Travel News: 15 Reasons to Travel in October 2017

The InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf opens October 12 in the capital’s new mile-long, mixed-use waterfront community. Centrally situated along the Potomac River, the hotel’s design pays homage to the area’s industrial working waterfront heritage. Each of the 278 guest rooms blend contemporary style with eco-minded design, and every other water facing room boasts a Juliette balcony. The Constellation is the hotel’s standout accommodation—a grand, two-story Presidential Suite with panoramic views of the river. A rooftop pool and a buzzed about Afro-Caribbean restaurant, Kith and Kin, from notable D.C. chef Kwame Onwauchi, are sure to be hits with both out of towners and D.C.’s movers and shakers.

From $350; ihg.com.

Twin Farms, an 18th-century Vermont farmhouse that once belonged to Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Sinclair Lewis, is now known as one of New England’s most intimate luxury getaways. This November, the 20-room hotel will host a four-day tree-to-table furniture workshop with acclaimed Vermont woodworker and furniture maker Charles Shackleton of ShackletonThomas. Guests will learn methods of construction and use of traditional hand tools as they create their own table from walnut or cherry wood. November 12-15; from $3,700, including meals and accommodations; twinfarms.com.

Perched on a tea plantation at the edge of a rainforest in Rwanda’s mountainous southwest, One&Only Nyungwe House will open its doors October 1. Six wooden villas house 22 rooms, each with its own wood-burning fireplace and balcony for viewing the forest’s 13 native primate species. Staff can arrange incredible adventures including mountain biking, kayaking, chimpanzee tracking, and one-of-a-kind moments like dinners in a treehouse and al fresco yoga sessions set against a backdrop of verdant mountains.

From $1,700 double occupancy; oneandonlyresorts.com.

Dutch design star Marcel Wanders cast his signature whimsical style across the interiors of the new Mondrian Doha in West Bay Lagoon. Opening October 1, the property marks the SBE Group’s first foray into the Middle East. The design, from the beak-shaped entrance to the wing-like extensions that frame the rooftop, was inspired by falcons. Mosaic walls and Arabian-inspired patterns can be found throughout the 270 rooms and suites. Eight restaurants and bars are helmed by big names including Wolfgang Puck and Morimoto. An ESPA spa features a traditional Turkish hammam. The biggest wow-factor touch is on the 26th and 27th floors, where a Tiffany lamp-inspired, peony patterned skylight casts a rainbow hue over the rooftop pool and bar.

From $240; morganshotelgroup.com.
 

Downtown Vancouver’s hottest new culinary and entertainment hub, Parq Vancouver, debuts September 29. The largest private development in British Columbia, the complex includes seven restaurants, a casino, and a 30,000-square-foot outdoor space with more than 200 native pines. Two new hotels will start taking reservations October 23. JW Marriott Parq Vancouver will have 281 rooms and 48 suites as well as Canada’s first Spa by JW. The 188-room Douglas, an Autograph Collection Hotel, has an earthy, rustic vibe with loads of natural woods and a baller Musician’s Den Penthouse with swinging chairs that are suspended from the ceiling.

Rooms from $282; parqvancouver.com.

Fringed by lush, ancient rainforests and lapped by the clear-blue Andaman Sea, the Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi will give fancy Thai beach retreats some competition. The property was designed to reflect a traditional kampong village with 90 luxurious guest rooms and suites and 29 pool villas. Three dining outlets feature traditional Malay cuisine, western fare, and Chinese seafood. Guests can relax by three swimming pools or with locally-inspired spa treatments as well as a hammam.

From $472; ritzcarlton.com.

InterContinental opens the brand’s first hotel in Western Australia on October 15. Located in the heart of Perth in the King Street Precinct, the new 16-story, 240-room hotel features specially commissioned works from leading local painters, ceramicists, glassblowers, and sculptors in the rooms and public spaces. Diverse culinary offerings are certain to be a hit with both guests and locals. Heno and Rey will feature a raw bar, Spanish tapas, and creative cocktails; Ascua will draw carnivores with grilled aged meats; and Graffiti, a food truck-meets-diner concept, will serve locally roasted coffees and gourmet to-go bites.

