Choose the feeling first.

Founded in 1985 by Paul and Jeroen — two Amsterdam locals who grew up in the 1960s and 70s cannabis scene. Tweede Kamer ('Second Living Room') has a 1930s-style interior with vintage furnishings and museum-quality decor. Staff are cannabis sommeliers. Open 365 days, 8am to 1am. Attracts students, artists, musicians, and writers as regulars near the Spui.

Heisteeg 6 · 1012 WC

Ron Blaauw's Michelin-starred gastrobar concept — an Indonesian-Dutch rijsttafel format done at genuine luxury level in an Oud-Zuid neighbourhood setting. Three gastrobar locations across Amsterdam (Sophialaan, Oriental/downtown, and Indonesia), each offering a different take on the same precision cooking. Sophialaan is the flagship: relaxed, considered, one Michelin star, and positioned between Vondelpark and the Museum Quarter. Book 2–3 weeks ahead.

Sophialaan 55 · 1075 BP

A Hague coffeeshop with a polished, genetics-led feel: compact, central, and built around the idea of craft flower rather than loud tourist energy. Strong for visitors who want the Netherlands scene beyond Amsterdam without losing quality control.

Elandstraat 18

Forty rooms across 17th-century canal houses on the Keizersgracht — Amsterdam's most intimate luxury stay. The Dylan's Vinkeles restaurant holds a Michelin star and operates from a former dispensary kitchen dating to 1771. Each room is individually styled: no two are the same. A private canal terrace, butler service, and a level of detail that only a 40-room hotel can sustain. The premium choice for travellers who want neighbourhood-scale luxury on the canal belt.

Keizersgracht 384 · 1016 GB

Amsterdam's Japanese luxury landmark with four restaurants including two Michelin-starred kitchens: Ciel Bleu (French fine dining, panoramic city views, 23rd floor) and Yamazato (traditional Japanese, awarded every year since 2002). Also KIRI for modern Japanese, plus the Teppanyaki grill. A 300-room Okura Hotels & Resorts property on the Amstel Canal edge of De Pijp. Wellness floor, indoor pool, and skybar views across the whole city.

Ferdinand Bolstraat 333 · 1072 LH

Seven ultra-suites on Dam Square — the most exclusive small hotel in Amsterdam. Complete privacy, butler service, and a location that puts the entire city on your doorstep.

Dam 27 · 1012 JS

The Pink Palace — Beverly Hills' original luxury landmark since 1912. Bungalows surrounded by tropical gardens, the Polo Lounge, and the most recognisable hotel facade in California. Old-money LA at its most intact.

Chef Niki Nakayama's Michelin two-star kaiseki in West LA — the most rigorous Japanese tasting menu in America. Seasonal, deeply personal, and notoriously difficult to book. A once-in-a-city dining experience.

The Upper East Side's most prestigious address — Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurant, Jean-Louis Deniot interiors, and a clientele drawn from the top of global arts, fashion, and finance. Quiet luxury at the highest level.

Eric Ripert's Michelin three-star seafood temple — the greatest fish restaurant in America, arguably the world. Thirty-plus years at the absolute top of New York dining. The tasting menu is a lesson in restraint and precision.

Three Michelin stars inside MGM Grand — the late Joël Robuchon's Las Vegas flagship, a purple art deco jewel box serving his legendary pomme purée and multi-course tasting menus. The most acclaimed fine dining room on the Strip.

The Magnificent Mile's premier luxury address — Forbes Five-Star for over two decades, the best afternoon tea in Chicago, a rooftop pool with Michigan Avenue views, and an unmatched level of service consistency that outperforms any other hotel in the city.

Mies van der Rohe's IBM Building repurposed as Chicago's most architecturally significant luxury hotel — the Chuan Spa, river and city views from every room, and an interior that honours the building's modernist heritage without compromising on comfort.

The Garden Court — one of the most beautiful dining rooms in America, inside a hotel that has anchored San Francisco's Financial District since 1875. A fully restored grand hotel with a Kyo-Ya restaurant and the most photogenic space in the city.

Three Michelin stars in a SoMa warehouse — Joshua Skenes' live-fire tasting menu built around a 13-foot hearth, with ingredients sourced from Saison's own farm and fishing boat. The most ingredient-obsessed kitchen in America.

