Wonders of Wanderlust—The 6 Top New Hotels to Know About

According to The New York Times, leisure travel this summer is set to grow within five percent of pre-pandemic levels. And after so long spent at home, the prospect of satisfying your wanderlust is a heady one—but where to go? Happily, we’ve curated a selection of the world’s best new hotels, all set within dreamy locations and offering the highest standards in health and safety. So, ready your bags and find your next getaway, here.

Find Big Easy Style in New Orleans, U.S.A.

If you like your hotels small but perfectly formed, bookmark The Chloe, a 14-room, lovingly restored 19th-century mansion in uptown New Orleans. Located next to the Garden District, this new offer has been designed by Sara Ruffin Costello to offer “Southern charm and 21st-century hospitality.” Spacious guest rooms feature quirky furniture, art by local artists, and a record player with a curated selection of vinyl.

The restaurant is overseen by acclaimed chef Todd Pulsinelli, whose menu features dishes such as shrimp étouffée dumplings, spicy crab baked oysters, buttermilk griddle cakes, and gumbo z’herbes agnolotti. Beverage director Jason Sorbet offers a robust selection of cocktails, wines, and local spirits. Plus, the hotel’s new safety measures include contactless check-in and rooms equipped with isolated HVAC loops, which ensure the air within them is not mingled or combined with that of other rooms.

thechloenola.com

Related: Stay in Our Picks of the World’s Best Landmark Hotels

Take a Proper Break in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Dreaming of some sun and serious R&R without a long flight? The Santa Monica Proper is just minutes from the beach, and is also home to the only rooftop pool deck on the Westside of the city—a unique setting that includes a bar, restaurant, and cabanas.

The hotel’s 271 rooms and suites have been designed to make the most of Santa Monica’s ocean breezes and natural light, while the Surya Spa offers custom-designed programs and treatments to support physical, mental, and spiritual health. The Proper also places a high priority on the safety of its guests, with keyless entry into its rooms via an app and contact-free room service delivery.

properhotel.com/santa-monica

See Inspiring Sights in San Francisco, U.S.A.

If you like your hotels to come with a view, the new Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero—the company’s second opening in the city—is for you. Occupying the top 11 floors of the 48-story 345 California Center, in the heart of the city’s Financial District, all 155 rooms and suites—including the stunning two-bedroom Embarcadero Suite—feature natural wood floors and modern furnishings.

They are also perfect for those needing to work from “home,” as a loaner printer, chargers and cables, and tech support can all be provided. Safety measures include contactless check-in via the Four Seasons app, sanitization of all guests’ luggage at arrival and departure, and 24-hour access to a doctor and clinic.

fourseasons.com

Related: Discover the New Eco-Friendly Era of Flying by Private Jet

Get Close to Nature in Mantiqueira, Brazil

Six Senses recently unveiled its first hotel in the Americas, Six Senses Botanique in Brazil. Billed as an “intimate eco-retreat with Brazilian authenticity at its heart,” it is one of the best new hotels to check into this year. The resort is located in the picturesque forest around the Mantiqueira Mountains, two-and-a-half hours from São Paulo and three-and-a-half hours from Rio de Janeiro.

The hotel has seven suites in the main hotel and 13 private villas, from 1,184 to 3,230 square feet (110 to 300 sq m), dotted in the surrounding hills. It also features a spa, fitness center, and destination dining, as well as an activity program including hiking, horseback riding, and capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art. Enhanced sanitization measures, temperature checks, and social distancing practices ensure the health and safety of all guests.

sixsenses.com

Find a Farmhouse Haven in Maussane-les-Alpilles, France

If you dream of escaping to Provence with just a few friends or family members, take a look at La Bastide de Fléchon, a 3,767-square-foot (350 sq m) farmhouse for up to 10 people, complete with the services you’d expect from your favorite hotel.

The three-bedroom property, sympathetically updated by architects Liliana Atilova and Alain Meylan, is available for exclusive use and its 2.5-acre (1 ha) plot with a large, heated pool guarantees privacy, seclusion, and safety. Enjoy complimentary breakfast on one of the house’s terraces, let a chef prepare lunch in the summer kitchen, and partake in spa treatments that can be arranged separately.

bastidedeflechon.com

Related: Chart the 5 Changes that will Mark your Next Luxury Hotel Stay

Feel Fine and Dandy in London, U.K.

A cocktail called Mr. Bosie—a tasty and heady mix of vodka, gin, and champagne cordial—is reason enough to stop by The Mayfair Townhouse hotel. It’s one of the signature drinks inspired by its Half Moon Street location: Oscar Wilde set The Importance of Being Earnest here, and P.G. Wodehouse chose it for the home of his fictional character Bertie Wooster. The street was also a famous haunt of the London dandy.

But only staying in the bar would mean that you’d miss out on The Mayfair’s great design, by award-winning Goddard Littlefair, and a specially curated art collection by Minda Dowling that tells the story of an imaginary Huguenot family who made the place their home. The Mayfair Townhouse reimagines a quintessential London townhouse as a private escape and is housed in 15 connected Georgian buildings—seven of them listed. Its safety measures—including an enhanced cleanliness program and sanitization stations—round off the world-class offering.

themayfairtownhouse.com

Banner image: The porch at The Chloe in New Orleans. Paul Costello