Category Archives: Hotel of the Week

Hôtel Plaza Athénée . Paris, France

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The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris recently underwent a major renovation and is now, and always has been, the quintessential Parisian luxury hotel.  With spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower, your stay at The Hotel Plaza Athénée is sure to be an absolute delight.  Located on Avenue Montaigne, guests find themselves in the heart of Paris haute couture.

Since 1913, Hôtel Plaza Athénée has been delighting its guests with the ever-present Parisian charm from an unbeatable location, which is now even more perfect thanks to an amazing renovation.  The ambience creates a perfect escape and immersion into the Parisian lifestyle that everyone dreams of.  The hotel has updated its interiors to be even more impeccably decorated, and the new event rooms, including the sprawling ballroom, are inspired by Paris haute couture.

The Hôtel Plaza Athénée has 154 rooms and 54 suites, each perfect in its own uniquely fashionable way.  This is a perfect destination to bring the kids along too, as the renovation has perfected multiple kids’ rooms like the Barbie Room that will make your little ones go starry-eyed.  80% of the rooms are interconnected, making this hotel the ideal spot for the whole family.

Children get the VIP treatment at Hôtel Plaza Athénée – each child receives a stuffed animal to snuggle with, a cozy robe fit your your little prince or princess, or red slippers with teddy bears on them. The hotel also has a trustworthy nanny agency on hand in case Mom and Dad need a romantic evening in the City of Love.  There are plenty of family-friendly activities around Paris, including Parc de la Villette, Jardin d’acclimatation, Vincennes (flower gardens and zoo), the Cité des Sciences, the Palais de la découverte, and the unforgettable Disneyland Paris.

The Dior Institut at the Plaza Athénée Paris will provide you with a world-class spa experience.  Since the Spa opened in 1946, Christian Dior as maintained a strong relationship with the Hotel.  The ambiance is elegantly relaxing and something out of a dream.  Their philosophy, “the ultimate luxury experience for pure beauty,” epitomizes the Parisian spa experience that you will never forget.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Four Seasons Disney World. Orlando, FL

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When  parents think about Disney World, they envision character breakfasts, long twisting ride lines, and screaming children. While you can’t take away the ride lines, unless you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg for VIP tickets, you can definitely make your stay much more luxurious and adult-friendly at the brand new Four Seasons Resort in Orlando. The hotel caters to families that would like a child-friendly trip to Orlando, without having to sacrifice the amenities and class in a 5-star resort. The hotel has beautiful, modern, and hand-picked artwork adorning the walls and interior of the resort. You cannot miss the giant water-drop chandelier as you walk in the front doors, I started gaping!

Once you have checked in the front desk will take you up to your room where, depending upon whether or not you came with children, the room will come with gender-appropriate trinkets to get your kids hyped up. The rooms come with a teal, brown, and white color palette accompanying all the latest technology. Although each room comes with a balcony, try to request a park-facing room so you can see the fireworks. The staff’s favorite room would be the Grand Suite due to it’s spacious living room, kitchenette, and extra deep bathtub.

If you’re worried about dining, be rest assured the food is amazing. There are also 7 dining options to chose from. Ravello is the breakfast spot and I recommend the buffet, service can be a bit slow so if you’re with children it’s best to go serve yourself. The bar is also open late so you can sneak down there with your hubby for their specialty cocktail, A Spice of Life. Capa is their wonderful rooftop Steakhouse. If you decide to eat late you can enjoy dinner while watching the fireworks from Magic Kingdom. Plancha is the Cuban-inspired Golf Clubhouse restaurant, perfect for a guys’ afternoon or drink. Lickety-Split is the perfect place to take the kids for some afternoon gelato or to grab yourself that much-needed espresso.

The hotel also comes with 5 pools for your family to enjoy. There is the adults-only pool perfect for the afternoon rosé, family pool, splash zone, lazy river, and water slide. The lazy river is my personal favorite, you can take your drink and float merrily for hours. Their Spa is also amazing I recommend the treatment for two which ranges from mother-daughter facials to wife-husband massages in your own private suite. The hotel is sure to be packed pretty much year-round with a slight dip when schools starts in August, so make sure you book far in advance!

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

The Bighorn Lodge. Whistler, Canada

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The Bighorn Lodge is the perfect place for your next ski trip.  Located in Revelstroke, British Columbia, Bighorn is Canada’s premier mountain home.  A stunning 5-star ski chalet and heliski lodge, Bighorn sets a new standard for your mountain adventure.

Bring along 16 of your closest friends, and be ready to eat, drink and be merry.  The fabulous staff will have you feeling like kings and queens all week, and an award-winning, on-site European chef will please your palettes morning, noon and night. The Lodge is classic-style winter lodge with touches of modernity in its appliances and decor, think glass fireplaces with large deer-antler chandeliers.

