THE LUXE LIST 2019
INDEX
AUSTRALIA
Elysian Retreat, Whitsundays The Calile Hotel, Brisbane Mt. Mulligan Lodge, Queensland Prospect House, Tasmania Zagame’s House, Melbourne
BHUTAN
Six Senses Bhutan
CAMBODIA
Alila Villas Koh Russey Shinta Mani Wild, Kirirom Six Senses Krabey Island
CHINA
Alila Wuzhen Capella Sanya, Hainan Island Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing The PuXuan, Beijing Rosewood Hong Kong The Shanghai Edition The St. Regis Hong Kong
INDONESIA
The Apurva Kempinski Bali
INDIA
Soho House Mumbai Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru Glenburn Penthouse, Kolkata The Roseate Ganges, Rishikesh Andhra Art & Craft Hotel, Visakhapatna
JAPAN
Trunk (House), Tokyo
MALDIVES
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, South Male Atoll Joali, Raa Atoll LUX* North Male Atoll Kudadoo Maldives Private Island, Lhaviyani Atoll
MALAYSIA
88 Armenian, Penang The Datai Langkawi The RuMa, Kuala Lumpur
MYANMAR
Wa Ale, Mergui Archipelago
NEW ZEALAND
The Lindis, Ahuriri Valley
SINGAPORE
The Capitol Kempinski Raffles Singapore
TAIWAN
Hoshinoya Guguan, Taichung
THAILAND
Rosewood Bangkok
VIETNAM
Anantara Quy Nhon Villas Hôtel de la Coupole, Sapa
KOLKATA, INDIA
Glenburn Penthouse
Is the Oberoi’s reign as Kolkata’s favorite luxury digs finally over? After a years-long gestation, The Glenburn Penthouse opened in January as the epitome of genteel living in the onetime imperial capital of British India. Owners Husna-Tara and Anshuman Prakash, together with flamboyant Melbourne-born designer Bronwyn Baillieu-Latif, sourced the finest local craftsmen for the hotel’s plaster moldings, inlaid-marble furnishings, Venetian mirror work, and teak parquetry, all of which lend an air of old-world elegance to this thoroughly contemporary property. The nine suites are arranged over the top two floors of an eight-story office building — an odd location to be sure, but the Penthouse exists in its own fabulous world. The delight is in the detail: a lady walking her leopard in the lavishly whimsical “Hindoostan” wallpaper, custom-made in Paris; the carved Burmese-teak beds; the pink chandeliers and cherub sconces in the dining room. Everything, from the ceramic-handled cutlery to the elephant-motif crockery, has been chosen for character and aesthetics. Then there are the views, especially from the rooftop infinity pool. At this height, the 19-millionstrong metropolis is laid bare in all its smog-smudged glory: the Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, Howrah Bridge, the racecourse. Just extraordinary. —91-33/4604-5267; glenburnpenthouse.com; doubles from US$335
LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA
The Datai Langkawi
This is the resort that turned Langkawi into a bona fide luxury destination when it debuted back in 1993; a Kerry Hill–designed classic of low-slung, timber-clad buildings embraced by ancient rain forest. Now, following a US$60 million overhaul that kept its doors closed for a year, The Datai is making waves once again. Didier Lefort, the French architect and designer responsible for the interiors the first time around, was brought back to update the rooms and villas in line with their original spirit, for which he reinstated brass-studded wooden panels and added freestanding composite-stone tubs. Three new pool villas have joined the mix, as has the Datai Estate, a private five-bedroom complex. The gym has been relocated to a beach-side pavilion; the revamped spa sports a Bastien Gonzalez mani-pedi studio; and the beach club has been expanded and improved. Nature-loving guests will appreciate The Datai’s enhanced menu of activities — everything from reef walks and kayaking to bug hunts for kids. Resident naturalist Irshad Mobarak now works out of a purpose-built nature center that features a small laboratory and a “tea corner” for herbal infusions. Also new is a nature trail that winds through the 26-hectare property, complete with a mangrove boardwalk and an observation deck nestled high in the trunk of a strangler fig. —60-4/950-0500; thedatai.com; doubles from US$610
SINGAPORE
Raffles Singapore
It may sit securely in the pantheon of the world’s grande dame hotels, but even this beloved Singaporean icon was looking decidedly faded by the time it retreated behind hoardings in early 2017 for a longoverdue restoration. The results of the two-and-a-half year makeover were unveiled in August to largely positive reviews, with the greatest applause reserved for New York–based designer Alexandra Champalimaud for walking that fine line between nostalgia and contemporary relevance. The soaring lobby — Joseph Conrad once described it as being as “airy as a birdcage” — shines once more, a white cocoon capped by a huge crystal chandelier that hovers over polished marble floors and coppery screens. The 115 lofty suites are a particular treat. Here, Champalimaud layers creamy hues and Peranakan-inspired tiles with capacious four-poster beds and minimalist abstract art. An iPad controls all room functions and books restaurant tables, while a personal butler is on call 24/7 for everything else, including drawing the nightly bath. The culinary offerings do not disappoint either. The beloved Tiffin Room, Long Bar, and Writers Bar have been reimagined with handsome furnishings, but the greater buzz surrounds the arrival of restaurants by Michelin-starred Anne-Sophie Pic, Jereme Leung, and Alain Ducasse. —65/6337-1886; raffles.com; doubles from US$605
KIRIROM, CAMBODIA
Shinta Mani Wild
Your arrival by zip line over a waterfall is the first clue that Shinta Mani Wild is no typical hotel. With just 15 tented suites strung out along a boulder-strewn river on the doorstep of
