Deep dive
Cheval Blanc Randheli, Six Senses Laamu, Charleston real estate, Hermon's, Chéri Bibi, La Bahia Hotel, top Chicago hotels, MORE
GETAWAYS • Maldives
The Maldives, unlocked
The Maldives seems predictable with abundant overwater villas and sun-kissed honeymooners. But underneath the outdated clichés, the destination has quietly become one of the most sophisticated proving grounds for luxury hospitality, a place where operators have nowhere to hide and everything is stress-tested by logistics, isolation, and guests who’ve seen it all. Plus, there’s a fantastic new airport and Trans Maldivian Airways gets you anywhere you need to go with their Twin Otter seaplanes.
→ Start with Cheval Blanc Randheli, where LVMH has translated its maison sensibility to the atolls. The service culture runs deep, inflected with French luxury instincts, anticipatory without performance, polished without stiffness. They covered up the unsightly warnings on a pack of smokes for a guest with an aesthetic slipcover for godsakes, so no detail is unconsidered. The room product is exceptional, among the best in the Maldives, and the overall effect is one of quiet confidence. It’s a resort that knows exactly what it is and who it is serving. It’s too manicured, though, to blend into the Maldives laidback aesthetic, but that’s kind of the point.
→ Velaa Private Island is playing a different game entirely. Owned as a passion project, it operates with the liberating vibe of a billionaire making what he wants, and having fun as a result. You can walk a nine-hole golf course in bare feet, recover in an ice room with vintage K2 skis outside, and use a climbing wall. But of course there is Padel. The grounds and lush landscaping here are the best in the Maldives, and the island is refreshingly human scale, immaculately maintained. The culinary program fields 14 head chefs across every cuisine and while this is a very luxe property, it also has its tie loosened much more than its French counterpart. Laid back, fun, Loro Piana linen shirt with colored wrist bracelet clientele.
→ Joali has built a two-property ecosystem worth understanding. The main resort leans into art and immersive design, with family-friendly energy and strong visual identity. Joali Being, its wellbeing-focused sibling, operates as a dedicated retreat—guests arrive under the Gate of Zero, a sculptural pavilion inspired by the skirt of a whirling dervish (above), and the tone is set from there. It’s a quieter, more intentional counterpart that is executing arguably the best spa and gym facilities in the Maldives. Together they form a complete offering, calibrated for guests who want range without leaving the brand. The sell here is an independent vibe, and ambition.
→ For longevity and soul, Six Senses Laamu remains a stone-cold classic. It’s held onto the old-school Six Senses integrity: real materials, genuine service culture, sustainability that’s structural rather than performative. General manager Marteyne van Well has kept the property sharp during her 14-year tenure, and the result is a resort that still feels like the brand at its best: unpretentious, considered, and deeply human. And the sustainability bona fides are real; the resort partners directly with local fishermen, making sure only responsibly sourced seafood is served to guests.
→ Then there’s Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, the all-around star and an unquestionably good choice. You get the Four Seasons operating system of great people, finesse, operational consistency, plus staff tenure that’s rare for the region. Then there’s the marine biology program with real scientific credibility, and one of the Indian Ocean’s finest dive operations. Ayurma, the on-site Ayurvedic center, brings real depth: credentialed practitioners, multi-day panchakarma programs, and an approach that treats wellness as discipline rather than amenity. The sustainability work is embedded in how the place runs. For guests who want excellence without a single weak link, Landaa delivers.
The Maldives is no longer a single-note destination. It’s worth a fresh look. What’s emerged from the growth is a new caliber of competition blending big brands and new independent points of view, duking it out. –Colin Nagy
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties South of Broad in Charleston, SC.
→ 61 1/2 Trad St (South of Broad) • 3BR/3BA, 2016 SF house • Ask: $2.075M (reduced from $2.225M) • original kitchen house dating to 1730s, now suitable as pied a terre • Annual taxes: $11,357 • Days on market: 29 • Agent: Taylor Charpia, The Boulevard Co.
→ 83 King St (South of Broad, above) • 3BR/4BA, 2300 SF house • Ask: $2.899M • Circa 1790 ‘Charleston Single’ with original moldings and doors • Annual taxes: $35,747 • Days on market: 29 • Agent: Carolina One Real Estate.
→ 2 Water St (South of Broad) • 6BR/7BA, 7748 SF house • Est: $17.9M • four-story Nathaniel Ingraham House on High Battery, going to auction next month • Annual taxes: $256,020 • Days on market: 9 • Agent: Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s.
RESTAURANTS • Los Angeles
Difference maker
Last Word Hospitality’s restaurants Found Oyster, Rararumah, Queen’s, and Barra Santos are each distinct, unique scenes, outside of one common thread: they’ve become well-loved, bustling northeastern LA fixtures. And it looks like a new one is set to join their ranks, with Last Word’s newly soft-opened Hermon’s, a classic chophouse in a neighborhood bistro’s clothes.
Just off the Arroyo Seco Parkway, Hermon’s is housed in a former church banquet hall tucked away on a quiet corner between Highland Park, South Pasadena, and Monterey Hills. Behind its wooden doors, the space was full and bustling (but not frantic) on Friday evening last week. Both the all-booth, dark-wood dining room and handsome U-shaped bar at the center were filled with diners lingering over dessert or another round of martinis (tiny or classic).
