Photo story: The Great Escape
The Great Escape
Remove yourself from the busy world around you. Check out these fi ve magical retreats where blissful rest and relaxation are guaranteed.
All across America, from California to Florida, here are the coolest luxury hideaways in some of nature’s most spectacular surroundings. All are featured in The Hotel Book: Great Escapes North America (Taschen, $39.99 hardback, available from www.taschen.com).
Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur, CA
Located just over three hours south of San Francisco, this inn set on a mountain ridge overlooking the Pacifi c demonstrates that a world-class spa resort can be ecologically minded, too. Cottages and cabins boast ocean or mountain views, and each one is designed to harmonize with the wild beauty of the ranch. Sierra Mar, the resort’s award-winning, glass-enclosed restaurant, is the perfect place to indulge in some creative New California cuisine with something from the 3,000-bottle wine cellar after enjoying your La Stone Massage.
The Carneros Inn
Napa, CA
Most of the Napa Valley’s famous wineries are a stone’s throw from this 27-acre resort an hour north of San Francisco, which opened in 2003. There are 86 guest cottages that look, from the highway, like a collection of rustic farm buildings with shady front porches and rocking chairs.
But the plain exterior belies what’s on the inside: hardwood fl oors, leather club chairs, vaulted ceilings, wood-burning fi replaces and showers that open to the stars. A full-service spa and an array of fi ne dining options are also available.
Loft 523
New Orleans
Anyone who has visited New Orleans knows that the city’s resilience is stronger than the fl oods of Hurricane Katrina. And while a boutique hotel like this with its determined minimalism might seem more downtown New York than Deep South, the cool open spaces of Loft 523’s apartment-sized suites provide a soothing contrast to the city’s cacophony. Set in a renovated 1880s warehouse with original masonry archways and cast-iron columns, the hotel is due to reopen on June 24.
Little Palm Island
Little Torch Key, FL
Located on Little Torch Key, a private island 125 miles south of Miami International Airport, this resort is accessible only by boat. There are 28 large thatched-roof cottages facing a white sand beach and a turquoise ocean, with no television or clocks to spoil the Caribbean-like tropical solitude.
The Moorings Village
Islamorada, FL
This is a rare bit of Florida, what it used to be like before beaches saw large-scale real estate development. Just 80 miles from Miami International Airport, sleepy Moorings Village has 18 self-contained cottages and houses stretched over 18 acres, with an 1,100-foot private white sand beach.