TRAVEL

By Erin Rottman

By the Fireplace in Sausalito

Would you rather take a long walk on Sausalito’s waterfront, in Muir Woods, or in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park? Weigh in on questions like this while

playing with The Inn Above Tide’s new Table Topics cards, part of the Sausalito hotel’s Sugar & Spice bundle (innabovetide.com, from $635). The package includes accommodations in a room with a wood-burning fireplace,

cinnamon sticks to scent the fire, hot apple cider or hot toddy, a Barefoot Dreams blanket, and word game and coloring books.

“The wintertime is spectacular on the waterfront,” says general manager Mark Flaherty. “Passing clouds and storms are always enjoyable. The bay changes all the time, and the clouds make it more dramatic.” The Inn Above Tide’s private decks on the waterfront offer views of the San Francisco skyline, and they’re a prime spot from which to enjoy Winterfest Sausalito’s Lighted Boat Parade, set for December 10.

Learn about the environmental benefits of beekeeping (above, left) and enjoy a honey, cheese, and wine tasting (above, right) through the All the Buzz program at Carneros Resort & Spa.

Costa Rican Residence-Turned-Resort

Full capacity at Origins Lodge in the northern Costa Rica rainforest tops out at 23 people. Combine that with the resort’s new customizable retreats (originslodge.com, from $3,900 for four nights), and this former private residence may still feel like a private residence.

Along with six one-bedroom circular lodges and one three-bedroom villa with private plunge pools and outdoor fireplaces, Origins features a spa suite, an open-air yoga pavilion, and a restaurant helmed by French Michelin-starred chef Jean-Luc L’Hourre. Prior to arrival, guests choose from on-site activities, ranging from breathwork and massage to night hikes, and off-site activities, such as a tour of a cacao farm, a riverboat wildlife-spotting excursion, horseback riding, and white water rafting.

“It’s a wonderful place to release your stress, release your fear, and open your heart,” says general manager Claudia Silva, who loves to sit with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at the restaurant, which overlooks Nicaragua Lake. “You feel like you have your own rainforest jungle.”

Bee Friendly in Napa

Last summer, Carneros Resort & Spa (carnerosresort.com, from $899) in Napa added an apiary with four vertical log beehives to its 28-acre property. Now, guests can view the hives and learn about the eco-friendly benefits of beekeeping through the All the Buzz program. Covered in the hour-long session are the life cycle of a bee, the benefits of log hives versus wooden boxes, and suggestions for what people can do at home to help the honey-making pollinators, whose numbers are reportedly declining.

Rob Keller, owner of Napa Valley Beeco, serves as the resort’s beekeeper and advocates using organic seed and soil to grow plants that help bees thrive, like rosemary, lavender, and sage. “It’s very real what you’re hearing and seeing and reading,” Keller says. “The honeybees are dying at an alarming rate, and I just want people to understand what we can do.”

All the Buzz sessions end with a honey and cheese tasting paired with a local wine.

Adjacent to the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, the new Conrad Los Angeles hotel occupies another Gehry structure.

The lounge on the mezzanine level of the Beacon Grand, Union Square Hotel in San Francisco reflects the restored grandeur of the 1928 landmark that preceded it. Shell motifs and Hawaiian prints celebrate island culture in a guest room at Ko‘a Kea Resort on Po‘ipū Beach.

High Design in L.A.

Downtown L.A.’s new Conrad Los Angeles (hilton.com/ en/hotels/laxavci-conrad-los-angeles, from $750) has hit the trifecta: a building conceived by architect Frank Gehry, interiors designed by London-based Tara Bernerd & Partners, and restaurants led by Michelin-starred chef and humanitarian José Andrés. “It’s amazing to see that we’re able to pull all of this together in a part of the city that needed it the most,” says general manager Adam Heffron. The Conrad, Hilton’s luxury, design-forward brand, is part of the Grand LA, which encompasses a second tower of residences and upcoming restaurants and retail stores, all of which Heffron anticipates will help make the area more walkable. Surrounded by the Music Center performing arts complex, the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Grand Park, the Conrad features guest rooms with blackout capability, a rooftop terrace with a pool, and a fitness center and spa.

Restored Splendor in San Francisco

When the former Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco was undergoing renovation, workers found a paper do-not-disturb sign that was hung on guest room doors with a string in the 1940s, a vestige of the Union Square lodging establishment’s history, which dates back to 1928. The sign was put away, but the ceiling, lobby staircase, and original grand chandeliers have been restored for a new generation at the reimagined Beacon

Grand, Union Square Hotel (beacongrand.com, from $279).

“We certainly peeled the layers to bring this hotel to its original splendor,” says Beacon Grand managing director Sebastien Pfeiffer. “Our intent was to bring the rooms and public spaces into the 21st century while respecting the craftsmanship, details, and spirit of this hotel, which has been cherished by the community for almost 100 years.”

One of those public spaces is the mezzanine, where guests can enjoy morning coffee in front of the restored fireplace or a late afternoon U.S. Route 66 whiskey cocktail, with raspberry, bay leaf, and allspice, at the bar. Twentyfirst century conveniences include Peloton bikes in the fitness studio and “social hosts,” hotel staff members who help arrange for unique city experiences and hard-to-get dinner reservations.

Revamped Romance on Kauai

Situated on the southern tip of Kauai, one of the more secluded Hawaiian islands, the intimate oceanfront Ko‘a Kea Resort on Po‘ipū Beach (koakea.com, from $630) capitalizes on its less populated location with an emphasis on kindling romance. A recently completed refresh of its 121 guest rooms and suites takes cues from the ancient culture and lush surroundings of The Garden Island. Carved wooden headboards with shimmering Capizshell panels anchor the new decor, which includes prints of traditional Hawaiian tapestries and landscapes. “The art makes it feel really special, because the pieces are from local artists,” says Lisa Mauck, senior director of project management for Pacific Hospitality Group, which owns and manages Ko’a Kea.

Mainstays include a lava rock hot tub, the Red Salt restaurant, and calming treatments at the on-site spa, which call upon Hawaiian ingredients, including indigenous clays, nut oils, coffee, blossoms, and sugar. Near the resort pool, two cabanas provide for private massages or dinners, while firepit-centered seating areas are cozy spots to enjoy the island sunset. 