Why Go

Hotels for Foodies

By: Skylark

Long gone are the days of stale lobby muffins and mini-bar drudgery. Hotels around the world have elevated their dining game and now far-traveling foodies can look forward to meals that are nothing short of spectacular. Whether its a journey to an Argentinean vineyard for a rib-eye cooked over an open fire or to San Sebastián, Basque Country’s Michelin-star mecca, for Chef Pedro Subijana’s tasting menu, these hotels are worth the trek. We just hope you're hungry. 

PAWS UP & THE GREEN O

Paws Up & the green o

Even the dining at Paws Up is a choose your own western-style adventure. There's gourmet fine dining at Pomp, rustic (yet refined) ranch fare at Trough, and a cocktail bar called Tank that would give any LES bar a run for its money. At breakfast, the huckleberries you spotted on yesterday’s hike show up on your plate as a jam complimenting a steaming stack of flapjacks. For lunch? Perhaps a fillet of trout just caught in the river that runs aside your glamp-site. And for dinner—if opting for the resort’s chuck wagon experience—expect angus prime rib grilled over a campfire in true cowboy fashion, followed by fruit cobbler baked over the coals.

For those looking for the truly remarkable, book a haus at the brand-new, adults-only, ultra-luxe sister property of Paws Up: green-o. Tucked into a pine grove on the southern edge of Paws Up's 37,000-acres, green-o is an all-inclusive phenom where each and every meal is an activity in and of itself. The property's sleek, centrally placed Social Haus sports a gleaming open kitchen that's expertly, thoughtfully, and charmingly run by none other than Executive Chef Brandon Cunningham. Expect menus that favor ingredients that are locally harvested, gathered, and raised—sunchokes, wild chamomile, venison, and crunchy yuzo-y mushrooms that are sincerely magical—much like everything else at this Montana gem.

BLACKBERRY FARM & BLACKBERRY MOUNTAIN

Blackberry Farm & Blackberry Mountain

Foodies visiting Blackberry Farm can expect seasonal produce harvested from the hotel farm (naturally) and served with a generous helping of Southern charm. Located in the rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the farm’s 4,200+ acres include an on-site creamery, bakery, and charcuterie that comes together to create the ultimate farm-to-table experience for guests. On the menu, you’ll find nuanced takes on southern classics like fried chicken brined in sweet tea, an omelette made from just-laid eggs and foraged mushrooms with a brown butter shortcake. For those who prefer their mint juleps paired with adventure, we’d suggest staying at Blackberry Mountain right next door. It's run by the same family behind Blackberry Farm and sports a bevy of sleek, yet cozy accommodations to stay in—we're big fans of the Watchman Cabins—plus a whole roster of activities ranging from rope courses to fly fishing. 

AKELARRE

Akelarre

For die-hard foodies, a pilgrimage to San Sebastián—Basque Country’s Michelin-star mecca—is considered a rite of passage. There’s no better place to stay than Akelarre, a hotel entirely designed around Chef Pedro Subijana’s three-Michelin star restaurant. After sampling dishes like hake in seaweed steam with oyster leaves and prawns on orujo (brandy) fire at the restaurant Subijana’s led since 1975, you’ll understand exactly how he earned all those stars. The unbelievable restaurant is rightfully matched with MoMA-worthy decor and a stunning 9,000-square-foot spa––complete with panoramic views of the water and a hydrotherapy pool.

THE LITTLE NELL

The Little Nell

After you’ve worked up an appetite on the slopes, The Little Nell is ready to wow you. Don’t worry, fries are still on the menu, but at Ajax Tavern, they come with truffles and they're served (literal) steps away from the Silver Queen Gondola. This is the apres-ski experience we all dream about: casually glam and utterly delightful. While Ajax Tavern has people watching and wagyu burgers covered, Element 47 puts the fine in fine dining—The Little Nell is a longtime member of Relais & Châteaux, after all. Expect breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus filled with Colorado Contemporary cuisine and an atmosphere that prioritizes warmth over fussy formality. 

SAFFIRE FREYCINET

Saffire Freycinet

The most dedicated foodies aren’t afraid to go out of their way for a good meal, and trust us: the dining experience at Saffire Freycinet is worth the trek to Tasmania. Palate, the seaside eco-lodge’s primary restaurant, is known by gastronomes all over the world for its multi-course menu that changes daily based on the seasonal bounty of the surrounding area. You can thank the Mediterranean-like climate (and exceptional chefs) for dishes like black mussels and poached southern rock lobster, both supplied from neighboring fishing villages. Food this exquisite wouldn’t be complete without a to-die-for wine pairing, but don’t worry, as you'd expect, the wines served here are as local as the oysters. 

