There are several Regal hotels in Hong Kong, and I was lucky to see both the one at the airport and the one in Kowloon. Which one you choose depends on how much time you have in Hong Kong.
Arriving on a trans-Pacific Air Canada flight, I was grateful to be able to simply walk through the airport to the Regal Airport. So convenient! And so lovely — this hotel has consistently won World’s Best Airport Hotel and Best Airport Hotel in Asia awards by Skytrax and others.
Check-in for the executive suites is on the 11th floor, where the staff are very friendly and efficient. Normally I would have liked to just crash in the big bed after a long flight, but Hong Kong Airlines was hosting a banquet for us in Regal’s Rouge restaurant. The menu at Rouge is traditional Cantonese with Shaanxi signature dishes. Beautifully presented, the food was light, flavourful and delicious. Capped off with a surprise birthday cake for me, it was the perfect introduction to Hong Kong.
Executive Club rooms are very large with king beds and lots of space to work and relax. Amenities are L’Occtiane — my favourite. Breakfast and snacks are available for Executive Club members on the 11th floor, where they’ll attend to your every need with bright smiles.
You should hope your next flight is delayed so you can enjoy Regal’s facilities. There’s an outdoor and indoor pool, spa, and gym. Club floor guests receive a complimentary neck and shoulder massage, which I only regret not having time to sample.
In Hong Kong’s commercial and entertainment district, Kowloon, Regal has another beautiful property featuring 600 rooms and 39 suites on 12 floors. The chef at Mezzo impressed us with Italian classics done superbly, as well as with more birthday pastries. How sweet!
Then we had to whisk back to the airport to fly with Hong Kong Airlines to Fujian province to learn all about the King of Teas, Big Red Robe. Next time I’ll need to stay in Hong Kong longer!
From US$120
– Welcoming dark chocolate plane and runway, with a fruit plate
– All the convenience of an airport hotel and all the luxury of Regal
– Stay on the executive floor for even more luxury
– The outdoor pool was closed for repair during my springtime visit
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa is Arkansas’ largest hotel and a landmark of the town of Hot Springs. This historic hotel has 478 rooms and sits on Central Avenue, right across the street from the end of historic Bathhouse Row and near several walking paths in Hot Springs National Park.
The Arlington is all about history, and you’ll feel like you’re back in Hot Springs’ heyday, especially if you’re lucky enough to book the room frequented by Al Capone. The two-room suite is spacious and has portraits of the famous gangster. He liked the room because of its clear views of the Southern Club across the street and for a great distance down Central Avenue (just in case “the heat” was on its way), and because of its secret door providing an escape route to the room next door. You’ll like it because of it spaciousness and history.
Rooms at the Arlington are traditionally decorated, befitting a hotel first built in 1875 (the current buildings dates from 1925). Some guests get to stay in the three-room presidential suite, which features star-spangled curtains and throw cushions. Unlike most hotels’ presidential suites, several presidents have actually stayed here, including Hot Springs’ most famous resident, Bill Clinton. Other famous guests of old include Babe Ruth, who always stayed at the Arlington when in Hot Springs.
The Arlington’s Lobby Bar makes classic and inventive cocktails (the banana split and pineapple upside down cake are very popular). Sip your cocktail wondering about the love life of artist Kenneth Stern. He painted the jungle mural on the piano side of the lobby in the happy days of his relationship, and the one on the bar side after their break up. The mural is dedicated “for Gloria M who should have stayed”.
Dining at The Arlington is old school. The Venetian dining room is beautiful and serves classic hotel dishes. Several nights a week there’s live music in both the dining room and lounge. If your room doesn’t include breakfast, you’re just across the street from Hot Springs’ breakfast institution, The Pancake Shop (you can even see it from the pool deck).
Those visiting Hot Springs for history — whether presidential, mobster or baseball — will enjoy the Arlington.
From US$100 to $395
– History-filled — say in Al “Scarface” Capone’s room!
– Mineral water rooms feature hot spring water piped directly into the shower and bathtub
– A property as old and large as the Arlington requires a lot of maintenance, and this beauty shows its age in a few places
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
It is impossible to write about a hotel like Algodon Mansion without gushing. This 10-room luxurious boutique hotel is pretty much perfect (especially if you’re wanting your luxury accompanied by the privacy and discretion that can be hard to come by for celebrities in Buenos Aires).
