LIV ING THE DR RE E AM
LIV ING THE D RE AM
14 Paris LE BRISTOL PARIS
28 Baden-Baden BRENNERS PARK-HOTEL & SPA
42 Capri HOTEL LA PALMA
56 Geneva THE WOODWARD
70 Cap d’Antibes HOTEL DU CAP-EDEN-ROC
84 São Paulo PALÁCIO TANGARÁ
98 Antigua JUMBY BAY ISLAND
112 Courchevel L’ APOGÉE COURCHEVEL
126 Vence CHÂTEAU SAINT-MARTIN & SPA
140 St Barths EDEN ROCK – ST BARTHS
154 London THE LANESBOROUGH
168 Palm Beach THE VINETA HOTEL
Foreword by Richard E. Grant
STAYING AT A TRULY GREAT HOTEL is a very particular pleasure. Relieved and released from all the mundane demands of real life, you can feel glamorous and free. Being looked after, cosseted and cared for with real thoughtfulness, kindness and charm, in beautiful surroundings, is a luxury far greater than any amount of glitz and bling. This is what makes Oetker Collection’s hotels such exceptional places. No matter how many times I’ve stayed at the iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, every visit feels special. No sooner have you turned off the Boulevard J. F. Kennedy and pulled up to the service desk at the end of the drive than your car is valet parked, your luggage whisked away, and you walk up the stairs to the glass doors, through which you can gaze towards the sea beyond. The welcome is always friendly, softly spoken and as discreetly hushed as the white sofas that casually invite you to squish down into them. In the marblefloored foyer, it feels as if everything and everyone is gliding along on invisible castor wheels. The decades-long attention to every hospitable detail in hotels from Paris to London, Cap d’Antibes to São Paulo, St Barths to Baden-Baden, is palpable and personal. These are places that don’t feel like any other luxury hotel: the experience is more like staying with friends who have just slipped out of view, allowing you to enjoy their home’s plentiful creature comforts at your leisure. There is the gorgeous anonymity of an escape from the cares of the world, without any vulgarity, bombast or bling. Bed linen, pillows, towels and bathrobes are all newly laundered, pressed and waiting for your imprint. Room service? Scroll down the menu and tap your fingers. At the concierge desk, all your reservations for concerts, restaurants and excursions are taken care of with an apparently effortless do-re-mi. If only real life were so well-oiled and easy! Of course, at these most special of hotels there is glamour aplenty, not to mention legendary guest lists, Michelin-starred restaurants, fashion shoots and parties galore. But for me, no matter how lovely my stay, nothing can compare with the delicious moment of arrival – the incomparable pleasure of knowing that for the next few days and nights you are in the best possible hands, and will be looked after with care, warmth and generosity. A great hotel is a dream-like escape, and the experience of returning is like revisiting a lifelong friend, again and again.
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The dream begins...
OUR STORY BEGINS with what the French call a coup de foudre – love at first sight. In 1964 Rudolf August Oetker, the grandson of one of Germany’s leading industrialists, was sailing past Cap d’Antibes with his new bride, Maja, when the legendary Hôtel du Cap came into view. They were dazzled by a fleeting glimpse of this Belle Époque mansion amid umbrella pines, and below it Eden Roc, the sun-kissed pleasure zone where, from the 1920s onwards, the likes of Picasso, Hemingway and Dietrich lounged by the pool or swam in the glistening blue waters of the bay. This remained just a magical memory for the Oetkers until, five years later, a family friend who was a regular visitor to Cap d’Antibes told them that the Sella family was looking to sell, but only to another family who would cherish the hotel the way they had. Intrigued, the Oetkers came to stay: first Maja, bringing their infant first-born with her, then Rudolf August. And then, in Maja’s words, “André Sella went to the port to welcome my husband, and they understood each other immediately. He grasped that my husband would respect the traditions of the hotel – and the deal was done.” The acquisition of Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc ignited within the Oetkers a passionate desire to create a collection of truly exceptional hotels. The family already possessed one renowned German property – Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, a storied wellness resort and haven for high society in BadenBaden, which Rudolf August’s grandmother had loved to visit and had invested in during the 1920s. Next, Rudolf August and Maja set their sights on another celebrated French hotel. Paris was a city they frequented regularly, and they were besotted by one particular French grande dame: Le Bristol Paris, a beacon of French elegance and glamour since the 1920s, which had already acquired an illustrious history akin to that of Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Josephine
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Baker and Sophia Loren are just a few of the luminaries to have walked through its hallowed doors on the fashionable rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Strikingly, these much-loved hotels have always been family-run. For the three families who made them so famous – the Sellas in Antibes, the Brenners in Baden-Baden and the Jammets in Paris – all chose to pass on the baton to the Oetker family, secure in the knowledge that they would maintain the very highest standards of hotelkeeping. Shortly afterwards, the Oetkers’ attachment to the Riviera was confirmed in spectacular fashion – by the purchase of Château Saint-Martin & Spa, an elegant hotel built beside the romantic ruins of an ancient fortress in the hills overlooking Vence and the sea in the distance. Today, Oetker Collection’s Masterpiece Hotels portfolio has expanded to include properties that are managed on behalf of owners with a similar ethos to the Oetker family. These remarkable hotels range from the Caribbean idylls of Eden Rock – St Barths, owned by the Matthews and Oetker families, and Jumby Bay Island to the oases of urban luxury that are The Lanesborough in London, Palácio Tangará in São Paulo and The Woodward in Geneva, as well as the snowy skiers’ paradise of L’Apogée Courchevel, in the French Alps. Each of these iconic hotels has its own story to tell, but all are synonymous with exquisite yet always warm hospitality, the finest gastronomy and, above all, the elegance for which Oetker Collection has become justly famous. The newest Oetker Collection property is Hotel La Palma on Capri, the fabled island’s oldest hotel, founded in 1822, while another fabulous masterpiece with a long and celebrated history will soon be joining: The Vineta Hotel in Palm Beach, which first opened its doors a century ago. Each of these hotels is unique, but all are united in a desire to deliver the finest service with family spirit, elegance and genuine kindness. And so the legend continues.
