Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary
Are You Booking the Hotels With the Best Views?
Aperitivo time at The Venice Venice Hotel. Yes, that's an Aperol Spritz. Photo: Timothy Baker Don’t you love a hotel you can sightsee from all day long and never get bored because the scenery keeps changing? I was lucky enough to stay in such a place earlier this month—a hotel with a magical location on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Above, I’m on the hotel’s terrace in the evening for an aperitivo. (Yes, that’s the Rialto you see in the background.) Below was the ever-changing scene at breakfast.
Even better than sightseeing from a hotel’s terrace or restaurant? Being able to sightsee from your room. When your time in a place is brief, it sure does maximize your experience if you can soak up your surroundings from the moment you wake until the moment you go to sleep. It heightens your mood and enjoyment of the place—especially if you, like me, need to spend some of each day in your room working at your laptop.
The view at sunrise from Room 41 of The Venice Venice Hotel. Photo: Timothy Baker
Above was what I got to see at sunrise from my room at The Venice Venice Hotel. It’s a relatively new hotel—it opened in 2022 and has all the modern amenities and a super-cool vibe—but it occupies a 13th-century palazzo, the Ca’ da Mosto, one of the oldest palaces on the Grand Canal. Our sightseeing began at daybreak, when we could watch boats carrying everything from food to laundry to pianos, gondoliers cleaning their gondolas for the day ahead, and so much more.
I could even sightsee from bed—and that, for me, is what puts a hotel stay over the top. I’ll never forget going to sleep at the Regent Hong Kong mesmerized by the panorama, just beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, of all the boats criss-crossing an illuminated Victoria Harbour. Or sitting up in bed each morning at the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and being immediately enveloped by the dramatic, iceberg-dotted seascape.
Waking up in Room 41 at The Venice Venice Hotel. Photo: Timothy Baker
Many of you already benefit from WOW List trip designers selecting hotels you can sightsee from and knowing the room numbers with the best views. It was Italy specialist Jennifer Virgilio who turned me onto The Venice Venice and booked me there.
I encourage the rest of you to read on and learn from others just back from magical hotel locations. You can see more photos from Venice and the rest of my Mediterranean travels here on Instagram. And if you could use help waking up in magical places yourself, we’re at the red button below.
NORWAY: “The most unique experience of our trip was this amazing treehouse…”
One of the treehouse cabins at Woodnest in Odda, Norway. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen – Woodnest
“We had the most amazing time on our trip to Norway! Torunn and her team tailored a trip that was perfect for us, with a variety of outdoor activities that allowed us to see the amazing views. They set up a cooking/dinner experience in Bergen that was incredible and something that’s not even offered to the general public. Every time we asked locals for recommendations on hikes, restaurants, activities, etc, they were all items that Torunn already had on our itinerary.
The most unique experience of our trip was this amazing treehouse, the Woodnest, in Voss that we got to stay in for one night. It included a hike to the cabin and provided great accommodations with incredible views.” —Alexis Kasle
Read more reviews of Norway trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
TAHITI: “He booked us into Le Bora Bora resort’s largest two-room overwater bungalow at the end of the pontoon…”
Le Bora Bora resort in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Photo: Pearl Resorts
“Kleon planned an excellent 2½ week trip for my husband and me to Tahiti. We spent time on Moorea, Vahine Island, a private 50-foot catamaran, and Bora Bora. On Moorea, Kleon arranged superb activities. We took a marvelous ATV ride to one of Moorea’s highest points with a great view and had a superb cooking class provided as a WOW Moment by Wendy.
