PARK HYATT BANGKOK SPANS A SPECTRUM of celebratory experiences this festive season, from cosy yet opulent to bold and lively, with seasonal indulgences, festive promotions, and exclusive spaces tailored for revelling with friends, family or your nearest and dearest in refined style.

The elegant hotel is celebrated for its modern, luxurious style in the heart of Thailand’s high-energy capital. The property entices discerning guests who appreciate the delectable cuisine and cocktails at The Living Room, Embassy Room – Catalan Cuisine, and The Penthouse Bar + Grill. 

Fans are in for a treat with a series of new seasonal dining and drinking promotions, making this festive time of year the best yet for experiencing the refined details of these dining venues.

In addition to phenomenal food and drink, the hotel is strategically positioned in Bangkok’s Siam district, home to world-class shopping, offering direct access to Central Embassy, the city’s premier luxury retail centre. Park Hyatt Bangkok‘s 222 rooms and suites showcase stunning urban cityscapes through floor-to-ceiling windows coupled with tailored opulence and personal service.

This festive season, the hotel unveils a one-of-a-kind artistic and sustainable Christmas tree collaboration that spotlights Thai culture and local artistry. Renowned metalwork artist Saruta “Pin” Kiatparkpoom designed the exceptional tree sculpture, welded from upcycled metals and adorned with handcrafted glass by skilled Thai artisans.

Drawing creative inspiration from the sacred Bai Sri Su Kwan ceremony, this artistic fusion embodies Park Hyatt Bangkok’s passion for curating meaningful art. Come admire this auspicious centerpiece on display in the Living Room to commemorate the holidays with good fortune and holiday cheer.

Ring in the holidays in style at Park Hyatt Bangkok. The hotel carries on cherished traditions and imaginative twists across its restaurants and bars this festive season, with incredible promotions and flawless food and drinks.

Afternoon Tea at Living Room

Start this year’s festive celebrations early with the Living Room’s Festive Afternoon Tea, offered now through 2 January. Revel in sweet confections, seasonal delights and delectable savouries perfectly prepared by Pastry Chef Guillaume Coulbrant and his skilled team.

Christmas Catalan Cuisine at Embassy Room – Catalan Cuisine

On 23 and 25 December, embark on a six-course Catalan cuisine odyssey of exquisite dishes to delight your taste buds. Indulge amongst family and friends as the hotel introduces a special Menu Nadal for Christmas. Or try a uniquely Catalan Christmas Day Brunch. These celebratory tasting menus can be optionally and expertly paired with fine wines by our sommeliers.

New Year’s Eve Dining in Style at Embassy Room – Catalan Cuisine

Ring in 2024 with a decadent 11-course New Year’s Eve dinner featuring Embassy Room – Catalan Cuisine’s Cap D’Any tasting experience. The authentic 31 December showcase of Catalan cuisine will be prepared with the freshest regional ingredients, and the fine dining experience can pair exquisite dishes with exceptional wines to elevate your New Year celebrations.

Christmas Weekend at Penthouse Bar + Grill

Penthouse Bar + Grill’s celebratory 3-course Christmas menu, offered 23-25 December, stars signature favourites including appetisers, a choice of Rossini, Canadian lobster tail and Sloane’s porchetta with seasonal sides, and finished with a homemade Pavlova Christmas log for dessert. Savour the holiday flavours with wine pairings or the add-on immersive Depth of Blue immersive room experience.

New Year’s Eve at Penthouse Bar + Grill

On 31 December, Penthouse Bar + Grill presents a mouthwatering New Year’s Eve menu centred around premium ingredients including fresh lobster and A5 Japanese Wagyu beef. The celebratory courses include caviar, a seafood sampler, foie gras and a citrusy lemon tart finale to ring in 2024.

Penthouse Cocktail Bar

Celebrate New Year’s Eve overlooking Bangkok’s vibrant cityscape alongside friends and loved ones at the stylish Penthouse Bar + Grill. Meet a modest minimum spend per person to secure table reservations and enjoy à la carte holiday drinks and bites on 24 and 25 December amid the seasonal revelry.

Penthouse Mezzanine

On 31 December, gather friends and family on the Penthouse Mezzanine’s 35th floor for a private New Year’s Eve celebration with your own bar and mixologist. The evening features butler service and access to the rooftop for a midnight champagne toast, welcoming 2024 with your nearest and dearest in secluded style.

