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A travel expert who has visited 1,000 hotels across the globe has whittled down his favourites to 10 standout properties spanning seven countries.
Mark C. O’Flaherty, a design journalist, photographer and travel writer, has stayed in hundreds of hotels since he began his career in the late 1990s.
He has also lived between New York and Scotland for the most part of 10 years.
Having written extensively about unique properties in the UK, airport hotels, and luxury resorts abroad, O’Flaherty recently spent some time reflecting on the 10 that gave him the ‘most memorable experience’.
In The Telegraph, he wrote: ‘This was a fiendishly difficult task, but brought back a lot of great memories.’
From mountain resorts in Italy, to a former collection of riads in Morocco, the travel expert has rounded up the properties that are worth the splurge.
His top 10 are below…
Can Ferrereta is located in the rural town of Santanyi, boasting 32 rooms and suites
Can Ferreta, Majorca, Spain
Can Ferrereta is a five-star resort run by a couple in the rural town of Santanyi, boasting 32 rooms and suites, a spa, restaurant and bar, and a central garden with a swimming pool, surrounded by olive groves and cypresses.
According to O’Flaherty, the hotel is ‘immaculate and impressively sophisticated’, and it happens to be located near one of his favourite European beaches, Cala Llombards.
Price: Double from £262, BnB
Gritti Palace is a five-star hotel set in a historic palazzo on Venice’s Grand Canal with incredible views of the surrounding area
The five-star Gritti Palace is set in a historic palazzo on Venice’s Grand Canal.
Once the palace of Doge Andrea Gritti, a distinguished diplomat from the 15th century, it’s located just moments away from some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
O’Flaherty praised the hotel’s ‘flawless’ design, and detailed its grand yet ‘romantic’ interiors, which includes chandelier-filled rooms complete with lavish 18th century furnishings.
Price: Doubles from £899, room only
Vigilius Mountain Resort is a 41-room retreat that can only be accessed by cable car
Vigilius Mountain Resort, located 1,500 metres up Monte San Vigilio in the South Tyrol region, is an exclusive, eco-certified, 41-room retreat that can only be accessed by cable car.
O’Flaherty, commended its sleek design, ‘superb’ spa facilities, lush green mountain scenery and rooms that open off a long hallway where ‘dramatic shadows change throughout the day’.
Price: Doubles from £356, B&B
Marrakech’s El Fenn is a four-star oasis featuring 41 rooms and suites, three pools and a rooftop restaurant
El Fenn, set in the heart of the medina in the bustling city of Marrakech, is a four-star oasis featuring 41 rooms and suites, a rooftop restaurant and bar, a spa, and three swimming pools.
In his roundup for The Telegraph, O’Flaherty said: ‘The Sunday evening DJ sets on the rooftop bar and restaurant make you feel like you’re in the right place at the right time. Also – the boutique on the ground floor is the best shop in the city.’
Price: Doubles from £540, B&B
Post Ranch Inn, California, United States
Post Ranch Inn is an award-winning five-star retreat popular for travellers seeking a tranquil escape, thanks to its location atop a Californian cliff edge, according to O’Flaherty.
He said: ‘Everything feels six-star, from the spa tubs to the Sierra Mar restaurant… America, overall, is near the bottom of my list for food, but when a kitchen gets it right, and has access to the kind of produce this place does (the farms of Napa County are to the north), it’s another story.’
Price: Doubles from £1,403, B&B
Twin Farms, Vermont, United States
Nestled within 300 acres of countryside is Vermont’s only five-star resort: Twin Farms
Twin Farms, set within 300 acres of pristine Vermont countryside, is the US state’s only five-star resort, and features 20 romantic suites, an eccentric private art collection, a spa and six private downhill ski trails.
O’Flaherty noted the cosiness of the open fires and antler chandeliers, as well as the ‘extraordinary’ service and sense of round-the-clock, free-flowing champagne decadence.
Price: Doubles from £2,391, all-inclusive
At Awasi Patagonia, a five-star lodge near Torres del Paine, guests can enjoy bespoke excursions, recharge in private villas and sample unique Chilean wines
Awasi Patagonia is a five-star lodge near Torres del Paine offering private villas, dining, and personalised Patagonian excursions.
According to the travel expert, the wooden built villas feel remote yet luxurious, creating the sense of being at the ‘end of the Earth.’
O’Flaherty added: ‘The scenery is endlessly impressive, as is the service. You feel like the only guest – or the only one that matters – and anything you want is no problem.’
Price: Doubles from £6,268 for three nights, all-inclusive.
The five-star Four Seasons resort in Koh Samui offers private villas complete with their own bars and infinity pools
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is a five-star hillside retreat overlooking one of the island’s best beaches – and was a core feature of the third season of The White Lotus.
O’Flaherty said: ‘It is not only the most beautiful resort on Koh Samui, but on the best beach. I’ve only stayed once and my sole regret is bothering to leave the resort one afternoon for lunch elsewhere. If I won the Lottery, I’d go for a fortnight every year.’
Price: Doubles from £1,466, room only.
Set in the heart of Hokkaido is The Park Hyatt, a sprawling five-star resort with 100 rooms
The Park Hyatt is a sprawling five-star resort set in the heart of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost and least populated main island. It features 100 rooms – some allergy-free – and suites, located next to a skiing area and an 18-hole golf course.
O’Flaherty, who recently stayed at the resort for the first time, was impressed by the hotel’s ‘gorgeous’ white-on-white interiors and exceptional fine dining, offering everything from flaming teppanyaki and unlimited servings of raw red sweet prawns at the breakfast buffet.
He added: ‘This three-tower resort is next-level luxury. You could spend a week here without leaving and love every second.’
Price: Doubles from £175 (ski season rates from £800), B&B.
At the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, guests can enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine at its four restaurants and bars, and kick back and relax at its spa
The Ritz-Carlton in Kyoto is a luxury five-star hotel that boasts 134 guestrooms and suites, four restaurants and bars serving up authentic Japanese cuisine, and a spa.
According to O’Flaherty, the hotel ticks all the right boxes thanks to its ‘perfect’ blend of local architecture, modern amenities and world-class sushi and tempura offerings.
As for service, the travel writer noted that the Ritz-Carlton exceeds beyond expectations – recalling the moment his damaged Rimowa suitcase was effortlessly repaired by staff in a matter of hours, and carefully set in his room accompanied by a card and some biscuits.
Price: Doubles from £784, room only.
