Five Frivolities: December 17
Mosha Lundström Halbert on hotels, a weeklong roadtrip itinerary through Northern Portugal, my favorite new hotel openings of 2023, e-gifts for the hotel-lover, and an ultra-cool new "hotel" in Paris
In residence with Mosha Lundström Halbert
This week, I have the pleasure of introducing you to a good person with very good taste, Mosha Lundström Halbert. If you’re a Fashion Person, you likely follow her already. In addition to being a contributor for Vogue, the co-founder of her family’s outerwear brand Therma Kota, she’s @NEWSFASH on TikTok, which has spawned a fantastic podcast of the same name. I’ve followed her for a few years, and highly admire her ability to interweave critique with cultural context to create cut-through fashion storytelling. Plus, she has fantastic personal style. She’s cool and kind, the most dynamic duo. Especially, in a journalist.
Canadian by nationality, Icelandic by heritage and American by residence, Mosha is a frequent flier. Naturally, I’m always trying to figure out the logo on her hotel bathrobe. Today, former wonder turns into current wanderlust as she chats with me about hotels.
You can follow Mosha on Instagram here, on TikTok here, and subscribe to the NEWSFASH Podcast here. I highly recommend doing all of the above!
Let’s get to the hotel part, shall we?
Of all the hotels you've stayed at, what is your favorite hotel?
Grand Hotel Pupp by in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic feels like you are staying in Wes Anderson’s world, because you are — it was his inspiration for Grand Budapest Hotel. My favorite Daniel Craig Bond film Casino Royale also was filmed there and it’s the home of a glamorous film festival. Beyond charming.
I just realized that it was this stay that first brought you onto my FYP, of which I’m forever grateful!
Is there a hotel (or hotels) that are on your bucket list that you've yet to stay at?
Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland for a true elemental getaway. And the Belmond Royal Scotsman sleeper train from London to the Highlands for an escape back in time.
Both are on my list, too. Kindred spirits.
I love knowing about unique hotel details. What is the most special unique feature you've ever experienced at a hotel? I.e. a spa, butler service, a special turndown service, an off-menu mini bar, property activities etc.
The team at 45 Park Lane in London always go super above and beyond for us: from shipping out Ascot racing attire back to the US, to remembering how we like the minibar stocked with different milks for our tea (my husband has 15 cups a day), to getting us impossibly last-minute reservations. They make everything easier and extra special. You even get your own butler!
Service is so important at hotels. Is there a property that epitomizes flawless hospitality?
The Palace Hotel Tokyo has the most impeccable fleet of staff. Quickest room service, help with gym equipment (or a personal stretcher, great idea post-flight), pampering turn-down complete with heated eye masks, and all these other details like the addictive hotel scent, the friendly bows and hellos wherever you go, and how the hosts go out of their way. Super delightful and makes you feel welcome in a way that is rare.
Feeling truly welcome at a hotel is truly special. Which leads me to beds - something equally important in a hotel stay. What hotel beds have you found to be the most heavenly?
The Four Seasons in Kyoto where I had the best sleep of my life. It’s incredibly calming and quiet. The lighting and energy of Kyoto and this property just gets you in the mood for a snooze.
A cabin at SoHo Farmhouse with the fireplace rollicking, a clawfoot bath steps from the bed, and the windows swung open to the English countryside.
The Edition in Reykjavik — it’s right on the water and magical to wake up to floor-to-ceiling views of the North Atlantic sea.
There is also something divine about an overcast Hong Kong morning high up at the Rosewood overlooking the Victoria harbor.
So thoughtful, so insightful, so delightful. Thank you, Mosha, for sharing your divine hotel experiences with us.
A weeklong hotel-driven Portuguese road trip
On Wednesday’s paid edition, I shared my list of hotels in Portugal - 96 hotels. In creating this list, I was endlessly concocting itineraries for different times of year, different scenarios, different types of people. Today, I’ll share a weeklong roadtrip itinerary that starts at the very North of the country, goes into the Duoro Valley, and ends in Porto. Wednesday, I’ll share a two-week itinerary that starts in Lisbon and heads south, to Alentejo and the Algarve.
