Summer may be winding down for many of you, but if you aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet, you can still stay at a resort where it’s warm. But, as seasoned travelers will tell you, one of the keys to having a great trip-weather notwithstanding-is having a great bathroom once you get there. This month, Luxe Lavs contributors Angela Fairhurst and Natalie Compagno discovered four luxury hotel bathrooms that epitomize summer and will help you hang onto the last vestiges of the popular season.
W Retreat Koh Samui, Thailand
Thailand’s islands are already well known for their stunning beauty, clear turquoise water and the same friendly Thai service that defines the country. The W Retreat Koh Samui is all those and more. The property is on the north area of the island with a private beach that faces west for incredible and unexpected sunsets over the ocean. The rooms are all mini-abodes with lap pools and sitting areas and then there are the bathrooms-the size of most hotel rooms. It is a tough choice between soaking in the deep egg-shaped ceramic stand-alone tub, showering in the indoor sleek shower or enjoying the night air under the outdoor rain shower. The ample Bliss spa products help ease the stress of the decision and our favorite is the face cleanser that put Bliss on the map. The outdoor shower, with its soft pebbled floor and decorative Southeast Asian foliage, feels like summer year round. But, what makes the W Koh Samui bathroom extra hot is a design detail we haven’t seen before. The tub sits perfectly next to the pool and the sliding glass doors open completely so guests have two options. They can enjoy a bubble bath with a tropical breeze or they can stand up after a bath and jump right into the pool! What a perfect summer escapade.
St. James’s Club Morgan Bay, Saint Lucia
Summer means the beach to most vacationers, and many spend long, lazy days looking out at the vast ocean, enjoying its cool breeze and majestic swells. Sounds like a cliched brochure, right? Well, at the St. James’s Club Morgan Bay Resort in Saint Lucia we found a Luxe Lav that lets guests do just that. The hillside suites have large, sunken Roman-style tubs that are perfect for relaxing. In some of the suites, they’re situated at the perfect angle, and you can see the Caribbean Sea through the master suite and across the balcony. Even though the tub isn’t outdoors, you feel as if you are bathing on the beach and gazing at the water, while in the solitude of your own room. Just ask the staff at this all-inclusive resort and they will provide extra bath gel to fill the immense tub. Or, go totally luxe and get a truly transforming massage at the spa, grab a Rum Sour at the Hilltop Pool Bar, and finish with a soak in the tub watching the sun set over the ocean.
Cap Juluca, Anguilla
Summer is about possibilities-romance, peace, picture postcard views…and renewal. So check out the newly-renovated resort Cap Juluca. Set on 179 acres of land and inland waters on the southwest coast of Anguilla, is this Greco-Moorish resort, with 18 beachfront villas. Yes, these are rooms with a view designed inside and out by Cap Juluca’s owner Linda Hickox. The Jonquil Suite, a 3,290 -square-foot villa features two master bedrooms, a sitting room, full-service kitchen, oceanfront dining terrace, and a private and freshwater infinity pool. Echoing the natural beauty of Anguilla, the Suite has wood-beamed ceilings, abstract artwork, bold geometric patterns and textured jute and shag rugs with bright pops of turquoise that complement the ocean panoramas and Anguilla’s white powdery sand beaches. Before you think you’re an escapee from a bad episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, it’s time to appreciate the bathroom. The stand-alone shower, Moroccan style, is a minimalist twist. With elegant marble and crisp, white wood accents, the key feature is an expansive soaking tub, but that’s just the appetizer-look through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors at the marble-clad Jacuzzi that extends outside through the airy master bathroom…a true indoor/outdoor summer retreat.
Hacienda Encantada Resort & Spa, Mexico
The Hacienda Encantada Resort & Spa in Los Cabos, Mexico is a resort that truly infuses Mexican style with luxury. We love that the resort is family-owned, as everyone seems to have contributed to the inspiration. The authentic design and style of designer Lourdes Macias came from her upbringing in Aguascalientes and the childhood vacations with her siblings at their grandparents ranch in Jalisco. The rich earth tone finishes, woven rugs and vibrant paintings, embrace Mexican style and architecture, and at the same time, this is warm, inviting, and luxurious. All the materials and fixtures of the bathroom are from Mexico’s colonial cities, and the accents in the bathroom, such as the tissue holders and soap dishes, are all handmade Talavera Mexican pottery along with their own branded organic amenities. The bathrooms all have massive showers with separate bathtubs and hand-crafted wood and lead glass doors that open into the bedroom. The villas have individual infinity pools and indoor and outdoor showers. With the bedroom open to the expansive bathroom, the double sinks, and the claw foot tub, the challenge is not whether you’ll spend time in the bathroom, but perhaps most of your time there.