Penthouse Rooftop Bar

Revel in the Christmas spirit and ring in 2024 on the Penthouse Rooftop Bar’s lively 36th floor with loved ones. Meet a modest minimum spend per person on 24, 25 and 31 December to guarantee tables while you soak in the views and sip seasonal à la carte cocktails and snacks.

This festive season, Park Hyatt Bangkok presents both time-honoured traditions like afternoon tea and Christmas logs alongside innovative tasting menus and immersive spaces to indulge the senses, ringing in 2024 with flair across its elegant, lively restaurants and bars.

To discover magical moments at THE PARK, please visit hyatt.com or contact us at +66 2 012 1234 or email bkkph-festive@hyatt.com

Article Sponsored by Park Hyatt Bangkok.
Images courtesy of Park Hyatt Bangkok.

THINK OF FOUR SEASONS and think sumptuous hotels, but equally worthy of planning trips around: the folks who make the tastes we crave. Working with some of the best chefs, mixologists and designers in the world, Four Seasons in Asia have set as their main goal bowling us over with amazing food and drinks.

From Bangkok and Hong Kong to Tokyo and Hangzhou, travelers have their pick of 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in 8 hotels. Complementing the dining offerings are compelling bars—six on the Asia’s 50 Best list—shaking up innovative craft cocktails in immersive surrounds.

The unrivaled jewel in the brand’s culinary crown is the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, which, with seven Michelin stars, houses the most stars under one roof in the region. Leading the charge is three Michelin-starred Caprice, the monument of French fine-dining helmed by chef Guillaume Gaillot that pairs refined menus with a palatial dining room and Victoria Harbour views. Also among the hotel’s multi-award-winning eateries are Lung King Heen—in 2018 it became the first Chinese restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars—and Sushi Saito, the one-starred concept by legendary Tokyo-based sushi master Takashi Saito. Spend some chill time at futuristic ARGO, whose acclaimed mixology nabbed it 34th in the most recent World’s 50 Best Bars awards.

Sip on more award-winning cocktails in Japan, where Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi’s VIRTÙ serves cocktails that fuse Japanese ingredients and French flavors. Signature restaurant SÉZANNE has earned Michelin stars and a World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking. In the show kitchen, chef Daniel Calvert meticulously plates up modern French cuisine that match with lovely interiors by designer André Fu and an eclectic collection of Champagne, wine and sake.

Continue the culinary journey at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. It might be one of the newest hotels in the city, but it’s already shining bright as a culinary go-to. The hotel’s Cantonese restaurant Yu Ting Yuan is oh-so-hard-to-book thanks to its refined, detail-oriented dishes, handcrafted dim sum, and opulent setting inspired by traditional Chinese architecture. Next door, celebrate Argentina’s golden age at BKK Social Club, this year No. 13 on World’s 50 Best Bars list. Look out for transportive bespoke cocktails served in glam booths, to an upbeat, globally inspired soundtrack.

Those seeking an immersive journey through Chinese cuisine should book at Jin Sha at Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake. The restaurant landed a star this year in Hangzhou’s first Michelin Guide for its neoclassical approach to Zhejiang cuisine, amid some of China’s most enthralling scenery and gardens designed by Bill Bensley. The 11 private dining rooms boast outdoor terraces.

With an ever-growing collection of exciting concepts, Four Seasons is redefining what hotel restaurants and bars look like, taking us on grand culinary adventures, and we are totally here for it.

www.fourseasons.com/dining

Article Sponsored by Four Seasons.
Images courtesy of Four Seasons.

TRAVELLERS SEARCHING FOR a new and secluded beach haven in Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay will be thrilled to discover Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas, perched on an unspoilt island that sits a 30-minute boat ride from Phuket and just 20 minutes by boat from Krabi.

The stunning Koh Yao Yai offers couples, families and groups an ideal space for reconnecting with each other, nature, and truly getting away from it all; enveloped by over a kilometre of golden sand beaches, verdant jungles and incredible ocean views that stretch to the horizon.

The new all-suite, villa and penthouse resort stretches across 27 acres that were formerly a coconut plantation and features views of a deep blue bay ringed with limestone islets and rich with tropical birds. 

Step off the resort’s private jetty into a world of indulgent, exclusive luxury where all your cares seemingly melt away with the sea’s ebb and flow. Take a dip in a shaded swimming pool, find refreshments at the pool bar or dive beneath the waves and swim with colourful schools of fish. 

