We arrived extremely early for check-in and were greeted with delicious flavored water and smiling faces. Our room was ready and waiting for us.
The room was more like an apartment than just a hotel room. It had so much storage space I didn’t even know what to do with it all — a bedroom with closets, hallway closets, and dressers throughout the bedroom, hall and bathroom.
The kitchenette was well appointed with everything you might need including a mini fridge, coffee maker, kettle, microwave and dishes.
The hotel was so comfortable, everywhere from the modern lobby to the room to the rooftop. Actually, I think the rooftop might be the best spot in the hotel. Even on cold winter days the pool, sauna, spa and gym should keep you warm inside. The hot tub is perfectly situated just outside the door so there’s minimal time out of the hot water. I really enjoyed the view of the park and rooftops. It was great for sunset watching.
Overall, this is a great place to stay if you want some separate space from your travel partner, a quiet place or just a lot of storage. It is about equal distance to walk to Old Montreal and to McGill University and Mount Royal Park. Both are great places to wander and enjoy the old architecture. Hotel Le Crystal staff are also very helpful to tell you about areas and restaurants to choose for whatever you are looking for including a healthy meal, which is something we asked for and they certainly delivered.
From US$299
– A short walk to many shops and restaurants including a Starbucks and restaurant on the ground floor
– Feels more like an apartment more than a hotel, with plenty of storage if you are traveling with a lot of luggage or like to unpack everything
– Nice rooftop view with hot tub, pool, gym, sauna and spa
– We missed the new restaurant opening by just a couple weeks. It will be authentic and refined Thai.
Melissa D. Jones
Review Team
My stay at Panama’s The Santa Maria is just one week after the hotel opened in February 2017, though it is almost impossible to tell. Workmen quietly installed a few last minute items, but the hotel is beautiful and the level of service is as smooth as a well-oiled machine.
The hotel is lovely from the front, but breathtaking within and out the back. The beautiful lobby has subtle pieces of indigenous art throughout its elegant decor. Dining locations include Ocean Prime, Mestizo, the lobby bar, and the coffee shop which serves Geisha by Coffee Hat, one of the world’s most unique and expensive coffees. Outside by the U-shaped pool and looking out onto the golf course is the AQVA pool bar with its beachy vibe. I sample from all of them (well, several I feast from!) and am very impressed.
The Santa Maria has a destination spa with a sauna and steam to enjoy before or after your treatment. The spa has unique techniques and services you won’t find elsewhere. As lovely as my massage is, I wouldn’t mind just sitting in the quiet lounge curled up with a blanket and sipping their marvelous ginger tea.
Upstairs is impressive too. Those who like plush beds will adore The Santa Maria. My king-sized mattress is a pillow top, the pillows immense, and the duvet fluffy. I especially appreciate the all-too-rare-these-days top sheet.
The elegant bedroom has a long dark wood shelf reclaimed from Lake Gatun in the middle of the Panama Canal. It’s perfect for keeping cameras and other small items. The desk is near the doors to the balcony — mine overlooks the golf course and the pool — and a comfortable seating area, decorated with beautiful handmade pillows. There’s a coffee station with several pod selections and, underneath, a well-stocked minifridge.
My Italian marble bathroom is spacious and includes a long counter with double sink and a separate toilet room. Towels and bathrobes are almost impossibly lush. Little touches are thoughtful, like the basket holding the sewing kit, cotton swabs and shower cap which is handmade by Panamanian indigenous peoples. Lighting is bright as befitting a bathroom. Under the sink is a light which switches on with movement, so if you’re travelling as a couple you might want to bring a sleep mask to block the light from any late night bathroom visits.
The top half of the large shower has pinstriped glass walls which let daylight into the bathroom and create an even larger feeling of space, but allow for privacy. The shower thoughtfully has a small calf-height shelf so that women can rest a foot on it to shave their legs in comfort. Amenities are lavish with a beautiful subtle scent. Anyone with long hair like me will very much appreciate the thick and rich conditioner.
Even the Santa Maria’s closets are thoughtfully designed. While there is a luggage rack, the main shelf is the perfect height and width from which to unpack and repack. Underneath are three drawers, one holding a large top-loading safe. You can unpack and have everything organized.