Our second stop was tiny Vahine Island off Raiatea Island. Kleon told us which side of the plane had the seats to get the best view from the air for the flight to Raiatea. He booked us into Vahine’s best and largest bungalow, with a superb view over a coral garden under sparkling shades of blue water. A pirogue ride got us out into the lagoon inside the outer reef, and a class in coconut palm leaf braiding was another activity that gave us insight into how Tahitians creatively live off the land. Kleon also booked us into Le Bora Bora resort’s largest two-room overwater bungalow at the end of the pontoon.” —Jan Heininger
Read more reviews of Tahiti trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
FINLAND: “We checked into our Glass House suite…”
Between outdoor adventures, Michael Ruma warmed up in his Glass House Suite. Photo: Traveler Michael Ruma
“My wife said she’d like to see the aurora borealis and, with Wendy’s help, we were quickly introduced to Leigh, who created a delightful week of fun in Finland. We hopped an easy flight from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, which lies directly on the latitude of the Arctic Circle. An efficient, private transfer brought us to the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel. Met with warm blueberry juice, we checked into our Glass House suite. Our room had a centrally located living room with an enclosed wood burning stove along with two bathrooms, one of which had our very own dry sauna.
Advised to download the Aurora app, we learned about the KP index which predicts the probability of witnessing the northern lights. Fortunately, after dinner at the hotel, a notification from the app informed us at 9pm the chance was high! Intent on seeing the natural phenomenon, we bundled up and hiked up a trail to a 50-foot observation tower specifically designed for viewing the lights. Finnish myths say the lights are caused when a fox runs across the Arctic landscape whipping up snow from its tail, sparking the lights in the night sky.
Regardless of the cause, we were blessed by an hour display of a gray hazy line emerging in the distance and evolving into a bright green glow right in front of our eyes. As we watched and photographed the sky, the lights blew around us along our walk back to our room.” —Michael Ruma
Read more reviews of Finland trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
MALLORCA, SPAIN: “Our room had the most extraordinary view of the sea…”
The panoramic view from the Jumeirah Mallorca in Port de Soller, Mallorca. Photo: Iván Ricoy
“As a concert pianist, I had always wanted to visit the village of Valdemossa and see the monastery where the composer Frédéric Chopin spent a winter and composed several important piano works. In celebration of my milestone birthday and our 47th wedding anniversary, we decided that this was the moment.
We told Iván that we were not going to Mallorca for the beach and wanted to avoid crowds and mass tourism. We also knew that we would arrive exhausted and wanted a place where we could relax and be pampered at the start of our trip. Iván found us a magnificent hotel that met all of our needs and more. Our room had the most extraordinary view of the sea.
Iván planned a Mallorca itinerary that focused on the history and culture of the island, and six days in Catalonia, first in the beautiful seaside village of Cadaqués, and then the Penedès cava region. In the popular Penedès region, he managed to secure excellent hotel accommodations, drivers and guides—not an easy feat for a very busy holiday weekend at peak harvest time. He informed the hotels of our celebration, and on Mallorca we were greeted at our dinner table with beautiful flowers and a bottle of cava. Our trip went beyond all expectations because of Iván’s care and expert planning.” —Mina Miller Sabritt
Read more reviews of Spain trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
PORTUGAL: “Stargazing at a mountaintop on the hotel property…”
Three couples—friends since high school—enjoy a special stargazing evening in Belmonte, Portugal.
“This is the third trip our group has taken with one of Wendy’s WOW recommendations. We are three couples, friends since high school, who have been traveling together for the past few years. Wendy helped us decide on Portugal and then suggested that we speak to Gonçalo. It’s never easy to plan for one couple, never mind three! Gonçalo’s team rolled with (all of) our constant changes and amendments which ultimately resulted in a fantastic time to Portugal.
Gonçalo understood the type of accommodations that we enjoyed and found us some truly special places at The Vagar in Belmonte and Quinta Nova Winery House in the Douro Valley. Hotel Heritage Avenida Liberdade was a terrific choice in Lisbon; it was very well-appointed and perfectly located.
Some highlights included our walk through the market and cooking class in Lisbon with our local foodie guide; the loveliest staff at The Vagar and a very special WOW Moment there—stargazing at a mountaintop on the hotel property; our flat tire and subsequent rescue by the unbelievably wonderful staff at the Quinta Nova; and the constant ingestion of pastel de nata and gelato at every corner. Thank you so much to everyone for creating such a great adventure for us.” —Barbara Palter
Read more reviews of Portugal trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
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