A lot goes into crafting the perfect hotel room, but for us a wow-factor bathroom is so often the clincher. From bathtubs à deux to views-to-prune-to, we scoured our collection for some of the finest.
ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH
The Maldives
Diving right into some serious swoon, even by Maldives standards, One&Only Reethi Rah‘s collection of beachfront and over-water villas is off-the-scale dreamy. As well as claiming its own island, it’s peppered with everything you’d expect for some A-list escapism.
Its beach club was designed by Italian fashion house Missoni, there are six dining spots to choose from, and twice as many pristine beaches skirting the islet. Pick one of the fancier villas for an electric buggy so you can zip around all of them without breaking a sweat.
Any of the villas here will have you letting out involuntary gasps and even those at the more modest end have bathrooms to sigh over. Plump for one of the west-facing water villas and you can lie back in the smooth stone tub and watch the sun dip into the Indian Ocean as you soak. Details like huge fluffy towels, spa-quality products and even your own loofah complete the experience.
AMAN TOKYO
Japan
The Aman Tokyo occupies the top six floors of the 38-storey Otemachi Tower and offers countless spectacular vantage points over the Japanese capital. Subtly modernised ikebana displays, washi paper doors and engawa platforms combine for an immaculate 21st-century take on traditional Japanese design.
A 30-metre indoor swimming pool practically has a vanishing point and its two-level spa takes the prize as Tokyo’s largest and, many would argue, best. And honey-warm Ryokan-style guest rooms contrast with a cooler, granite grey in their bathrooms, echoing the feel of the pool zone.
Capacious furo-shaped tubs are made from dark volcanic rock, which holds the heat of the water for a longer soak. If you’re not up on your bathing rituals, there are step-by-step instructions together with bath salts made from Japanese cypress. Every room offers this elevated bathing nirvana, but opt for a southwest-facing corner and on clearer days Mount Fuji comes into view while you steep.
HOTEL CRILLON LE BRAVE
Provence
Slowly absorbing the eponymous hamlet through the years, Crillon Le Brave today makes up most of this 17th-century Vaucluse settlement. Where one starts and the other ends is anyone’s guess, only adding to its wonderful sense of being fully immersed in this idyllic slice of rural France.
Quintessential Provençal character imbues every corner of this charming mish-mash of buildings and folded in among them are winning details, wining and dining that are all predictably magnifique.
You could easily go à deux in either of the roll-top claw-foot soaking tubs that grace the Signature Ventoux bathroom here. However, one of you would get in the way of those breathtaking views. The only solution was a double tub to allow you both to enjoy the rolling lavender-scented hills of Provence together.
VIK CHILE
Chile
The abundance of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout provides a constant reminder of just how spectacular a setting Vik Chile has claimed. And it’s not just the neighbouring scenic lake and carpet of carefully-selected vineyards, but the dramatic Andean Sierra beyond.
The eye-catching design green-lit by its deep-pocketed owner is uncompromising in its ambition, too, boldly complementing rather than blending into the landscape. Navigate Zen-garden-inspired walkways, gaze upon collector-quality artwork and sample Chilean red wine – crafted on this very terreno – which you’ll want to drink deep.
Each of the 22 suites is unique, too, as several artists were invited to collaborate on their design. Bathrooms compete for the crown, from the Vicky Money suite coated with 50,000 copper coins to the knotty-wood minimalism of the Shogun bathroom. But it’s the Vik Suite that gets our vote with its carbon-fibre, hammock-shaped bathtub with views straight out over Chile‘s magnificent Millahue Valley.
CONSERVATORIUM
Amsterdam
A nod to its previous incarnation as the Sweelinck music conservatory, Conservatorium’s name could also allude to its grand – and rather conservative – 19th-century facade. Step inside, however, and you’re immersed in a masterclass in swish contemporary design, mid-century detailing and coolly assured lines.
It’s regularly crowned the Netherlands’ top luxury hotel, and it’s easy to see why, with all the usual starry features complemented with more conceptual elements like their alt-concierge ‘Human Library’ service of knowledgeable locals on tap. An enviable location also puts you a poffertje-throw from a clutch of Amsterdam’s top museums – just the thing for a creative kickstart.
Even the entry-level rooms here have gorgeous, low-lit and marble-clad bathrooms, but plump for a room with a bath tub and you’ll find you can practically do laps in it. Plus, the mirrors double up as TVs if you’re planning on soaking a while. The ‘I Love Amsterdam’ triplex suite is a particular stand-out, with an upper-level bathroom complete with original wood beams, an enormous sunken tub, and views over the Rijksmuseum while you lather up.
ROSEWOOD LONDON
England
Sumptuously opulent, unerringly dapper, and a little bit punk – design doyen Tony Chi has infused the Rosewood London in High Holborn with a palpable sense of Britishness.
Its majestic Edwardian edifice might project ‘posh’, but any palatial leanings are offset with a warm, welcoming, and dare we say homely, ambience. The ode to all things Albion continues in the spa (with English Rose-infused treatments), the restaurant that puts pies on a pedestal, and the private-members’-club-style bar.
The hotel’s Manor House Wing is larger than the average house and has the distinction of being the only suite in the world with its own postcode. With its swathes of Italian marble, Toto Neorest loo (he Lamborghini of high-tech commodes), walk-in steam shower, and giant soup-bowl of a bathtub, it can also safely claim to have one of the capital’s most luxurious bathrooms, too.
Not ready to get out? Keep reading with our love letter to the hotel bath…