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 1. The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston: OAK Long Bar + Kitchen
Completed in 1912, this grand dame hotel in the center of Boston offers a celebrated history (nearly every president in U.S. history has stayed here), an authentic location in the heart of America's "walking city," and grand living at its best. Spend your days shopping the nearby boutiques on Newbury Street, or sampling Boston's rich cultural heritage at Trinity Church, Beacon Hill, and the Freedom Trail. Then relax back at the hotel, and restore yourself with a handcrafted cocktail and exquisite farm-to-table American cuisine featuring regional gems (Bone-In Berkshire Pork Chop, anyone?) at the stunning and sophisticated OAK Long Bar + Kitchen.
For more dining insight, we invite you to read "A Beantown Landmark".
 2. The Greenwich Hotel, NYC: Locanda Verde
When it comes to personality, Tribeca's The Greenwich has it in spades. This 88-room boutique hotel is an elegant yet home-like oasis of tranquility in the city (think wide-planked wood floors and overstuffed furniture) with a Hollywood connection: It was painstakingly built from scratch by Tribeca's native son, Robert De Niro. Its "hot-spot" restaurant, Locanda Verde, is often so buzzing with activity it's hard to get a reservation before bedtime, yet an extra advantage of staying here is that the exact same menu can be served in the comfortable guest-only drawing room. As Hideaways Founder/President Mike Thiel describes his experience, "It couldn't have been more romantic, sitting in front of a real wood fire, snow piling up in the adjacent courtyard, savoring a sumptuous dinner privately and very well served by Diane, the drawing room hostess."
 3. Town Hall Hotel, London: Viajante
This hotel claims to be devoted to "the pleasures of life" . . . and it certainly lives up to that declaration, with a fantastic East End location, one-of-a-kind rooms (featuring the likes of Edwardian grandeur or '30s Art Deco), and amenities that run the gorgeous gamut from the Town Hall Tea Lady, who serves mean martinis from her trolley, to the sun-lit indoor swimming pool. The tastiest pleasures, though, might just be found at its Viajante restaurant, "a Mecca for foodies with a Michelin starred chef and a surprisingly laid back vibe," according to Hideaways' Manager of Business Relations, Andrew Thiel. "It also has a one-month wait list, so make your reservations early!" Look for innovative dishes like Dehesa Lamb with Black Quinoa or Smoked Bone Marrow with Morels and Beef Broth.
 4. Hotel Lutetia, Paris: Le Paris
Nestled in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Hotel Lutetia beats with the pulse of the fashion and arts district it inhabits. Located just opposite the Bon Marché department store and within walking distance of the River Seine, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the delightful boutique shops on the Left Bank, Lutetia is right in step with all things Parisian. After enjoying the spoils of your neighborhood, settle in for the night with a martini in one of the blood-red velvet chairs in the urbane St. Germain Lounge, and then take a casual meal of seafood specialties at the classic Brasserie Lutetia. Or if you prefer, don your finest and dine with fashion designers, journalists, and politicians at the Michelin-star gourmet restaurant, Le Paris. You'll enjoy contemporary French cuisine created from the season's freshest ingredients, and served within the atmosphere of a 1930s luxury cruise liner, The Normandy, with dining tables set up on two levels.
For more dining insight, we invite you to read "Loving Paris".
 5. Villa San Michele, Florence: The Loggia Restaurant
Rising above Florence amidst soaring cypress, lemon trees, and creeping wisteria, this elegant hilltop sanctuary is literally a work of art. Once a 15th-century monastery—with an original façade attributed to none other than Michelangelo—Villa San Michele has all sorts of Renaissance touches, along with 46 guest rooms and suites cleverly tucked about the grounds. The best place to take in those impossibly glorious views of Florence is from The Loggia Restaurant, where you can toast your Tuscan cuisine (their cheese selection alone will make you swoon) as you admire the plush tapestry of palaces, towers, and domes in the Arno Valley below. Oh, and don't forget to take a cooking class or two during your stay, so you can bring home a few favorite recipes (and wheels of cheese, of course).
