The Aria Hotel Budapest is both a glam refuge and a social hotspot, featuring 49 big rooms, a glass-enclosed courtyard and a year-round rooftop garden with 360-degree views, all underscored by breezy, comfortable whimsy and a solid commitment to a music motif. Vibe: One of six properties in the Library Hotel Collection, which includes Hotel … Continue reading Budapest: The Aria
Built in 2002 in what used to be a hat factory, this stylish boutique property run by the Quebec-based, family-run Le Germain chain of hotels is a cozy retreat catering to everyone from creative business travellers to weekend sporting-event staycationers. Vibe: Tucked away on quiet and unassuming Mercer Street, Le Germain is more hideaway than … Continue reading Toronto: Le Germain Mercer St.
Formerly the home of Jilly’s Strip Club, this Romanesque Revival-style building constructed in 1891 as the social and retail hub of Toronto’s east end is now a dazzling 58-room boutique hotel. It anchors the Riverside and Leslieville neighbourhoods, both of which continue to gentrify at a dizzying speed. Vibe: The Broadview Hotel is hit with … Continue reading Toronto: The Broadview
With almost 100 rooms over five storeys—including an entire floor designed by rocker Lenny Kravitz—the stylish Bisha Hotel Toronto from Canadian hospitality impresario Charles Khabouth marries laid-back glamour with razor-sharp design, offering boutique-hotel intimacy alongside luxury-chain comfort. Vibe: Managed by Loews Hotels, the Bisha takes over the first eight floors of a 44-storey tower, which … Continue reading Toronto: The Bisha
An oasis in the Eastern Algarve resort community of Tavira ticks all the right boxes. Portugal’s south coast is awash in the most fabulous beaches, and the eastern side of it is the country’s best-kept secret. Right in the thick of all this bliss sits the 77-room Ozadi Tavira Hotel, which was built in the … Continue reading Portugal: Ozadi Tavira
This serene retreat in the posh part of the northern province of Guanacaste delivers local culture with a side of smart style. Designed by noted Central American architect Ronald Zürcher, the stunning Andaz at Peninsula Papagayo is inspired by nature, buoyed by local art and crafts, and folded into its surroundings with a keen attention … Continue reading Costa Rica: The Andaz Papagayo
One of the best design hotels in Singapore is naturally one of the coolest. Built in 1895, The Warehouse Hotel was actually a spice-trade route warehouse, back in the days when this area of Singapore was filled with gangsters and their lackeys. Fast-forward to January 2017, when the loved-up version of this grand building opened … Continue reading Singapore: The Warehouse Hotel
More like a residence than a hotel, the midtown Kimpton Saint George is a melting pot of boutique luxury style. The homey feel flows from the smiley staff to the living room-like lobby and up into spacious, tasteful retreats done in a mix of unconventional colours and distinctive design details. Vibe: Formerly a Holiday Inn, … Continue reading Toronto: Kimpton Saint George
Billed as an “urban resort and conference center,” Hotel Henry is set within national historic landmark the Richardson Olmsted Campus, a former mental-health facility. It makes creative use of historic space with a modernizing of the architectural grandeur after years of neglect. This sounds like a movie synopsis. Vibe: Opened in 1880 as the Buffalo … Continue reading Buffalo: Hotel Henry
With just 64 rooms, the independently owned Magnolia Hotel & Spa always ranks high on the annual top 10 lists. A service-forward approach and a close-to-everything downtown location minutes from Victoria’s inner harbour make it a hit with both tourists and the busy bleisure crowd. Vibe: The majority of Magnolia guests are week-day travellers from the … Continue reading Victoria: The Magnolia
Toronto’s new Instagram-friendly hotel for the modern, mid-range traveller began life as executive apartments in 1955 before becoming a Comfort Inn. After a total reno, this 113-room “house” is now a home-away-from-home for business creatives and a gathering spot for the local condo crowd. Vibe: Chic public areas of the Anndore are dark and sexy … Continue reading Toronto: The Anndore House
Canada’s first Andaz hotel opened in late 2016, fittingly in the nation’s capital, glamming up what was once a nondescript office building. With subtle, landscape-inspired artistic gestures, sparkling cuisine and warm hospitality, every inch of its 16 floors highlights the essence of Canadiana. Vibe: Entering the Andaz ByWard Market is like stepping into the living … Continue reading Ottawa: The Andaz
Built into a triangular, former Art Deco office tower in Wicker Park, The Robey is perfect for the hipster in all of us. A retro feel sets the scene right at the front desk and carries on up to the rooftop bar and wraparound terrace, complete with a stunning view of downtown and an up-close … Continue reading Chicago: The Robey
A cozy atmosphere, traditional Khmer décor, central salt-water pool and warm staff provide an effortless, easy feeling. On the quiet Wat Damnak side of Siem Reap (so named after a landmark temple) sits a little oasis on a pedestrian side-street. The Rambutan is a three-pronged property: a main hotel with 16 rooms, a 10-room resort … Continue reading Siem Reap: The Rambutan
This cheeky French chain of value-driven, design-forward hotels owned by Accor exhibits all the comforts of home with less attitude than you’d expect. Designed by Philippe Starck, the 156-room Mama Shelter is one of 13 in the world, including one in both London and LA. Vibe: “Mama is more than a building; it’s a lifestyle.” … Continue reading Lyon: Mama Shelter
This 13-room Petite Anse on Sauteurs Bay makes you feel like you have the whole north coast of Grenada all to yourself. Hosts Annie and Philip Clift deliver a warm and welcoming, slightly Bohemian environment that includes a tropical garden, pool, whirlpool, bar and restaurant, all just a few steps from a wild palm-studded beach. … Continue reading Grenada: Petite Anse Hotel
Award-winning, family-owned Ocean Two is a little taste of luxury tucked into one end of Dover Beach, off the beaten Saint Lawrence Gap path in south Barbados. Opened in 2011, it still looks new, offering both good value and good people-watching. Vibe: Nicely dressed, mostly young Canadians, Americans, English and Europeans co-mingle at the Ocean … Continue reading Barbados: Ocean Two Resort
A chic upgrade gives a Golden Mile heavyweight luxury status. Since opening in 2008 as one of the first boutique hotel-condo hybrids in the city, Hôtel le Crystal has been an oasis of calm in a busy part of town. A cool new renovation sees it embracing the cool qualities of its name, and amping … Continue reading Montreal: Hôtel le Crystal
Opened in November 2018 at one end of Grenada’s Grand Anse, this sublime 43-suite resort is proving a fast favourite with the “in” crowd, boasting the longest pool in the Caribbean at 100 metres. Vibe: Designed by French firm AW2 with the international jet-set circuit in mind, the minimalist 43-suite, nine-villa Silversands is a sea … Continue reading Grenada: Silversands
Trust the British to have a nickname for a naughty hotel stay. The “Mr & Mrs Smith” weekend is a pseudonym for a romantic escape for two. It’s also the name of an online boutique hotel finder that we turn to to unearth off-the-beaten-path places to lay our heads via SmithHotels.com. Co-founders James and Tamara … Continue reading Boutique Hotel Hunting
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