Indulgent Accommodations

To call the resort’s 148 suites, villas and penthouses luxurious is an understatement. Each choice seamlessly melds classic Thai touches with every modern amenity.

The intimate One- and Two-Bedroom Villas offer true seclusion along the shoreline and are popular with couples looking to escape it all. Your private butler can meet any need during your stay, while complimentary bicycles and direct beach access provide opportunities for quality time.

Guests with young children adore the Family Pool Access Suites, finished with welcoming beechwood furniture and bunk beds as well as a terrace that lets little ones jump right into the resort’s family pool — complete with waterslides, smoothie bar, and movies at night — while parents watch from cosy sunbeds. Or choose a Family Sea View Suite with ocean vistas, an in-room slide and secret play areas.

Those looking for more indulgence can choose the 300 sqm Two-Bedroom Beachfront Pool Villa with two ensuite bedrooms, eco-friendly grass roofing, private pool terrace with outdoor rain shower and the full attention of a private butler.

Wellness lovers appreciate the Wellness Lagoon Pool Villas, secluded from the rest of the resort and surrounded by serene garden and lagoon views. Enjoy yoga, workouts or meditation from your private pool deck before surrendering to a massage, facial or body wrap at your in-villa spa.

When it’s time to go all out, choose one of the resort’s 366 sqm Sea View Pool Penthouses with endless Andaman Sea views, the assistance of eight dedicated butlers, two skylight-lit rain showers, oversized soaking bathtub with sea views, two dressing rooms, an infinity-edge pool and sundeck with cabana for complete outdoor relaxation. The most unique of these penthouses also features a glass-bottom infinity pool that can be viewed from the living room below.

Specialities to Savour

Guests hoping to dine on the finest fresh seafood set against the romantic sound of waves crashing won’t be disappointed at Beach Restaurant, Anantara Koh Yao Yai’s signature restaurant serving Thai and international seafood delights as well as dry-aged steaks and speciality sushi. 

Pakarang crafts delicately flavoured contemporary Thai favourites and an expansive breakfast daily, including live cooking stations, organic, lactose and gluten-free options. Step into the resort’s Japanese restaurant to enjoy traditional omakase menus alongside modern delicacies.

When thirst calls, head to the Pool Bar, Family Bar or Beach Bar to enjoy craft beers, fine wines, cocktails, smoothies, milkshakes and more. 

Incredible Experiences

Delight in a range of unforgettable excursions and immersive experiences, such as vintage sidecar tours to a rubber plantation, batik or tie-dye classes, island-hopping, mountain climbing, kayak outings to mangrove canals or longtail boat cruises to natural sand banks for candlelit dinners. 

The resort’s Kids’ Club is amongst Thailand’s largest, including a bubble pool with vacuum fountain ball shower, water slide, dance studio and activities such as recycled crafts, seedling planting, cooking classes and nature walks. 

The toddler zone offers expert childcare for one- to four-year-old guests, with a dedicated nap room, stimulating activities like baby yoga, and a restaurant serving all their favourite food and drinks. Throughout the resort, all the restaurants feature kid-friendly menus. 

Anantara Spa offers the perfect escape for every guest, featuring five treatment suites to enjoy a wide array of massages, traditional Thai treatments, a hammam and one of the largest hydro pools in Thailand. 

With luxurious beachfront accommodations, incredible dining, and family-friendly amenities on a secluded Thai island, Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas provides an ideal escape for every traveller.

For more information about Anantara Koh Yao Yai, please visit www.anantara.com/en/koh-yao-yai-phuket.

Article Sponsored by Anantara.
Images courtesy of Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas.

Preparing creative, delicious fare has always been the task of fine dining, but the challenge for the modern age is doing it more sustainably and ethically. Youthful chef Katsuhito Inoue is rising to that challenge in the most delightful
way at his exclusive new six-seater Chef’s Table at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto.

Hand-picking every ingredient from the local bounty of Kyoto’s 72 micro-seasons and using time-honored methods from the city’s cooking traditions, Inoue designs his menu combining Japanese and Western culinary techniques to be zero-waste, using his materials entirely. Vegetable scraps enrich stocks and sauces, and add color and minerality to the restaurant’s pillowy signature focaccia. Often, they appear unexpectedly. A recent dish of Awaji sea urchin was served in the hollowed-out bulb of a summer onion from the farmlands of Takagamine, the ombré yellows and browns of the papery outer layers creating a pattern as striking as any in maki-e lacquerware. You never realized the humble onion could be so beautiful.

