HOTELS WE COVET

TOP LUXURY HOTELS TO DISCOVER

This is our editors’ annual rhapsody on their forever-favourite hotels from around the globe. In this year’s incarnation, we went beyond places to stay, including a range of experiences we consider truly exceptional—cruises, flights, restaurants, bars, destinations—along with the deeply personal reasons we love them. This was the stuff we daydreamed about in lockdown, and a few places we were actually able to visit—all that sustained us in a year of curtailed travel.

AIRELLES CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES, LE GRAND CONTRÔLE

Paris, France

Built-in 1681 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect to King Louis XIV, Le Grand Contrôle is one of those buildings in the Palace of Versailles that nourish French history. Airelles will have the privilege of investing in this place from 2021 to offer a new experience, never before offered.

Thanks to privileged access to the Domaine de Versailles, guests will be able to explore the Château as well as the Petit Trianon during private visits. The Grand Contrôle offers direct access to the Orangerie parterre and the French gardens designed by André Le Nôtre. During a boat trip on the canal, travellers will be able to appreciate the grandeur of the Palace of Versailles. An unparalleled historical immersion. Invite yourself to the heart of French history, sleep in Madame de Staël or Jacques Necker’s bedroom, meditate in the Audience Room. Discover the Petit Musée du Grand

Contrôle and leaf through Madame de Staël’s marriage contract, signed by King Louis XVI, Queen MarieAntoinette and the royal family. Admire the Orangerie parterre or even the Swiss Water Piece from your window. Get lost in the deserted corridors of the Palace of Versailles, stroll in a boat on the Grand Canal, a glass of champagne in your hand. Dine in the heart of the estate’s groves enjoys a picnic in the gardens of the Château… More than a dazzling experience, an unforgettable memory.

It’s been buzzed about for years, and now the highly anticipated hotel project is becoming a reality. Back in 2015, the management of the Chateau de Versailles called for bids for transforming three buildings just outside the palace gates. Dating from the 1680s, these buildings—the Hôtel du Grand Contrôle, the Petit Contrôle and the Pavillon—have impressive views over the Orangerie. Ultimately, Airelles and Ducasse Paris were awarded the contract to develop a luxury hotel on the property. And, now, the opening of Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle has been announced for spring 2020. Over the last four years, interior architect Christophe Tollemer has pored over the Chateau de Versailles’s archives to ensure the property’s meticulous restoration. His team has handpicked original antiques and art, inspired by the nearby Petit Trianon Palace. Expert French artisans were commissioned to replicate the parquet and wood panelling, while Maison Pierre Frey and Royal Manufacture of Aubusson created bespoke upholstery and fabrics. This 18th-century splendour will be on full display in The Grand Salon on the first floor. There will be just 14 rooms and suites, with the larger suites situated on the lower floors according to tradition. Sprawling over 1,300 square feet, the Signature Suite will come with a four-poster bed, living area and bathroom overlooking the Orangerie. All rooms will showcase

18th-century chandeliers and antique wall lights. Enticements will include the Valmont spa, 15-meter swimming pool and Alain Ducasse restaurant, complete with a terrace for dining al fresco. The best part of all? Guests will be privy to exclusive, personalized experiences at the Palace of Versailles and its sprawling gardens. Airelles, the luxury hotel brand of the LOV Group, is a collection of exceptional properties including Les Airelles in Courchevel and La Bastide in

Gordes—both awarded the prestigious palace hotel recognition by Atout France. Other projects in the pipeline include the soon-to-open Mademoiselle in Val-d’Isère and the ongoing renovation of Château de la Messardière St. Tropez before it becomes part of the Airelles portfolio.

CHATWAL LODGE, BETHEL

New York, USA

As the iconic ‘Jewel of Manhattan’, The Chatwal in New York has offered the quintessential urban luxury boutique hotel experience since 2010. Now for the first time, esteemed hotelier Mr Sant Singh Chatwal is introducing a luxury retreat in the country, a private realm in harmony with nature known as The Chatwal Lodge in Bethel, NY. In reverence to its pure, unspoiled setting on 60 acres along the wooded shores of the 1,000-acre Toronto Reservoir, the retreat has been designed to celebrate life itself.

There’s a new luxury resort set to open in New York’s Catskills this spring. The Chatwal Lodge will be unveiled on May 1, 2021, a getaway that its owner promises will be a retreat that is “a private realm in harmony with nature, located in a wide expanse of preserved wilderness.” That’s quite a statement, given that the “wilderness” is just 90 miles north of New York City, in the town of Bethel, New York. The Chatwal Lodge, which resembles an Adirondack Lodge more than a classic Catskills resort, will offer the kind of rarefied and sublime luxury experience that’s not readily available to anyone in the greater New York City area. In fact, you’d probably have to venture way up to the