 6. The Sukhothai, Bangkok: Celadon
Modeled after the graceful palaces of the Sukhothai period, this tranquil and beautiful hotel consists of a cluster of low buildings that gaze inward at a series of pools and courtyards. Everything is oriented toward this peaceful center; glance from the open arcades or your guest room window, and you'll be captivated by a vista of lush gardens or the glimmering mirrored image of a row of stupas (Buddhist shrines) poised in a reflecting pool. Dine in the pavilions of the acclaimed Celadon restaurant—one of the hotel's eight dining options!—and you may feel as if you're floating in the lotus pool, all the while savoring Celadon's authentic Thai cuisine, including Thai Sweet Corn Soup with Crabmeat and Roasted Duck in Red Curry. Might we also suggest joining the locals at the hotel's famed Chocolate Buffet, where chocoholics will find their most decadent dreams come true?
 7. The Conrad, Tokyo: Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo
Only one thing is traditional about this hotel, which opened in mid-2005: its superb, very polite Japanese service. Everything else, from its spectacular architecture to the clean and efficient room design, is as modern as could be—but with an Asian flair. The Conrad receives you high up, on the 24th floor, its 290 spacious and luxurious rooms and public areas extending from there to the 37th floor. The hotel set in the convenient Shindome area of town with views that couldn't be better: to one side, the lush Hamarikyu Gardens, a former royal palace, and Tokyo Bay, and to the other a canyon of modern high-rises. Dining options are impressive and diverse: French, Japanese, and what's reputed to be one of the best Chinese restaurants in town. The open-kitchen, Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo offers floor-to-ceiling views of bustling Tokyo as well as elegant dishes like Roasted Saddle of Ezo Venison. "I stayed on one of two Executive Club floors (36 and 37), and the extensive amenities of the club floors—a fabulous breakfast spread; drinks and snacks whenever I wanted; wine, cocktails, and delectable hors d'oeuvres in the evening—are well worth the extra cost," says Mike Thiel.
 8. Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney: Altitude Restaurant
Located in one of the peak positions in Sydney, just above the harbor and overlooking the Sydney Opera House, the Shangri-La Hotel is an elegant sanctuary in the midst of this bustling city-center. Every single room (563 in total) has a breathtaking view of Sydney Harbour and is a spacious retreat to return to at the end of a busy day of sightseeing along the waterfront. Exhilarating views of the harbor from the floor-to-ceiling windows of Altitude Restaurant will only add to the heady experience of dining in this unique atmosphere, where modern Australian cuisine is combined with European influences in dishes like Roasted and Stuffed Game Farm Quail with Sorrel Gnocchi, Pumpkin, and Cumin. After dinner, you'll want to retire to Blu Bar on 36 for an intoxicating view served with specialty cocktails and after-dinner liqueurs.
 9. The Merrion Hotel, Dublin: Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud
The only signs that a hotel hides behind this classic facade are the small brass plaque at the head of a short flight of steps, and the liveried doorman posted there. The Merrion is actually one of Dublin's larger hotels, with a total of 145 rooms and suites; its superior service and cozy ambiance, however, qualify it as a hideaway. To create the hotel, four Georgian townhouses' interiors were carefully restored to their former splendor, with marble columns, rococo plasterwork, original Irish art, and aromatic peat fires. The Merrion's Cellar Bar is literally in a cellar, with vaulted stonewalls and brick ceilings; live music makes this a hopping place after 5 p.m. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, the hotel's signature eatery, is located in the townhouse next door. Behind the sedate exterior, this Michelin two-star restaurant is most modern, with white plaster walls, contemporary art, and a high barrel ceiling. A visit to Dublin's Merrion Hotel gave us the opportunity to revel in the cuisine of its Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, says Mike Thiel. It was a dining experience that has been seared into my memoryservice with showmanship in a setting that could double as an art gallery, and a meal that hit multiple highs.
For more dining insight, we invite you to read "A Taste of Ireland in Dublin".
Salivating yet? When you're ready to experience one—or more—of these gastronomic pleasures for yourself, contact your Hideaways Travel Specialist (toll-free: 800-843-4433) to arrange your tasty travels.
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