We asked you to tell us which hotel you most dreamed of visiting once you could travel safely again. These were our favorite responses.
Every year, people prepare for dream getaways that they’ve waited decades, maybe even a lifetime, to embark upon: long treks to the far reaches of the earth, trips to cities romanticized in music and movies, personal journeys to places near and far. This year has been different. Most travelers have found their best laid vacation plans squashed by COVID-19. Hopefully, most of those trips will be rescheduled. Some, undoubtedly, will not.
A few weeks back, we asked you to tell us which Tablet hotel you most dreamed of visiting once we could all travel safely again, and why. We picked our twelve favorite entries and printed them here. We were only supposed to choose ten, but nearly every submission was worthy, with the twelve winners creeping just a little further into our imaginations.
Thank you to everyone who participated. We hope each of you will be able to visit your dream hotel someday soon.
Each winner receives a $50 Tablet credit and a complimentary year of Tablet Plus, and will be contacted by our Travel Specialists during the coming week. If you have any questions, please reach out.
Perle Oban Hotel
Oban, Scotland
Submitted by Elizabeth Rosensteel:
“What’s more romantic than “The mist of May is in the gloamin’, and all the clouds are holdin’ still”. The primitive backdrop of the highlands with its unspoiled solitude paired with a perfectly appointed quiet contemporary hotel. Close your eyes and perhaps you will see Brigadoon rising from the mist…”
Benesse House
Kagawa, Japan
Submitted by Holly Crisson:
“I visited Naoshima years ago and was absolutely blown away by both the island and the attention of the island’s caregivers to what can only be considered a magical place. Benesse House is the only hotel on the island associated with the Benesse Art Site on Naoshima and is essentially a piece of art in its own right. I have been dreaming of a return trip – it’s IMPOSSIBLE to book a room at this place.”
ROOST Rittenhouse
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Submitted by David McCann:
“As a family historian, the distinguished name “Rittenhouse” — David Rittenhouse — brings a thoughtful perspective to my research. And staying at The Roost Rittenhouse, with its intimate quiet environment, but in close proximity to all that is America, I’m off and running on the trail of what is the joy of never ending research!”
Esiweni Luxury Safari Lodge
Ladysmith, South Africa
Submitted by Emily Hetzel:
“I’d most love to visit the Esiweni Luxury Safari Lodge in South Africa. After high school, my two childhood best friends and I had a two-week safari trip to Africa planned where we would celebrate the beginning of new chapters before we all went to separate colleges. Over the years, there have been lots of things that have prevented us from taking this trip: engagements, job relocations, growing families, etc. While we’ve since graduated from planning budget-friendly stays in hostels, South Africa remains a dream destination.”
JK Place Capri
Capri, Italy
Submitted by Nicole Popovich:
“I belong to a book club, whose membership began as a means to continue to enjoy and socialize with, women who frequented a great fitness studio. These ladies are remarkable, talented, and possess a quick wit and I enjoy them immensely. We’ve seen each other through some highs and lows throughout the years, and I’m honoured to call them friends. Now, our group chat has taken on new meaning in quarantine. Lately, we’ve been discussing a lot more than our next book – music, insights, funny stories about being contained and imaginary vacation destinations, as means of escape.
I sent along [a story about] Capri and that started a fun exchange on a trip to Capri for our next book club. I mentioned JK would have to be our destination (it’s modern, boutique chic-perfetto), and how incredibly wonderful it would be to be sipping limoncello, while discussing a great book like “My Brilliant Friend” by the pool. Well, stranger things have happened and are currently happening, so why not wish for good health as well as adventure and see if we get lucky!”
The Oyster Inn
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Submitted by Alex Milne:
“I live in London now, and I love it, but it will never be home-home. I am a fiercely patriotic Kiwi. I feel the Oyster Inn (and Waiheke Island in general) is just so reflective of modern New Zealand — naturally beautiful, g(local) in its feel, but full of dynamic, entrepreneurial hospitality operators doing awesome things.”
Anemi Hotel
Folegandros, Greece
Submitted by Bon:
“After binge-watching Ozark, Tiger King, The Crown, and House of Cards, I finally found a TV series that left me in a happy mood, The Durrells of Corfu. Dreaming of Greece now fills my days and I anticipate each night the next episode. Being in quarantine for a few months has changed me into a person who wants to enjoy the simple life at Anemi Hotel on Folegandros. With its clean lines and spacious layout, Anemi Hotel beckons me to drink in its tranquility, rescue me from isolation, but not shock me back into the real world of hustle and bustle.”
Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel
Montevideo, Uruguay
Submitted by Christopher Mullen:
“This is strange, and it could be a symptom of the stay-at-home situation here in New York City, but over the past few weeks I’ve had three entirely different quarantine dreams about being in Montevideo, a city I’ve never visited (I’ve only been as close as Buenos Aires). In all three dreams, my wife and I were exploring, drinking, driving (!), and generally soaking in a city I’ve never seen in person. Maybe it’s the shutdown talking, but when this is over, I need to visit Montevideo before visiting anyplace else, and I need to base myself in the beautiful Alma Hotel.”
Auberge du Soleil
Napa Valley, California
Submitted by Sloan Boettcher:
“Long have I dreamed of the ultimate mother-daughter getaway to this marvelous and magnificent hotel, perfect for two oenophiles in search of a flawless glass of wine. I had planned a trip to the Auberge du Soleil many years ago as a Christmas gift for myself and my best friend + Mum Kathy to visit, due to extenuating circumstances we were never able to enjoy the trip. To get to visit Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley would finally fill our dream of adventuring through wine country together as mother-daughter, travel buddies, and of course best friends.”
Freehand New York
New York City
Submitted by Emilia Morano-Williams:
“The hotel I’d most like to visit again is the Freehand Hotel in New York. I live right down the block from it, and it’s become one of my favorite haunts, a place where I take out of town guests to brunch, grab a coffee on my way to work or meet up with friends for cocktails. With staycations looking more likely for the foreseeable future, I’m imagining a weekend spent secreted away in one of its hip, shoebox-sized rooms, leaving only to grab a tiki cocktail on the rooftop bar or pristine ravioli at Simon & the Whale.”
Sonop
Namib Desert, Namibia
Submitted by Forrest Reid:
“When I visited Namibia in 2013, Sonop wasn’t there. Judging from the photos I’ve seen, it lives up to the dizzyingly fascinating and transportive country it’s set in, inhabited by friendly and guileless Africans with names like Hans, Alphaeus, Reynhold and Phineas. And Jacobina, Hildegard, Juliette & Krescentia (all names of actual people we met and befriended while there). The Herero women dress in Victorian ballgowns with multilayered petticoats underneath, topped with wrapped cloth headdresses reminiscent of cattle horns. They work alongside the Kunenes and Himbas, who smear on a mixture of butter, red soil and ashes and pair it with piles of silver bracelets around their necks, wrists and ankles. With a starched goat hide buttered into their hair. Sonop has a lot to live up to if it wants to be worthy of its country, but I’m betting it does!”