Located in the affluent residential neighbourhood of Recoleta, it is difficult to believe that the immaculate building was once almost in ruins. It began life as a family mansion in 1912, and eventually became the residence of the ambassador to the Netherlands. It sat empty and abandoned for almost 40 years following Argentina’s dictatorship. But the chairman and founder of Algodon saw its potential and revitalized it with the best of everything.
You’re welcomed to Algodon, a Relais & Châteaux property, on the sidewalk and then ushered into the cool wine bar to check-in while sipping on something refreshing. Staff manage to find the perfect balance of friendliness and formality in their impeccable service.
Algodon’s decor is lavishly understated. We stayed in the Ambassadeur Suite, and it was difficult to leave it, even for a walk in the beautiful neighbourhood. The large room has doors opening onto Juliet-balconies that look out over Recoleta’s beautiful architecture and let in beautiful natural light. The television in the centre of the room is on a swivel, so we could watch the Boca Junior match from the couch and from bed, while sipping from the private collection bottle from Algodon’s Mendoza vineyard. Rooms are high tech, but designed for people — far from the norm, even in luxury hotels. There are several lighting palettes and, thankfully, a one-button off switch. Temperature controls allow you to heat and cool various parts of the room differently, so whomever is working at the desk won’t get chilled while the other wants to cuddle under a blanket.
Bathrooms are especially stunning, though I found it difficult to choose between the Aquamass Senseaurielle bathtub and the Hansgrohe true rain shower in the big marble steam shower. Each was well stocked with L’Occitane amenities, and yes, I tried both.
I do recommend leaving your room for dinner, but you only need to go downstairs. Dining at Algodon is exceptional. Menus feature farm-fresh products from the mansion’s sister property in Mendoza, well informed service, the perfect music playlist, and, of course, Algodon Estate wines adeptly matched with each dish. This was the finest dinner we ate in our month in South America.
Get to Algodon now before everyone else learns of its exquisiteness and its ten rooms are fully booked.
From US$480 + VAT with many inclusions
– After one couple told their friends about their extremely romantic engagement here, Algodon has become the place for romantic marriage proposals
– Algodon surpasses Relais & Châteaux values and creates an extraordinary experience
– The roof-top pool is great for cooling off, but not quite big enough to swim lengths; guests do have complimentary access to a fitness studio a block away
– Like in the rest of Argentina, king beds are not true kings, but two doubles pushed together
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
In the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro, Hotel del Casco sits majestically on a tree-lined street. Built in 1892 as a private home, this neoclassical mansion makes for beautiful photographs.
Maids bustle back and forth in formal black and white uniforms, ensuring this boutique hotel’s 20 rooms are ready for guests. Some rooms are in the hotel’s main building, off a wide central hallway with a glass roof supported by big arches.
Our room, in the newer building near the pool, had double-height ceilings and was decorated with antique furnishings to look like the original rooms. It was equipped with a king bed with great sheets, a mini fridge, TV-topped dresser, leather couch and two chairs. Fresh flowers greeted us on arrival and again at turndown on our second night. In the large bathroom there was a big claw-footed bathtub, with a separate small shower with wooden floor, conveniently fitted with a mirror for shaving.
Hotel del Casco’s pool is small, but cools you off well in the sunny garden. Breakfast is served in the garden or in a glassed-in breakfast room. Service was a little bit confusing, but eventually we received our order. Offerings varied each day, and the fresh orange juice was fabulous.
In the basement underneath the main house, there’s a library, beautiful chess set, a small gym, sauna and a massage room. Some equipment can be moved out into the garden if you’re wanting sun and fresher air for your workout.
If you’d like to be near Buenos Aires’ famous Tigre suburb, but stay in a nicer neighbourhood and in a gorgeous building, Hotel del Casco in next-door San Isidro is a good choice.
From US$175-250 inclusive of breakfast, plus 21% VAT
– Gorgeous building in lovely part of Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro
– Refreshing small pool in the sunny garden
– Even in the newer part of the hotel, you need to unplug a bedside lamp to charge your phone
– Need to request robes and key for the safe
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor