Am I the only one who when summer draws to a close, you start thinking of your next summer trip? It’s not just for fun these days, it’s also logistical - I feel like hotels get booked up so quickly you have to plan in advance!
I’ve always had the travel bug. I think growing up between two countries and having family in even more meant I was indoctrinated into discovering new places from a young age. That stuck with me as I grew older and it’s still one of my favourite things to do: explore.
So what counts as a ‘good hotel’?
I think we each have things that are important for us when it comes to enjoying a stay. For me it’s not just about how comfy the bed is (although that is important of course) it’s also about the feel of a place, how much nature it has and how the experience as a whole stands out to you. Details are also up there for me, it’s the little things that add up and make the stay feel that much more special and unique - as you’ll see in my reviews below.
Palm Heights, Cayman Islands
Whenever someone asks me my best hotel experience of all time, I say: Palm Heights.
I don’t know whether it was because I hadn’t travelled properly since before Covid (I went early 2022) or their meticulous attention to detail or just because it was so bloody beautiful and fun. As you can see from the photos below, the decor is so well thought out, every room, library, restaurant is beautiful without it being overly ‘aesthetic’. It’s just cool. The colours are beautiful, it feels very tropical and artsy without being too self conscious.
I had never been to the Cayman islands before, and I did this trip with Olive. We had met in LA and flown to Miami to get the short flight from there to Cayman. We stayed for 4 days and we didn’t leave the hotel - normally I’d feel bad about not visiting where we were but we were shooting a job and had just had some hectic travel so wanted to fully unwind and enjoy the hotel. The hotel is situated right on the beach and it feels almost like you’re staying in a big villa rather than a hotel, with multiple restaurants and a good gym, a couple beach bars, a library and a pool, too. I know they now have a spa built but it wasn’t open when we visited
The food is also incredible. Like every. single. thing. Even something that could be boring like a kale prawn salad, I still remember it because of how delicious it was. They have a beach bar with snacks, a main restaurant and a pizza bar / club. They host drag karaoke nights and it’s happy hour (free champagne and pizza) on the beach bar every night from 5pm (are you starting to see why we didn’t leave?) They are very arts focused and support musicians, artists and wellness practitioners with residences.
This shows in how they plan for guests, too. For example - they had hand selected specific coffee table books and vintage magazines for Olive and I to be in our bedroom. We had books on the ocean, shells, Photo magazines from the 70s - this kind of attention to detail is really what makes me love a hotel because it shows they are interested in their guests and don’t just paint everyone with the same brush.
I could keep chatting about it for hours but in the interest of this being a succinct list, I’ll stop. You can check out more here on their website.
time of year I visited: February
Sa Pedrissa, Mallorca
I remember this trip so well. It was 2021 and the first proper trip post-Covid and my first time in Mallorca. It was also the first time I splurged a bit on a hotel and it felt scary but exciting, I was really proud of myself for getting my business to where it was over the previous 5 years and I wanted to celebrate with a treat - and in true Emma style that meant a lovely hotel. Experiences are honestly where I’m the happiest spending money. I couldn’t care less about a designer bag, but flights and a hotel? Take my card.
For all the reasons above this was already panning out to be a beautiful trip, and I was so happy with the room I chose at Sa Pedrissa, too. It was one of the more modern rooms (not in the original main house) and this one was right on the corner of the property so you feel like the whole view of the mountains and ocean is yours. It’s as magic to wake up to as it is to watch the sunset from with a drink from the balcony. Our room was open plan and had a massive bath in, which was also right by a window so had the beautiful view. We were right below the pool, and the food in the restaurant here was incredible - the best Crystal Bread I have ever tasted!
It’s at the top of Deià so you can pop down for coffee or ice creams trips or a wander around, and also the little beach in Deià with the now famous C’as Patró restaurant right above the water. The hotel website is here.
time of year I visited: July
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