Chiang Mai - hotels or activities??

Omg! Sonder has other properties. Can’t they set up rooms with showers for y’all?

Damn this sucks for Sonder

There are some really cheap hotels. Like 50-60usd Of course. No one wants to spend 50 for a shower but…

Chain hotels not necessarily cater to business travelers. Editions are a Marriott brand and I don’t think of it as a hotel chain for business travelers.

But maybe I have a different definition of what corporate/business means.

But glad you agree with me that OP shouldn’t stay there :)

Like, didn’t you feel the vibe was kind of dull/old/businessy I visited the property in 2022 so maybe the atmosphere was off because they were just reopening from covid. But the sales rep even told me it’s a hotel that caters significantly to business traveler

Soorryy hope I don’t get hate but don’t don’t do St Regis. Nice location and some nice suites but the whole building feels so corporate, not fun at all. The website images are way different to the actual thing

Not the most lux hotel but Sofitel Mexico City has a solid sea water indoor pool overlooking the city at a 30th floor

Oooh and between Mandapa and Sayan (I also visited that).

The room product at Mandapa is nicer/more up to date, but I personally liked Sayan’s grounds better but just because I prefer lighter colors and Mandapa is a bit dark - but still beautiful.

5 nights in Ubud is a good duration there - happy to share some of my personal recs. I visited several hotels there 2 years ago and Capella and Mandapa are solid options and very different to one another. Do you know which room you’ll stay at Mandapa?

I agree, Capella is quite unique. My only recc is to do Capella after Mandapa. Mandapa is very nice too but I feel it’s worth ending the trip at Capella (nicer/more authentic), and their GM (a good friend of ours) is very embedded into the daily operations.

At Mandapa make sure to book dinner reservation at Kubo.

Do it! As a fellow travel advisor I see lots of clients using points for this and I wish we could assist them. I know Point.me has a concierge service for booking flights with points so you might even consider charging a fee.

Hey! I asked my friends over at the MO Hyde Park and here’s what I found 😊: - They underwent a renovation in 2019 so all of their AC and electrical a are pretty new. - The Ac in their rooms are normally set to have 17C as the coldest temperature. They could have their engineering team to lower it further!

Lmk if you need help with any more questions!

Literally just working on a trip to South of France and the Dolomites.

I would say that you can definitely find some nice quiet towns with great food but I’m not so sure about the beach element. Most beaches in France and Italy will not have sand or the warm weather as in the Caribbean.

Outside of Nice, you might want to check out St Tropez - I was just chatting with the owners of Lily of the Valley and if you are looking for a wellness focused property away from the crowds, this is a great choice.

A bit more inland, you can visit Provence for gourmet and wine experiences.

In Italy, I know you mentioned Genoa probably because you want to take the train/car there but if you’ve already been there, why don’t head to Milan and then to the lake regions - perhaps Lake Maggiore instead of Como to avoid some of the crowds?

And how FATT do you want this trip to be? There are some quaint cute towns but they lack top properties.

Mmm maybe the Six Senses?

So, the tricky part for FAT apartments is that most of them will require a 7 night min stay and some even will need you to check in and check out during specific days.

Some might make exceptions but it will be hard for 3 nights.

As for companies, it depends in the destination, but for Paris you can also check out Le Collectioniste.

This is an area where TAs can help as some have access to properties that are not available online or hard to get to.

Sure! Lemme know if you have other qs about that or another property in FP!

Good questions.

So, Abercrombie and Kent isn’t really a travel agency but a travel operator in the luxury space. They are more well known for their group trips although they also do private trips. They invest a lot in branding and before joining the travel industry I always looked up to them. Then I got into the industry and learned that they don’t really do personalized trips, heavily mark up everything and tend to stick with hotels that give them preferential rates/commissions but not necessarily the best hotels. I inspected 9 hotels in Bangkok and the hotel that I liked the least was the Peninsula and it’s the one they use the most. So.. if you are looking for a group premium travel experience that it’s already designed, try them. But I would really recommend going with an agency.

Virtuoso itself is not an agency but an “association” of agencies, hotels, and other travel companies - it’s meant to be a sign of excellence but there are exceptions. Definitely try using a Virtuoso agency but do your research. Look for one that resonates with you the most - some parents love using agencies owned by parents - check out their fees, experience, and minimum spend. For example we work with 1K per person per day mins (and in some countries slightly more). And check out for reviews or if they’ve been recognised by any major company, like Conde Nast or Travel + Leisure (like us :))

And the big pro of using a travel advisor is not only the expertise and personalisation but it’s that you’ll have someone vouching for you. You can ask any 5 stars hotel and they’ll tell you that after their super recurrent clients, they’ll prioritize guests that booked through a TA over others (including those who use the Amex portal) - and you are paying the same rate. You can try out the experience by booking a hotel with a Virtuoso agent (+ info on profile)

Also, sometimes it’s hard to know if a tour or hotel you found online it’s really good - they all seem to have +4.5 stars reviews. But luxury TAs work with partners in each destination who vet hotels, drivers, and guides and even get you access to things not found online (however, this is not cheap).

