Best Hotel you have stayed!!!

[AnnetteDo]

Locally, my best experience has been at Mount Lofty in Adelaide Hills. The guided tour is fantastic and service outstanding. The restaurant is very good though pricey

Second that! Beautiful property and great service at Mt Lofty House!

 

[Flyingwombat]

I’ve got two recent ones that were not mega expensive but were best service I’ve ever had in my life - two properties owned by Marino group in Sri Lanka. When we booked we didn’t know they were associated.

Marino beach hotel Colombo and Sigiriya forest edge.

Impeccable service and low key. Great food. Fantastic infinity pool in Colombo.

Best splurge was Leopard Hills Game Lodge Sabi Sands South Africa. My parents paid and to this day I don’t know how much…. It was unbelievable and the animals were stunning. Best experience of my life. I think I would die if I saw the invoice…

Honorable mention to Rydges Hobart. For the price, they do it so well and the staff are lovely. We use them a lot for staycations when we need to go into town and can’t be bothered to drive home..

Ps I have no affiliation with any property above..

 

[Volando]

I’ve managed to narrow my list down to three plus an honourable mention:

Best city hotel: Metropolitan by Como Bangkok. Amazingly chic, understated, calm oasis not far from Silom. The spa does great massages. Pool is divine, onsite restaurant Nahm is Michelin rated and also serves terrific a la carte breakfasts. I would t stay anywhere else in Bangkok.

Best architecture/setting: Kandalama Hotel Sigririya, Sri Lanka. Designed by acclaimed Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, the hotel blends perfectly into its stunning environment, snaking for a length of almost a kilometre around a hillside.

Best for a relaxing holiday: Nukubati Island Resort, Fiji. Only seven rooms, nothing else on the island. No structure taller than a palm tree. Absolute water front villas and “service” is almost entirely dispensed with. Instead you feel embraced by a loving family. My happy place.

Honourable mention: Sofitel Melbourne for my favourite Australian 5 star city hotel. One of the few Australian properties that I think would earn five stars overseas

 

[Coathanger]

I visited in 2014. Glorious. I think it's better than Raffles actually.

Thank you to the Sarkies Brothers. Their other property was The Strand in Rangoon, also a grand dame of the Far East.

There’s also the Oranje Hotel in Surabaya, now the Hotel Majapahit and run by Accor as a MGallery.

 

[JIMMYTHEJET]

holiday inn airport Chile

hotel indigo Tokyo and Kimpton Tokyo

 

[Jeff12]

Best hotel we've stayed at is Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 with Club Millasime Access last year, as a family of five.

We had a Mansion at Sofitel room, a 2 bedroom apartment in Macau.

Living room:
View attachment 483674


Dining room:
View attachment 483675



Entrance to the Mansion apartments:
View attachment 483676


Sofitel Nusa Dua in Bali was also quite good.

We got a Pool Villa, 2 Bedroom, Club Millesime Access earlier this year - that was nice too.

Had out own pool and gazebo.

View attachment 483678

View attachment 483679

That looks impressive in Macau!!!
We also stayed at the Sofitel in Nusa Dua and had the club access. Thought it was quite good

 

[ols]

My best hotel stay was the two bedroom suite at the Burj al Arab. Just an incredible space. Phenomenal service, breakfast was insane and just the most blissful experience I’ve ever had at any hotel in the world.

The breakfast is just amazing

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Best hotel we've stayed at is Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 with Club Millasime Access last year, as a family of five.

We had a Mansion at Sofitel room, a 2 bedroom apartment in Macau.

Living room:
View attachment 483674


Dining room:
View attachment 483675



Entrance to the Mansion apartments:
View attachment 483676


Sofitel Nusa Dua in Bali was also quite good.

We got a Pool Villa, 2 Bedroom, Club Millesime Access earlier this year - that was nice too.

Had out own pool and gazebo.

View attachment 483678

View attachment 483679

How much did those rooms cost to book?

 

[sanne]

My all time favourite hotel was Al Maha Dubai. Set in the desert amongst the orange/red sand dunes, individual huge villas with own pool…the biggest bed we’ve ever seen. Beautiful antique furnishings.

It was 100 acres fully fenced, stocked with oryx and antelope which wandered freely around our villa.

You could pick 2 free events each day. We did archery, falconry, sand dune driving etc and all the young ones did a beautiful sunset camel ride whilst we oldies were taken to the top of a sand dune for sunset drinks , all set up beautifully just for us as we watched the glorious colours of the camels down lower making their way up the dunes.