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A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty and... the point of life THOMAS JEFFERSON
IF, AS KING FRANÇOIS I PUT IT, “Paris is not a city, it is a world”, there are few better places to encounter that world – or simply watch it go by – than Le Bristol Paris. A good hotel in a great capital must always be part of the swim of that city, a central point in its social life as well as a welcoming haven for visitors. And this is doubly true in a grand metropolis such as Paris, where for almost a century Le Bristol has played this role to the hilt. This is where a traveller might slip through the revolving door to meet Parisian friends for a cocktail at Le Bar du Bristol or a gourmet dinner crafted by master chef Eric Frechon at the three-Michelinstarred Epicure. Or perhaps a long lunch at 114 Faubourg, the luxe Parisian bistro that for many locals is their favourite neighbourhood restaurant. As a former restaurateur, Hippolyte Jammet, who founded Le Bristol in 1925, would doubtless be pleased to learn that, under the custodianship of the Oetker family, the hotel’s commitment to gastronomic excellence still flourishes. This extends to ateliers producing chocolates, pastries and bread made from flour milled on the property, here in the heart of fashionable Paris. For Le Bristol occupies the perfect location on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré – Paris’s grandest shopping thoroughfare – just around the corner from the palatial American and British embassies. Not to forget the Elysée Palace, once the townhouse of Louis XV’s amour, Madame de Pompadour,
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Clockwise from top left: one of the hotel’s elegant public spaces; partying at Le Bristol After Dark; the hotel is in a superb location on rue du Faubourg SaintHonoré; and Lady Gaga leaving Le Bristol through its famous revolving doors Previous spread: an elegant contemporary chandelier in the hotel’s Matignon wing
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Above: Sophia Loren on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1967. Right, from top: Josephine Baker and Princess Grace at Le Bristol in 1975, for a dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of Baker’s Paris debut; and Alain Delon with Katharine Hepburn at a cocktail party in 1971
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Clockwise from top left: the courtyard garden of the hotel, reimagined by designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd in 2020; one of the iconic room keys; a suite overlooking rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré; and serving lunch at Epicure Overleaf: a doorman outside the hotel’s revolving doors Closing spread: Pierre-Marie Rudelle’s famous trompe l’oeil mural next to the sixth-floor swimming pool, which offers glorious views of the rooftops of Paris
now the official residence of the president of France. The hotel itself enjoys palace status, being among the first hotels to win this distinction – awarded to the crème de la crème of French hotels. Yet a palace can seldom have been quite so comfortable as Le Bristol, which for many travellers is their favourite city hotel anywhere in the world (not to ignore its many notable Parisian fans, from the Jazz Age icon Josephine Baker to the first lady of French film, Catherine Deneuve). The interiors are grand, as befits a grand hotel – Aubusson tapestries, dix-huitième antiques, elegant fauteuils – and the suites and rooms are spacious and light-filled. At Le Bristol, however, grandeur never comes at the expense of the warmest of welcomes. This is effortless living at its most elegant, from the hotel cat cosying up to especially favoured guests to the waiter’s smile as he tops up your glass at Le Bristol After Dark, when Le Bar du Bristol adopts the in-the-know allure of a speakeasy. “I can never decide if Paris is more beautiful by day or by night,” says Adriana in Midnight in Paris, an homage to this most cinematic of cities, filmed partly at the hotel. But at Le Bristol, perhaps we don’t need to decide.
Grandeur never comes at the expense of easeful living, and is tempered by a feeling of warmth, from the hotel cat cosying up to especially favoured guests to the smile from the waiter as he tops up your glass 23
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If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast ERNEST HEMINGWAY
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She could see the beauty of it... this city surrounded by mountains with the Rhine gleaming blue somewhere in the distance LEONID TSYPKIN
THE CLUE TO BADEN-BADEN’S STORY is in its name – “So nice that you have to name it twice,” as Bill Clinton once quipped. Guests enjoying a stroll along the leafy Lichtentaler Allee after lunch in the Wintergarten might well agree. But the repetition is simply because the town of Baden is in the region of Baden, which means “bathing” in German. Visitors have been enjoying the naturally heated waters here beside the Black Forest since Roman times. It was during the 19th century, however, that Baden-Baden became the world’s most fashionable spa town, its combination of elegant architecture and a pastoral setting attracting such a glamorous mix of royalty, high society and writers that it became known as “the summer capital of Europe”. These 19th-century high rollers flocked to the town for its brilliant social scene – or to frequent the magnificent casino, where Dostoevsky famously played the roulette tables and lost. But high culture has also always been part of its appeal, from the Berlin Philharmonic playing at the Festspielhaus to contemporary art shows at the Museum Frieder Burda, just a short stroll across the park. Today, Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa is named after the family who ran the property from 1872 until the last Brenner retired almost a century later, passing the baton to the Oetkers, who for decades had been guests and then investors in the hotel. But it began life in the early 19th century as the Stéphanie-les-Bains, named after an adopted daughter of Napoleon who married into BadenBaden’s ruling house.
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Right: spectators at the nearby Iffezheim racetrack in the 1930s Previous spread: touring in the Black Forest
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Clockwise from top left: the Wintergarten at Brenners; a fountain in the nearby Gönneranlage, with the trees of the Lichtentaler Allee beyond; the Minerva Terrace, which serves afternoon tea, drinks and bar snacks; and a statue in Baden-Baden’s Rosenneuheitengarten
Like Baden-Baden, Brenners has always attracted a cosmopolitan following: aristocrats, statesmen and movie stars, from Frank Sinatra (who declared that “Brenners is the best”) to the Obamas. To this day many guests are drawn by the prospect of seeking wellbeing and having a good time. Here, one can enjoy fine food and wine as well as kind and convivial service, while making the most of the world-class spa or drawing on the cutting-edge medical expertise that is on hand. Yet despite the opportunity for a physical and mental refresh, there is nothing remotely penitential about a stay here. Sporting pursuits are also part of the Brenners DNA, from the chic horse-racing meets at the nearby Iffezheim racecourse (enjoyed by hotel guests in the comfort of the Brenners enclosure) to the automotive gatherings that have been a fixture of Baden-Baden’s social calendar since the early days of motoring. Wins can be celebrated at the iconic Oleander Bar, named after the fabled champion Thoroughbred. But for August Oetker and the Oetker family, “Brenners was and always will be part of my home” – and the setting for countless family celebrations. Here, August’s sister Bergit, Countess Douglas, has lovingly masterminded Brenners’ refurbishment, while her daughter, Marie-Catherine, Countess Douglas, curates the hotel’s art collection, begun by her late grandfather Rudolf-August Oetker. And so it remains very much a family concern, as well as a much-loved home from home for its many fans.