The soundtrack tilted indie and alternative, just different enough from the preset playlist you hear in a lot of other places. It’s a setting that feels like it’s always been there. –James Royce
RESTAURANTS • Biarritz, France
Night sky
At Chéri Bibi in Biarritz, evening begins outside, in the queue for the counter — somehow, part of its pleasures. The front is one wide window, where you can peek at the coziness inside. Once you’re in, you can look out at the beautiful light descending from the sky. At the counter, the barstools are broad and welcoming, facing the open kitchen, a small theater of precision and fire.
There are no hooks under the counter, a small imperfection that feels almost charming in a place where everything else is so considered. The service is flawless — gentle, rather than polished. Everything here is organic, local; the team even rents a small plot of land to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers.
The chefs decide the rhythm of the meal: what comes next, when, and how. You can sip through a few glasses as the night unfolds, or step into their glass cellar to choose a bottle together. We opened with anchovies set on a burnt black lime condiment (the kind that could convert an anchovy skeptic), paired with a glass of crémant from Kumpf & Meyer, a powerful start as we scan the menu. –Candice Chemel
AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs
→ SANTA CRUZ, CA: When the new La Bahia Hotel & Spa (above) in Santa Cruz opened this past September, it made news around town. The historic property across the street from the Boardwalk sat dormant, run down, abandoned for decades. Ensemble Hospitality’s makeover of the century-old beachside retreat preserved elements from architect William C. Hays’s original plans — most notably, its ornate bell tower. Other aspects are a full update: the design team adhered to a coastal color palette, inspired by the waves crashing right across the street.
→ THE BERKSHIRES: The brick and mortar manifestation of Hilltown Hot Pies has been a long time coming, but finally opened its doors this fall in Egremont, MA. They describe the pizza as “Neopolian-ish” sourdough. It’s, for my money, a perfect recipe. The base is thin without being soggy, and there’s a snap in the crust.
→ LONDON: Public House Group has had a busy year. In April, it added The Fat Badger to its portfolio of London pubs, which includes The Hero and The Pelican. In October, it launched nomadic dining experience Bushcamp, powered by Cotswolds haunt The Bull. Simultaneously, the team unveiled its latest London venture, The Hart. Formerly occupied by The Flowerhouse Pub and a group of flats, the Marylebone space has been renovated into a downstairs pub, upstairs restaurant and a private dining room.
ROUTINES • Goods & Services
Select answers to the FOUND ROUTINE query, What store or service do you always recommend?
→ JESS BLACKSTONE, co-founder, Fink’s (LDN): Manufactum, a department store of the best of everything. Not the fanciest or the coolest — just the best. Best lamp, best sock, best potato peeler, best bed, best soap. The physical store in Berlin is amazing, but you can get it all online.
→ ALEX HIRSCH, design & construction project manager, MillerKnoll (NY): My favorite local stores are all on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn: Salter House, Porta, and Primary Essentials. They’re also on the way to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
→ ALLIE TONG, content creator & founder, All Day Social (SF): My massage therapist, Cash at Inja Basch Spa Studio in Palo Alto, has been a constant recommendation for the past four years. If you like a lot of pressure, he’s your guy! He does home and hotel visits and brings everything with him, including a variety of scented oils and heat packs, so you can literally roll right into bed after your massage and have the best sleep of your life.
GETAWAYS LINKS: A long layover at the most interesting airport in America • New rules of luxury travel: passports don’t matter • First tracks at newly expanded Deer Valley • Three new mountain cabins that A-frame the Portugal wilderness.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Chicago
The Talbott (Gold Coast, above), pet-friendly boutique hotel just reopened after a three-year renovation, with accessories from local antique shops adding a layered, lived-in feel
L7 Chicago by Lotte (Loop), old Kimpton Hotel Monaco got an artsy Korean rebrand, and the one-bedroom river view suites have epic window seating spacious enough for sleeping
InterContinental Chicago (Magnificent Mile), junior Olympic-sized pool is the best hotel pool in Chicago, with Spanish Majolica tiles, marble pillars and terracotta fountain of Neptune, plus dive-in movies every Friday and floating sounds baths
Park Hyatt Chicago (Magnificent Mile), OG Park Hyatt reopened in July 2022 after a $60 million glow up, and is still the city’s most discreetly luxe hotel
The Peninsula Chicago (Magnificent Mile), technically precise Chinese food at Shanghai Terrace and the best afternoon tea in the city accompanied by an elegant string quartet
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (Gold Coast), only hotel in Chicago with its own courtyard (currently sponsored by Veuve Clicquot with free flowing champagne, cheese and charcuterie) and most guest rooms have electric fireplaces
St. Regis Chicago (Lakeshore East), newest luxury hotel in Chicago located in a gleaming curved skyscraper designed by Jeanne Gang has lavish guestrooms and the best views of Navy Pier fireworks
The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast (West Loop), each of the 11 one-of-a-kind rooms is themed on a Chicago book or author, and the large common area includes a fireplace and piano
The Emily Hotel (West Loop), formerly the Ace Hotel, with a cool industrial design and rooftop outdoor cinema, within walking distance of some of Chicago’s best restaurants
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