MARYANN HAMMERS

The Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, which opened in October adjacent to Tokyo Station, is a perfect base from which to experience the city’s energy and vigor. Occupying five floors of Pacific Century Place, a sleek glass office tower, the hotel is located in the heart of Japan’s business district. It is a five-minute […]

There is a saying that the farther north you travel in Florida, the farther south you get. Southern drawls become thicker, grits more prevalent, the countryside more unspoiled, and the hospitality more welcoming.   This is the setting for WaterColor Inn, a 60-room property on the state’s northwestern gulf coast. Designed by renowned architect David […]

Hotel Bel-Air is not for those seeking the hip Hollywood or California beach scenes. On the contrary, since the 1940s it has been a favorite sanctuary of heads of state, corporate executives, and celebrities who prefer complete seclusion, guaranteed privacy, and attentive service in a gorgeous setting. The grounds burst with ferns, flowers, and fountains. […]

Nashville, Tenn., long renowned for country music and the Grand Ole Opry, has never enjoyed a comparable reputation for world-class lodging. This perception could change with the recently reopened Hermitage Hotel. Located opposite the State Capitol, the hotel was the city’s grandest when it originally opened in 1910. It hosted the National American Woman Suffrage […]

Built in the early 19th century, the landmark Hotel de Russie—ideally situated on Rome’s chic Via del Babuino, near the Spanish Steps—drew a wealthy and royal crowd for more than 100 years before it was shuttered during World War II. Fortunately for travelers, it was rediscovered and renovated in 1999 by Sir Rocco Forte, who […]

You will find the new Spa Palazzo at the Boca Raton Resort & Club on Florida’s Gold Coast. But don’t be surprised if, during a visit, you begin craving paella, tapas, and sangria. Fashioned after Spain’s legendary Alhambra palace, the opulent spa is an architectural wonder, with exposed cedar-beam ceilings, two-story arched cathedral windows, a […]

It is ironic that in Southern California, the region of the United States most closely associated with fun in the sun, resorts are typically located across the highway from the sand, causing guests to wonder, where’s the beach?  The Montage Resort & Spa, which opened its doors in late February, is an exception. It is […]

The term “room with a view” assumes new meaning at the Costa Careyes resort, where three majestic bluff-side villas, the Castillos de Careyes, preside over miles of pristine Mexican shoreline. Grand in scale and fully staffed, the six- to eight-bedroom private homes are at once simple, sophisticated, and whimsical. While each is unique, all are […]

Usually, the less said about bathrooms the better, but those of the St. Regis Mardavall Resort Mallorca on Spain’s Mallorca Island provide vivid examples of the resort’s attention to detail. The unique stone-and-wood facilities are equipped with granite washstands and showers with no unsightly drains; instead, water disappears through an unobtrusive slit. Other thoughtful features […]

Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa makes the most of its location, a site that author James Michener called “the most beautiful lagoon in the world.” The glass-floored lobby offers a unique view of the exotic fish-filled water below, and the 1,500-square-foot bungalows—each furnished with Indonesian mahogany canopy beds, French silver bath fixtures, and Italian […]