A place marked by God, where there is absolutely no contradiction between nature and civilisation, at any time of year it is a little bit of paradise on earth VASILY ZHUKOVSKY
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From top: a feather headdress worn at a costume party in Baden-Baden in 1921; and the ballroom of the former Hotel Stéphanie-les-Bains, since demolished. The name lives on at Brenners with the Villa Stéphanie. Facing page: Kurt Brenner talking to his wife from his Lancia car during a motor rally in Baden-Baden in 1924 Overleaf: advertising posters from 1930s Shanghai grace the walls of the Fumoir Closing spread: a view of Brenners, its gardens and the River Oos, with the Lichtentaler Allee on the other side of the river
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Baden-Baden became known as the ‘summer capital of Europe’ ... 19th-century high rollers flocked to the town for its brilliant social scene
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We wandered through lemon groves and vineyards, noisy with cicadas and heavy with the hot smell of the sun, till we came to the top of the cliff down which ran a steep winding path to the sea SOMERSET MAUGHAM
WHEN THE SUN DIPS behind Capri’s rocky hilltops, the passeggiata begins – that easy saunter from the Piazzetta past the boutiques of Via Vittorio Emanuele and on to Via Camerelle, streets that have welcomed everyone from Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, from Gianni Agnelli to Sophia Loren and Jackie Onassis to Valentino. And what better vantage point from which to delight in this grand Italian tradition, negroni in hand, than the balcony of your suite? Then head up to Bianca, the buzzy rooftop restaurant that commands epic views of the island and the sea, for a supper of moreish Neapolitan flavours, enjoyed as the sky turns from blue to pink, then to the deepest of night-time hues. Hotel La Palma is the glamorous heart and soul of Capri. Opened in 1822 by Giuseppe Pagano as Locanda Pagano, it is the island’s oldest hotel – a 200-year-old icon whose history is entwined, vinelike, with that of Capri. The first guests were artists, poets, writers and musicians, who showed their gratitude for Pagano’s hospitality by painting murals, penning poems or singing and playing in what was dubbed the “Artists’ Hotel”. Some of that spirit, that genius loci, remains today – and those artistic beginnings are echoed in the murals by Roberto Ruspoli that greet guests as they arrive in the lobby. Capri casts a unique spell on its visitors. An island of astonishing beauty, it has always exerted a pull on the smart set, and from the 1950s to the 1970s it was considered the peak expression of la dolce vita. This jewel of the Bay of Naples, known fittingly as the “land of sweet idleness”, has been a
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Right: the view from Villa Lysis, on the island's northwest coast Previous spread: the American actress Marisa Berenson on Capri in 1968
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Clockwise from top left: Karolína Kurková and Edward Enninful at a charity gala in 2021; the clocktower on the Piazzetta; Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz leaving the Taverna Anema e Core in 2011; and the Marina Grande
playground for the lucky few ever since the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius built grand villas here. Rediscovered by the Romantics in the early 19th century, during the 20th century it emerged as a magnet for bohemians, artists and high-society hedonists of all nations. And at its heart is Hotel La Palma. Mere steps from the Piazzetta, and above the famous Taverna Anema e Core nightclub, this storied haven – renamed in the 20th century after the palm trees long associated with it – has always been at the centre of Capri’s story. For it was here that the German poet and painter August Kopisch was staying in 1826 when he went on a swimming expedition – and discovered the world’s most famous sea cave, the Grotta Azzurra, or Blue Grotto. These days guests at La Palma can enjoy a refreshing dip much closer to home: the hotel now has a handsome pool deck with a bar that pays homage to the golden age of Capri. Or one can head to Da Gioia by La Palma, the hotel’s elegant beach club at Marina Piccola. It’s the ideal place for a simple but delicious lunch, Neapolitan-style, as created by Gennaro Esposito, or to cool off in the Crystal Waters captured by Slim Aarons in his iconic photograph of 1958. Part of Capri’s appeal is its timeless, almost nostalgic quality, yet while the island remains largely unaltered, Hotel La Palma has evolved. In its new incarnation as Oetker Collection’s first hotel in Italy, it channels the essence of the island into a new dolce vita moment. Here, the spirit of Capri comes alive once more, and with it the power to transport guests to another time and place.
The hotel is a 200-yearold icon whose history is entwined, vine-like, with that of the island. The first guests showed gratitude by painting murals, penning poems and singing in what was dubbed the ‘Artists’ Hotel’ 49
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From top: Jackie and Aristotle Onassis on Capri in the early 1970s, photographed by Settimio Garritano; and Kirk Douglas on Capri in 1953. Facing page: Giorgio Sommer’s 19th-century photograph of a mural in the dining room of the original Hotel Pagano, painted by artists who were staying there Overleaf, clockwise from top left: the view from a balcony at Hotel La Palma; colourful signs on the Piazzetta; Gennaro’s restaurant; and a vintage postcard of the Albergo La Palma Closing spread: an aerial view of the hotel’s private beach club, Da Gioia by La Palma
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This jewel of the Bay of Naples, known fittingly as the ‘land of sweet idleness’, has been a playground for the lucky few ever since Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius built grand villas here
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I contemplated the lake; the waters were placid... the calm and heavenly scene restored me and I continued my journey forward toward Geneva MARY SHELLEY
BREAKFAST IS SERVED on the private balcony of your suite at The Woodward in Geneva. Your croissant flakes deliciously; the blueberries are sharply sweet; the cappuccino arrives in the finest bone china. But this, perhaps, is to be expected. What transforms the experience into something truly magical is the view. “This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty,” the poet Percy Shelley declared. Take a moment to admire the shimmering blue of its waters, the fluttering white sails, the famous column of water that is the Jet d’Eau, and beyond it the snowy peaks of the French Alps rising in the distance – this is the very definition of elegant living. For in Geneva, that most civilised of cities, art, culture and architecture are combined with immense natural beauty to an exceptional degree. The Old Town’s ancient cobbled lanes and handsome 18th-century streets afford enticing glimpses of the lake or the mountains. An international centre for high finance and diplomacy, this lakeside city also hosts significant art and luxury fairs. And for the discerning travellers who stay here, with just 26 suites, The Woodward creates a new template for what today’s luxury hotel can be. Stately in style yet wonderfully intimate, it is best described as a “grand boutique” hotel.
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Right: a mansard roof and Belle Époque architectural details Opening spread: boats moored in the marina on Lake Geneva, in front of The Woodward Previous spread: a view of the lake from the private balcony of a suite
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Clockwise from top left: the famous Jet d’Eau on Lake Geneva; a bookshop in the city’s Old Town; a living room in The Woodward’s Presidential Suite; and Natalia Vodianova and Rita Ora at a charity gala in Geneva in 2019
Revealed in the handsome Belle Époque lines of a grand hotel built in 1901 by the architect François Durel, The Woodward’s post-Haussmann façade draws you into an opulent yet welcoming interior, reimagined from top to bottom by interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. While it is every inch a luxury hotel, the rich detailing of its interiors, its unique artworks and furnishings, not to mention the warm, intuitive service, give this urban sanctuary the seclusion and tranquillity of an elegant private home. On the lower floors, the buzz and drama of two outstanding restaurants, an inviting bar and Le Salon provide the sociable heart of the hotel. L’Atelier Robuchon, which holds one Michelin star, has an open kitchen, providing a delightfully theatrical dining experience. And with a stunning veranda overlooking Geneva’s picturesque harbour, Le Jardinier serves cuisine crafted from the finest locally sourced ingredients. For those with wellness in mind, the hotel’s indulgent spa and pool – a two-floor wellbeing oasis that includes Spa Guerlain – are key to its appeal. Small wonder, then, that The Woodward has endeared itself to savvy Genevois, rapidly becoming one of this chic city’s best-loved destinations. This Oetker Collection masterpiece offers the best of the world to an international clientele while remaining firmly rooted to place, with authentic Swiss character – a lakeside haven suspended between magnificent nature and haute city living.
