Luxe lodgings for your 2025 travels

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Charles Dickens may have been writing about Victorian London, but the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities could just as easily apply to finding a hotel room in New York this year.

The near-ban on AirBnbs has seen hotel rates skyrocket in the Big Apple, and in September average room rates topped US$417 per night — the most expensive monthly rate on record. But, at the same time, it’s something of a golden era for travellers with deep pockets, as impressive new hotels throw open their doors to the fortunate few.

In New York City, the likes of Aman New York have recently raised the bar for urban opulence, but is there a more storied name in city luxury than Waldorf Astoria?

Fresh from its 2024 opening in Seychelles, spring 2025 will see the long-overdue reopening of the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York. Taking pride of place on plush Park Avenue, this historic hotel — welcoming moneyed guests since 1931 — has been closed since 2017 for a meticulous restoration overseen by designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. The new-look classic will balance timeless grandeur and modern comforts, with restored highlights such as the Grand Ballroom and the Waldorf Astoria clock. Crucially, the key count has dropped from 1 400 to just 375, to offer some of the most spacious rooms and suites in the city. Amid the changes, classics remain: the Peacock Alley bar has long been a signature, while chef Michael Anthony will now helm Lex Yard, a two-storey American brasserie. Safe to say, this New York City landmark is well and truly back.

The same has happened on the West Coast. A landmark of southern California — or “SoCal” to locals — the Fairmont Breakers Long Beach has reopened after a dramatic, transformative renovation that celebrates its 1926 architecture while infusing a new sense of contemporary luxury into this seaside property.

Originally designed in an “ultra-Spanish” Art Deco style, the 14-storey hotel’s revamp has seen the number of rooms slashed from 300 to just 185, allowing for a sense of space and indulgence that’s brought into even sharper focus in the 22 suites with stellar Pacific views.

But, in truth, you may spend little time behind closed doors. The revamp will once again make the hotel a hang-out for local celebrities and savvy travellers. The best seats in the house are in the top-floor Sky Room; a storied space where the likes of Clark Gable and Rita Hayworth toasted the swinging 1930s, before a world war spoiled the party and gun turrets took the place of tall drinks. Today, the reinvented Sky Room — with a glorious sea-view bar to boot — offers elegantly unfussy cuisine from SoCal chef Max Pfeiffer, who brings Michelin-star experience and a classical approach to the menu. Throw in the area’s first luxury spa, a live-music venue, and a rooftop pool bar, and The Breakers is set to revel in its former glory once more.

Across the pond, in a country never short of enigmatic landscapes, the island of Islay is a standout for Scotland travel. From moody shorelines to inky ancient lochs, the terroir of the island has made it a pilgrimage for fans of the peaty, salt-laden whiskies produced by Islay’s nine active distilleries. Among them, Ardbeg is one of the most famous, beloved as much for its 10-year-old single malt as for the creative “expressions” on offer. In 2025, that creativity extends to the brand-new Ardbeg House, which is set to open mid-year. In what was once the Islay Hotel, in the village of Port Ellen, a sensitive reinvention will create a new 12-room boutique property.

Ardbeg is owned by luxury marque LVMH, and the redesign is being led by Russell Sage Studio (which also had a hand in the striking Glenmorangie distillery, Belmond’s Cadogan Hotel, and iconic London hotel The Goring), so expect a dollop of eccentric luxury in what is promised to be “a witty and distinctly Ardbeggian restyling of every floor”.

A restyling is precisely what’s been happening at Spier Wine Farm on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, which has long been a pioneer in the Cape winelands’ growing tourism industry. At times it’s perhaps reached too far, offering too many attractions and losing a little focus. But that’s changed in recent years, and the dedication to sustainable farming and support for the arts, with a healthy dollop of winelands gastronomy, has again cemented the estate as a must-visit for travellers and locals.

March 2025 sees the next step in that evolution, with the opening of a reimagined Spier Hotel. Surrounded by rewilded indigenous gardens, the hotel offers winelands luxury with a deep sense of immersion in nature. Each of the hotel’s 80 rooms and suites will offer private gardens or Juliet balconies overlooking the Helderberg Mountain.

And while you’ll want to indulge in the pair of farm-to-table restaurants or the ever-popular picnics, there’s also a new focus on wellness. A vast new spa will offer “farm-inspired” treatments, while the Cape Herbal Bath House and large outdoor heated swimming pool offer plenty of opportunities for hydrotherapy. Throw in exclusive farm experiences, a nature-inspired kids’ club, and a thoroughly contemporary South African art experience curated throughout the property, the revamped Spier Hotel is set to become a tranquil escape for local and international guests.