Great Suites & Baths
By Rebecca Oliva, Associate Editor -- Hotels, 7/31/2004 11:00:00 PM
This year’s standout suites and baths are distinguished by the over-the-top array of services and amenities they offer guests. As hotels battle for travelers’ top dollars, pretty rooms and pristine settings just won’t suffice anymore. The greatest suites offer extended personalized services that begin even before a guest’s arrival. For example, at One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, The Bahamas, three staff members are dedicated to guests staying at the opulent seaside villas. VIP attention and special privileges also are included in the room rate.
Yet, luxuries large and small still count. Consider Shangri-La Singapore’s presidential suite, which was completely renovated to offer guests more space, including ceiling height as well as top-of-the-line marbles, woods and custom-designed carpet. The Mandarin Oriental Miami debuted a presidential suite that caters to relaxation and rejuvenation with its decadent spa serenity room. It is these extra services and features that give all of the rooms featured here added value for the guest, which inspires them to come back again and again.
Mandarin Oriental Miami
The 327-room Mandarin Oriental debuted a second presidential suite to complement its line of 31 suites. This one features a separate spa sanctuary and 2,000 sq. ft. (185 sq. m) of indulgences, including bamboo hardwood floors, a formal dining room, gourmet kitchen and private balcony. However, the gem of this opulent suite is its spa “serenity room,” a Zen-like environment with warm color tones, bamboo accents and Mexican river stones accented by Spanish marble tile. The room features an infinity-edge soaking tub with color light therapy and a relaxation area with a glass-enclosed steam shower. Spa butlers are on hand to arrange lavish baths with aromatherapy candles, rose petals and tranquil music.
La Residencia, Mallorca, Spain
The new deluxe suite at this idyllic resort in Mallorca combines the ultimate in romance and privacy. Perched on a hill, its elevated position allows for total seclusion, while the private terrace takes advantage of the vistas below. Decorated and furnished in a traditional Mallorcan style with tiled flooring, antique wooden furniture and romantic open fireplaces, the suite offers plasma-screen televisions, its own swimming pool and a very intimate outdoor seating area.
Shangri-La Singapore
The presidential suite exudes luxury in the highest form, including a living area for formal entertaining, as well as drawing and dining rooms with access to the balcony. The master bedroom was relocated adjacent to the private elevator to include a separate study, living area, bedroom, dressing area and luggage storage.
The entire suite was renovated to include more natural light in the bathrooms and higher ceilings in the living areas.
The décor was custom designed, including area rugs for the entertainment area and carpet in the bedrooms. Furniture is handmade from walnut timber by craftsmen in Singapore and upholstered in rich fabrics from England and the United States. The spacious bathrooms and the floor of the foyer were finished with exotic marbles from Italy and Spain, and each main room features a European crystal chandelier.
Hotel Unique, São Paulo
The Oasis presidential suite at this new and stylish São Paulo hotel was created to surprise the senses, as well as look exclusive and different. The space has everything for the modern traveler, ranging from a rooftop Jacuzzi to hand-held controls to operate all electronics and window treatments. Tones of white, sand and brown, floors of prime Brazilian wood and wide, round windows with excellent views make this one of the region’s most talked about projects. The suite’s interior was conceived by João Armentano, one of Brazil’s most important designers.
Anantara Resort & Spa, Hua Hin, Thailand
Anantara’s new 76-sq. m (818-sq. ft.) suite allows guests to feel like royalty with such luxuries as a personalized DVD collection, a private martini bar and a choice of seven types of pillows. The 12 suites overlook either the sea or tropical gardens and feature a terrazzo bathtub with 200 l (53 gal.) of water and scented bubbles. A bath-master is included with each suite to draw guests’ bath to their personal specifications.
One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas
One&Only Ocean Club’s three seaside villas, each more than 4,000 sq. ft (372 sq.m), offer guests the ultimate seclusion with an endless array of “one and only” personalized amenities and services. Guests can choose from pillow menus to the kitchen and bar stocked with the exact foods and spirits of choice, to a selection of customized playlists on iPod MP3 players. Guests are met at the airport by the director of villa services, and they are greeted in their rooms by their own butler and housekeeper with cold towels, lemonade and a complimentary welcome bottle of Dom Pérignon.
The gated entrance to each villa opens into a lushly landscaped garden courtyard with a jetted tub and room for patio dining. Glass doors lead to the villa’s great room, where 25-ft.-wide (7.6 m) louvered doors reveal views of the infinity-edge pool. Polished hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, gentle fans and wood furnishings complete the British Colonial look. Each villa has a full-service kitchen, with a private chef on request. Continental breakfast, afternoon tea, sorbet and frozen grapes are served poolside daily. Guests also have first priority at the spa, or they are invited to enjoy treatments in the privacy of their own villa.
Aman-i-Khás, Rajasthan, India
At this very exclusive resort in the hills of India’s rugged Ranthambhore National Park, the 108-sq. m (1162-sq. ft.) tent suite’s interior echoes the Mughal style of living. “Rooms” are separated by cotton drapes and include a sitting and dining area, bedroom with a king-size bed, and a bathroom with a soaking tub and a shower. Constructed of canvas and supported by a steel frames with the interior walls and ceilings draped in fine cotton, entry to each tent is gained through a screened door. The center of the tent ascends to a soaring 6-m (20-ft.) canopy under which lies an oversized daybed, ideal for lounging.
The exotic bathroom includes a shower, soaking tub, and separate toilet and dressing area. Furniture is minimal and unobtrusive, mimicking the traveling camps of an earlier time.
The Metropolitan Bangkok
The penthouse suite at this contemporary hotel is a mix of East and West design. Designed to create an atmosphere that is unerringly serene, its sophistication is derived from high ceiling volumes and impeccable finishes. Natural light floods the interiors, which feature specialty Thai Makha wood. Exclusive pieces by Natee Utarit, an up-and-coming Thai artist, are displayed throughout the suite. To further promote relaxation, the suite has a custom-built meditation chair and a Shambhala yoga mat. Other extra touches include a daybed with Thai celadon silk cushions.
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