ROSEWOOD CASTIGLION DEL BOSCO

Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco

Gourmands know that the best food is found under the Tuscan Sun, and that the region’s finest can be had at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco. Originally a 16th-century village, the property has been converted into a Rosewood resort and an epicurean’s dream. Two exceptional restaurants, a cooking school, an organic kitchen garden, and a winery await you on the estate's 5,000-acres. On the menu, you’ll find the expected Tuscan fare like risotto and pappardelle, just like nonna used to make and using the same seasonal produce found in the kitchen garden. If you’re here for Tuscany’s other famous export, the wine, then rest assured: after the first sip of a rich red poured straight from the barrel, you know you’ve finally arrived to foodie paradiso. 

HÔTEL PLAZA ATHÉNÉE

Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Since the Hôtel Plaza Athénée first unfurled its signature red awnings in 1913, the hotel has defined Parisian style and set the bar for uncompromising luxury. Naturally, the hotel’s dining experience exemplifies that signature Parisian good taste as well. Guests have many choices when it comes to dining here: a three Michelin-starred restaurant, an iconic art-deco brassiere, afternoon tea featuring a tower of pastries, champagne, and a harpist accompaniment on one of the city's first catwalks (aka the hotel's central lobby), and two alfresco terraces where the only thing finer than the food is the people watching. If, while sipping on a fizzing glass of 1966 Dom Pérignon pulled from the hotel’s bar collection of rare bottles, you start to suspect the hotel might just be a little over the top––that’s because you’re right––it is, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

LAS CASITAS, A BELMOND HOTEL

Las Casitas, a Belmond Hotel

There’s a lot of ways to work up an appetite. At Las Casitas, our favorite way is via horseback riding through the rolling hills of the Colca Valley. The meals waiting for you upon your return to the hotel are informed by indigenous Peruvian cooking methods and use vegetables sourced from the garden right outside the hotel. The food here is most likely unlike anything you’ve ever had before. How many can say they’ve tasted Aji de Gallina or ceviche made from trout caught fresh from the farm's creek as they sipped on a cocktail made from mountain fruit? You and your inevitable Instagram post will be the envy of even your most in-the-know foodie friends. 

THE VINES RESORT & SPA

The Vines Resort & Spa

The resort’s name alone suggests the wonderland that awaits wine-lovers at The Vines Resort. Tucked into the base of the soaring Andes in the Uco Valley, the resort is comprised of spacious villas and, of course, a private vineyard where you can tour the vines and witness the harvest of the wine with a world-renowned consulting winemaker as your guide. The resort doesn't just provide once in a lifetime wine-ing, the dining is just as extraordinary, with the internationally acclaimed chef Francis Mallmann tending to an open-fire and serving signature Argentine dishes like 9-hour slow-grilled rib eye, salt-encrusted salmon baked in a cast-iron, and grilled seasonal fruits harvested from a nearby farm. As you cozy up around the fire with the majestic Andes as your backdrop to sip on the perfectly paired wine you witnessed the harvest of earlier, you’re certain this is a moment you’re not likely to forget, no matter how many glasses of wine you’ve had. If you'd like to book, send us a message and we'll make it happen. 

THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON

The Inn at Little Washington

Anytime a hotel is designed around a restaurant, you know you’re in for the most gourmet of treats. The Inn at Little Washington is no exception. Don’t let The Inn’s humble beginnings––originally a small restaurant inside of a garage created by Patrick O’Connell, both proprietor and chef––fool you: it’s since grown into an entire village, and boasts three Michelin stars. Long before farm-to-table was a trending topic, Patrick O’Connell was befriending the local farmers of “Little” Washington to curate a menu so special, it would one day be worthy of a five-star hotel. Expect imaginative takes on classic French cooking served with a side of American whimsy. Example? Carpaccio of baby lamb loin with caesar salad ice-cream for dinner—and for dessert, a sorbet made from red currant and elderflower. Don’t forget to stop for an afternoon cup of “Patrick’s Blend” tea served by the massive marble fireplace in the two-story foyer, and accompanied by small cucumber and house-smoked salmon sandwiches––it's the very essence of old Southern charm, with a gourmand twist. 

TOPPING ROSE HOUSE

Topping Rose House

If you’re hoping to escape to the Hamptons, but hate leaving behind the comforts and cuisine of the city, look no further than Topping Rose House. The 22-room hotel, a converted private home from 1842, is accompanied by a restaurant from none other than Jean-Georges, the famed French chef who is beloved by New Yorkers and foodies alike. On the menu, you’ll find epicurean riffs on “Out East” classics like roasted Maine lobster with carrot-habanero emulsion and 28-day dry aged ribeye for two that clenched the hotel’s reputation as the favorite spot amongst foodies looking for an excuse to enjoy the surf and break out their sunnies. 

CHATEAU DE BERNE

Château de Berne

Such quintessential provincial paradise would be incomplete without sublime food and wine, and Château de Berne delivers accordingly. Located on a picturesque country lane, amidst fragrant olive groves and winding grape vines, Château de Berne was designed with the gourmand in mind. The boutique hotel boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant and is famed for its locavore, just-plucked-from-the-garden vegetable-forward approach to cuisine. The wine pairings take an equally direct fresh attitude, with original bottles like the Cuvee Sauvage, a sparkling rosé with the scents of raspberry and strawberry, made from the property’s vineyard. As you settle on the terrace to watch the sun descend over the vineyard, you dip a piece of a freshly baked bread into the olive oil made from the groves you wandered around that afternoon, take a deep inhale: all senses are satiated in provincial pleasure. 

