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From the minute you pull up to this resort, you know you’re in for a treat. The Riviera is stylistically awe-inspiring. The lobby is lined with floor to ceiling walls ensconced in a floral lattice pattern. Illuminated from behind with glowing orange light, the walls are reminiscent of a designer honeycomb. Packed with retro furnishings, all this glitz is set beneath a sky of modern chandeliers descending from a ceiling studded with starlight bulbs.
I’ve never set foot in a more beautiful hotel. Words to describe it? Timeless. Graceful. Opulent. Stylish. Unique. Palatial. Every last detail of this hotel is pure perfection. Consisting of 5 riads (traditional Moroccan residences centered around a courtyard or garden) with 28 individually themed rooms total, La Sultana is a shrine to Moroccan design and craftsmanship.
When in Morocco, you can’t miss the traditional Moroccan hammam, or Turkish-style steam bath. There are a variety of public and private hammams ranging from uber-luxurious spa experiences, like the hammam at La Sultana in Marrakech, to simple public bathhouses.
Instead of staying in a traditional hotel, experience a slice of Moroccan culture by staying in a riad, or small hotel converted from a traditional Moroccan home or palace centered around a courtyard or garden. Marrakech is bursting with stylish luxury riads, many of them European-owned. For a taste of something more authentic, check out Riad Kniza. This is one of the city’s most luxurious riads, which also happens to be Moroccan-owned.
The Grand Hyatt Macau is a luxurious haven of sunlight and glass set along the pearl river delta. A perfect retreat from the hustle of Macau island, the newly-opened Hyatt offers an elegant, secluded space to unwind in the midst of Macau’s next hot spot: the Cotai strip.
The St. Regis in Beijing is one of China’s most luxurious hotels, providing every imaginable comfort a traveler could dream of. Perhaps the most striking tribute to aesthetics in the lobby are the sea of delicate multi-tiered glass chandeliers, enshrouded with elegant lampshades, descending from the ceiling like jellyfish.
Hong Kong artist Danny Lee Chin-fai’s three-piece sculpture titled Dance of Clouds and Rain is an awe-inspiring, elemental sight to behold, housed in the skyward-sweeping lobby of the Grande Hyatt Macau. Composed of giant suspended raindrops and water rivulets spilling from clouds in the ceiling, Danny’s pieces sway slightly in the breeze, the soft curves of these stunning show-stoppers dangling harmoniously amongst a sea of geometric modernism.
At the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in the winter resort of Arosa, Switzerland, Swiss architect Mario Botta has designed a wellness complex filled with pools, a rock grotto, spa suites, a fitness center, meditation rooms, and sun terraces, plus health and beauty facilities. The wintertime juxtaposition of snow pierced by glass creates a magical atmosphere, perfect for rejuvenation.