The Old Town’s ancient cobbled lanes and handsome 18th-century streets afford tantalising glimpses of the water or the mountains 63
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From top: a vintage postcard of the Hotel Bellevue, now The Woodward; and Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina getting married in Geneva in 1961. Left: a mid-century photograph of the city Overleaf, clockwise from top left: the hotel’s entrance; a dish at L’Atelier Robuchon; facilities in the hotel’s spa include the longest indoor swimming pool in Geneva; and a chef at work in L’Atelier Robuchon’s open kitchen Closing spread: a view of The Woodward, Lake Geneva and the Old Town
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This urban sanctuary has all the seclusion and tranquillity of an elegant private home... a lakeside haven suspended between magnificent nature and haute city living
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A blue sea... blue like blue books, blue oil, blue eyes, and in the shadow of the mountains a green belt of land runs along the coast... a playground for the world F SCOTT FITZGERALD
CLINKING GLASSES AND LAUGHTER, the thwack of tennis racquet on ball, waves rippling against rocks, a splash as someone jumps from those famous swings into the deep blue Med... There is something timeless about summers at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a perfect encapsulation of all that we love about Riviera life. Long, lazy days by the sea, followed by glamorous evenings in the Bar Bellini, grand but cosy, in the Belle Époque mansion where this hotel’s splendid reign began more than a century and a half ago. These are the pleasures that bring people back summer after summer – and generation after generation, as guests with fond memories of family holidays here bring their own children to experience its delights. So much so that, for many guests, the “du Cap” feels more like a rather luxurious private club. And what guests... Picasso, sketching on the shoreline, or Chagall, who stayed every August for an entire decade. Writers like Hemingway, sporting a top hat with his swimming costume. F Scott Fitzgerald, who set part of Tender Is the Night in a thinly disguised Hotel du Cap, and who described the sea along this coastline as “Fairy blue... blue like blue books, blue oil, blue eyes, and in the shadow of the mountains a green belt of land runs along the coast… a playground for the world.” Socialites, by the Riva boatful. Musicians, from John Lennon to Beyoncé. Movie stars of every era – Marlene Dietrich, Kirk Douglas, Natalie Portman. And photographers such as Beaton, Newton
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Right: the pool at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in August 1976, photographed by Slim Aarons Previous spread: the hotel’s iconic “water swings” have been suspended over the sea since the 1920s
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Clockwise from top left: lunch in a seaside cabana; diving into the Mediterranean; the 2016 amFAR Cinema Against Aids gala, part of the Cannes Film Festival; and a waiter serving cocktails
and Slim Aarons, whose lens captured the singular glamour of the rich at play. The ever-changing cast of characters reads like a who’s who of modern times. And while the hotel has evolved over time, never resting on its laurels, what draws guests essentially remains the same. The family spirit and kind service – from staff who feel like old friends. The flavours, of course – whether that’s an authentic Niçoise enjoyed in a seaside cabana or haute cuisine at Louroc. The glorious indulgence of an afternoon spent at Dior Spa Eden-Roc. And the setting, like a dream of the south of France. Yet for all its powerful spirit of place, the hotel is quintessentially cosmopolitan, and always has been. An upper-class Russian emigré was a co-founder; a British aristocrat was a key investor; and, during the Jazz Age, the Murphys, a wealthy American couple, flipped the seasons by hiring the entire hotel for its shuttered summer months, filling it with their chic bohemian circle and swiftly making the Riviera a summer destination rather than a winter one. That was a century ago. But what’s striking is that, throughout its history, just two families have been custodians of Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc: the Sellas, father and son, who established this gem on the Cap d’Antibes as one of the world’s most legendary hotels; and then the Oetkers, who since 1969 have cherished Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc’s traditions of warmth, charm and easeful hospitality. And so, summer after summer, this enchanting sanctuary weaves its magic anew.
The cast of characters reads like a who’s who of modern times. But what draws guests essentially stays the same... family spirit, kind service and the setting, a dream of the south of France 77
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From top: Marlene Dietrich relaxing at the hotel in 1938; and Pablo Picasso making a drawing in the guest book, 1955. Facing page: Picasso’s Trois nus, sketched on hotel stationery in 1923. © Succession Picasso 2023. Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris)/Adrien Didierjean Overleaf, clockwise from top left: a railing next to the hotel’s pool; breakfast on the terrace of Suite 34, overlooking the Grande Allée; dusk at the water’s edge; and the lobby of the original Hotel du Cap building Closing spread: the view up the Grande Allée towards the Belle Époque Hotel du Cap
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When the dinner is on and the boats are all lit up, depending on your mood and dress, you can feel like Scott or Zelda. It really does take you back to another, more glamorous time GRAYDON CARTER
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Left: the swimming pool at the tranquil Flora Spa Previous spread: the hotel is decorated with carefully curated contemporary art
AS THE GENTLE HUBBUB of birdsong fills the air at Palácio Tangará, it’s hard to imagine that just minutes away lies the business and cultural heart of one of South America’s most vibrant cities. For here in São Paulo is a tranquil urban oasis, a palace indeed, where opulent design and lush natural beauty unite in perfect harmony. Palácio Tangará takes its name from the tanager of Amazonia, a colourful songbird – and it is not unknown for a passing toucan to perch on your terrace as you drink your morning coffee in the dappled sunlight. The hotel’s remarkable setting, São Paulo’s Burle Marx Park, also has a captivating history. In the 1940s the Brazilian businessman and legendary bon viveur Francisco “Baby” Pignatari commissioned architect Oscar Niemeyer and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx to build a mansion with lavish gardens for his beloved wife. The couple’s marriage ended, and the home was destroyed, but the gardens were transformed into an expansive urban park. It was not until 2017, when Oetker Collection opened Palácio Tangará, that Pignatari’s dream of a lavish urban retreat in São Paulo, enveloped by lush subtropical gardens, was fully realised, complete with the perfect outdoor pool. Burle Marx Park is one of the most atmospheric locations in the city, and a place of pilgrimage for design aficionados. Palácio Tangará was created with the natural world Burle Marx so cherished always in mind. As he once explained to a landscape artist, a plant is not just a plant, but “a colour, a shape, a volume or an arabesque in itself”. And it is surely this ethos that runs throughout the hotel, where nature is a constant presence. Whether you’re being pampered with an indulgent treatment at
Brazil is not what you see but what you feel. Once you spend time here, you get in the vibe. It’s really intoxicating FRANCISCO COSTA
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The plant is, to a landscape artist, not only a plant... it is also a colour, a shape, a volume or an arabesque in itself ROBERTO BURLE MARX
the Flora Spa, lazing in one of the linen-draped poolside cabanas or enjoying after-dinner caipirinhas in the bar, an opulent space graced with dramatic photographs of Brazilian landscapes, the captivating beauty of the natural world is never far away. The tone of palatial glamour is set as soon as you glimpse the hotel’s classical façade. As you enter the lobby your eye is caught by a gilded installation by Brazilian artist Laura Vinci, suspended above the reception desk. In the cool corridors and gracious rooms, every colour, every artwork, has been painstakingly curated. Such attention to creative detail is apt for a city that is a beacon of design brilliance, a place that attracted some of Europe’s most innovative artists, architects and designers in the postwar years, and has hosted an effervescent art biennial since 1951. Museums such as MASP, featuring iconic artworks by Goya and El Greco, rub shoulders with chic boutiques and world-class restaurants, and a buzz and entrepreneurial vigour courses through this most vital of South American cities. Not that guests need to venture far for great food. It is at Palácio Tangará that the multi-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten chose to open his first restaurant in South America. And the decor is as inspiring as the dishes: the arresting centrepiece by the artist Pedro Petry was made using a single piece of wood from a pequia tree. Burle Marx once said, “Curiosity keeps me alive”, and São Paulo is a city to plunge into and explore, safe in the knowledge that this splendid leafy sanctuary – in all its tranquil, creamy beauty – awaits your return.