The Santa Maria is convenient to the airport (just a 10-minute drive) and to the UNESCO-site Panama Viejo, important given Panama’s notorious traffic. Since it’s a Luxury Collection property, there’s even an excursion included in rates so that you can learn about Panama’s ancient lost-wax goldsmithing method at REPROSA.
From US$186, including wifi for SPG members
– Fantastic food and spa
– On the golf course, with a pool and beach bar too
– Only a 10-minute drive to Tocumen airport
– None!
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
La Paz is a little corner of Mexican paradise that a few in-the-know travellers have discovered. Many want to keep it a secret and I may regret sharing how much I love La Paz.
CostaBaja Resort & Spa is a quiet place to base yourself for exploring La Paz’s charms and relax after the amazing animal encounters here. The resort is a short drive from the downtown area near the marina and golf course (which boasts sea views from 14 of its 18 holes). The resort is split into two — at the beach is the beach club, requiring a separate fee, with an infinity pool and restaurant. Past the marina is the hotel with another pool with swim-up bar and several restaurant choices, including the premium Steinbeck’s, with marina and golf course views.
The decor throughout the hotel is desert-calm with splashes of ocean. I loved the manta rays gliding by in the open air hotel lobby with views out to the pool and ocean.
My corner Super Suite room was immense, with two balconies, both perfect for watching the sun sink into the sea at the end of the perfect day. My king bed was most welcomed after long days enjoying the sun and surf of La Paz. The room was equipped with a mini fridge, coffee machine, safe, and a large desk with television. The sink area was in the bedroom space, with a separate toilet room and a huge shower room with smoked glass windows. Standard rooms have a smaller glassed-in shower.
CostaBaja has a spa and gym, though you’ll need to book a longer stay if you want to enjoy them. There are just too many things in La Paz to pull you away from the hotel, from snorkelling with sea lions at Isla Espiritu Santo, snorkelling with whale sharks near downtown, standup paddleboarding with rays and turtles, or having grey whales approach your boat in Magdalena Bay, on the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula.
From US$113 in low season, $225 in high season
– Pretty desert decor
– Fabulous food at multiple on-site and nearby restaurants
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
The Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort is a vegetarian retreat, set in a quiet maze of lanes, only moments from Chiang Mai’s ancient moat and old city as well as the bars, restaurants and boutiques of lively Loi Kroh Road.
The bright white, colonial-style building boasts 39 rooms, including five with direct pool access – you can literally roll out of bed and walk five steps to the pool. The well-sized rooms and suites have dark wood floors, comfortable beds and appealing bathrooms with stylish, irregularly-patterned blue and white tiles, as well as private verandas overlooking the long, narrow pool. There are the usual amenities such as tea/coffee, satellite TV, mini bar (with soft drinks and vegetarian snacks) and also not-so-usual free ‘Handy’ phone which guests can take with them as they explore around town. It’s packed with local info and maps and allows for free international calls to select countries.
The hotel is new, and the GM is brimming with ideas of how to innovate and make the most of the ‘vegetarian retreat’ concept. Breakfast is mostly vegan with cereals, fruits, salad, bread, pastries, and a small selection of both Asian and Western hot dishes which vary daily. For lunch and dinner, the food from the a la carte menu is excellent and well presented. The fare was a delight for this vegetarian but also for my non-veggie friend who loved the mock chicken (made from a secret type of edible fungus). We found the Thai food delicious but the burgers need a bit more imagination to be up to a similar standard. The restaurant is beautiful, with black marble floors and wall paintings, in the hotel’s signature blue and white, depicting some of Chiang Mai’s most important temples. There is no alcohol available at the hotel but guests and diners are welcome to bring in drinks to have with dinner or for a peaceful nightcap on their balcony.
From the warm welcome on arrival from the ever-smiling doormen to the service in the restaurant, this is a lovely hotel with staff who are eager to please. It’s only set to get better.
From US$75 including breakfast
– Lots of electrical sockets in the room, great if you travel with multiple devices
– Breakfast starts early (0630) for those who want a full day of exploring, and goes on late (1030) for those who want a lie-in
– Only a short walk to the night bazaar and moments from Thapae Gate, yet still very quiet
– Bread selection at breakfast is a bit disappointing
+66 53 904 974 
book.acmt@AwayResorts.com
Steve and Candice
Review Team