Inoue’s eco-philosophy goes far beyond the kitchen itself, to include how produce is grown and harvested and even the health of the soil. He personally visits all of his suppliers, searching for freshness and seasonality, but also sustainable practices. Inoue is focused on the treatment of livestock and seafood as well. For example, drawing on experience gained in the family businesses — his grandfather was a high-end wagyu retailer and his father owned a steakhouse — he has found wagyu producers able to produce meat with unparalleled marbling and umami while providing ethical living conditions for their animals and minimizing the environmental burden of raising cattle. He works closely with fishmongers who use traditional shinkeijime methods to more humanely kill fish. The technique involves quickly destroying the spinal cord and plunging the fish into iced salt water, preserving freshness and stopping the production of stress hormones that can taint flavor.

Importantly, the emphasis on sustainability sacrifices nothing in taste or presentation. The visual impact of a meal at Chef’s Table is off the charts from the moment you step in the room. A lush garden prepared in collaboration with Ritz Carlton, Kyoto gardener Kohki Suzuki is the table on which guests are served. Touchably soft mounds of living moss, textured wood pieces, and artfully arranged rocks and leaves in seasonal colors create a botanical paradise of tranquil beauty like something from the Japan branch of the Seely Court. The aromas of wood smoke and the subtle crackling of the grill round out the sensory experience.

The meal starts with the presentation and explanation of the day’s ingredients and their provenance. Then, Inoue moves into his marble-topped kitchen counter, positioned just steps away from the table, and begins transforming them into boundary-pushing, hyper-seasonal courses that combine the local tradition with his personal story. In Inoue’s hands, a Kyoto summer classic of fried young sweetfish is given extra juiciness with a few extra seconds over a charcoal grill. The typical tadesu garnish is replaced by a foam of carpione-style vinegar testifying to Inoue’s
Italian roots and adding a pleasantly frothy texture to each bite. Or guests might be served a colorful hand-made pasta with entire perilla leaves seamlessly pressed into the dough before cutting and topped with thinly sliced squid, briny caviar, and the perilla’s delicate purple flowers.

The dishes are subtle, with an unmistakably Japanese minimalism, yet full of flavor and intriguing diversions from expectation. The storytelling component of the meal is fully realized with Inoue’s likeable presence and genuine
enthusiasm as he shares stories from his childhood, anecdotes about the producers, or explanations of his technique. Despite the luxurious venue, it often feels more like the best dinner parties: intimate, comfortable, and lively.

Chef’s Table by Katsuhito Inoue is a pitch-perfect fine-dining experience, combining a strong sense of place with an easily discernable personal style that never feels overwrought or superfluous to the dish. That Inoue is able to do so while centering a sustainable zero-waste ethos makes his restaurant a model for the new luxury benchmark: guilt-free decadence.

For reservations: www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/ukyrz-the-ritz-carlton-kyoto/dining/

Article Sponsored by The Ritz Carlton, Kyoto.
Images courtesy of The Ritz Carlton, Kyoto.

NESTLED INSIDE MACAU’S MOST EXCITING integrated resort lies an award-winning sanctuary like no other on the peninsula. Banyan Tree Spa Macau is your ticket to an indulgent escape that beautifully complements the destination’s luxurious accommodations and thrilling activities.

Located in the renowned Banyan Tree Macau at Galaxy Macau, the Forbes five-star rated spa boasts 21 treatment rooms and couples suites that offer treatments from China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and beyond. With 3,400 sqm of space, the spa’s expert staff ensures that every guest leaves with a calm and rejuvenated body, mind and spirit.

Banyan Tree Spa Macau draws on the rich traditions of Asia, resulting in intimate retreats that artfully combine romance, serenity, and exotic allure. The spa’s thoughtful design includes private spa pavilions and suites that feature local touches infused into every detail, creating a harmonious blend with the natural beauty surrounding the resort.

Unearth health and beauty remedies infused with aromatic oils, herbs, and spices that have been passed down for centuries and boast ancient healing powers. Banyan Tree Spa Macau aims to instil a sense of deep tranquillity, inviting you to let go and be drawn into the serene surrounds.

Delightful Signature Treatments

Choose from an extensive menu of Banyan Signatures and holistic treatments designed to provide physical, mental and spiritual renewal. 

