Every hotel winner on Conde Nast Traveller’s 2024 Hot List makes its way there for a reason; these three properties serving are no exception. From brand-new properties The Fifth Avenue Hotel in the heart of Manhattan and the Eternal City’s 1, Place Vendôme to the just-reopened Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island, these are the new reliables where guests can make the most not just of the pristine properties but also the world of the destination around them. Here's how (and why) to spend a getaway at three of our 2024 Hot List winners, from Manhattan to Paris to Hawaii—plus what to pack for each.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel — New York City
The big hotel brands have long closed ranks in New York City along Central Park South, and most of them are great! But The Fifth Avenue Hotel, from its titular 5th Avenue address just above Madison Square Park and the world’s first Shake Shack (still a literal shack, albeit one with dreamy twinkly lights and ample outdoor seating) is a jewel box whose Mary Poppins-bag-style whimsy is made all the more impressive by its position amidst NoMad’s hustle and bustle. A five-story limestone-and-brick building with past lives first as part of a socialite’s estate and then as a bank, the hotel is storied despite its newness and fresh despite its long history. Designer Martin Brudnizki has payfully pulled at the Gilded Age, Renaissance palazzo roots with his jubilant palette and rich diversity of textures—wallpapers, rugs, and prints make an eye fat from feasting.
While a stay at The Fifth Avenue Hotel is ostensibly undertaken on some level to visit and see the Big Apple proper, stepping off the premises may prove unappealing once you’ve settled in. This is a whole world, one where the colours are richer and the people more thoughtful. After check-in, you’ll first meet your around-the-clock butler outside of your room where they await with a welcome drink and warm towel. Between 5 and 7 p.m., order a martini ritual to your room. Condescend to dine at onsite Cafe Carmellini, one of the best new restaurants in New York City. Flit out to nearby Gagosian and Fotografiska for a further art fix. It’s all that you need.
Beyond an extra suitcase to accommodate all the shopping you'll do nearby, pack whatever you feel most comfortable in—a neutral suit or little black dress to compliment the surroundings, or your most playful Rachel Comey to give the interiors a run for their money.
1, Place Vendôme — Paris
Nestled above the 1st arrondissement’s Chopard boutique sits Paris’s new stealth-wealth gem of a hotel, the first from the Swiss fine jewelry maker owned by the Scheufele family. The watchmaking giant first bought the building, which dates back to 1723 (the roof and facades are protected historical monuments), a decade ago while it was still operating as another hotel, and subsequently embarked on a painstaking renovation and restoration project that birthed the beauty that exists today. With just 5 rooms and 10 suites, it’s a remarkably intimate affair. None looks like another, by the way—on one stay, you might lounge on the cobalt blue lounger of the modernist, Pop Art attic suite while the next sees you splayed out on the four-poster bed of double-height, quintessentially Parisian Appartement Chopard (the latter has its own hammam).
In the absence of an onsite restaurant, chef Boris Algarra slings his 24/7 menu (divided up between breakfast, day, and night) wherever the guest desires it—the library, the bedroom, you name it. And that’s saying nothing of the litany of fine dining found on the hotel’s doorstep—the neighborhood is the flâneur’s playground, with the Tulieres Gardens and prime shopping also a short jaunt away. Pack a good pair of walking shoes as Paris is, famously, best-walked from top to bottom with shopping bags weighing down either arm.
Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort — Hawai'i
The new iteration of Kona Village, now operated by the reliably resplendent Rosewood group, ticks the boxes of design, location, and service in a way that few resorts across the Hawaiian islands have brushed the ceilings of. Senior editor Rebecca Misner dubbed the property “the Platonic ideal of the ‘Hawaiian hotel’” in her review. With 150 hale, or bungalows, dotting the 81 acres of oceanfront land, it earns its name for functioning as a sort of communal haven. The favoured onsite watering hole, Shipwreck, sits within the gutted schooner of the original owner. A coconut outside a guest’s bungalow door sends the same signal that a do-not-disturb sign would at a more traditional hideaway.
As a preeminent resort, Kona Village offers everything you could ever dream of within its property line—two bars, two restaurants, a spa built into the site’s lava flow, and a beach that feels so endless in large part because there’s not much else in the vicinity. But the adventurous would be wise to call up the concierge, who can arrange excursions to the town of Waimea, as well as day trips to see the waterfalls in the North and guided hikes through hidden craters. Be sure to bring along your swimsuit, sarong, and a pair of water shoes for those excursions.
This story originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveller.