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Clockwise from top left: contemporary art at Palácio Tangará; a tropical bird; the hotel’s beautiful outdoor pool; and models wearing the Brazilian label Iódice during São Paulo Fashion Week in 2017 Overleaf: a moment of tranquillity on one of Palácio Tangará’s balconies
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São Paulo is a city to plunge into, safe in the knowledge that this splendid leafy sanctuary – in all its tranquil, creamy beauty – awaits your return
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SÃO PAULO
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Above: Palácio Tangará was built for the Brazilian businessman Francisco “Baby” Pignatari, photographed with his girlfriend Barbara Cailleux for Life in 1958. Left, from top: a poster for the inuagural São Paulo art biennial in 1951; and Lina Bo Bardi, a key figure in Brazilian modernist design Overleaf: the hotel is surrounded by the lush greenery of Burle Marx Park
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JUMBY BAY ISLAND
ANTIGUA
Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed hair, endless summer, take me there VANESSA RODRIGUEZ
AS THE CANADIAN AUTHOR Guy Gavriel Kay wrote in his novel Tigana: “Everyone knew that all islands were worlds unto themselves, that to come to an island was to come to another world.” Which sums up life on Jumby Bay Island, where natural beauty and a mood of carefree tranquillity make this not just a place but a feeling, a way of life. Its earliest inhabitants were drawn by the fine flint found here – perfect for making tools, and traded widely. Then came the Caribs, followed by Christopher Columbus, whose ships paused here in 1493 during his exploration of the Caribbean. Next came the Dutch, the French and the British (who called this place Long Island). But today this palm-fringed dot of perfection – which beguiles travellers, nature lovers and romantics alike – is named Jumby, after the Antiguan word jumbee, or “playful spirit”. The island lies just 15 minutes from the mainland of Antigua, but is accessible only by boat, which makes it unbeatable for privacy, security and seclusion. And with this privacy comes a profound sense of freedom, coupled with the most relaxing atmosphere and warmest welcome imaginable. With sigh-inducing views of the Caribbean, this is where luxury kicks off its shoes – you can relax in seclusion under the stars, cocktail in hand, lulled by the murmur of waves. Life on this 300-acre sanctuary, an important refuge for nesting hawksbill turtles, unfolds in harmony with nature, from sheep roaming wild (they were previously farmed here) to the blue pelicans that nest on the island and the
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Clockwise from top left: deep-sea fishing; a suite with a private infinity pool; tropical blooms; and the island’s resident wild sheep Previous spread: the hotel’s beachfront pool
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From top: lazy days in the sunshine, as captured by the lens of Slim Aarons; and Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowdon, on holiday with a friend in the 1960s. Right: the actor Hugh O’Brian hoisting the sail of his dinghy
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Clockwise from top left: one of the hotel’s hammocks; cocktail time; The Veranda, the island’s social hub; and a path to the beach Overleaf: paddleboarders on the water’s edge Closing spread: an aerial view of Jumby Bay Island
tropical fish swimming through the crystal-clear waters that surround it. Every space seems designed to draw your gaze outwards – to the lush tropical gardens filled with brightly coloured blooms, to that perfect crescent of beach presided over by gently swaying palms. There’s an old saying, “Island days are the best kind of days”, and the memoirs of Agnes Meeker – who often stayed here with her cousins in the 1960s – recall the timeless pleasures of beachcombing and looking for octopus in rock pools. For visitors to Jumby Bay, where the motto is “Life Unscripted”, spontaneity is the order of the day, from a gentle bike ride, perhaps, to a lazy morning dozing by the pool. Then there is the ocean-sized playground to explore – you can sail, kayak, windsurf and paddleboard to your heart’s content. As the light begins to fade, stroll to the end of the jetty and watch the sun go down. Now a cocktail at The Veranda beckons. The social hub of the island, this is where tales of the day are recounted by the soft glow of candles and the flickering light of the fire pit. It’s hard to imagine a more convivial spot to enjoy a tangy mojito, while dinner at the Estate House, one of the Caribbean’s most highly regarded fine dining restaurants, completes a perfect evening. And then tomorrow is another day.
The Caribbean climate is more than just a divine convenience, or even a builder of character. It is, more than any other climate I know, an aesthetic in its own right JAN MORRIS
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Many a summer holiday was spent on [the] island. We hiked all over... In between we swam in the sea and showed up when it was meal time… the adults played card games into the night AGNES MEEKER
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L’APOGÉE
COURCHEVEL
Even the locals, who eat, sleep and breathe Courchevel 1850, are still in awe of its beauty INDIA GLADSTONE
“WINTER IS THE TIME FOR COMFORT,” wrote the poet Edith Sitwell, “for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire.” Nowhere is this more evident than at L’Apogée Courchevel. However low the mercury dips outdoors, the welcome at this luxurious retreat in the French Alps could not be warmer, nor the hearth cosier – this is the perfect place to enjoy the glow that descends upon us after an exhilarating day on the slopes. But at L’Apogée winter is also the season for glamour, and for evenings of music and pleasure enjoyed with exquisite wines and cuisine. The setting alone, of course, is enough to raise one’s spirits. The awe-inspiring scenery, the bracing purity of the mountain air, the adrenaline rush of tackling some of the world’s most exciting ski slopes before returning to your warm sanctuary – it’s easy to see why Courchevel has become the ultimate winter playground. Built on the site of the resort’s former ski jump (a new jump was constructed in Le Praz, Courchevel 1300, for the 1992 Winter Olympics), L’Apogée occupies one of the region’s most remarkable locations. For this is the charming Jardin Alpin area of Courchevel 1850 – as convenient as it is enchanting, and perfectly placed for breathtaking views and easy access to everything this most prestigious of mountain retreats has to offer, from Michelin-starred restaurants to luxury boutiques. Widely regarded as the ski capital of the Alps, and surely the jewel in the crown of Les Trois Vallées – the world’s largest ski area, with 600km of slopes and more than 300 runs, all interconnected by a network of lifts – Courchevel has been synonymous with Alpine glamour since the 1960s. And while
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Right: a welcoming suite at L’Apogée Courchevel Previous spread: Les Trois Vallées is the world’s largest ski area
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COURCHEVEL
Clockwise from top left: a hot tub with glorious Alpine views; the terrace at Le Bar; luxury boutiques in Courchevel 1850; and skis laid out on the piste, ready for hotel guests
the codes of ski-slope chic have evolved over the decades, from bright colours and moon boots in the 1970s to the super-sized salopettes of today, the elegant sportif spirit remains the same. Where better to gear up in style and comfort than at L’Apogée, a ski in, ski out hotel with a dedicated professional team (your ski butler, no less) on hand to prepare you for the perfect day on the slopes? What more welcome and familiar sight than your skis set out for you on the piste – and, on your return, the effortless glide into the warmth of the hotel? Then come those personal rituals so many of us adopt after a day spent skiing, snowmobiling or tobogganing at thrilling speeds. A dip in the mosaic swimming pool, perhaps. Soaking up the heat in the sauna, followed by a massage. A little shopping, maybe, in the hotel or the Quartier de la Croisette, then a visit to the beauty room to prep for après-ski. The word apogée is often translated as “peak”, but it can also signify the ultimate expression of something – the very best, the ne plus ultra. And while L’Apogée Courchevel provides the ideal base from which to enjoy some of the best skiing in the world, it is also a culinary destination, from fine gastronomy to the perfect croque-monsieur at the bar. From the slopes to the flavours, the thrills to the moments of blissful relaxation, these are the treats that beckon, along with panoramic views of majestic snow-covered peaks, in this pinnacle of Alpine perfection.
Tis morn; with gold the verdant mountain glows; More high, the snowy peaks with hues of rose WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
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Above: Air-Alpes flew visitors to Courchevel in the 1960s and 1970s. Left, from top: Jean-Paul Belmondo and Mylène Demongeot shooting Tender Scoundrel in February 1966; and a sunny winter day on the slopes, photographed by Slim Aarons Overleaf: a fashion shoot on Courchevel’s pistes Closing spread: night falls at L’Apogée Courchevel
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A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute HANS GMOSER
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CHÂTEAU SAINT-MARTIN & SPA
VENCE
Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train ELIZABETH DAVID
GARDENS SCENTED WITH LAVENDER, rose and mimosa. Olive trees carved over the centuries like nature’s masterpieces. Soaring views in every direction... On a summer’s day at Château Saint-Martin & Spa, it is easy to agree with the words of the Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral: “When the Good Lord begins to doubt the world, he remembers he created Provence.” This is a place to enjoy the finer things in life against a backdrop of culture, historic charm and wild beauty. Guests are drawn to this bucolic retreat, a short drive from the beaches, boutiques and restaurants of Cannes, Nice and Cap Ferrat, to relax and be restored in a charmed atmosphere of understated glamour. For, on a leafy hillside overlooking the Côte d’Azur, with the waters of the Mediterranean shimmering in the distance, this idyllic estate is imbued with the spirit of Provence, mingled with the glamour of the French Riviera. Here are the stirring landscapes that caught the eye of some of the world’s most famous artists, actors and intellectuals, from Picasso, Matisse and Chagall to Simone Signoret, Jean-Paul Sartre and James Baldwin. Over the past century some have come to live and work in this captivating landscape of rocky baous and hilltop villages perchés, others simply to bathe in its famous light and warmth. Indeed, at the Château, light fills every room and, as the sun goes down, the flickering lights of the Riviera herald evenings of food, wine and good conversation... a Michelin-starred supper on the terrace, perhaps, followed by a digestif in the wood-panelled, tapestry-lined salon.
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VENCE
Right: the ruins of the medieval Knights Templars’ commandery, which gives the Château its name, looking up to a baou, or rocky peak Previous spread: a Louis Vuitton fashion show at the nearby Fondation Maeght in 2018
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VENCE
Clockwise from top left: an Aubusson tapestry in the Rossini bar; ceramic work by a local artist, Agnès Sandahl; the Château occupies a dramatic location above Vence; and a sommelier in the cellar
The creative legacy is evident from the wealth of exceptional art to be found within striking distance of Château Saint-Martin & Spa. The hotel overlooks the historic town of Vence, home to Matisse’s world-famous Chapelle du Rosaire. Other post-impressionists, including Cézanne and Chagall, also adored the town, and to this day the region’s artistic heritage is a key part of its allure, with the Fondation Maeght, along with many other museums and contemporary art galleries, showcasing creativity at its finest. The nearby hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence is made for an early-evening promenade, as the swallows swoop and the café terraces begin to hum with activity. Art is, of course, not the only thing that lends magic to this place. The “Château” in the hotel’s name derives from the commandery of the medieval Knights Templar that once occupied the strategic heights here. The picturesque ruins are an evocative reminder of those bygone days and have been a magnet for visitors since the late 19th century. But above all else it is the enchantment of nature that draws guests back to the Château. You might choose a morning of treatments in the fragrant gazebo, cooled by a summer breeze. Or a dip in the infinity pool – a south-of-France landmark in its own right – followed by lunch beneath the boughs of an olive tree, then a lazy afternoon in a cabana. Wherever you are, the delights of the natural world are never far away. As the food writer Elizabeth David once said: “Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train.” It’s a sentiment shared by the Château’s many devoted guests.
At the Château, light fills every room and, as the sun goes down, the flickering lights of the Riviera herald evenings of memorable dinners, great wine and good conversation 133
From top: Marc Chagall in his house in Saint-Paul de Vence in 1957, photographed by Franz Hubmann; and James Baldwin in Vence. Facing page: Jane Fonda in Saint-Paul de Vence Overleaf: a view from Château Saint-Martin’s terrace across Vence to the Riviera Closing spread: lavender growing in the gardens by a pool
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The stars were my best friends. The air was full of legends and phantoms... of mythical and fairytale creatures MARC CHAGALL
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EDEN ROCK – ST BARTHS
ST BARTHS
My gaze goes to the horizon, where the blue sea meets the blue sky. Slip for a few minutes into reverie. There is a splash, a familiar face surfaces and smiles DAVID COGGINS
IT’S A FAMILIAR IMAGE, a sun-drenched snapshot that seems to capture the essence of blissful Caribbean beach life, coming into view as the propeller plane flying you to paradise moves through an azure sky. Below you, a scattering of rocky islets; green palms and red roofs, dazzling white sand and turquoise sea. And, in the waves, that famous red and white floating raft, from which a lithe vacationer is caught in joyful mid-dive. Welcome to St Barths. The idyllic island of Saint Barthélemy in the French Antilles is perhaps the closest we can get to a vision of heaven on earth. In his 2018 book Blue: A St Barts Memoir, the artist David Coggins dubbed it “Edenic”. Fitting, then, that this palm-fringed utopia’s most renowned resort should be named Eden Rock – St Barths. Set on a rocky promontory in St Jean Bay, flanked by picture-perfect beaches, crystalclear water and coral reefs that teem with tropical sea life, it epitomises everything this fabled island has come to represent. It is opulent yet unpretentious, stylish yet comfortable, luxurious yet welcoming – thanks in large part to the famously warm and engaging staff, known to guests as Eden Rockers. With its dramatic location and art-filled interiors, Eden Rock has set the template for elegant island living since the 1950s, when the aviator and adventurer Rémy de Haenen first welcomed guests to his extraordinary home. As the writer and St Barths habitué Vassi Chamberlain puts it: “He built the Eden Rock, eventually turning it into St Barths’ first hotel. Rockefellers and Rothschilds, Nureyev and Johnny Hallyday started to arrive. They fell for its contours, built houses, and the jet set began to come in droves. But the unique bohemian flavour is down to those who were born and live here.”
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EDEN ROCK – ST BARTHS
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Right: enjoying the sunshine on one of the hotel’s famous candy-striped sun loungers Previous spread: an island paradise of azure skies, turquoise waters and white-sand beaches
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Clockwise from top left: one of the resort’s iconic life buoys; Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who oversees Eden Rock’s cuisine, with executive chef Maxime Danielli-Lefebvre; a lounger by the pool in one of the private suites; and the view from a signature hotel suite
Their St Barths spirit, coupled with the relaxed and welcoming philosophy of the Matthews family (owners of the resort since 1995), means that while Eden Rock may be exclusive, it is never fussy. Yes, you rub shoulders with screen icons, supermodels and household-name entrepreneurs. But the A-list razzle-dazzle is tempered with an easy-going, laid-back vibe. Here people dress for the beach, not for the red carpet. Or, rather, for la plage. For this is the French West Indies, and a Gallic influence underpins everything – a mood Forbes magazine encapsulates as “un je ne sais quoi of delicious French flair that makes you feel like coming back again and again”. Many people do, timing their stays so they can meet the new friends they’ve made here, lending something of the spirit of a house party to the hotel. And why not, when life here is so stress-free, when your most pressing concern is deciding where to go swimming that day? Which is tricky, as St Barths is home to some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches. Then again, St Jean Bay is arguably the finest of them all. Why move anywhere when you could opt for a blissful afternoon at the ER Beach Bar, with its tiered sundeck set directly on the sand, and with paddleboarding, kayaking and fabulous snorkelling on your doorstep? Or perhaps a well-earned doze on one of the candy-striped sun loungers, with an icy frosé to keep you cool. Then, as evening falls, sashimi or tuna tartare at the Sand Bar, followed by a digestif at the Rémy, with a canopy of stars twinkling above you and waves lapping a few feet away. As the French rock’n’roll legend Johnny Hallyday memorably vowed, “When I really can’t sing anymore, I’ll go to my house in St Barths. I’ll take my guitar and I’ll look at the sea.” Wise words indeed.
The visual explosion of the arrival – frothy neon-blue sea, acid-green vegetation, brilliant red roofs – still makes my heart skip VASSI CHAMBERLAIN
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From top: Eden Rock in 1973; and the aviator and adventurer Rémy de Haenen, who founded the original Eden Rock in the 1950s. Facing page: holidaymakers on a yacht off St Barths in 1973 Overleaf, clockwise from top left: Eden Rock’s famous diving platform; the island is home to some of the best beaches in the Caribbean; one of many fashion shoots taken at the hotel; and The Sand bar, the culinary heart of the hotel Closing spread: a view of the hotel from the beach at St Jean Bay
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St Jean Beach is split by a vast quartzite outcrop. Rémy bought it and built a home, calling it Eden Rock. Soon Greta Garbo, Robert Mitchum and Jacques Cousteau were visiting RUARIDH NICOLL
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THE LANESBOROUGH
LONDON
By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show SAMUEL JOHNSON
“LONDON OPENS to you like a novel itself,” declares the American writer Anna Quindlen in her book Imagined London: A Tour of the World’s Greatest Fictional City. “It opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.” And where better to begin one’s London story than at The Lanesborough? This much-loved Greek Revival mansion, built in 1825, stands proudly where leafy Belgravia, with its grand embassies and quirky pubs, meets the luxe shopping thoroughfare of Knightsbridge and the city’s ultimate high-life enclave, Mayfair. It also lies between two of London’s beautiful royal parks – not to mention two of England’s most extraordinary addresses. On one side is the Duke of Wellington’s exquisite townhouse, Apsley House, otherwise known as Number 1 London; on the other is the world’s grandest “backyard”, the gardens of Buckingham Palace. When Viscount Lanesborough’s original home was built here more than three centuries ago, this leafy spot was on the edge of fashionable London. But today, to sip a cocktail in its Library Bar or enjoy lunch within the Wedgwood blue and white walls of the Grill is to be at the heart of the buzzing metropolis. The Lanesborough is where today’s smart set channel the Regency spirit of elegant revelry. And they do so beneath the stuccoed ceilings and graceful columns that characterise the designer Alberto Pinto’s exquisite reimagining of that era’s taste for high style and haute living. As soon as you pass through the hotel’s splendid entrance, you enter a uniquely British world, a very London mix of grandeur and cosiness, old and new, aristocratic tradition and contemporary buzz, all
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Clockwise from top left: The Lanesborough enjoys a prime position on London’s Hyde Park Corner; butler service at the hotel; the luxurious Club & Spa; and the model Laura Bailey in one of The Lanesborough’s suites Previous spread: the gilded interior of the Royal Suite Overleaf: a fashion shoot next to the hotel
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Clockwise from top left: a mixologist in the Library Bar; a wedding reception in The Belgravia Room; a cosy seating area in the lobby; and intricate stucco detailing Overleaf: Wenda Parkinson in Hyde Park, photographed for Vogue by her husband, Norman Parkinson, in 1951 Closing spread: a view across London from the hotel, with the Wellington Arch in the foreground
mixed with a sprinkling of cool and even a dash of edge. After all, upstairs in the Royal Suite, Stanley Kubrick filmed Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut. This is the place where Londoners might rub shoulders (clad in their Bond Street or Savile Row finest) with Bianca Jagger or Lady Gaga, a movie star over for the BAFTAs, the neighbours – that is to say, a princess or two – or the latest luminary of London Fashion Week. But it’s also a place where the doormen will remember your name and welcome you back, where the head barman will, unprompted, fix your favourite cocktail. Parties happen here, along with dates, trysts, encounters, gastronomic delights and grand weddings – not forgetting quietly wonderful moments of relaxation in one’s suite or in the Club & Spa. For its fans, The Lanesborough has the appeal of a grand London home, mixed with the style and buzz that only a great hotel can provide. Upstairs, guests enjoy a delightful hush, away from the city’s clamour. It helps, of course, that they have the dedicated service of a butler on hand at every moment... someone whose instinct for impeccable service, delivered with warmth and a smile, extends to anything and everything, from taking your children to see the horses ride elegantly down Hyde Park’s Rotten Row to remembering just how you like your breakfast toast or martini (shaken, not stirred, surely). And, outside, the city beckons. As Samuel Johnson put it: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” We couldn’t agree more.
