We’ve compiled a short list of stunning resorts—from Australia to Italy—your clients will want to include in their 2024 travels.
Reach for the Sky
Head to the Caribbean, specifically Turks & Caicos, and you’ll find the venerable Grace Bay Resorts. What started out as the 21-suite Grace Bay Club is today a 136-unit property. Spanning beyond the resort that started it all, you’ll find the 28 cottage-style Point Grace suites; the 46-oceanfront, Mediterranean-inspired, villa-style Rock House, which opened in May 2022 on Providenciales and is now in the second phase of development to add another 10, spa-inspired units; and the Private Villa Collection with 11 oceanfront luxury villas spread throughout Providenciales and with expected growth ahead.
The newest development and sure to be the talk of the town next year is Grace Bay Resorts’ South Bank. Slated to begin opening some 30 one- to six-bedroom villas in phases in May 2024, the complex will rise over Long Bay Beach at Providenciales to offer a unique resort and marina setting. The concept features four neighborhoods home to unique villa styles, including Arc, with Sky Villas; The Ocean Estate with views across the Caicos Bank; The Launch, home to the Boathouses and featuring a private boat dock; and The Lagoon, with direct access to the Lagoon Beach.
Clients looking to savor Amalfi Coast-inspired cuisine will want to head to Vita, one of the over 10 dining venues at Grace Bay Resorts. The restaurant, tucked into the cliffside at Rock House and perched 30 ft. above the sea, offers panoramic views and a menu where you’ll find such delights as slow-cooked octopus and vitello tonnato to lemon spaghetti with Caribbean lobster. For casual dining, there’s Just Tacos, a beachfront toes-in-the-sand pop-up bar and restaurant serving Caribbean-inspired tacos, even for dessert. gracebayresorts.com
Spa Time
Turks & Caicos is also where one finds The Shore Club and The Palms, home to, a little birdie told us, two divine spas. On Grace Bay Beach, there’s a 25,000-sq.-ft. slice of spa paradise awaiting at the 172-key The Palms. Here you’ll find bespoke treatments such as a 90-minute Mother of Pearl Scrub featuring hand-crushed local queen conch shells, sea salts and mother-of-pearl body milk. On the island’s Long Bay Beach, The Shore Club’s Dune Spa awaits with three oceanfront treatment bungalows that offer views of the horizon and the sound of the wave hitting against the shore. To complement the setting, recommend clients opt for either the Long Bay Spa Ritual or the Sea Salt Caramel Body Glow treatment. Both resorts also up the fitness quotient, with yoga, Pilates and personal trainers.
Looking ahead, we’ve been told that The Shore Club, which opened in 2017, is looking to expand with an announcement with more details coming in early 2024.
thepalmstc.com | theshoreclubtc.com
Endless Wellbeing
What makes the Eden Roc Cap Cana resort in the Dominican Republic so special? Speak to those in the know and they’ll point to the fact that it’s part of the Relais & Chateaux collection, creating a European-style vibe; that clients can choose from 65 accommodations, including spacious suites, roomy bungalows or 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom villas; and that the wellness, fitness and gastronomy packages as well as its array of culinary events are ideal for today’s luxury travelers.
When it comes to wellness and fitness, this oasis of a resort offers everything from nutrition and cooking classes and learning about bee keeping to hypnosis and piano classes, not to mention bike rides, kayaking and meditation. There’s even access to an equestrian center. The resort offers an Endless Wellbeing package that includes everything from an in-room fitness kit, daily exercise classes and daily meals to spa treatments, macrame lessons and yoga, among an array of other delights.
One of the resort’s most unique culinary offerings is its Cave of Love experience: A romantic dinner set up in the resort’s hidden cenote and featuring a 4-course dinner, one Moet & Chandon bottle, a violinist, romantic trio or saxophonist, roses bouquet, private service and a 5-minute couple’s massage. The resort also caters to families with an array of unique packages.
edenroccapcana.com
Pilates, Sushi, Shopping
The Nobu Hotel London Portman Square is a fairly young hotel on the London scene and a chic option for clients looking to mix and mingle in Central London, only steps from Marylebone’s independent boutiques, and pair culinary delights with wellness. In fact, the 249-room and -suite Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, which has a very local vibe and a beautiful Japanese-inspired design, is offering the Stretch & Sushi experience, where guests take a Pilates class with Nobu Pilates, which features a unique concept developed by Marsha Lindsay, followed by a meal at the hotel’s Nobu restaurant. Clients can opt for a Bento Box, with dishes inspired by Nobu Matsuhisha himself, accompanied with a non-alcoholic cocktail of their choice.
london-portman.nobuhotels.com
Wellness Palace
The Ranch Malibu is renowned amongst true wellness aficionados and in spring 2024, The Ranch Hudson Valley will be making its grand debut on the other side of the U.S. some 45 minutes outside New York City. Wellness enthusiasts will arrive at a 40,000-sq.-ft. lakefront property set amidst 200 forested acres and awaiting them will be 25 guestrooms, a 5,000-sq.-ft. solarium with exercise and pool facilities, a spa, a gym and an outdoor pool, among other amenities. They will offer many of the same retreats that The Ranch Malibu offers, but as innovators in the field of wellness there will be programs unique to the location.
theranchmalibu.com
An Homage to Florence
In the heart of Florence one finds the supremely elegant, 20-room and -suite The Place Firenze. The property originally opened in 2003 and was rebranded in 2021 with every detail made by artisans of Florence. Everything is truly tailor-made and exceedingly high-end, but it’s the hotel’s The Place of Wonders Foundation programming that what will take your client’s breath away.
Through The Place of Wonders Foundation programming, guests have the opportunity to visit Florence’s most historic workshops that keep the local craft tradition alive. Among the makers who open their private spaces to the hotel and its guests are one of the oldest jewelers on the Ponte Vecchio, a world-famous scagliola workshop, the best cashmere mill in Italy, and a century-old glass etcher or moleria. One hundred percent of the costs paid by guests for these unique experiences curated by The Place of Wonders Foundation goes directly into the foundation fund, which finances a series of three-year scholarships for Italian students to attend LAO – Le Arti Orafe – Florence’s finest craft school.
Those Views
With an unbeatable view of the Sydney Opera House and the city’s Harbour Bridge, the Shangri-La Sydney is one of the most coveted properties in this Australian destination. The property, with 564 rooms and suites spanning 36 levels, is full of delights, such as the aptly named Altitude restaurant, located on the 36th floor, and the Blu Bar on 36, with theatrical cocktails including Urban View, because…well, those views. Those looking for a bit of pampering will want to head over to Chi, The Spa, whose treatments draw inspiration from Asian cultures, incorporating Australian healing techniques and botanical ingredients indigenous to the region.
For something quite unique, recommend the 1-night Artist in Residence package running through August 2024. Guests stay in a Sydney Harbour Suite, adorned with two artworks by Australian artist Goompi’s Ugerabah. Package includes a Goompi Ugerabah (unframed) limited-edition print to take home; 5-course dinner for two at a window table at Altitude including wine pairing; a pre-dinner premium cocktail per guest at Blu Bar on 36; a 60-minute massage for two (includes foot or hand therapy and collagen bio cellulose eye mask), and a 45-minute infrared sauna for two at Chi, The Spa; and Horizon Club Access for two including daily buffet breakfast, afternoon tea, evening canapes and beverages.
shangri-la.com/en/sydney/shangrila