The Royal Banyan is amongst the most well-loved signature treatments, delivering the best of Eastern and Western massage techniques to improve blood circulation and ease muscle aches. Enjoy a warm herbal pouch dipped in sesame oil, a coriander cucumber cleanser and a jade face massage before finishing with a therapeutic herbal bath.

The Tropical Rainmist signature treatment is widely known as one of Banyan Tree Spa’s finest innovations, allowing you to unwind beneath the sensory pleasures of a rain shower that mimics standing beneath a refreshing rainfall. The treatment includes an exhilarating body scrub followed by a deep moisture boost, resulting in perfect tranquillity as tension is kneaded away during your favourite style of massage, followed by a bath soak, steam bath, honey milk nourisher and lavish hair wash. 

Elsewhere on the spa menu, explore beloved treatments tailored to encourage sleep, detox, mobility and more.

International Accolades and Collaborations

Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is known throughout the world for naturally luxurious, ecological, and culturally sensitive experiences. Since launching in 1994, the hotel brand has grown steadily and developed a stellar reputation and world-renowned spa, with Banyan Tree Group named Best Spa Operator by TTG Travel Awards 2023. 

Banyan Tree Spa Macau has won a slew of impressive accolades as well, including the Grand Jury Award at the SpaChina Wellness & Spa Awards 2023, hosted by the renowned Asian luxury spa publication, SpaChina. It also won on the global stage when it took the title of Macau’s Best Resort Spa 2023 at the World Spa Awards.  

Consistently working to make wellbeing as welcoming as possible and invite everyone through its hallowed doors, Banyan Tree Spa Macau has also forged an impressive partnership with Lululemon Macau to create a collaborative and transformative wellbeing day experience, offers indulgent therapies and teaches guests how to incorporate mindfulness practices into their daily lives. 

Immerse yourself in the luxurious haven of Banyan Tree Spa Macau, perfectly complementing Macau’s best integrated resort. Indulge in a range of treatments inspired by ancient Asian traditions, where aromatic oils and healing herbs combine to create a profound sense of tranquillity and peace. 

For more information on the Multi-Award Winning Signature Spa Services at Galaxy Macau’s Banyan Tree Spa Macau, please visit www.galaxymacau.com/hotels/banyan-tree

Article sponsored by Galaxy Macau.
Images courtesy of Galaxy Macau.

Vivid and vibrant, Sydney beckons you with its pulsating energy, burgeoning arts and cultural events, fine dining experiences, and a laid-back beach vibe. The New South Wales capital is Australia’s largest and oldest city with settlements taking you back to the colonial era.

While Darling Harbour with its iconic sights is the crown jewel of the city, you will find an array of swanky hotels, boutique retreats, heritage properties, and spa resorts vying with each other to offer the best in accommodation and showcase some of the best views. From six-star luxuriant havens to a palatial outpost of an international chain, here are some of the best hotels to stay in Sydney for your next holiday.

Best hotels in Sydney

HIDDEN IN THE HEART OF BANGKOK, shielded by verdant trees and iconic malls, is a luxury resort that offers the best of both worlds: immediate access to urban convenience and a lush and serene bolthole to get away from it all. It’s a place with enough excellent dining options, wellness experiences, and immersive children’s activities for the entire family to be entertained on property for an entire staycation weekend (or more!), yet literally attached to Siam Paragon mall, with walking access to the BTS Skytrain and a plethora of the buzzing sights and locations visitors to Bangkok came to explore, if your goal is getting out there and amongst it. It’s a place you’ll want to return to over and over again, to re-experience favorite treats and to discover new ones. Trust us: we have.

We’re talking about Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, which we like to consider our own personal manse in the middle of the Thai capital. How do you make a regal and gilded property of one of the world’s most historic hotel brands approachable and warm? It all comes down to service—smooth, personable, indulgent and intuitive. And Siam Kempinski is particularly attentive to the little ones.

Upon check-in we are greeted by a Lady in Red (they’ve recently introduced Gentlemen in Red, too) who escorts us to our two-bedroom animal-themed family suite. So glad we’d kept it as surprise for the kids, because when they open the door and see the loft beds and tigers happily prowling across the walls and carpets, they roar with delight! They’re the queens of the jungle!

Our Lady in Red shares the hours for cocktails and canapes in the top-floor lounge that affords great views of the lavender and inky dusky skyline, confirms our reservation for Sunday brunch at ALATi, and hands each of the girls their own playtime map. These really are their tickets to making the hotel home, offering a journey to five fun points throughout the property where they can collect prizes and stamps, and also giving them exclusive shopping and entertainment privileges—which really are just as much gifts to us parents as the kids.

