When we travel, we love immersing ourselves in the local culture. Often times we’ll book a vacation rental in the heart of a neighborhood to truly experience life as much like a resident as possible.
On the flip side, we also really love being pampered and sleeping in a luxurious bed only steps away from a soaking tub and rainforest shower with on-demand champagne and turndown service with slippers in the evening. Therefore, we always jump at the opportunity whenever we’re lucky enough to stay at a Four Seasons property.
Three of our favorite places to visit—Lānaʻi, Hawaii, New Orleans and Mexico City—each have at least one Four Seasons hotel or resort.
Suppose you have any of these destinations on your vacation radar for 2023. In that case, it’s definitely worth the splurge whether you want to lounge on the beach all day, head to the French Quarter for a jazz show, or tour pyramids followed by an afternoon of gorging on tacos.
These three locales each have something unique to enrich your life for a few days and making a Four Seasons your home base pleases our bougie side and our more adventurous traits at the same time. And they’re all extremely LGBT-welcoming, which is very important to us.
Read on for three of our favorite Four Seasons hotels and resorts and what you can enjoy on the property and nearby at each.
We’ve been to most of the Hawaiian islands that visitors are allowed onto, but there’s something truly special about Lānaʻi. It’s an easy ferry ride from Maui (or an even easier journey on Lanai Air), but worlds away as one of the most tranquil islands we’ve ever visited.
You’ll find truly scenic spots throughout the resort and all over the island with experiences ranging from catamaran tours and snorkel sails to picturesque golfing and horseback riding. At the resort itself, dine cliff-side at Nobu Lanai or during sunset at One Forty as dolphins dance in the waters nearby.
The Hawanawana Spa falls in the top of our all-time favorite spa experiences and the pool was a frequent hangout spot for us, too.
We go to New Orleans at least four times a year and it’s never the same trip twice. We adore the Crescent City and go as often as we can to see how the city transforms during each new season. So why not spend one of the four seasons at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans? It brings a whole new level of charm and sophistication to NOLA that was previously non-existent.
Views of the Mississippi River from many rooms and public spaces—including the spa, pool and Chemin À La Mer (our favorite of the on-site restaurants)—establish your presence in one of the most unique cities in America. From other directions, you can see Canal Street and the French Quarter, which are all a quick walk from the hotel for several hours of gay-bar-hopping and culinary experiences.
Then wrap up each night as we do: at the Chandelier Bar, one of our new favorites in New Orleans, even on visits when we’re not staying at the hotel. (Tip: the Sazerac, blue crab roll and crispy chicken sandwich are musts from the bar snack menu.)
If you do it right, they’ll have to laissez les bon temps rouler you back to your room!
Our most recent Four Seasons stay was two weeks ago in Mexico City and we split up our six-night stay between an Airbnb and the Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City. It was wonderful to end the trip with pampering at the teeny-tiny spa (our massage therapist Mario was fantastic!) and hanging out in the lovely courtyard for cocktails in the evening. (Oh, who are we kidding—cocktails in the morning, afternoon and evening!)
Location is key, too. You can walk in almost any direction in Reforma and see something amazing or find a charming little restaurant serving fantastic, super-cheap food and drinks.
A real differentiator for the Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City is its pool and hot tub, which are among only a handful in the entire city available to hotel guests. None of the other luxury brands in the Reforma neighborhood offer the same wet escape, so if you’re going in the warmer summer months, consider this a major selling point.