Adirondacks or out West to the Rockies to find a comparable setting and a similar level of luxury and privacy. The promise is luxury “rustic” accommodations for a handful of well-heeled guests, absolute privacy, and the chance to relax with fly fishing, boating, kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, golfing, lawn croquet, and recreational badminton. Personal pampering and growth activities include Ayurvedic wellness treatments, yoga, meditation, private wine tastings, cooking classes, and music lessons. In short, this is a far cry from the Catskills depicted in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. The project is from hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, the founder and chairman of Dream Hotel Group, whose flagship property is The Chatwal, New York in Manhattan, which was built in 1905 by Stanford White and restored and renewed by architect Thierry Despont in 2010. The Chatwal Lodge is located within 30 acres of environmentallyprotected land within The Chapin Estate, a 2,500-acre gated residential community. At its heart is the 1,000-acre Toronto Reservoir Lake. There will be just 10 suites, some with private patios overlooking the Toronto Reservoir Lake, featuring vaulted ceilings, arched windows, reclaimed-wood walls, log-treated stairs, hand-carved headboards, and faux fur and wool upholstery. Some accommodations will additionally have larger lakeside decks, outdoor showers, deep soaking tubs, kitchens, dining and living areas suitable for family gatherings. The amenities include 24-hour valet service, concierge and butler service, as well as 24-hour insuite dining. One of the speciality suites is a 1,000-square-foot treehouse raised 25 above the ground, with a fireplace, and an outdoor deck. Another is also an 850 square foot glamping-style tent with a king bed, an ensuite bath, and wrap-around verandas. The main lodge building is the social heart of the lodge and will feature a farm-to-table restaurant, a lobby lounge, a wine cellar, a bar, and a private dining room. Guests can take breakfast on the terrace or opt for alfresco dining. The chef, who has yet to be named, will focus on organic, locally-sourced fare. Fresh herbs and homegrown vegetables will come from the kitchen gardens on the premises. Afternoon tea, cocktails, and all-day dining can be enjoyed beside the massive fireplace or on the outdoor terrace with heaters to take in the lake view all year round. There will also be a library, a lakeside pavilion, and rooms to accommodate meetings and weddings. The architecture and design is by Steve Dubrovsky, who specializes in 19th-century Adirondack style residential buildings. His private homes can be found throughout The Chapin Estate and in an earlier life, he was a four-time circuit champion of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. The debut of The Chatwal Lodge will be followed by resort openings in San Miguel de Allende and Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico. Rates at The Chatwal Lodge will start at $1,200 per night.

SUBLIME COMPORTA

Setúbal, Portugal

Sublime Comporta was actually never meant to be. Gonçalo Pessoa and wife Patrícia Trigo originally bought the 17-hectares estate with the view to create a private retreat for their family. However, by 2014 it was clear that the potential for high-end tourism in the area was great and so the pair began to convert their holiday home into a boutique hotel.

Get ready for the indoors to take over the outdoors. More now than ever, designers and architects seek that seamless transition from your indoor spaces to your outdoors. In fact, in Alaire we frequently accomplish this transition with furniture and décor that looks for the interiors but withstands all

weathers. And it is this seamless fusion what the

fantastic Sublime Comporta wanted to achieve in its indoor and outdoor design. Alaire Comporta helped achieve this mission.

Sublime Comporta is a wonderful luxury retreat surrounded by nature, offering rooms plus cabanastyle suites and villas with private pools and cosy fireplaces. It’s located near the idyllic beaches of Comporta, Carvalhal and Pego. In the first place, Sublime is nestled on a stunning 17-acre estate, surrounded by undulating umbrella pines and cork trees, wild dunes, stunning rice fields

and over 60km of pristine, white-sand beaches. This makes this hotel – a magical, unspoiled place yet to be discovered. Similarly, the hotel’s architecture finds its inspiration in the old rice storing facilities of the area. Nonetheless, in keeping with the essence of Comporta, the decor is sophisticated yet relaxed. The rooms and villas

stretch across several buildings adding to the exclusivity of the hotel. These are the Main House, the Guest House, and the Villas. The hotel includes 14 bedrooms

and suites as well as several 2, 3, 4 and five-bedroom “cabana” villas.

Despite Comporta’s laid-back, unpretentious atmosphere, the glimmer of an immense villa here and there among the trees indicates just what an exclusive area this can be. In that sense, in a close working relationship with the hotel owner, we custom-made modern designs for this idyllic location. We used these tailored pieces mainly for the outdoor spaces and added a refreshing contrast to the rest of the decor. We chose to use our Italian Brand Gervasoni extensively for indoor and outdoor, as its quirky and rustic design fits perfectly with the Comporta style. While Comporta has been compared to Ibiza, St. Tropez, the Hamptons and even Yves St. Laurent’s Marrakesh, none of this is true. Comporta is different from all beach sites, precisely because it does not seem like it. And there’s still

just one hotel in Comporta, and thankfully, it’s one that’s sublimely comfortable. That one isn’t only a lazy adverb. Sublime Comporta retreat truly lives up to its name.In all, in this project, we fully supported Sublime Comporta, to retain its unique style and originality. Open spaces with bohemian and casual decoration, few furniture and glass walls to enjoy the landscape. Comporta is located on the Alentejo coast of Portugal, only an hour south of Lisbon (a car is essential), although you’ll feel a world away. It’s perfect for a weekend escape or a long lazy stay. Comporta is an understated, working paradise. Its wild coastline holds the gift of abundance for fishermen; rice paddies populated by incredible numbers of storks bedeck the landscape; and forests of pine and cork trees line the quiet roads that snake towards nearby hamlets.