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Hotels to Look Up to
Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, CanadaHigh up on Cap Diamond overlooking the St Lawrence river to Levis town, the hotel is a really steep hike up from the waterfront - and many of the 618-rooms overlook the castle mound, for more great walks. The 1893 horseshoe-shaped building rises through 18 floors to many steeple-topped turrets: choose a room with access to the 14th floor Fairmont Gold lounge. GM is Alex Kassatly and chef Jean Soulard is a regular on Montreal's Canal View lifestyle television.Visit Property Site |   |
The Westin Turnberry Resort, Ayrshire, Scotland113 steps lead up from the sea-side road - but the main drive gently curves up to the 100-room building, finished in 1906 as a railroad stopover. Today most come for the famous golf, or for fishing, shooting or other gentlemanly sports (there is also a fabulous spa with a spectacular fan-shaped indoor pool). GM is Stewart Selbie and best views are front-facing, across the Firth of Clyde to the 1,110ft Ailsa Craig island, where curling stones used to come from. Visit Property Site | |
Immediately behind the 166-room resort, climb up its grass-covered staircase flanked by 126-step waterfalls to the area of cliff-set mock fortresses (built by ballerina Vittoria Pelus in the early 19th century to occupy her much-younger husband, a former Napoleonic general). Room 232, in the main building, has a small balcony with spectacular views across the lake to Blevo, with Monte Boletto rising nearly 4,000 ft behind. GM is Danilo Zucchetti. Visit Property Site | |
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At the end of the C-shaped six-floor building is the steeply-sloped Giardino Segreto garden created by Cardinal Caffarelli Borghese in the early 17th century - climb far up for wakeup exercise before the breakfast buffet that includes some of the best ricotta we remember. GM Elena Bruno runs the 129-room hotel, where Richard Gere particularly favors the Popolo Suite 616, so named because you seem to be in touching distance of the Popolo cupola. Visit Property Site | |
This 17-villa exclusive retreat is unbelievably built on the edges of a former 150-foot deep tin mine, now one of Asia's finest resorts. Villa 112 has the largest outdoor patio, with teak swinging hammock and a 150 sq ft vitality pool with infinity edge looking into lush tree tops and tropical greenery. Inside, you have a full-tester bed and ultimate luxury. The villa's butler, Ismael, will show you the short climb up to the Mandara Spa (try Runi's yogurt and cucumber facial). Complex GM is Jean-Jacques Kiefer. Visit Property Site | |
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From the harbor level, the 56-floor hotel soars far above, but you can reach it by elevator from the Pacific Place shopping center. Once in-hotel, gaze in awe at the in-atrium painting, The Great Motherhood of China, which soars up through 16 floors of the building. Breakfast - or dine - in the rooftop Pétrus for best views back across the harbor to Kowloon. Franz Donhauser runs the 565-room hotel: 5401, the 1,300 sq ft Shangri-La Suite, is a favorite for its pastel colors, Fortuny-type curtains and Riedel glasses. Visit Property Site | |
The entire 59-villa resort, designed by Antonio Citterio, is multilevel. You arrive, and climb 13 stone steps as if to a temple. This is reception, and you look down over a myriad of alang-alang thatched roofs, down 320 feet to a cliff top, from which a private railway can carry you down a further 400 feet to the perfect beach. The two-floor 16,000 sq ft Bulgari Villa has a 10-seat screening room, but all villas have outdoor salons and private pools. GM is Robert Lagerwey. Visit Property Site | |
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