Downtown Denver's premier luxury hotel — mountain views from upper floors, indoor-outdoor heated pool, an exceptional spa, and the most consistently five-star service in the city. The Rocky Mountain backdrop makes this a more dramatic Four Seasons than most.

Denver's grand dame since 1892 — a triangular Romanesque building with an atrium lobby that has hosted every US President since Theodore Roosevelt. Afternoon tea in the atrium is Denver's most historic ritual, with artisan well water from beneath the hotel.

Jennifer Jasinski's Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on Larimer Square — a James Beard Award winner and Denver's most consistently acclaimed kitchen. House-made charcuterie, artisan pasta, a wine programme focused on Mediterranean varietals, and the warmest dining room in the city.

Passeig de Gràcia's most refined hotel — Moments restaurant (2 Michelin stars), rooftop pool with Gaudí skyline views, and a central address for gallery movement, shopping, and social club access.

Passeig de Gràcia 38 · 08007

A 19th-century Barcelona Cotton Manufacturers Guild building transformed into the city's most beautiful hotel — original marble columns, domed ceiling, library lounge, rooftop pool, and 83 rooms designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The Gran Via address sits inside the Eixample luxury spine between Passeig de Gràcia and the social club layer.

Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 670 · 08010

Barcelona's original grand hotel — opened 1919 as the Ritz, renovated in 2012, still the most storied address on Gran Via. Palau restaurant, rooftop pool, a Belle Époque ballroom still in use, and rooms that carry a century of city history. The reference point for formal Barcelona luxury.

Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 668 · 08010

Number one restaurant in the world 2024 — Chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, all alumni of elBulli, with two Michelin stars and a culinary approach that redefines what a tasting menu can be. Multi-sphere techniques, hyper-precise plating, and a progression of 30+ courses that feels like a genuine art installation.

Carrer de Villarroel 163 · 08036

Martin Berasategui and Paolo Casagrande's three-Michelin-star restaurant inside the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona — the highest-rated kitchen in Catalonia, built around Basque Country technique applied to exceptional Catalan and Spanish produce. Formal, flawless, and the pinnacle of Eixample fine dining.

Carrer de Mallorca 259 · 08008

Tenerife's landmark luxury resort on Costa Adeje — 19th-century Canarian village architecture spread across the beachfront. Multiple restaurants, pools, spa, and a genuine resort-within-a-resort feel.

Calle Gran Bretaña s/n · 38660

Michelin-starred Japanese-Spanish fusion at the Ritz-Carlton Abama on Tenerife's west coast — ocean views, precision omakase, and one of the Canary Islands' most serious dining experiences.

Carretera General TF-47 km 9 · 38687

The original Marbella — founded 1954 by Prince Alfonso. Lush gardens, beach club, tennis, spa, and a clientele that has defined the Golden Mile for seven decades. Understated luxury with serious social heritage.

Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n · 29602

Dani García's flagship at Puente Romano — creative Andalusian tasting menu from one of Spain's most celebrated chefs. Multiple accolades, bold technique, and a Costa del Sol institution.

Hotel Puente Romano, Ctra. de Cádiz km 177 · 29602

Bangkok's most legendary hotel — operating since 1876 on the Chao Phraya river. Authors Suite where Conrad, Maugham, and Coward wrote. Le Normandie (Michelin), Bamboo Bar, and river terrace. Irreplaceable.

48 Oriental Avenue · 10500

60 riverside suites and villas in a contemporary Thai-designed property on the Chao Phraya — Bangkok's most recent luxury entry. Auriga Spa, two pools, and a riverside that feels genuinely residential.

300/2 Charoenkrung Road · 10120

Peninsula's three-tiered tower on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya — helicopter landing pad, river-view pool, Thai cooking school, and Peninsula's signature precision service in a genuinely impressive setting.

333 Charoennakorn Road · 10600

The resort that launched Aman Hotels in 1988 — Thai pavilion architecture on a private hillside above Pansea Beach, a spa of global reputation, private longtail boat service, and an atmosphere of deep quiet luxury that has never been replicated. The most iconic resort in Thailand.

Private pool villas cascading down a hillside to a secluded north Phuket bay — no beach clubs, no crowds, and a farm-to-table restaurant built around their own organic garden. The definition of discreet Phuket luxury.