In this instance, you fly into Porto and (de rigeur around here) rent a car. You’re headed 45 mins north, to a crazy cool hotel, Paço da Glória. They describe it as “An 18th century castle in the North of Portugal. An intersection between art, loss and nature. A space ready to accommodate every guest and state of mind.” Beyond intriguing. Enrapturing? That seems fitting. Nestled within the Lima Valley, the itinerary here largely consists of wine tasting, visiting the nearby oldest town in Portugal, Ponte de Lima, and enjoying the lack of an overstuffed itinerary. Especially because the hotel has both an indoor and an outdoor pool, a yoga deck, and verdant gardens to roam. Two nights, or three. Embrace the wonderful in the weird and wild here, will you?
Then, you’re back onto the road and into the Duoro Valley. I’m torn between two different hotels here: Pinta Guest House and Quinta da Corte. Whichever calls to you, 2-3 nights there. In this part of the world, the word is singular: wine. Well, Port, too.
Fitting, because the last stop is Porto. I’d choose between Infante Sagres or Cocorico for hotels, and spend two full days wandering, eating, stopping into historic buildings and churches and curio shops. But really, I want to see palace after palace. The material history of this country fascinates me.
The Happy Hoteling curation of the best new hotels of 2023
Post-pandemic, lucky number ‘23 was a good year for hotels. So, I put together a list of my absolute favorites – places I thought nailed both the interior and exterior, that have unique touches and the sense that it adds to the place it lives within. 20 hotels really tickled my hotel fancy this year. Re-openings under the same ownership weren’t part of this cut.
In the UK:
Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire
Boys Hall and Margate House in Kent
At Sloane, The Broadwick Soho, and Raffles at The OWO in London
In the US:
The Fifth Avenue Hotel in NYC
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, California
Dawn Ranch in the Russian River Valley, California
In Italy:
Palazzo Vilòn in Rome
In France:
Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay outside of Paris
La Fantaisie and Le Grand Mazarin in Paris
In Morocco:
Villa Mabrouka in Tangier
Rosemary in Marrakech
In Spain & Portugal:
Son Net in Mallorca, Spain
Casa Beatnik in Galicia, Spain
Vermelho in Melides, Portugal
In Norway:
Villa Inkognito in Oslo
In Indonesia:
Cap Karoso on Sumba Island
If you’ve stayed at any of these properties, I’d love to know about your stay in the comments below!
A new ultra-exclusive boutique “hotel” in Paris
Paris has gotten the royal hotel treatment this year. The latest arrival: Les Suites Cinabre in the 9th arrondissement. It’s less of a hotel and more of hotel-like hospitality in two luxurious suites. But, it doesn’t have a residential feel (which I love!) and it also feels genuinely new and fresh. With Hästens beds. (!!)
Suite 1 can sleep 4 people, with rates from €770/night. At 990 sq ft, it would fit nearly two of my apartments. Beyond the bedroom, there’s a living room, atrium, and dedicated cocktail bar. It’s all done with incredible taste.
Suite 2 sleeps two, from €650/night. A dreamy bathroom with a settee for spectators, the Sofa of sofas, and blue velvet wallpaper make it an easy yes.
A great option to itch the Paris scratch before the Olympics arrive.
Last-minute gifting for hotel-lovers
If you’re anything like me, you’ve either 1. had COVID this week or 2. have been busy and presents kept getting pushed. Now, ground delivery is mostly a no-go, so e-delivery is the way to save the day.
Relais & Chateau has so many wonderful hotels and restaurants around the world, in varying prices and aesthetic preferences. A gift card here is bound to have a happy recipient.
In the same vein, if you’re not using a travel agent like myself, Mr. & Mrs. Smith has a fantastic curation of hotels around the world, and a gift card makes a great gift.
The unabashedly obvious choice? Gift a yearly paid subscription to Happy Hoteling to the travel-chasing, hotel-obsessed people in your life.
What ever your name, wherever you are, I wanted to thank you for being here. This was the year I finally really pursued my dream to write about hotels. Because of you! I’m utterly appreciative.
xx Your Penpal,
Marissa
Is there a Japan Hotel list I’m missing?
I’ve only been able to search Japan and find a few bits and bobs. Not a Japan list. Thanks for any help.
Doing a deep dive into old issues and can confirm, Quinta da Corte is the move <3