The private chalet boasts 8 state-of-the-art bedrooms, each with a balcony to lose yourself in the breathtaking views, a fireplace to warm your toes, or a dreamy bed to kick up your feet in front of a Blu-ray TV.  It also offers the best in bespoke heli-skiing – equipped with a helipad, the property is ready and waiting for you to embark on your heliski journey atop some spectacularly fresh powder and glorious mountain ranges.

The chalet has the perfect sanctuary to heal your aching bones that worked hard all day on the slopes: an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor hot tub with views over the Columbia River and Monashee Mountains, and massage and sauna facilities.  If those are not enough to relax you, enjoy a private cinema stacked with any movie you could ever imagine, or play a game of billiards with a tall glass of whatever-you-please.

If you ever make it out of this unbelievable abode, you’ll find yourself among some of the best skiing in the world.  With the ultimate flexibility and customization of heliskiing, and the Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s access to 1,263 hectares of terrain at your beck and call, you’re sure to have an unforgettable trip to British Columbia.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Chalet Zermatt Peak. Zermatt, Switzerland

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Imagine being wrapped up in the most luxurious of furs and stepping out onto your own private balcony over-looking one of the most famous mountain peaks in the world, The Matterhorn. Zermatt is the perfect place for beginners and advanced skiier’s and snowboarder’s alike. If you’re truly a thrill-seeker,  you can try paragliding over the snowy mountains and down into the valley or heli-skiing from the top of le piste.

Chalet Zermatt Peak is a winner of a chalet for a number of reasons. The number one reason actually being that it won Best Ski Chalet 2013 in Switzerland at the World Ski Awards. Staying at Zermatt Peak is like staying in your own town, you have your own private Michelin-starred chef at your disposal, gym, wellness spa, library, and personal ski equipment rental. The chalet also comes with 24-hour chauffeur service so don’t worry about having to move those poor legs of yours anywhere.

The Chalet is very modern, yet in a warm and cozy way. The house is completely full of neutrals, both in the fur and nature aesthetics. Alpaca furs drape the couches and beds with the floor is lined with sheepskin and chandeliers drip down from every ceiling. Each of the rooms look out into the town of Zermatt, so you’ll never miss a thing. The Chalet also comes with an event planner/social chair so this is the perfect place to host large glamorous parties. Your 24-hour butler service will attend to you and your family’s every need.

I think my favorite room in the house would be the spa, where your private infinity Jacuzzi looks over the shiny bright town of Zermatt, although the kitchen would be a close second. How many people can say they have had a menu catered to their every whim and desire?

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Art Chalet. Courchevel, France

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Whomever thought that mixing Picasso with a French Chalet would would be a good idea is a genius.

Art Chalet is the ultimate retreat for an art and ski lover. Do not be shocked if you walk in to the Chalet and you think you have walked into a luxury hotel by accident, you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

The 20,400sq ft chalet, located above Courchevel 1850, can be easily described with one word, extravagance with a weekly rental price of $190,000 a week. No wonder the regulars are Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Beckhams, George Clooney, Roman Abramovich and Giorgio Armani.

Once you set foot in the quaint town, a 4×4 Mercedes will whisk you from the airport and quickly transport you to your new home for a week, the chalet of your dreams.

Before you take the grand tour of your 9 bedroom humble abode, they will welcome you with decadent Champagne and canapés, however do not drink too much because you have 7 floors to explore. Keep in mind that the chalet comes with an entire team that will be at your disposal: Chefs, Chalet Manager, Masseuses, Concierge, Housekeeping and Chauffeurs.

The house homes a waterfall swimming pool surrounded by 4 flat screen TVs, a private nightclub with state-of-the-art DJ equipment, sleek glass elevators, a cinema room (in case the 4 flat screen TVs in the pool are not enough), a casino, a ski equipment room, hammam, full spa, gym and wine cellar. 

The style of the chalet is traditional on steroids, if that means anything. Due to the immense amount of art the chalet has, the security is extremely high, however you will not feel it.

Sculptures, paintings, lithographies and drawings by artists such as Picasso and Warhol are liberally scattered throughout Art Chalet. Even the light fittings are art installations, and the Japanese toilets are a stylish touch. Honestly, there is no valid reason why you should leave the chalet to go skiing. The mountain will always be there for your next trip when you stay in a chalet that is not nearly as nice as Art Chalet because you spent all of your savings that one time at the Art Chalet. 

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Chalet Mont Blanc. Megeve, France

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Situated high on top of a cliff overlooking the bourgeoisie town of Megève, you feel as if you are residing over your own kingdom in this one-of-a-kind chalet. Chalet Mont Blanc comprises of two neighboring buildings to give you the feeling of utmost privacy while maintaining a homey (and by homey I mean impeccably designed and chic) feel.

