TOP 10 BEST BOUTIQUE HOTELS

History repeats itself. Before there were hotels à la the Hilton and the mega properties of Las Vegas, there were pubs, inns and relais. Nowadays, you may enjoy a luxurious B&B, but for the ultimate in travel for those who live large but like things intimate, there is no better place to stay than a boutique hotel. Typically, the room count is under two hundred, and there are plenty of enticing suites. The point of such places is to serve a few select guests at a high level of service and deliver the feeling of a home away from home. Comfort is the utmost priority. Around the world are fabulous opportunities to stay in chateaux, lodges and intimate luxury hotels... at the following you'll find experiences second to none.

HÔTEL PLAZA ATHÉNÉE
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NEW YORK, USA
www.plaza-athenee.com

Some hotels feel as if they were created to set a standard, and as far as urban boutique hotels are concerned, Hôtel Plaza Athénée is a benchmark. It has not compromised its classic, classy character to the hip hotel scene, and the loyalty of its guests is matched by the loyalty of the long-standing staff, starting with the GM and moving on down the ranks. As for its attributes, the list is long: discretion, Louis XVI furnishings, Clef d'Or concierges, gorgeous suites with glass-enclosed solarium terraces and a dark, exotic bar that feels lost in time.

ONE ALDWYCH
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LONDON, ENGLAND
www.onealdwych.co.uk

What exactly does the term "hip hotel" mean? Quirky? Snobby? Stark to the point of frigidity? Unfortunately, in many cases, it's all of these things. But for the few that get it right—and One Aldwych is at the top of the list—it signifies warm, stylish and sophisticated in every way, from décor to service. It also means that even though a hotel is small (there are just 105 rooms here) it doesn't have to skimp. You'll find a private screening room, lap pool and over 350 works of art.

ADARE MANOR
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COUNTY LIMERICK, IRELAND
www.adaremanor.com

When asked to consider boutique hotels, we would hardly leap to put a massive 1800's manor house (with 75 fireplaces and 365 leaded glass windows) set on hundreds of acres into this category. Yet it is the sprawling nature of Adare Manor that gives it a feeling of intimacy. There are only 63 bedrooms, which means you feel as if you have the place to yourself. In this truly private setting, you can kindle romance, explore your thoughts (and the formal French gardens) and play a round of championship golf. Which brings us to bust a second stereotype: Scotland doesn't have a monopoly on classic links.

LES CRAYÈRES
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REIMS, FRANCE
www.gerardboyer.com
www.relaischateaux.com/site/us/rc_crayeres.html

If we were asked to proclaim the quintessential boutique experience, we would have to name the château as the official winner. Châteaux are the original boutiques, and let's be honest … could there be anything more intimate and indulgent than escaping to what is essentially your own private manor house? At Les Crayères, there are just 19 lavish, light-filled bedrooms, which heighten the feeling of ownership. A celebrated restaurant and residency in a park-like setting in Reims—the Champagne capital—are just two more reasons to raise a glass of bubbly and celebrate.

LONDOLOZI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
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SABI SAND GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA
www.ccafrica.com/destinations/southafrica/londolozi/default.asp

Like a Russian nesting doll, Londolozi Private Game Reserve reveals treasures within treasures within treasures. It is located inside the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, and hidden in its jungles are four camps … if you can call a cluster of suites or chalets adorned with teak decks, inlaid mosaic floors and private plunge pools a camp. There are no more than twelve accommodations per camp, and all the safari accoutrements are present—game drives, moonlit bush dinners, guided star gazing. Bottom line: from the furnishings to the views, this place is drop-dead gorgeous.

HOTEL PUNTA ISLITA
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GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA
www.hotelpuntaislita.com

A boutique hotel experience must be organic. Any place can offer the feeling of intimacy and elitism, but in a boutique property, a guest must feel in harmony with the setting, the style, the hosts. Imagine, then, what happens when this synchronicity extends beyond the hotel walls. At the remote Hotel Punta Islita, guest comfort is as important as community relations and ecological preservation. When you stay here, you become essential to the country you are visiting. And you discover—as you laze in a hammock or savor a sunset massage—the joys of social responsibility.

BEGAWAN GIRI ESTATE
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UBUD, BALI
begawan-giri.com

Among the travel elite, it isn't always easy to agree on the characteristics that make up a true sanctuary, as everyone's needs for relaxation are different. But you'll be hard pressed to find the traveler who can't unwind—and ultimately find spiritual renewal—at Bali's Begawan Giri Estate. Forget about the island's reputation for crowded beaches and the chaos of Kuta Town. The estate's five residences are tucked into lush jungle in Ubud, on grounds fed by three holy springs. This is the paradisiacal Bali of years gone by.

HUKA LODGE
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TAUPO, NEW ZEALAND
www.hukalodge.com

One of the most exciting turns the modern boutique hotel has taken is its approach to roughing it. Let's say you want to go fishing in a spot so secluded you have to helicopter in. Does this mean you also have to spend your nights in a sleeping bag on the lumpy ground? Not at New Zealand's Huka Lodge. With 20 stylish suites just steps from the Waikato River, this former fishing camp has come a long way. Fortunately, its best asset remains unchanged: mountain fed Lake Taupo filled with some of the finest Rainbow Trout in the world.

POST HOTEL
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LAKE LOUISE, CANADA
www.posthotel.com

Ski lodges rarely fail to meet the boutique hotel criteria of intimacy and hospitality. But few are those that possess the make-or-break boutique staple: sophisticated luxury. For the après ski crowd, the Post Hotel elevates the quaint, European mountain hideaway to a new level, with a wine cellar offering over 25,000 bottles, a cigar lounge featuring hand-rolled Cubans, and log cabin-style bedrooms just minutes from the slopes. Lovers of the authentic shouldn't despair, though—there are still the requisite antlers hanging on the wall.

COMMUNE BY THE GREAT WALL
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YANQING COUNTY, CHINA
www.commune.com.cn

While aficionados of boutique hotels rate comfort and service at the top of their lists, it can't be denied that they are also always on the lookout for a place that will blow their minds... while offering private butler service at the same time, of course. The 12 über contemporary residences at Commune by the Great Wall were designed by Asia's top architects (the models are on permanent display at Centre Pompidou). Notables include the six-bedroom Bamboo Wall and three-story Distorted Courtyard. The finishing touch: sweeping views of the Great Wall.