Oh, how they adore putting on pretty dresses for afternoon tea in the lobby among the fancy chattering ladies. But what proves even more exciting for our five-year-old is the graceful harpist in her beautiful ball gown, who warmly shows her the pedals and the strings between pieces.

Gratitude also due to my wonderful husband, who takes our daughters to the Kids’ Club when I head off the spa. More aspects of Siam Kempinski that are resort-like are these two oases—one for calming rejuvenation and the other for more exuberant juveniles. While I am indulging in a Winter Warming Energizing massage that soothes my joints and Collagen Forever Young facial, my children are jumping in the ball pit and doing arts and crafts. High-tech creative arts, too: the Kids’ Club has a mesmerizing program where the kiddos make drawings of a certain theme, buses and cars for example, which the staff scan and they appear on a huge screen animated for the entire day. It’s like seeing your dreams come to life.

For dinner, my husband and I are excited for Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, the Michelin-starred restaurant tucked in the middle of the hotel. Upon entering we are transported to glamorous, romantic old-world Thailand, a luxurious dining space where we’re surrounded by dark wood, gold-accented art, lush, rich violet and other regal colors and textures. We toast to our family with Champagne and ease into the meal, as our waiter brings a series of small bites to the aperitivo area by the lotus ponds before we move to our table and our sumptuous tasting menu of deconstructed Thai cuisine reconceptualized for modern senses by acclaimed Danish chef Henrik Yde-Anderson.

Sunday morning calls for breakfast poolside, so we can all take advantage of the great weather and huge water-and-tree-filled central courtyard. The girls have pancakes and eggs in their bathing suits and bathrobes so they can get into the water quickly. On another visit, we stay in a duplex pool-access suite, and the girls LOVE plunging into the water from our private porch. The lagoon pool is a bit deep for our five-year-old to stand up in by herself, but this makes for a great opportunity to practice her swimming and in just one weekend she learns to hold her breath under water for two full strokes. Our two-year-old, meanwhile, is happily occupied in the shallow splash pool nearby. While splashing around with our children, at least one always in waterwings, we nonetheless find it reassuring to look up and see friendly lifeguards everywhere, not to mention waiters bringing tropical cocktails and comfort food. Highly recommend an East-meets-West combo of the fish and chips plus the kra pow gai (chicken stir-fried with chili and basil).

Today, however, it’s back to the suite to shower and change for Sunday brunch, one of the longest in Bangkok. The combination of a la carte plates including a decadent seafood platter, the open kitchen where you can see all the chefs clattering away, and the lengthy dessert buffet that makes our girls’ eyes go wide is pretty great entertainment. Then a smiling server rolls the cheese cart up to our table and it’s excitement overload with all the options to taste with figs and berries and artisanal honey. It’s never too early to start them gourmet, we say.  

www.kempinski.com/en/siam-hotel

Deluxe Room inclusive of breakfast for up to 2 persons, from THB 16,090++
Two Bedroom Theme Family Suite inclusive of breakfast and Executive Lounge access for up to 2 adults and 2 children, from THB 36,500++ 
Sunday Brunch at ALATi THB 3,400++ per person

Article sponsored by Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.
Images courtesy of Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

Santa Maria del Fiore (more commonly referred to as the Duomo) is, without question, the most iconic and photographed landmark in Florence.

While most visitors join the hordes of snap-happy tourists attempting to get a great shot in front of the famous Filippo Brunelleschi-engineered Renaissance cupola, there is another, more private way to soak in all the splendour — and it even offers a better vantage point.

This luxury suite offers the most stunning view of Florence’s Duomo

Just imagine waking up from a restful slumber on a plush king-size bed and drawing back the drapes to reveal unobstructed views of the largest masonry cupola in the world. The Duomo Presidential Suite at Hotel Savoy, the impressive Rocco Forte property that reigns over Piazza della Repubblica, offers unparalleled panoramas of Florence Cathedral.

But it’s not just what’s outside the large windows that matters. Occupying a separate wing, this 1,630-square-foot, two-bedroom sanctuary commands attention by virtue of its size and dazzling design — sophisticated and regal yet playful, typified by the blend of antique sculptures, sylvan wallpaper, and joy-eliciting textiles. The aesthetic feels decidedly fresh and modern for Florence, while still showing deference to Renaissance elements.

