Pool tips

Dec 20, 2024 • 9 min read

Walking through the Marrakech medina means being bowled over (metaphorically and, sometimes, physically) by the swirling scent of spices and grilled meat, audible haggling between ceramics dealers and tourists, the clip clopping of donkeys pulling carts, and the incoming whoosh of a moped zipping along by. It’s chaotic and magical. But much of the old city’s charm also lies just out of sight, behind high, red clay walls where the city’s riads—traditional homes and guesthouses known for lush, often ornately-tiled interior courtyards—have stood for centuries.

When my taxi rolled up to Aleenta Phuket Phang Nga Resort & Spa, a luxurious beach hideaway north of Phuket—and far from Thailand's overcrowded beach towns like Patong—I was a shell of a human, on the verge of burnout. My body was teetering toward a full system shutdown; my gut was a mess. My under-eye bags could double as carry-ons.

I’m a big bather, but I’m from the UK, which doesn’t have a strong bathing culture. I live near an abandoned Victorian bath house, public pools have closed across the country, andour rivers are not for swimmers.

Jan 9, 2025 • 4 min read

Jan 9, 2025 • 6 min read

Namia River Retreat opened last month on the banks of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, a coastal city in central Vietnam. The tranquil setting — all 60 villas stand between the water and a palm forest — inspires the resort’s wellness program. Activities include yoga, meditation and duong sinh (an Indigenous form of tai chi) sessions and swimming in the saltwater pool; there’s also access to riverside saunas, bamboo bicycles to explore Hoi An and sunset river cruises. An indoor-outdoor spa specializes in traditional Vietnamese medicine using herbs grown on the property and in nearby gardens. The villas themselves are more indulgent than you might expect at a wellness resort. Each comes with a private pool, a sunken bathtub and an outdoor shower, while the décor is replete with local touches, from the ash-wood furniture made in nearby Da Nang to the artisan-carved wooden wall hangings and photographs depicting Vietnamese life. And for food, you can choose between two restaurants: the Fisherman, a seafood spot, and the Merchant, where the playful menu offers cocktails inspired by street food (the Hoi An Chicken Rice Com Ga features a local rum infused with rice and chicken broth) and equally nontraditional dishes like cao lau carbonara, whose sauce is made with duck egg.

Jan 8, 2025 • 8 min read

Cancún is an undeniably popular tourist destination. In 2022, the region hosted nearly 10 million visitors. With seemingly endless beaches and clear waters, it’s not surprising to see so many travelers making their way to this area.

Certain destinations in the US have a particularly hot Airbnb scene. Many of these are in California. San Diego, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and rentals near Palm Springs come to mind, but Sacramento Airbnb rentals are challenging Californian hosts with a focus on detail and offerings of amenities that will make a vacation to the state unforgettable. These properties sizzle with generous outdoor spaces with pools, beautifully furnished patios, backyard games, and interiors, which will have you planning your Pinterest board for a home renovation on your return. These are some of the best Airbnbs in Sacramento and the surrounding area that you need to bookmark now.

Valletta, the capital city of the archipelago of Malta, the southernmost capital city in Europe, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is tiny. At just 0.24 square miles, you can see all its highlights in a matter of a couple of hours, which is good news for the cruisers who tend to have one day, or less, on site.

It's well known that Marriott's W Hotels brand has been rolling out sleek new transformations worldwide and opening hotels in must-visit cities. These openings include a significant refresh of the W Union Square in New York City and the recent opening of the W Las Vegas (formerly Accor's Delano).

It may be the early days of January, but it's never too early to start pining for summer. And this coming August, Marriott Bonvoy loyalists — and those who just want to get away to Greece — can look forward to the first-ever JW Marriott resort on the island of Crete.

A winding stone path leads down to a long, shady iron pergola draped in wisteria and twisting jasmine, where Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, the creative force behind all this romance, is sipping a pink martini. Elegant and dashingly handsome, Ruspoli casts an eye over Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat, his eight-acre (and expanding) garden estate. Shimmering olive trees underplanted with fragrant floriferous white Atlas rose bushes encircle an expansive pool. A walkway below us cuts through swaying, luminous Pennisetum grasses punctuated by sculptural giant agaves and supersize succulents. As we begin to wander, drinks in hand, Ruspoli points out a building in the process of being repainted; the celadon green he'd originally chosen turned out not to be precisely the shade he had envisioned. It's this sort of attention to detail, along with flawless taste, that has turned his dream into a living and growing idyll.

After two nights at Kilindi, I wondered how there were any hibiscus flowers left on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania. Each day, the bright pink orbs were strewn across my king-size bed, garnished my daily coconut water, and were thoughtfully stuffed into rolled-up beach towels.

Dec 23, 2024 • 8 min read

TPG has crowned the best hotels of 2024, but 2025 is already shaping up to be a spectacular year for new hotels — especially in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. One of the most exciting openings of 2025 is Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica, and it's now accepting reservations.

This story is part of Condé Nast Traveler's spotlight on family cruise travel.

Conrad Cabo might be what you called your spring break buddies back in the day, but soon it'll be where you rally your friends for a luxe vacation in Mexico.

Dec 18, 2024 • 8 min read

Here at TPG, our team of travel experts and global contributors begins the year by examining the most exciting hotels scheduled to open. Then, we make it our mission to visit as many of those hotels as possible — whether they're just down the street from TPG's HQ in New York City or on the opposite side of the globe — to determine if they're worthy of your hard-earned points and dollars.