Michelin-starred farm-to-table at Trisara Resort — Chef Jimmy Ophorst's tasting menu built entirely from Trisara's own organic farm, island fishermen, and local producers. The most acclaimed restaurant in Phuket and one of the best in Southeast Asia.

Hillside infinity pool villas on Koh Samui's north cape — each villa with private plunge pool and Gulf of Thailand panoramas, a spa with genuine Thai healing expertise, and the most complete luxury resort experience on the island.

Nine individual platforms built over the water at Six Senses Samui — the most dramatic restaurant setting in Thailand. Contemporary cuisine, local seafood, and an open-air experience perched on the rocks above the Gulf of Thailand. The definitive Koh Samui dining moment.

The most spectacular resort in northern Thailand — Lanna-style architecture in Mae Rim valley with Doi Suthep mountain as the backdrop, a spa incorporating ancient northern healing traditions, paddy field views, and an immersive cultural programme connecting guests to Chiang Mai's artistic community.

Chef Chanakarn Tangpin's intimate tasting menu restaurant in Nimman — northern Thai ingredients elevated through French technique, a genuinely personal 10-course menu that changes weekly, and the most accomplished kitchen in Chiang Mai.

Twin brothers Mathias and Thomas Sühring serve modern German cuisine in a restored 1960s villa off Sukhumvit 53 — one of Bangkok's most celebrated fine-dining addresses. Fermented, pickled, and smoked techniques applied to both Thai and European ingredients, with one of the city's most considered wine lists.

Chef Bee Satongun's Michelin-starred restaurant in the Gaysorn Tower — modern Thai fine dining rooted in royal and ancient Thai culinary manuscripts, using hyper-seasonal produce and hand-pounded pastes made fresh each morning. One of the most intellectually serious kitchens in Bangkok.

Carved into a granite hillside above Ko Tao Bay — Koh Tao's most exclusive resort with private villas, a cliffside infinity pool, full spa, and panoramic views over the Gulf of Thailand. A genuine hideout: no dive shops or beach bars, just elevation, privacy, and the sound of the ocean below.

A 1889 former Dresdner Bank headquarters on Bebelplatz in the heart of Mitte — the original vault is now a pool and spa. Opera Bar terrace, rooftop pool with Berlin skyline, and 146 rooms of understated German luxury.

Behrenstraße 37 · 10117

A converted Royal Danish Embassy overlooking the Tiergarten — Patricia Urquiola-designed rooms, Michelin-starred Cinco restaurant, in-house spa, and direct access to Berlin's central park. Intimate with only 78 rooms.

Drakestraße 1 · 10787

Billy Wagner's radical local-only restaurant on Friedrichstraße — ingredients sourced exclusively from the Berlin-Brandenburg region, counter seating around an open kitchen, natural wine, and a political conviction about food that makes it the most important restaurant in Germany.

Friedrichstraße 218 · 10969

Vltava riverside luxury in the Old Town — three heritage buildings united, Charles Bridge and Old Town Square within walking distance, and CottoCrudo rooftop with river views. Prague's most prestigious address.

Veleslavinova 2a · 110 00

Michelin-starred Czech fine dining in the Old Town — 7 or 11 courses built around historical Bohemian recipes with modern technique. The most important restaurant in Czech cuisine, run with genuine conviction.

Haštalská 18 · 110 00

An Edwardian villa in Bantry Bay with ocean views over the Atlantic — 13 rooms, private art gallery (one of Africa's finest private collections), two pools, and unmatched personal service. The most intimate premium option in Cape Town.

180 Kloof Road, Bantry Bay · 8005

Hillside Constantia wine estate restaurant consistently rated among Africa's top five — stunning valley views, Cape-French cuisine, and an 8-course tasting menu that justifies every kilometre of the drive from the city.

Silvermist Wine Estate, Constantia · 7806

A landmark Montreal hotel with grand-service heritage, polished rooms, a strong dining anchor, and the formal calm that suits a slower Old Montreal route.

1228 Sherbrooke Street West · H3G 1H6

Alo is Toronto's polished tasting-menu room: contemporary French technique, controlled service, and a dining room built for the kind of night that anchors a whole trip.

163 Spadina Avenue · M5V 2L6