The light-filled sitting area flaunts sumptuous sofas, fanciful armchairs, bespoke bookcases accented with precious ornamental objects, and whimsical Timorous Beasties-covered cushions. Elegant white statues by Ceccarelli Ceramics and eye-popping art add to the sense of gallery-esque curation.

In keeping with the grandeur of it all, there’s a separate dining room with a dinner-party-size table, striking crystal chandelier, and bar stocked with top-shelf spirits. The Carrara marble-clad bathroom gives off a spa-like atmosphere with a jetted tub, walk-in shower, and organic, plant-powered Irene Forte Skincare toiletries.

Guests staying in the Duomo Presidential Suite also get to enjoy some posh perks, including a round-trip airport transfer, in-room check-in treatment, a welcome bottle of bubbly, unpacking service, a half-day Maserati chauffeur, and a personalised experience, which might look like a private cooking class or guided tour of Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella.

Can’t swing the USD 5,600-a-night price tag for the Duomo Presidential Suite? Every suite at Hotel Savoy is truly resplendent in its own right and has lovely views of Florence’s historic city centre. Plus, guests keen on seeing the Duomo up close only have to walk around the corner.

(Feature image credit: Rocco Forte Hotels)

This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com

All currency conversions were done at the time of writing 

Related: 25 Best Things To Do In Florence, Italy

Whether you’re flying to Hong Kong or staying in during the holiday, a staycation is the best way to relax, recharge, and get pampered. With so many luxury hotels in town, you’ll never run out of some truly amazing options. We argue that staycations are here to stay whether it’s for the residents or tourists coming to the city. Find out which hotels in Hong Kong have the best Christmas staycation packages.

While you may have already booked tickets to one of the many amazing Christmas holiday destinations this month, you may still need a pre-vacation warm-up. Or if you have just returned to Hong Kong and looking for a getaway to recover from the vacation blues, a staycation is the answer. From packages that have amazing gourmet options like the one at Cordis to lavish spa treatments at Four Seasons, and cultural experiences offered by Alva Hotel by Royal, Hong Kong has nailed staycation. After all, it has been offering it regularly since the pandemic. Regardless, a rejuvenating stay in Hong Kong is what we all deserve, especially this Christmas. So, pack your bags and book your next Christmas staycation. See our top picks of the best ones in town.

Don’t miss the best Christmas staycation packages in Hong Kong 

MY TWO BROTHERS AND I all went to Montessori school. We started in nursery school, and I can still remember my first classroom vividly. Open-plan with movable walls and lots of natural light shining on the various learning stations scattered around the room. Towers of pink blocks in decreasing sizes tapering up to the top, or round pegs in increasingly wide widths or high heights, to teach proportionality. Long sticks of different lengths in candy striped red and blue to teach counting. Shapes for tracing. Sandpaper letters for learning the alphabet by sight and feel. Practical everyday items like locks and keys. Puzzles and flags and maps. 

We would spend the day moving from station to station at our leisure, doing what activities struck our interest, working together only if we first politely asked the other child—in addition to nurturing independent thinking and working, and stimulating a desire for exploration, a huge tenet of Montessori is politeness and empathy. At circle time, Miss Mitchell would gather us all to sit cross-legged together, sing songs and have hands-on lessons about the theme of the week. For Thanksgiving, for example, we filled baby food jars with buttermilk and shook them until our little arms were about to fall off to simulate how the pilgrims churned butter. 

I attended Montessori only through second grade, but you can see my memories have held strong. So, when I heard that AYANA Estate in Bali was launching a Montessori program for kids aged 2½ through 6, I knew I had to get one of my nieces there. 

A legacy luxury hotel in southwest Bali, AYANA is probably best known for its Rock Bar, with its blazing sunset views over Jimbaran Bay, from which you have a clear view of the planes coming in for a landing at Denpasar airport. An engineering feat of mind over nature, the resto-club is built into the cliffs, is accessible only by one of two fun-tastic funiculars, and, despite the fact that it keeps expanding, remains one of the harder reservations to get in Bali. 

But AYANA is literally an estate, growing into a full-fledged town more and more each year. Their large spa enclave was voted best in Indonesia in our Travel+Leisure Luxury Awards, they care for monkeys and horses, in recent years they’ve added a beach, beach club, and a fourth hotel (AYANA Segara). And they’ve just debuted both an organic, permaculture farm full of indigenous breeds of crops planted in a golden spiral, and SAKA Museum, a first-of-its-kind in Bali celebrating Indonesian culture and history. 