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It came to me that Hyde Park has never belonged to London – that it has always been, in spirit, a stretch of countryside; and that it links the Londons of all periods together most magically DODIE SMITH
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THE VINETA HOTEL
PALM BEACH
With its mansions, tony shops and pristine beaches, one is hard pressed to visualise the dense tangle of brush and mangroves that it was when Henry Flagler arrived there in April 1893 LES STANDIFORD
CANDY-COLOURED VILLAS, oceanside mansions, sailboats on the horizon, the pleasing hum of lunch with friends beneath orchid-entwined palms... the gilded delights of Palm Beach, America’s original resort town, have remained constant for more than a century. And what delights they are: from the moment you step onto this ribbon of perfection off the Florida mainland, you are breathing different air – a rarefied atmosphere where high society meets modern celebrity, where politicians and financiers mingle with art-world and fashion luminaries, and where the latest generation of Palm Beach converts kick back in sophisticated style. At the heart of this story is The Vineta, Oetker Collection’s first Masterpiece Hotel in the United States. One of the oldest hotels on the island, it was built in 1926 in the Mediterranean Revival style for which Palm Beach is famed. For many years it was known as The Chesterfield – and its graceful lines, wrought-iron balconies and elegant courtyard, not to mention its perfect corner location on Cocoanut Row, have long made this one of the most cherished spots in town. As the Palm Beach Post reported of its legendary Leopard Lounge when the hotel closed for its renovation: “If those mirrored walls could talk, they’d drop some big names.” Everyone from Rod Stewart, Margaret Thatcher and Joan Collins to Queen Noor of Jordan and Drew Barrymore walked through its doors. In 1893, Henry Morrison Flagler, the co-founder of Standard Oil and one of the richest men in America, visited the area and was entranced by its climate and coast – especially Palm Beach, where palm trees
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Right: cars parked on Worth Avenue circa 1953 Previous spread: The Vineta will be Oetker Collection’s first hotel in the United States
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From top: a vintage postcard of The Vineta Hotel; spectators at a Palm Beach golf tournament; and the Kennedys on a beachfront stroll. Facing page: the American writer CZ Guest and her son, Alexander, in front of the pool at her oceanfront estate, Villa Artemis
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Clockwise from top left: Aerin Lauder at her Palm Beach home in 2019; Gladys “Patsy” Bartlett at Palm Beach in 1954, photographed by Slim Aarons; poolside glamour at The Vineta Hotel; and luxury boutiques on Worth Avenue Overleaf: Jacquetta Wheeler in a 2014 fashion shoot for Vogue, photographed by Arthur Elgort Closing spread: the clocktower at the end of Worth Avenue
planted after a shipwreck gave the coast an exotic, tropical appearance. He financed the construction of a railroad that opened up the southern coast of Florida before building Whitehall, his lavish wintertime home on this magical island. Completed in 1902, it was described by the New York Herald as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world”. And so the legend of Palm Beach began, as other titans of American industry and society built homes to which they could migrate during the harsh northern winters. These upscale “snowbirds” – Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Kennedys and more – made Palm Beach their own, a world captured forever by society photographer Slim Aarons in some of his most enduring, evocative images. Much of the island’s magic lies in its distinctive architecture, inspired by the Old World and built in the New – it is hard to believe, as dinner is served beneath twinkling lights, that these seductive courtyards and alleyways are not tucked away in a sleepy Mediterranean town. Yet while the social season here remains an understated paradise of private clubs, topiaried gardens, dog walks, bike rides, beach picnics, charity events, art openings and lazy lunches, this staple of American high society is undergoing a thrilling reinvention. Worth Avenue now rivals the best that Manhattan, Mayfair or the Marais can offer, with the world’s finest fashion brands rubbing shoulders with galleries and fabled restaurants. It is in this enticingly reinvigorated version of one of America’s most storied towns that The Vineta Hotel will welcome guests to enjoy the quintessence of Palm Beach living. Its pretty rooms, elegant courtyard restaurant and chatter-filled poolside garden will once again be the island’s most cherished address, a charmed place of gracious good times and happy contradictions – private yet social, winter yet summer, American yet Mediterranean, old yet new.
I love how Palm Beach has the perfect mix of old and new. [Yet] that sense of tradition and elegance has never changed; there is a feeling of family time and tropical ease AERIN LAUDER
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Tennis, swimming, lunch. Golf, drinks, dinner. The patio. Bradley’s. Bed CECIL BEATON
THE VINETA HOTEL
PALM BEACH
179
Credits Pages 4-5, Romain Reglade; p11, John Swope/Contributor (Getty Images); p12, Adam Whitehead. LE BRISTOL PARIS: p15, Romain Reglade; pp16-17, Adam Whitehead; p19, Robino Salvatore/Contributor (Getty Images); pp20-21, Reporters Associes/Contributor (Getty Images), Collection Pierre Jamet, Alain Nogues/Sygma via Getty Images; p22, Marianne Majerus, Romeo Balancourt, Claire Cocano, Mehdi Larbi; p24, pp26-27, Romain Reglade. BRENNERS PARK-HOTEL & SPA: p29, pp30-31, Romain Reglade; p33, Max Ehlert, Ullstein Bild via Getty Images; p34, Baden-Baden Kur & Tourismus GmbH; pp36-37, Ullstein Bild (Getty Images), Atelier Binder/Ullstein Bild (Getty Images); pp40-41, Romain Reglade. HOTEL LA PALMA: p43, Getty Images; pp44-45, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images); p47, Education Images/Contributor (Getty Images); p48, Jacques Burga, Alamy, Julia Worthington; pp50-51, Giorgio Sommer (Alamy), Settimio Garritano, Keystone/Zuma/Bridgeman Images; p52, Alamy, Tyson Sadlo, Found Image Holdings Inc/Contributor (Getty Images); pp54-55, Tyson Sadlo. THE WOODWARD: p57, p61, Romain Reglade; p62, Alamy, Alamy, Claire Cocano, David M Benett/Contributor (Getty Images); pp64-65, Photopress Archive/Keystone/Bridgeman Images, Jean-Claude Sauer/ Contributor (Getty Images); pp68-69, Romain Reglade. HOTEL DU CAP-EDEN-ROC: pp72-73, Julian Broad; p75, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images); p76, Julian Broad; pp78-79, Picasso sketch of Trois nus © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2023, © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée National Picasso-Paris/Adrien Didierjean). PALÁCIO TANGARÁ: p85, Romain Reglade; pp86-87, p88, James Merrell; p91, Ana Mello, James Merrell, Alamy; pp94-95, Autoria Antonio Maluf © Antonio Maluf, Francisco Albuquerque/Arcevo Instituto Bardi, Ralph Crane/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock; pp96-97, Pedro Mascaro. JUMBY BAY ISLAND: pp104-105, Ray Bellisario/Popperfoto (Getty Images), Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images), Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images); p106, Joseph M Rainey. L’APOGÉE COURCHEVEL: p113, Adam Whitehead; pp114-115, Romain Reglade; p117, Jean-Michel Sordello; p118, Courchevel.VIP; pp120-121, Giancarlo Botti/Contributor (Getty Images), Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images), François Pages/Contributor (Getty Images); p122, Andreas Ortner/Trunk Archive; pp124-125, Jean-Michel Sordello. CHÂTEAU SAINT-MARTIN & SPA: p127, Romain Reglade; pp128-129, Valery Hache/ Contributor (Getty Images); pp134-135, Brandstaetter Images/Contributor (Getty Images), Ralph Gatti/Contributor (Getty Images), François Pages/Contributor (Getty Images); p137, pp138-139, Jean-Michel Sordello. EDEN ROCK – ST BARTHS: pp142-143, Romain Reglade; p146, Jeanne Le Menn, Diane Coriat, Jeanne Le Menn, Jeanne Le Menn; pp148-149, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images), Roger-Viollet, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images); p150, Skylar Williams, Jeanne Le Menn; pp152-153, Romain Reglade. THE LANESBOROUGH: p155, Simon Upton; pp156-157, Jack Hardy; p159, Alamy, James Merrell; Adam Whitehead; pp160-161, Dean Isidro/Trunk Archive; p162, Jack Hardy; p164, Norman Parkinson (Iconic Images); pp166-167, Romain Reglade. THE VINETA HOTEL: p169, Getty Images; p173, p174, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images); p175, Slim Aarons/Stringer (Getty Images), CSU Archives/Everett Collection/Bridgeman Images; p176, Anson Smart, Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive (Getty Images); p178, Arthur Elgort/Trunk Archive; pp180-181, Crystal Bolin Photography (Getty Images). P183, Adam Whitehead.
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