The chalet is ski-in and ski-out and comprised of 7 en-suite bedrooms that can accommodate up to 12 adults and 4 children.  Each room has its own design, from fluffy pink pillows and pink bean bags, to dark wood adorned with fur, and a cool black and white palette with some of the most enviable wall lighting.

The second you walk into the house your eyes are drawn to the wall-to-ceiling windows that span over all of Megève. Your eyes will also not miss the infinity pool situated right on the terrace, perfect for romantic late-night swims with your loved one after you have put the kids to bed. The chalet also comes with it’s own spa and accompanying projector screen (because every pool has to come with one of those!), hammam, sauna, and massage rooms.

The chalet’s wine cellar is big enough to set up camp in, so thats most likely where you will find me, staring lovingly at the expensive and rare wines. You can take that beautiful bottle of wine and head down to your private cinema while your chef makes a dinner so scrumptious you might take him home with you.

Worried about how you’ll get there with all of your luggage and ski equipment? Not to worry, you can take your helicopter to the chalet’s private helipad located on-site.

Chalet Edelweiss. Courchevel, France

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When you see Edelweiss for the first time, you might think you are dreaming. The Courchevel 1850 chalet is so perfect that you might have to pinch yourself several times before acknowledging that it is actually real.

Considered the largest and most luxurious chalet in the Alps, it leaves nothing to be desired. From a 100-person nightclub to a hammam, you will never want check out… that is until your bank account forces you to. The nightly rate is a staggering $450,000 USD per week, the most expensive chalet in Europe that we know of, so if you think this is too pricey, you can always share the lodge with a few friends, ha!

This 8 bedroom ski-in ski-out chalet is only 5 minutes away by foot from the charming town of Courchevel. Courchevel 1850 is the most exclusive ski resort in Europe, and the quaintest one as well.

The chalet is 3,000m² over seven floors. The eight bedrooms allows 16 to sleep heavenly with a rustic yet modern decoration so you don’t have to sacrifice any modern amenity you might want during your stay.

Their ski rooms make the most luxurious hotel’s ski room look like sad attempt with their top of the line equipment. However, my favorite common areas are the cinema room and nightclub. You will like them so much, you will not want to leave the premises at any point, not even for dinner. Every meal will be served in a gorgeous 22 person dining room with a chef that gives Alain Ducasse a run for his money.

The spa is rivaled by none, with a 14 meter pool, Jacuzzi with a bar, a hammam, sauna, two therapy rooms and a large gym.

If all of the above wasn’t enough, the chalet also comes with a full staff: butler, concierge, chef, valet parking, chauffeur, cleaning service, hair stylist, masseuses and ski instructors.

Driving to Courchevel and worried about parking? Worry no more, the house has an underground garage for 20 cars accessed by a lift. Perfect for Jay Leno and his army fleet of cars.

Do not worry if you find yourself wanting to only ski for two hours a day during your stay, clients usually suffer from SKD (short-ski-day disorder) while staying at the magnificent Edelweiss chalet.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Le Petit Palais. Courchevel, France.

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Although holiday travel is coming to an end, Posh Voyage has a few more top-secret Winter destinations for you. One of our absolute favorites, and probably the definition of chic, is Le Petit Palais, a private chalet for rent situated on the slopes of Bellecote Piste in Courchevel 1850. Expanding over 6 floors, this ski-in and ski-out chalet is the ultimate skier’s playground. It is in the perfect location to explore the charming surrounding area. Enjoy Courchevel’s glamorous nightlife, taste Michelin-starred cuisine, or some of the world’s most adventurous out-door activities, all minutes from this exclusive chalet.

The designers of the chalet tried to keep the harmony of the surrounding nature in mind when putting the finishing touches on the interior decorating. The chalet has a modern feel, complete with all the latest technology, while maintaining a natural palette or dark browns, black, and crisp whites. The chalet includes 7 bedrooms, with the Master Suite having its own 855 ft² floor. The other 6 bedrooms can accommodate up to 12 adults and 2 children in the highest of luxury. When you walk in the front door you come upon a winding staircase, which connects the whole house and it’s spectacular views. The second floor is the perfect place to entertain guests with a log-burning fireplace, TV lounge, and private bar. The basement level comes with its own private spa and gym. Enjoy massage and facial therapies in the privacy of your own home.

As part of staying at Le Petit Palais, complimentary services include a private chef, butler, chauffeur service, and private garage. The best services the chalet comes with however, are the ski equipment, ski instructor, and ski passes, to top off a fantastic stay in one of the most romantic places in the world. Not to mention the chalet comes with it’s own hair salon and nightclub. Once you get to Le Petit Palais, you may never leave! Everything you could want and need is at your fingertips. For only, $100,000- $250,000 a week, this dream home could be yours.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

The Resort at Paws Up. Montana.

