At the excellent Montage Beverly Hills, it’s hard to narrow down our favorite features of the place (the delicious food? the glamorous rooms? the Four-Star spa?). But here are our picks for the standouts at the luxury hotel:
1. Rooftop pool. The view on the ninth floor is breathtaking — you can see all the way out to the Hollywood Hills and the legendary Hollywood sign — and it’s a serene spot for relaxation. Cabanas surround the blue-mosaic-tiled pool (dive in to hear music playing underwater) with plenty of chairs and towels to go around. Hungry? Grab a bite at the adjacent Conservatory Grill, which serves tasty cocktails, sandwiches and salads (we love the 90210 cobb and the local halibut tacos).
2. Scarpetta. Classic Italian food is a perennial favorite, as is this Four-Star restaurant. Celebrity chef Scott Conant crafts delicious pastas and seafood, plus a to-die-for Sunday brunch. Sit outside if you can — Scarpetta overlooks Beverly Canon Gardens.
3. Exclusive bars. You don’t even have to leave the Beverly Hills hotel to wind down with a fine wine or cocktails. The super-intimate Ten Pound pours aged Macallan scotch, including a break-the-bank $64,000 shot. Parq Bar, situated by the gardens, hums with live entertainment from local musicians every night. Enjoy some champagne and housemade charcuterie as jazz or blues filters through the warm night air.
4. The design style. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to live in the golden age of Hollywood, the Five-Star hotel will bring you there. Its décor takes inspiration from the Spanish colonial style that was popular in Beverly Hills during the 1920s and ’30s. The hotel also has a Mediterranean vibe, with lots of open areas, outdoor seating and gardens.
5. Location, location, location. When you stay at Montage Beverly Hills, you’re near the middle of Beverly Hills, just a few blocks from shopping on Rodeo Drive and fine dining. Plus, you’re a short drive from the trendy restaurants in West Hollywood.
Forbes Travel Guide announced its first-ever Five-Star ratings of hotels and spas in Shanghai, China on April 25, with 25 properties earning a Five- or Four-Star award.
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It’s easy to get a good night’s sleep in Mandarin Oriental, Boston’s sumptuous king- and queen-size beds. The beds at the Five-Star hotel include four-poster and wooden headboard styles, and are simply and luxuriously styled — the minimalism complements the modern Asian décor of the room. White goose down pillows, 400-thread-count Frette linens and crisp white duvets from high-end bedding company Ploh top each bed. If you have any preferences, just ask the staff at Mandarin Oriental, Boston to deliver specialty or hypoallergenic pillows to your room.
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Le Bernardin, a Five-Star seafood restaurant with dishes prepared by acclaimed chef Eric Ripert, offers a delectable prix fixe and tasting menu filled with deep-sea delicacies topped with flavorful, Asian-inspired sauces. The entire menu earns our rave review, but if you want to know the five best things to order at the restaurant, we offer these picks:
1. Le Bernardin’s menu cleverly divides its menu into three basic categories: Almost Raw, Barely Touched and Lightly Cooked. If you’ve got a daring palate, you’ll love the Almost Raw section. We love the assortment of fresh oysters and the numerous sashimi and tartare options; in particular, the striped bass with a watermelon radish carpaccio, mustard oil and red dulce seaweed vinaigrette.
2. Though the menu changes often to incorporate in-season produce and fresh-sourced fish, you can expect to find terrific Barely Touched dishes year-round. The sautéed calamari filled with sweet prawns and shiitake mushroom, warm lobster carpaccio with hearts of palm and orange vinaigrette or smoked yellowfin tuna “prosciutto” with pickled vegetables and crispy kombu all make our mouths water just thinking about them.
3. Lightly cooked dishes are sure to please both the most adventurous and timid palates. Masterpieces include a crispy black bass in a hoisin-plus jus with lup cheong sausage and mini pork buns or a red snapper baked with a rosemary and thyme-salt crust.
