WELLNESS AT ITS BEST
Whether it's daily yoga classes overlooking the ocean, meditation courses on the beach, yoga in nature, or even yoga while paddle boarding, these hotels offer the unexpected. Enjoy this ancient discipline in luxury settings that will transcend the soul while you work the body. Design Hotels presents some of our top yoga retreats.
LALUNA
Laluna is Grenada's hidden secret, surrounded by emerald hills, crystal waters, and leafy bougainvillea-filled grounds. Each of the sixteen traditional, thatched-roof cottages offers an open-air bathroom, an exquisite line of bath products made exclusively in a monastery in the Italian Alps, and a king-size Balinese bed that opens onto an expansive bamboo-framed veranda with a plunge pool. In Laluna's yoga beach pavilion, guests can take daily classes in such varying yoga techniques as Hatha, Kundalini, and Vinyasa. The Asian spa features parallel treatment rooms that are converted into a single unit for couples massage. As the sun sets, guests can dine at the beachside Italian restaurant, where chef Daniele Gaetano prepares authentic Italian cuisine with ingredients imported directly from Italy and fresh herbs from his organic garden.
ASIAN ELEMENTS AND WEST INDIAN DETAILS
Designer Gabriella Giuntoli, who built villas for Giorgio Armani and Sting, has teamed up with Carmelina Santoro to create a masterpiece on ten acres of untouched land in the West Indies. For the 16 west-facing cottages, Giuntoli and Santoro have opted for a contrast of walls painted in bold primary colors and warm natural tones to create an intimate, luxurious Caribbean setting. An artful fusion of Asian elements, like Vietnamese thatch and Indonesian teak wood furniture, is paired with West Indian details, including carved coconut shells and paintings by the world-renowned 80-year old Grenadian artist Canute Calliste.
CONCRETE CHIC
For the cottages, the design team has gone for a West Indian take on “concrete chic” with dappled amber, mauve and russet walls, built-in counters and couches, and swirling floor designs covered by simple straw rugs. Teak furnishings on polished concrete floors, simple baseline lamps and generous, handcrafted Balinese four-poster beds swathed in white fabric and piled with soft pillows add to the creation of a clean-cut yet utterly relaxed setting.
Seating areas are painted in spicy colors of cinnamon, sienna and yellow, which frame the natural blues and greens of the surrounding landscape. As the sun sets, you can relax on plush silk-covered daybeds on the deck and see the silver moon rising in the cobalt sky, which is how Laluna got its name.
—Hovering over a volcanic coast on the westernmost tip of Jamaica is a hotel that mimics an African village, in a seamless transition between nature and man.
Hexagonal thatched-roof buildings, volcanic Jamaican coastline, and sparkling turquoise waters give the Rockhouse Hotel a look and feel that's straight out of a Robinson Crusoe fantasy. The truth is not far off: the resort designers sought to mimic the seamless merging of man and nature so beautifully exemplified by African village life. Guests can integrate locally in the restaurant and rum bar Pushcart, which features live reggae music and a menu inspired by the best of Jamaican street food. A stunning infinity pool set in a cliff-top rock garden perfects the back-to-nature atmosphere, while ubiquitous references to the Caribbean Sea and surrounding Jamaican countryside complete the picture of an island getaway. Throughout the property, ladders and stairs carved into the rock provide easy access to the water, while a new temple-like spa pavilion – complete with massage cabana, Caribbean drench hut, and yoga pavilion – rounds out this laid-back haven of relaxation.
WASHINGTON SCHOOL HOUSE
Built in 1888 and named after George Washington, the Washington School House was one of the three original schools in Park City, Utah. In its current life as a hotel, it remains just as exclusive. The 12-room property is curated with a collection of Swedish and French antiques, vintage modern art, exquisite fabrics, and striking chandeliers. In lieu of a reception desk, a staff member greets you and will likely become your personal concierge. Don’t be surprised if you are quickly on a first name basis. A heated pool and hot tub chiseled into the mountainside ensure that guests can relax outdoors no matter the season. The hotel’s location is a year-round destination, with the celebrity-infused Sundance Film Festival in winter and world class skiing basically at the doorstep (the hotel living room, with its massive gold gilt mirror, is a popular après ski spot). In summer, plenty of mountain biking/hiking trails, concerts, art/music festivals keep the crowds coming back.
Amidst coconut palms and gently rolling slopes, The Surin Phuket elegantly punctuates the tropical landscape along the white sand beach at Pansea Bay. Paris-based architect and designer Ed Tuttle rejuvenated 103 cottages and suites set within a beachfront coconut grove. Jungle walkways link the lobby-level Superior Cottages, which offer guests unobstructed views of the ocean, as well as the idyllic Beach Deluxe Suites and Studios, which offer direct walk-on access to the beach. Guests can linger over delectable Thai specialties at the Lomtalay Restaurant or witness spectacular sunsets while imbibing aperitif at The Sunset and the new Beach Bar. Created with thoughtful intention, one can attain inner-harmony at the peaceful spa or, should the mood for more active diversion strike, utilize the dramatic black-tiled pool, fitness center, tennis courts, or one of the three nearby golf courses.
