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Luxury Getaways
The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Location The 54-floor hotel dominates the new Tokyo Midtown complex, near Roppongi. Highlight Formerly the Self Defense Agency compound, this stunning development is set among exquisite old Japanese and new Western gardens and includes one of the world’s most luxurious malls (featuring Dogdays canine beauty parlour). Insider tip The concierge lends out bicycles for a morning visit to the Zojoji temple; the round trip takes 45 minutes. Spa The 46th-floor Spa & Fitness by ESPA has skilled massage therapists and an Olympic-size indoor pool. Rooms 248. GM Ricco de Blank. 81-3-3423-8000, ritz-carlton.com
Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Location The term “ideally located” is usually an exaggeration, but this hotel is within a few minutes’ walk of many of this iconic city’s museums and galleries. Highlight Among the must-sees are the hundreds of Old Master paintings in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, the heirlooms in the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe gallery and the modern glass-walled Bentley car factory. Thing to do The hotel’s inner courtyard is turned into a skating rink for the winter; in summer, bicycle forever along the shores of the Elbe River, past historic castles and vineyards. Insider tip Bring walking shoes – the city centre is paved with cobblestones – and a camera to capture the building silhouettes, complete with gilded domes. Rooms 214. GM Ronald in’t Veld. 49-351-49120, kempinski-dresden.de
The Fairmont Palliser Location Built in 1914, the hotel is located downtown on 9th Avenue and is connected by a skywalk to the Calgary Telus Convention Centre and the Calgary Tower. Cuisine In the Rimrock, chef Darcy Welsch’s Rimrock Butcher Block menu includes 28-day-aged Spring Creek Ranch rib-eye. Start with his tower of tomatoes from Hotchkiss farms, topped by Fairview Farms goat cheese. Insider tip On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 a.m., the running concierge leads six-kilometre jogs along the Bow River. (Shoes and jogging outfits are provided for Fairmont President’s Club members.) Room to book Fairmont Gold rooms have access to the eighth-floor private lounge. Rooms 405. GM Brigitte Fritz. 403-262-1234, fairmont.com
Editors’ Choice 1 Not far from Glasgow, strolling the fairways of Cameron House’s new golf course, designed by Canadian Doug Carrick. 2 Letting chef Gordon Ramsay – or at least one of his underlings – sate our appetite any hour of the day or night
at Manhattan’s posh London NYC. 3 Enjoying a fireside aperitif in the Confederation-era Pavilion House, one of 13 heritage properties restored by the Great George in Charlottetown. 4 Being invited to join in a glass of champagne by the young couple that just got engaged in the cozy and romantic library of Montreal’s Hôtel Le St-James. 5 Devouring a Bohemian breakfast, complete with Czech Hermelín cheese, at Allegro Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Prague.
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Mary Gostelow is the editor-in-chief of WOW.travel, the online magazine of