4. If you have a hard time choosing just three dishes on the prix fixe menu, we recommend splurging on the chef’s 10-course tasting menu with a carefully selected wine pairing. The menu changes seasonally, but will always take you on a delectable journey through the chef’s wheelhouse of searing, baking, poaching or just letting ingredients go au naturel. A recent menu included caviar, seared langoustine with a wild mushroom salad, charred octopus with miso vinaigrette and lime parfait with merengue, avocado purée and grapefruit-tequila sorbet.
5. Le Bernardin’s pastry chef blends French techniques with molecular gastronomy to create interesting and decadent treats — all of which pair well with the seafood-rich menu. Our favorite is the restaurant’s most famous dessert, known simply as “The Egg”— though you won’t find it on the menu, you have to request it! Like many of the desserts, “The Egg” is sculptural and complex, consisting of an emptied eggshell with tiers of milk chocolate custard, liquid caramel and caramel foam, topped with maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt.
The relaxation area at The Spa at Stein Eriksen Lodge has separate spaces for men and women. Both are large, rectangular rooms filled with plush loungers and chairs for you to sink into, as well as a couple of nooks where you can pull back the curtains for a nap. You can grab a magazine or newspaper from the ottoman to read while you wait, or watch TV on the large flat-screen. Along one wall you’ll discover that some light and healthy snacks are laid out for you to nibble on: sunflower seeds, a blend of raisins and dried cranberries, a spiced trail mix and fresh apples. You can also fix yourself a mug of hot tea to warm you up next to the fireplace — perfect if you’re visiting the spa after a long day of skiing in Park City. Each relaxation room has access to the spa’s amenities, which include a steam room and hot and cold plunge pools.
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Forbes Travel Guide has announced the new 2012 Five- and Four-Star Award winners. Find out which hotels, restaurants and spas have earned this...
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Startle members can make a sunny escape to Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach in Miami. This exclusive offer includes two 50-minute spa treatments and a private beachfront dinner (with violin accompaniment) on the hotel’s front lawn. You’ll spend the night in an oceanfront guest room and wake up to daily continental breakfast. The package also includes a flower petal presentation, a bottle of bubbly and a luxury rental car to zip around in.
For more than 50 years, Forbes Travel Guide has assisted travelers in making smart decisions about where to stay and dine when traveling. Since its founding in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, Forbes Travel Guide has been committed to the same rigorous inspections of hotels, restaurants and spas—the most comprehensive in the industry with more than 500 standards tested at each property we visit—to help you make informed decisions on where to spend your time and money. Our team of professional inspectors are constantly on the road, sleeping in hotels, eating in restaurants and making spa appointments, evaluating those exacting standards to determine a property's rating.
If your mission is to indulge and be pampered, there’s no better accommodation than a suite at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach. With the same luxurious and beachy design style prevalent in the guest rooms, upgrading to a suite will not only allow more space for you to spread out in, but also stunning Atlantic Ocean views and oversized bathtubs, just to name a few extras. Ideal for traveling families, the Ocean Front Lanai Terrace Suite boasts an exquisite ocean view, with a master bedroom, bathroom and oversized living room. The living area also features a sofa sleeper, plus an additional full bathroom, so there will be plenty of room for everyone. Designed with families in mind, these suites are in close proximity of the pool, grounds and ocean. If you’re traveling with a big brood, consider opting for the Family Suite, which features three bedrooms, two living rooms, five bathrooms and a private foyer. This suite is also ideal if you’re traveling with the nanny. For the crème de la crème, however, the Presidential Suite is a one-of-a-kind Five-Star luxury experience, where elements of the room are designed with your personal tastes in mind. The two-bedroom space also features an in-suite wellness room tailored to meet your personal needs.
Mandarin Oriental, New York’s hip bar, MObar, shares the same drink menu as its more casual Lobby Lounge. The cocktails are divided into three sections: Seasonal, signature and modern classics. Expect the seasonal drinks to change often, reflecting the current New York season. During winter months, you’ll see rustic cocktails such as the London Calling, a mixture of Bulldog gin, dried apricots, fennel seeds, peach nectar, lemon juice, agave syrup and lemon bitters.
