For those who’re feeling a little bit geloso (that’s jealous) after watching the glamorous resort featured in “The White Lotus,” listed below are a couple of recent sparkling luxury hotels (with plenty of knickknack shopping nearby) that ought to encourage you to book your individual trip, pronto.
North
Jump over to Milan on the brand new all-biz direct flight from Newark run by La Compagnie, the canny French airline that’s been offering cut-price premium red-eyes to the City of Light for eight years; its recent service to Malpensa Airport starts at just over $2,000 round trip. From there, it’s off to Piedmont, the region’s de facto jewelry hub, with HQs for everybody from Pasquale Bruni to Picchiotti. Nearby Lombardy has just seen the arrival of the most recent hotel from Florence-based leathermaker Ferragamo, Portrait Milano (rooms from $900). It’s housed in a long-shuttered seminary dating back to the Renaissance era — that stunning Baroque entranceway is prone to develop into an Insta-staple. Stay here in case you’re nervous about carrying back too many bags from the boutiques of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, just a couple of blocks away.
The revitalized Orient Express brand just announced that it is going to be opening hotels alongside its famed ultraluxe trains. One among the primary five-star properties under the brand will pop up within the Veneto in Italy’s northeast, the country’s wealthiest region and residential to Roberto Coin amongst other luxury brands.
For those who’d somewhat live like a luxe local within the meantime, consider the brand new Palazzo Garzoni (two-bedroom apartment from $940), a Seventeenth-century mansion that’s just been rebooted as a set of plush serviced apartments positioned on the Grand Canal, a mere 10-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.
Central
The most popular hotel hub in Italy right away is undeniably Rome, with a slew of recent spots aiming to make an enduring impression on the Everlasting City.
The 96-room Six Senses (from $975), in a rococo-style 18th-century palazzo that after served as a house for cardinals, is now red hot for other reasons: The rooftop terrace, with 360-degree views, can be certainly one of the town’s best aperitivo perches when it opens in March.
If spring is simply too long to attend for a shopping jaunt, book a stay on the Hotel Vilòn (rooms from $518), a brief walk from boutiques like Leo Pizzo and Buccellati.
The maximalist décor — think: velvet sofas, dark marble and gilded mirrors — is a nod to the 18-room mansion’s history as a former palace for the Borghese family.
The family-owned-and-operated Palazzo Ripetta is one other standout; it’s a 78-room former convent that’s just reopened as a hotel near the banks of the river Tiber.
Come here to swoon over the art collection or snuggle up in winter — among the rooms (from $485) have their very own fireplaces.
If Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel (rooms from $347) looks familiar, that’s because Lady Gaga and Adam Driver shot scenes here for his or her campfest “House of Gucci.”
It’s the primary Italian property for the Thai hotel chain, a five-star pile with 238 rooms right on Piazza della Repubblica.
Look out for the traditional fountains and mosaics visible through the primary floor — remnants of the onetime Baths of Diocletian, which occupied this site in ancient Roman times.
For a cool bargain perch, try the brand new outpost of Parisian poshtel specialist Mama Shelter (rooms from $159), within the quieter northwest district of Prati by the Vatican, or the brand new W Rome (rooms from $320), near the Spanish Steps in a pair of converted Nineteenth-century palazzos that opened in December.
South
There are a couple of need-to-know spots on the Amalfi Coast. The 45-room Borgo Santandrea (rooms from $1,730) sits bolted onto the cliffside, 300 feet above the water, within the hamlet of Conca dei Marini.
It’s a dolce vita-era constructing that’s just undergone a lavish, three-year-long redo courtesy of a pair of local brothers. One highlight is the private beach, accessible via elevator or by a meandering walk through the hotel’s own lemon and olive groves.
Meanwhile, the Italian island of Capri, within the Bay of Naples, has long been a playground to the wealthy, famous and trendy. Its fans have included everyone from cropped pant-champion Jackie Kennedy to recent honeymooners Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, not to say A-listers LeBron James and George and Amal Clooney. Michael Kors loves the place a lot he named the holding company for his firm after it.
This summer, designer Camille Miceli commandeered all the island as a catwalk for the relaunch of Pucci under her direction, festooning restaurants and beach clubs with its signature prints. She billetted her global guests at the largest and best stay on the island: the Grand Hotel Quisisana (doubles from $576).
This 150-room sanatorium-turned-resort is the grande dame of the glitzy hub, all marble floors and belle epoque swagger that dates back to the 1840s.
Its charms include indoor and outdoor pools, whimsical gardens, a spa decked out with Turkish baths, an art nouveau theater, killer views and a rock-star roster of former guests, including Tom Cruise and Elton John.
The hotel is simply steps from the Piazzetta, Capri’s town square, in addition to its luxe shopping strips on Via Camerelle and Via Le Botteghe.
“This might be essentially the most concentrated area of fashion boutiques on the planet,” notes luxury travel agent Andrea Grisdale of IC Bellagio. “The very mention of Capri makes people dream — it’s like a fairytale.”
Start at Pucci’s own boutique or browse Gucci and Valentino; as for jewelers, pick between Bulgari, Vhernier, Buccellati and Pomellato, all of them a brief (capri-pant-clad) stroll from one another.
For those who don’t yet have a pair, head to the shop that supplied Jackie O’s slacks, La Parisienne; she insisted they only be worn in white, however the store now has a rainbow-colored range in case you’d wish to defy her fashion edicts.
As for one of the best restaurant to check out your gorgeous recent purchases? Follow the fashpack to Da Paolino, where you may glug homemade limoncello while dining al fresco beneath a lemon-tree grove — thankfully, there are nets festooned like a cover over the tables to maintain falling fruit from thumping guests mid-meal.
Salute!