Full board, fantastic food. Not cheap but we got a good deal, 3 nights for the price or 2. An incredible never to be repeated experience.

 

[Forg]

The Formula1 on the Great Western Highway closest to Eastern Creek … it was great knowing that your bed sheet was the same piece of plastic as the toilet seat!!

 

[Dalescott]

The view from the El Chido roof top bar, should have put it in the post above.

 

[pagingjoan]

My all time favourite hotel was Al Maha Dubai. Set in the desert amongst the orange/red sand dunes, individual huge villas with own pool…the biggest bed we’ve ever seen. Beautiful antique furnishings.

It was 100 acres fully fenced, stocked with oryx and antelope which wandered freely around our villa.

You could pick 2 free events each day. We did archery, falconry, sand dune driving etc and all the young ones did a beautiful sunset camel ride whilst we oldies were taken to the top of a sand dune for sunset drinks , all set up beautifully just for us as we watched the glorious colours of the camels down lower making their way up the dunes.

Full board, fantastic food. Not cheap but we got a good deal, 3 nights for the price or 2. An incredible never to be repeated experience.

Bringing back memories for me, sanne!
It really was superb when we were there on a stopover, en route to LHR.
Made all the better by the return trip from/to the airport with Emirates Chauffeur Drive!

 

[NoName]

That looks very nice!

It reminds me of the stay we had nearby in Positano. We stayed at the Palazzo Murat
This was one of those places that the photos don’t do it justice. The perfect location in Positano right in the centre. Beautiful pool. Amazing Italian style luxury

Stayed there a few years ago and agree, it is fantastic! Detailed in one of my trip reports.

 

[sanne]

Bringing back memories for me, sanne!
It really was superb when we were there on a stopover, en route to LHR.
Made all the better by the return trip from/to the airport with Emirates Chauffeur Drive!

We had the Emirates Chauffeur drive too. Seamless.

 

[aamslfc]

Some really cool hotels in this thread that I've added to the future travel plans list.

For us, I think overall the best hotels we've stayed at - which were near-flawless in terms of overall experience - are the Fullerton Singapore, Hilton Lake Como, and Hilton Bali.

Otherwise, my nominees are below.

Best airport hotel:

• Novotel Auckland

Most ridiculously priced airport hotel:

• Crowne Plaza Changi

Most functional room design (e.g. layout, sensibly placed outlets, furniture, shelving, etc)

• Hilton Lake Como
• Fullerton Singapore
• Langham Hong Kong

Most ostentatious/unnecessarily grand lobby and common areas:

• Hilton Rome Fiumcino

Most dramatic lobby/entrance:

• Hilton Bali
• Lyngen North, Rotsund

Most incredible location:

• Lyngen North
• Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Longyearbyen

Coolest spa/jacuzzi (literally!)

• Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Longyearbyen

Best gardens/grounds/greenery:

• Hilton Bali
• Fattoria Lornano Agriturismo, Monteriggioni

Best scent:

• Langham Hong Kong

Best view to wake up to:

• Novotel Suva Lami Bay
• Hilton Lake Como (from the two-level villas)
• Villa Flora Argentario, Porto Santo Stefano
• Lyngen North

Best hospitality (yes, you get what you pay for):

• Hilton Manila
• Fullerton Singapore
• Langham Hong Kong
• Sofitel Darling Harbour

Best breakfast buffet:

• Hilton Bali
• Hilton Lake Como
• Lyngen North
• Villa Flora Argentario, Porto Santo Stefano

Best dinner:

• Lyngen North

Best lounge bar:

• Hilton Lake Como
• Novotel Suva Lami Bay

(but nothing will EVER beat the much missed Observatory Bar at the Langham, Sydney)

Best B&B:

• Villa Flora Argentario (Porto Santo Stefano)

Best pool:

• Marina Bay - for the insta
• Hilton Lake Como - for the scenery
• Sofitel Darling Harbour - for the vibes

Best martini:

• The Connaught, London

 

[drron]

Most ridiculously priced airport hotel:
Then you haven't tried the Oryx hotel DOH airport. Plus 24 hour limit on stays and perfunctory service

 

[Sprucegoose]

Second that! Beautiful property and great service at Mt Lofty House!

Agree, we stayed there for a few days a few months ago, and the 'HVR' degustation was as good as anywhere, globally.