Ooh! We had a client going to Singapore for work last May for work and we got her a place at Bawah Reserve - it’s very convenient to get to from SIN. Check it out but do pay close attention to the the ferry and plane that gets you there.

Ooh! You should check out Formentera. It’s a boutique hotel in a island around 30 mins from Ibiza (very calm). It’s from the same owners as Marbella Club. It’s not a nudist hotel per se, but there are nudist beaches around.

Special, slightly magical, I would say. I would say it matters what your “hotel style” is, who you are traveling with, and the overall vision you have for the trip.

Happy to help more in detail, but here are my general thoughts:

Things I liked:

Flying from their FOB and taking their private plane (not super comfortable though… no AC) feels cool. Even when you are departing, you have the staff waving, making White Lotus boat arrivals/departures look cheap.

Food. Phenomenal. It’s very varied so for a 3/4 night stay you won’t get bored. They are also very accommodating to all dietary restrictions but also appetites. If there isn’t something on the menu, they’ll do their best. And the fact that it’s (almost) all-inclusive makes it very comfortable.

The Spa. I’ve visited around 40 properties in the last year, granted not all of them had Spas, but this is definitely one of the coolest ones I’ve seen, perhaps FS Golden Triangle comes at a close second and some facilities at COMO Shambhala Estate). The facilities are gorgeous, it almost feels like you are in a resort within a resort. Also, the treatment I had (Indian head something) was 💯.

Feeling of privacy. I visited almost all the main five stars at Bora Bora, and even though they are all relatively calm and peaceful (except Conrad), you’ll still have boats passing by the property, people kayaking outside your bungalow. This is on another level. Among their activities, they have a boat tour going around and it’s extremely peaceful, no boats or people.

Things I loved less:

Villas. Don’t get me wrong. I thought they were nice and spacious. They all come with a decent-size plunge pool and beach access. But the design wasn’t the most modern one. Although the Villa didn’t feel tired - it feels very well maintained- it just didn’t feel as new as the overwater bungalows (or villas) at the Four Seasons or even at the Conrad. They are still very nice, but for the price point, they are slightly a step below other properties.

Service: It’s very good but I wasn't blown away. I did see that most of the employees stay there for a max of a year (because it's a bit crazy to live on an island), so there might be some inconsistencies in the service. I didn't experience anything serious (other than a coffee taking 45 mins to get to my room), but other folks here have stayed there and commented about the service being slow.

Having said that, they will pay closer attention to VIP guests from certain travel advisors ;)

Oh! Anywhere in French Polynesia! Just came back last week (stayed at FS Bora Bora and The Brando) and no tipping expectation :)

Can comment on Aqualina. The style is a bit more traditional than most of the other options you shared. Great for relaxing and has a big Spa.

I don’t know how fun it will be for the little kids.

Slightly less FAT (but more than some on your list like the W) is Boca Raton Tower Resort. They recently remodelled their Tower rooms and look amazing. They have lots of activities for kids including one where they can “boogie board”. The only thing to consider is that you have to take a 7-10 mins boat shuttle to their beach club. I’ve worked with them in the past and have taken great care of my clients. I don’t know if it’s a Fine Hotel but it’s Virtuoso :)

Yes - we’ve had clients use the helicopter service from Athens to Amanzoe - worth the money. We have a local partner that vets all the companies that they use and have had great experience using them. I unfortunately, can’t post their name but I’m also sure that Amanzoe uses a good reliable helicopter company. How much are they charging?

Agree with Rosewood London being super family friendly. Their staff is very kid friendly. However, some people don’t like staying in Holborn as it’s not as quaint as other neighbourhoods. We had a family stayed there and loved it! However, we did pick it because the father had to go to the City for work and wanted to use the tube so needed a convenient location.

Hi! It also depends if you prefer a boutique or a large property.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and Corinthia tends to do a great job with families - Corinthia is not very new but very centric location.

In terms of neighbours, Mayfair should be on your radar. Maybe Browns??

FS has two locations in Cabo (one is actually opening today!)