Amber Gibson

Hong Kong’s best example of contemporary fine dining is VEA, serving a seasonal eight-course tasting menu of Chinese-French fusion on the top floor of The Wellington with skyline views. One of Chef Vicky Cheng‘s signature dishes is a Japanese Taiyouran egg raviolo with truffle, parmesan foam and osetra caviar. Sea cucumber is an ingredient found in many more traditional Hong Kong restaurants, but here it’s roasted for a slightly crispy exterior and presented over a langoustine mousse and rich langoustine sauce. The thoughtful hospitality (they brought me a felt mat for my phone and my camera) and willingness to accommodate any dietary restriction is becoming rarer in the chef-driven fine dining world.

It was storming mightily the night of my stay, so we didn’t get to have s’mores by the fire pit, but there are four fully stocked bars on property – at the boathouse, pub, fire pit and main lodge – that you can help yourself to at any time. There are a dozen or more easily accessible hikes on and around the property for all fitness levels and you’re free to take one of the Budsin Wood Craft lightning bug boats out for a spin on Upper Saranac Lake. Opened: 1983, as the first Relais & Chateaux property in the United States Rooms: 11 rooms, including The Boathouse, which has just been winterized with radiant heat and new floor and wall insulation. Unique amenity: Black truffle popcorn with generous shavings of fresh black truffles, available 24 hours a day Design: Originally built by William Avery Rockefeller as a log mansion Great Camp, a Gilded Age upstate escape from the city.

Villa La Massa is a hopelessly romantic property, a sprawling country house in the Chianti hills. The same landscape architect who designed the gardens at Villa La Massa also oversaw the restoration of the Renaissance gardens at Villa Bardini, where you’ll find some of the best views of the city. Santa Maria Novella’s traditional Florentine skincare line is also used at Villa La Massa’s Arno Spa in facials and massages. Villa La Massa’s room rate includes a sumptuous breakfast buffet – scrambled eggs, cheese, charcuterie, fresh fruit, muesli, yogurt, pastries and sausage.

The city has so many new hotels opening in advance of hosting the Super Bowl next year, but nothing with the soul and one-of-a-kind charm that Hotel Alma embodies. Roberts opened Restaurant Alma in 1999, moving back home after working in New York under chefs like David Bouley and Tom Colicchio. My hotel stay and dining experiences at Hotel Alma are imbued with Danny Meyer’s brand of hospitality. The staff has tripled since he opened the hotel and cafe and Restaurant Alma is busier than ever.