoy the hydro-massage and the patios give an amazing view of the sparkling scenes.
“The Junior Suite Ocean View” is 650 square feet and allows guests to enjoy the ocean views, also the spacious room has a private balcony and a king bed or two doubles. The “Honeymoon Suite Ocean View” has a full living area of 1420 feet square with king bed, a separate bedroom and the private plunge pool.
A flattering featured casita is the “Private Pool Casita” that is only steps away from the beach, with a kitchenette and a private pool. Of course nothing compares with the suite above the lobby, called the “Presidential 2BR Suite” that is 2604 square feet wide haven. It has a king bed and two doubles, a dining area and a large terrace.
The Secrets Marquis have made their name very popular by the services and spectacular views that it provides, being the destination of many VIPs and even inspire celebrities like George Clooney to live next door to his own beach villa. Built on the heavenly legend of the two angels who searched for paradise on earth, the Secret Marquis lobby is an impressive place that leads to the spectacular sea, with custom-made magnificent sculptures on the side and strikingly big waterfalls and infinity pools. The view is truly breathtaking, not only of the sea or lobby but also of the desert scenery that surrounds everything, making out of Secrets Marquis resort a refuge to dream about.