Most interestingly, they’ve taken the luxury hotel notion of “kids club” and just blown everyone else’s version out of the water. In 2023, AYANA launched a partnership with the famed Green School to create Green Camp, for 7- to 12-year-olds to learn about the world through the lens of nature conservation and food cultivation at an in-house farm and in their mangrove sanctuary. And AYANA has also opened an outpost of the world’s largest network of Montessori schools, Guidepost. 

The older kids can enroll in Green Camp for one, three or four days. The Montessori programming is available to the younger kids by the week or the month, which makes it appealing to parents who want a solid base of routine in their vacation and to the increasing number of digital-nomad families out there—”addressing parents’ hopes for a nurturing holiday for their children,” says general manager Giordano Faggioli—and even to residents of Bali with preschoolers. 

So, I went down to AYANA with my brother, Jaysen, sister-in-law, Shirley, and their daughter, Umbria, then aged 4¾, to check out Guidepost and to see what it would be like to mix a tropical holiday with Montessori school. 

In the mornings, after breakfast we’d do a family activity: tour the farm (T+L tip: break off an ear of their corn and eat it raw—it tastes like it’s already been cooked and coated in sweet butter), run in the waves, tackle one of the various waterslides scattered around the resort. After lunch, one of us would take Umbria on the trolley to camp. She’d shed her shoes in a cubby and disappear into the classroom. Some days the teachers took the kiddos on expeditions around the grounds of the estate—one evening as we were walking through the gardens, Umbria showed me an edible flower and pointed out where the bees go in, as she had learned earlier—and on the camp’s closing day, all the families gathered for a singing circle and a scavenger hunt on the beach. But during most of the trip, the schedule left us grown-ups free in the afternoons for spa appointments, a jamu-making class, some breezy kid-free downtime with margaritas, or, that most adult of activities, work. 

Then one of us would pick Umbria up, maybe squeeze in a little more pool time, pop to our rooms for showers then off for sundowners (proud to have taught her that word this trip) basically anywhere on this westward facing property… though of course the ocean spray over the banquette nestled in the front of a deck at Rock Bar provided the most dramatic denouement. 

Here, Umbria made friends with the DJ, who let her borrow his headphones for a bit while he taught her about his mixer board. At Kampoeng Bali, the traditional dinner theater that drums up an action-packed evening of mythology, dance, giant puppets and fire shows, Umbria made friends with one of the musicians, who let her borrow his mallet to tap out a tune. When we had dinner at Kisik seafood restaurant, the musicians actually had an extra instrument at the ready just for eager kiddos, which Umbria of course was so she wound up joining the serenade to a couple having a romantic private meal down the pier.   

All of which is to say, the entire AYANA estate is not just kid-friendly but in many ways a giant Montessori classroom itself—a sprawling campus where everyone seems happy to answer an inquisitive four-year-old’s questions and help her learn about the world hands on. Even the Japanese toilets provided a teachable moment! And as much as I love my niece and planned this trip around her wellbeing, I was also grateful to get some adult time with my brother and sister-in-law while she was at school, which I’m sure is what Faggioli means when he says, “We truly hope the entire family will enjoy the holiday they’ve been longing for.” 

The Details

Guidepost at AYANA offers weekly and monthly Montessori school packages for children aged 2½ to 6. One-week Guidepost Adventure program: Tuesday through Friday, half-days including lunch IDR7,500,000++. One month (four consecutive weeks) Guidepost Children’s House program: Monday through Friday, half days IDR10,950,000++ or full days IDR13,350,000++. ayana.com/bali/guidepostayana; ayanabali@guidepost.id 

Green Camp AYANA relaunches in December 2023 for children aged 7 to 12, and are available for one-day experiences for parents and kids together (IDR1,870,000++ per day per guest), three-day programs for kids only (IDR5,615,000++ per day per child), and four-day programs with kids-only days plus one family day (IDR7,480,000++ per day per child). ayana.com/baligreencampayana

AYANA Segara is the newest hotel on the Estate. Resort View Rooms from USD486.59 net per night, including breakfast for two, and Ocean View Rooms from USD612.19 net per night, including breakfast for two. ayana.com/bali. 

Lede images by Shirley Wang.