AMAN KYOTO

Aman Kyoto

Guests come to Aman Kyoto for tasteful design and tastier dining. You’ve had afternoon tea all over the globe, but something about your fireside perch at Aman Kyoto's Living Pavilion makes it a transcendent experience. Is it the fig tartlet by award-winning pastry chef, Hiroyuki Matsuo? The 20 types of tea? Or the birds singing in the ancient adjacent trees? Regardless, the result is heaven. The dinner at Aman Kyoto is just as sublime—the hotel’s harmonious approach to design and dining come together via a menu inspired by the legacy of the artist Honami Koetsu, credited with helping shape the culture and creative life of Kyoto. Of course, here, every dish thoughtfully prepared might be mistaken for a work of art, and you might even try to frame it—if it weren’t so delicious. 

THE LANGHAM, HONG KONG

The Langham, Hong Kong

The Langham, Hong Kong marries the megawatt city’s glamor with the brand’s signature British sense-and-sensibility charm—and the hotel’s dining options are evidence of the superb result. Options include everything from T’ang Court––a three-Michelin star restaurant showcasing the best of Cantonese cuisine– to Main Street––a New York inspired deli––and afternoon tea service in the gorgeous lobby lounge. Where else could you have a traditional Chinese dish like stewed imperial bird’s nest in a restaurant that resembles a Chinese mansion for dinner, a reuben that tastes like you picked it up from your favorite bodega for lunch, followed by a pot of earl grey served on Wedgewood china? It’s truly the best of east meets west. 

THE CONNAUGHT

The Connaught

Just like their famed martinis, The Connaught is cool, classic, and classy. When a hotel’s dining options include French chef Hélène Darroze’s eponymous, three-Michelin star restaurant, and its bar is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best, even the fussiest of foodies will have trouble finding a single thing to sniff about. How could they when waiters arrive with trolleys to proceed to mix you the perfect martini (stirred, not shaken), or when sampling the cornish spider crab on Darroze’s five-course tasting menu takes place under the glow of the restaurant’s handblown chandelier? This is nosh for the posh. 

THE ROYAL MANSOUR

The Royal Mansour

The Royal Mansour’s dining options are fit for a King, which is only natural given that King Mohammed VI opened the hotel in 2010 after some 1,500 artisans got every detail of his hotel exactly and exactingly right. His royal attention to detail certainly paid off in the hotel’s culinary department: all seven of the property’s restaurants are overseen by Chef Yannick Alléno, the talent behind many Michelin stars. The crown jewel of the hotel’s restaurants is easily La Grande Table Marocaine, where chef Yannick Alléno showcases his interpretation of Moroccan cuisine in the form of a seven-course tasting menu—the lamb shoulder tajine for two is the stuff of legends. 

DORADO BEACH, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE

Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

It’s a fact, pineapple mojitos just taste better when they are sipped from the comfort of a seaside cabana—dining at any of Dorado Beach’s restaurants or bars is evidence. Originally developed by Laurence Rockefeller––yes, as in the Rockefeller’s––the resort has been transformed into a verifiable foodie destination, thanks to a revamp that included redesigning their restaurants' menus to highlight local ingredients. At COA, ingredients like scallops, corn and asparagus are seasonally sourced and transformed into an unforgettable meal using a Mi Brasa—a traditional, Spanish wood-burning oven. If you want to mix it up from the hand-muddled mojitos you’ve been sipping on all afternoon, COA has you covered, thanks to their enormous wine cellar, one of the Caribbean's largest. Just make sure you don’t miss Posi+Ivo, the beachfront Asian/Latin fusion restaurant, because really, how often do you get to experience an Omakase bar barefoot, with the sound of the Atlantic's crashing waves for the evening’s musical accompaniment? 

CHEVAL BLANC ST-BARTH ISLE DE FRANCE

Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France

One of LVMH’s one-of-a-kind properties, this boutique hotel rests atop the prized white sands of Flamands Beach, with a beach bar boasting serious star-quality––and stars––plus La Case de l’Isle, designed by Jean Imbert to showcase Caribbean cuisine. Dinner might consist of a braised local branzino or a sublime yellowfin tuna tartare. Did we mention that there’s also Sunday brunch, where mimosas are made from fresh squeezed oranges and top-shelf champagne? For a feet-in-the-sand lunch––and perfectly chilled glass of rosé––just follow the hotel's wooden path through palm trees, heliconia, and huge tropical ferns. Here you'll find La Cabane, a beachfront cabana located on a stretch of soft white sand, where St. Barths' famed laid back ultra-luxurious vibe is on full display.