THE WORLD’S COOLEST HOTELS
Hotel Marqués de Riscal / Spain
If a Pink Floyd song could shapeshift into a hotel, meet me at Marqués de Riscal. In the heart of Spain’s Rioja Alavesa, this titanium-wrapped Frank Gehry-designed fantasy channels the seismic scale of a giant pink, gold and silver mushroom. By night, a more seductive shape emerges — a flamenco dancer’s whirling skirt. Welcome to a vino haven where wine weaves through everything from vinotherapy to temptation by Tempranillo. Some rooms boast views of the medieval town of Elciego, and the hotel is the centerpiece of a 100,000-square-metre complex known as “The City of Wine,” conceived to bridge the gap between the 19th and 21st centuries. Wine and wellness pilgrims alike are drawn here to experience SPA Vinothérapie Caudalie Marqués de Riscal, an utterly hedonistic concept in an unparalleled setting.
Amangiri / USA
Amangiri is by far the most spectacular resort to have been built on American soil in the 21st century. It took 10 years and an Act of Congress to establish this majestic confluence of site-specific architecture and New Age minimalism in southwest Utah. With views of the rock face of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and sacred Navajo land in the distance, the setting is nothing short of spectacular. Each of the 34 suites invites the stark surroundings
