I’m A Travel Writer, And These Were My Favorite Hotels Of 2023

31.12.2023 - 23:47 / forbes.com

As a travel and food writer, I am beyond lucky that my work takes me to dozens of dreamy destinations both near and far each year. But the very best trips make me reluctant to walk out the door for the last time, wishing I could hit a rewind button and begin the trip all over again even while I’m still there.

From a sexy, sparkling skyscraper with a bird’s eye view of Tokyo to a 12th-century castle overlooking the Tuscan countryside—a modern B&B built into a scenic hillside in Willamette Valley wine country to Julia Child’s storied house (and kitchen!) in the charming Provençal countryside, here are the most memorable places I traveled to in 2023. If I can’t restart these epic trips all over again, at least I can relive the memories, revisit my photos, and recommend these extraordinary hotels for those of you brainstorming destinations for your own travels in 2024 and beyond.

Tokyo, Japan: Bulgari Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo’s soaring cityscape was taken to new heights this year with the addition of Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, which occupies the 40th-45th floors of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu ultra-skyscraper. And if I had to pick just one trip from 2023 that I could start again from scratch, this opulent aerie with incredible views of Japan’s capital city would be it.

It’s the eighth hotel property in the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts collection—part of the iconic Italian jewelry brand founded in 1884—which also includes hotels in Bali, Beijing, Dubai, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, and Shanghai.

From spacious guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows to the serene 20,000-square-foot spa, and the smartly stylish Il Ristorante dining room, each and every elegant space reflects Bulgari’s signature Italian style tailored to the Japanese aesthetic. But two sexy spaces are truly jaw-dropping: the 40th-floor pool with jewel-like emerald green mosaic tiles and an 80-foot lap pool, and the Rooftop Bulgari Bar and Terrace Gardens, which offers breathtaking views of Tokyo from the vantage point of the 45th floor.

Venice, Italy: Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort

Globetrotters looking to time-travel to a more glamorous era would be hard-pressed to find a more majestic destination than Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort. Opened in 1908, the majestic Moorish-style Venetian palace quickly became the destination for the international jet-set thanks to its unparalleled position on the beach in Lido, overlooking the sparkling Adriatic.

Then, in 1932, the Hotel Excelsior became even more glamorous when it hosted legendary Hollywood stars including Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, John Barrymore, and Joan Crawford for the first-ever Venice Film Festival. Today, photographs of the film stars and directors, royalty, global leaders, artists, and other