The signature drinks at the Mandarin Oriental, New York’s bar feature refreshing concoctions like the Ginger Mojito and the Fresa Fresca, made with Milagro silver tequila, fresh strawberries and basil. The modern classics section offers elegant twists on traditional cocktails, like a Cosmopolitan made with Belvedere Pink Grapefruit vodka or the New Fashioned — as opposed to an Old Fashioned — prepared with Bulleit bourbon, peach puree, Southern Comfort and Carpano sweet vermouth. Every tipple on the list at this New York hotel bar — from the traditional to the overwhelming — is inventive and delicious.
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas offers a couple of treatments to help turn back time. The Time Reversal facial uses an intense vitamin formula to reduce the appearance of fine lines, repair sun damaged skin and improve your overall complexion. That treatment costs $220 weekdays and $260 on weekends. To give the area around your eyes some extra attention, add on the Regenerating and Firming Eye treatment. The hydrating treatment uses vitamin C, green tea and seaweed extract to combat the first signs of aging. The 30-minute add-on costs $65 during the week, or $75 on weekends. You’re bound to look and feel years younger.
With the plethora of fabulous mansions and stellar high rises, it’s not surprising that Dallas flaunts a handful of top-notch hotels. Whether you are looking for the trendy décor of the W or the classic luxury of the Ritz-Carlton, the Big D has a fabulous guestroom for you. We have a few favorites that are just irresistible when it comes to spending a weekend in Dallas.
The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Tucked away in the lush residential area of Turtle Creek, with instant access to the city, this Four-Star hotel retains the ambience of a distinguished residence. It’s elegant — but unfussy — and exquisitely epitomizes the city’s sense of style. The larger-than-average rooms have a soft, luxurious feel with blond woods, crisp white linens emblazoned with the letter “M,” sand-colored geometric-patterned carpet and dark-peach velvet sofas. French doors open to private balconies with views of downtown or the tree-lined street below, while the lobby sports a gleaming marble floor and hand-painted wallpaper. The welcoming staff has the comforting Southern hospitality manner, making you feel more than at home during your stay at the Mansion.
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Situated in the heart of pedestrian-friendly Uptown, this elegant Regency-style building boasts a marble-floored and chandeliered lobby, with an impressive display of fresh flowers that changes every Thursday. The oversized salmon-hued guestrooms come with Bulgari bath products. Suites and rooms on the club level floor, are bathed in a pastel blue palette, which is jazzed up with aristocratic elements like chairs upholstered in gold floral fabric and high-tech perks like televisions built into the bathroom mirror. The hotel’s Rattlesnake Bar, which is connected to the outdoor, fireplace-equipped sitting areas, is one of the city’s top spots to see and be seen. The drink of choice? Dean’s Signature Margarita, of course. The property also pampers guest with a terraced pool area, the Four-Star restaurant, Fearing’s, and such thoughtful niceties as a free overnight shoeshine.
W Dallas-Victory. Concertgoers and sports aficionados will appreciate this hotel’s prime locale — right across the street from entertainment Mecca, American Airlines Center. The onsite Bliss Spa, Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio’s Craft restaurant, a fully shaded rooftop pool and a flashy nightclub make for an indulgent, fun-filled stay. If there’s anything else you desire, just push the “Whenever/Whatever” button on your room phone, and your wish will be granted.
The Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. The Four Seasons Dallas is only moments from downtown Dallas, yet it feels a million miles away. Set on 400 secluded, rolling acres, the resort is a sports paradise. The Tournament Players Course is an 18-hole, par-70 course measuring 7,166 yards from the championship tees. It recently received an extensive redesign, now offering a new layout, designed to be challenging and inviting for both professional and recreational golfers. The elegant guestrooms at this Four-Star resort are spacious and decorated in soothing, muted tones, featuring small balconies and patios that overlook the golf courses or the surrounding Cottonwood Valley.
I’m Italian and my mom’s Italian and we have such good cooks in my family I usually steer clear of Italian places, but Felidia is my favorite. At Felidia, you never get a bad meal.
It’s National Burger Month, but we don’t need a reason to celebrate this All-American staple. Forbes Travel Guide rounded up 10 of the country’s best burgers—from fine dining restaurants to hole-in-the-wall eateries. Here are 10 of our favorite burgers across the country.