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There is something about Montana dude ranches that make me swoon. Maybe it is the childhood memories it brings me (given that my parents used to take my siblings and me every year to the same ranch), or maybe it is the jaw-dropping scenery that only Montana has to offer.

After years of research, we found out favorite ranch, Ranch at Paws Up. Situated in the heart of a sprawling 37,000-acre cattle ranch in Montana, is the luxurious Resort at Paws Up. Paws Up brings a whole new dimension to the concept of a dude-ranch, while this is a place for the outdoors-lovers, its also incorporates rustic luxury and style. Each day is a new adventure, from fly-fishing to horse-back riding excursions to hot air balloon rides, I promise you could never be bored. Paws Up also has a Glamping component, for those who want to be immersed in the pristine wilderness without sacrificing the amenities of a 5-star hotel.

Families and couples can choose to stay in a luxury vacation home or a luxury tent (the tent is way more fun). The luxury vacation homes offers complete seclusion for your family in your own little wilderness sanctuary. Luxury ranch accommodations come with complete with panoramic vistas and an extensive list of features such as a great room with a soaring vaulted ceiling, a cook’s kitchen, a loft game room, and three master suites featuring en-suite master bathrooms outfitted with a spacious slate shower, a jetted spa tub, sumptuous spa products and plush towels. If I could stay in any of the homes I would stay in the Wilderness Estates; large, private, and oh-so-chic.

The camps are designed for a large family who wants to enjoy the quiet of the wilderness, while still being connected to the Resort, you even get your own Camp Butler! There are 5 different types of camps to chose from, my favorite being the Cliffside Camp. Located across Paws Up’s famous covered bridge and atop a soaring cliff that overlooks the Blackfoot River and Elk Creek, Cliffside Camp combines luxurious amenities with the Resort’s most stunning views to create the ultimate Glamping experience in Montana. There are four two-bedroom tent suites feature plenty of room for families, while two one-bedroom (adult-only) honeymoon tents serve as the quintessential accommodations for romantic getaways. 

If you’re worried about refined culinary offerings, don’t be. The Resort comes with 6 different dining options, all using the freshest and most organic options, without sacrificing that great smoked meat flavor. Your must-experience dining option is Chuck Wagon, their outdoor dining experience. Climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage to Blackfoot River and enjoy an Angus Prime Ribs, cooked before your very own eyes. After your ginormous meal, head to Spa Town, an entire clearing dedicated to wellness and spa treatments within your own private tent. Life out there in the unspoiled wilderness is so perfect, you’ll forget about your city life altogether!

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Les Fermes de Marie. Megève, France.

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Full of elegance and charm, Megève is the secret hot spot for the French elite to go skiing and wellness. Les Fermes de Marie is a complex of 9 ski chalets in Megève, constructed with materials taken from the forests of the mountain, this ski chalet is several centuries old. Every antique, beam, marble piece has a story to tell and while staying at Les Fermes de Marie, you will have the innate feeling you are staying in some very prestigious wooden ski chalet. If you’re looking for a place to let your kids be kids, and the adults have adult time, the chalet comes with a space for the younger generation designed especially for them, the Hameau des Enfants. 

The rooms are designed with high-vaulted wooden ceilings, hand-crafted wooden furniture, and a bed adorned with furs that looks so cozy I could hibernate in it for the rest of the winter. Almost all the rooms come with a balcony or terrace and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub to release that winter ache. The staff’s favorite room in the chalet is ‘La Suite Blanche’. This chalet of 90 m² faces the village of Megève and contains a lounge with a fireplace and terrace, a bedroom with two beds, and a small bedroom with one bed, perfect for a large family! You can also choose to stay in one of their two private chalets, Chalets des Fermes de Marie or Le Chalet Chatel.

When meal time comes, you can choose from 5 dining options. Restaurant Traditionnel cooks balanced stove-top meals, loaded with flavor and protein. My favorite meal at the restaurant is the Coquillettes aux truffes et jambon de sauget (coquillettes with truffles and ham of Sauget). Restaurant Alpin is more casual, but centered around Alpine delicacies. They also always have a dessert cart out, so that’s where you’ll find me during dinner time!

The Spa as Les Fermes de Marie, is my favorite pastime at this magical chalet, developed by the Pure Altitude brand. There are 17 individual treatment cabins at your disposal. This spa focuses on gentle movements on the body combined with the right natural ingredients to evoke stress-reducing chemicals. My favorite treatment is the ‘Energétique des Alpes’ Ritual. It’s a massage-treatment combining manual techniques with linen bags full of salts and mountain plants, a balancing, draining and relaxing treatment.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.