PALM HEIGHTS

Where? Palm Heights in Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman islands located in the Caribbean.

Address: 747 West Bay Road, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman.

What’s the buzz about? This 52-suite beach estate promised to “revel of the glory days of Caribbean understated glamour” when it first cut the ribbon and opened in 2019. Then a quick pivot during the pandemic saw it reopen again once lockdown lifted. And to great applause too. The high praise was all due to the megawatt 7-mile beachfront and carefully-curated but brilliantly bohemian rhapsody of interior design choices throughout its spaces.

Granted, there’s a ’70s Hollywood charm to Tillie's restaurant too - a chilled matrix of fig and palm trees with tables nestled amongst their shade, and  a sharp juxtaposition to the leopard-print lined interior eatery. It’s not a minimalist space: but it’s artfully composed, and probably induces its guests to seriously consider purchasing rattan chairs for home. 

Creative director and founder Gabriella Khalil was also the mastermind behind the pineapple-yellow and paper white striped design that merrily dominates the towels, loungers, and umbrellas across the entire estate. Seriously, there is something about stripes!

Good to Know: Palm Height’s has collaborated with numerous designers and artists to create capsule collections exclusively sold in its shop - currently it’s a Christopher John Rogers X Palm Heights sarong and Bode X Palm Heights terry towel button-down jacket peeking our interest.

Cool-o-meter? Off the charts. “It’s like being in a movie,” declares Deena. “All elements come together at Palm Heights - from the food to the super chic room decor, the beach, the vibe, the different spaces to relax, the spa, and the discerning people this place attracts. I look up from my dining table at Tillie's restaurant and I can see half of the fashion week front row dotted across the space and milling at The Coconut Bar. It’s like we all left Paris and got on the same flight to right and so-now.”

HÔTEL DU COUVENT

Where? Hôtel du Couvent is located in Nice on the French Riviera, amongst the old town.

Address: 1 rue Honoré Ugo, 06300 Nice, France

What’s the buzz about? With 88 rooms and suites that range from 247 to 1786 square feet, this hotel still manages to feel intimate and nonchalantly cool with a zero try-hard essence permeating through all of its rooms. Everything is copacetic, from the unexpected English oak dining chair deftly placed next to the marble shower stall, or the Roman statue nestled into the corner near the stack of books about the works of Rothko. The wild gardens brimming with herbs and lavender, the bathhouse that Guy Bourdin would likely use as a shoot location, and the 20 metre lap pool with a view that could rival Lake Como (on a rainy day). It’s the balance of luxury with a rustic, chilled twist that ensures this place is on our list of best places to stay in Europe.

It’s not a review without credit and dues to the food and the on-site herbal remedy parlour where you can get prescribed natural remedies after strolling through the hectare of land belonging to the hotel. This hotel is like a lesson in how to be French for a week. And your final bit of revision culminates in watching Brigitte Bardot movies in the outdoor cinema screenings within the wild hotel gardens. Plutôt cool, but no-one says that aloud.

Good to Know: After visiting the on-site movement studio, saunter down to the Roman bathhouse. “To enjoy the greatest benefits, bathers should begin with the warm water of the tepidarium, then move on to the hot caldarium and finish off with a plunge in the cool frigidarium.” You will either feel younger and healthier afterwards, or simply never want to leave! 

Cool-o-meter? Hitting straight to the top without even trying. “My husband and I were impressed on every level,” reflects Deena. “Wow - our room was stunning and felt like a home-from-home type situation; it didn’t feel like a hotel - it was more like an apartment. From the welcome by the team to the way we could explore old Nice without feeling like tourists, this was a culturally enriching experience and a true space to relax and be inspired.” Visit and thank us later. De rien!

In the next article, we review The Margi and Singita.

Travel in elegance with Deena’s curation of must-haves