If these long, cold nights have got you dreaming of far flung destinations, the following might just tip you over the edge. Scrolling through the gorgeous collection of boutique hotels on the Smith website is legit one of our fave ways to while away a few hours – and last night was their star-studded awards ceremony.
Featuring retractable bedroom roofs in the middle of the Indian Ocean, impressive art collections and out of this world vistas, the winners were dotted around the globe – from the Chilean desert to the Japanese mountains; Icelandic backwaters to Manhattan avenues – it’s a ready-made holiday hotlist for the new year.
The following hotels are the VERY best of the very best. Credit cards at the ready…
Best Smith Hotel
Villa La Coste Provence, France
‘As the only category voted for by the public, Best Smith Hotel is a serious accolade. Villa La Coste is new on the boutique-hotel circuit but has since become a firm favourite. With its cutting-edge design, arresting architecture and amazing art collection, it’s a very well-deserved winner – one of the most impressive boltholes on our books.’
– James Lohan Co-founder, Mr & Mrs Smith
Best-Dressed Hotel
Le Roch Hotel & Spa Paris, France
‘Having spent nine straight nights in this hotel during Paris Fashion week, I must say I wanted to stay nine more. Its location is perfect, the decor is elegant, it’s chic yet cosy and the service was perfect.’
– Jake Rosenberg Founder, The Coveteur
World’s Sexiest Bedroom
Soneva Jani , Maldives
‘One button on this retractable roof stands between you and post-coital stargazing. Did I mention you’re lying on a bed in the middle of the ocean? If that’s not sexy I don’t know what is.’
– Olivia von Halle Fashion designer
Best Date-Night Bar
Roxy Hotel NYC, US
‘The cocktail list is impressive at the Roxy: the perfect harmony between cool and laid-back. The lounge area makes you feel like you’re in someone’s living room yet when the jazz starts playing you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.’
– Laura Jackson Presenter and author
Best Gourmet Getaway
Zaborin Niseko, Japan
‘ The food from Yoshihiro Seno is as pure and as well thought out as the hotel. He draws from his own experience of ‘kaiseki‘ and ‘washoku‘ techniques and makes good use of local produce including his own grown ingredients. Guests are in for a delightful journey in taste.’
– Tom Aikens Chef and author
Most Spoiling Spa
Les Sources de Caudalie Bordeaux, France
‘As if having developed an exceptional product range wasn’t enough, this spa nails a holistic approach with treatments that really deliver.’
– Nick Shelton Founder, Broadsheet Media
Best Smith Villa
Annandale Scrubby Bay Pigeon Bay, New Zealand
‘Seclusion is the new opulence, so this remote villa – situated on a lake in an extinct volcano, with working farm and superb eco credentials – is truly off-the-grid. The ultimate good-for-the-soul retreat. (Plus: cashmere pyjamas!)’
– Lee Tulloch Travel Editor, Vogue Living
Best Pool with a View
Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa Atacama Desert, Chile
‘This really is an escape from it all. The mountainous landscape looks almost lunar, and is so peaceful you could be forgiven for imagining yourself on another planet altogether. I think the natural wood and furniture design sits in harmony really beautifully with the landscape around you – it embraces it rather than trying to fight it. Fab.’
– Lauren Laverne Broadcaster and founder of The Pool
Above & Beyond
Chamba Camp Thiksey Himalayas, India
‘Absolutely magical eco-friendly glamping in palatial tents with panoramic vistas of mountain-top monasteries by the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh.’
– Johannes Pong Travel writer
Best Family Hotel
Taylor River Lodge Crested Butte, US
‘If you are an adventure family that loves the outdoors but wants to experience a holiday where you also feel looked after, treated and the workload is non-existent, this is the place. An incredible location this is truly the perfect scenario for the whole family to connect to each other and the unparalleled landscape that is Colorado.’
– Sheree Commerford Founder, Captain and the Gypsy Kid
Coolest Creative Hub
Public NYC , US
‘The clue’s in the name: Public is truly a hotel for the people. It dispenses with hotel frills to focus on the communal – the co-working lobby space, the city-spying rooftop bar, the multicultural kitchen, the local-loving boutique, the basement nightclub – and has rightly become a honeypot for creative types as a result’
– Richard MacKichan Editor, Mr & Mrs Smith
Local Hotel Hero
Nay Palad Hideaway, Siargao Island, Philippines
‘Not only is this place perfect for completely unwinding in paradise, they also take great care in making sure their carbon footprint is minimal by using solar power, composting, growing their own produce and reducing the use of plastic materials. Additionally, the owner of the hotel has a foundation to support local community projects, therefore everything on the hotel property is crafted by locals – how cool is that?’
– Phoebe Dahl Founder and CEO, Faircloth + Supply
