It takes more than a few elegant restaurants and a resort-style pool to truly be considered a high-end property. Take these posh stays, for example, where the luxury envelope is being pushed with palatial suites and top-of-the-line amenities.
A Chic French Chalet
UltraVilla, an invitation-only consortium with a collection of luxury villa rentals across the globe, has expanded its portfolio this year to include 14 new villas in Costa Rica, Fiji, France, Greece and New Zealand, just to name a few. Avid skiers will want to check out the World Ski Awards 2015 nominee for World’s Best New Ski Chalet, the Chalet Jejalp, Morzine, located in the Portes du Soliel ski area. The cozy 6-bedroom property sleeps 10 adults and four children in en-suite bedrooms and is built around a central atrium with a double height glass wine cellar spread over two floors. Aged and honey-toned timber decorate the interior, which features several separate living areas, a cinema room, a gym and a stocked bar with a pool table. The property also offers a sunken jacuzzi with access to a sauna and relaxation zone, but the piece de resistance has to be the sweeping mountain views seen from the dining area that overlooks the outdoor terrace. Rates start at $20,264 per week. For more information, visit ultravilla.com/ultimate-luxury-chalets.
Starwood Takes Luxury to New Heights in Tokyo
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is debuting the brand’s first hotel in Tokyo, The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, a Luxury Collection Hotel, this July in the heart of Tokyo’s Kioicho neighborhood. The new property is located on the 30th to 36th floors of the Tokyo Garden Terrace, a 2,445,560-sq.-ft. mixed-use development that will include retail, offices and residences. The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho will feature 250 spacious guestrooms, including 11 luxurious suites, a large indoor pool and a fitness center, plus a spa and club lounge. Guests will be able to enjoy panoramic city views from the hotel’s lobby located on the 36th floor, or they can head down to the 35th floor with its 2-story, floor-to-ceiling glass windows for more prime city views. There’s no shortage of dining options either. Once construction is complete, guests will be able to choose from four specialty restaurants and bars, including an all-day dining venue, as well as a bistro-style French restaurant located within the Tokyo Garden Terrace tower. Step out of the hotel and guests have access to Tokyo’s myriad attractions, including Shimizudani Park and Benkei Canal, in addition to the popular shopping and entertainment districts of Ginza, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Shibuya via a 20-minute metro ride from the nearby Akasaka Mitsuke station. For more information, visit luxurycollection.com.
Modern, Bali-Style
The Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay has unveiled three fully renovated villa categories at the all-villa beach retreat in Bali, in addition to revealing upgrades to the property’s landscaping. The resort renovated its Deluxe Villas, Premier Ocean Villas and Family Premier Villas to include 50 percent larger bedrooms that are now combined with a new indoor living room with double sliding doors leading to a garden and pool; all new roofing, furniture, flooring, and soft furnishings throughout the bedroom, living area and bathroom; all new electronics, including a 55-inch TV, Bluetooth soundbar and bedside media bub; and new decor and artwork made from natural materials. For guests traveling with little ones, the resort now offers an extra children’s room in the Family Premier Villas, with a daybed, trundle bed, 40-inch TV and writing desk.
Additionally, the resort’s exteriors were redesigned to include a new thatch-roof poolside bale with direct access to an adjacent infinity pool and an ironwood sundeck. The property’s plunge pools, except for the pool accompanying the Deluxe Villas, were expanded by 32 percent. Best of all, the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay is marking its evolution by offering guests 30 percent off the best available rate when they book a minimum 2-night stay in one of the newly-renovated villas by June 30, 2016 for travel through Dec. 20, 2016. Rates start at $735 per night in a Deluxe Villa, and include daily breakfast for two at the onsite Taman Wantilan restaurant and a range of complimentary cultural and recreational activities. For more information, visit fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay.