From $294; ihg.com.

Billed as a “boot camp for better living,” the adventure-meets-zen weekend at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana combines heart racing thrills and mind calming activities led by celebrity yogis and fitness gurus. The three-night, all-inclusive package, October 20-23, includes a Ranch-Athlon experience—a combination of an ATV tour and rappelling—hiking, horseback riding, candlelit yoga, and hands-on cooking workshops. Guests will push their physical limits on the property’s Grizzlyman Fitness Trail and Sky Line Aerial Adventure Course but will be rewarded with spa treatments and delicious, locavore meals.

From $818 per person, per night; pawsup.com.

The Lakes Collection by Yoo, a group of homes set on 850 acres in the Cotswolds and  designed by the likes of Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, Elle Macpherson, and Philippe Starck, gets a new addition this October. The Glass House, a five-bedroom, 5,350-square-foot home with a complete glass façade, is a design nerd’s dream. Water views can be taken in from all angles, including the underwater basement. A dedicated wellness area features a spa, sauna, steam shower, and rain shower and the home has a roof garden, perfect for alfresco meditation or yoga. All homes in the collection have access to a fulltime concierge, a spa with Bamford therapies, and chef services.

From $12,800 per week; yoocollection.com.

The small Mediterranean island of Malta has a rich maritime history. In the fortified city of Senglea, a 16th-century landmark structure, or macina, once used to hoist heavy ship masts, has been reimagined as a modern hotel. A team of local craftspeople worked with top European designers to create interiors of chalk-white walls, limestone, and slate accented with Scandinavian and Italian furnishings. The 21 suites range from 430 square feet to an impressive 1,400 square feet across two floors. Unobstructed harbor views will be a highlight of every suite, as well as the rooftop terrace and pool.

From $360; ibbhotels.com.

Nekupe Sporting Resort and Retreat, an intimate, eight-room, all-inclusive luxury resort in Nicaragua’s countryside, celebrates its one-year anniversary by unveiling a new spa. Treatments focus on indigenous therapies utilizing ingredients like dragon fruit, moringa oil, and mango cultivated from the resort’s grounds. The spa is located in a remote location on the 1,300-acre nature reserve and includes a yoga platform with views of Mombacho volcano, a spa garden for meditating, a salt room and steam room, and a spa café serving healthful cuisine.

From $750; nekupe.com.

Chewton Glen, a luxe Relais & Chateaux country house hotel in Hampshire, England, introduces a new treehouse suite October 18. Built on stilts and suspended 35 feet above ground, the property’s new Secluded Treehouse will boast panoramic views of the New Forest and an outdoor hot tub on the terrace deck. With two lofts and three bathrooms, plus a large reception place and a full-serviced kitchen, the treehouse can comfortably accommodate eight adults. A small hatch allows the daily breakfast hamper to be hoisted up and a private chef is on call to prepare treehouse dinners.

From $3,840; chewtonglen.com.

A former prison for radical thinkers has been reimagined as a destination hotel in the city of Offenburg, just over the French border. There’s nothing cell-like about the 38 rooms and suites, which range in size from 183 to 258 square feet and feature oak floors, distressed leather, and handcrafted furnishings by Knoblauch and local artisans. A rooftop urban garden is a subtle nod to the building’s history as a place of communal activity and the name of the restaurant, Wasser & Brot, is a reference to the inmates’ typical diet of water and bread. The menu, created by Michelin-star chef Jeremy Biasiol, is modern French.

From $180; hotel-liberty.de.

Set in the historic, 58,125-square-foot building that once housed the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, the 77-room Nobis hotel is the first outside of Sweden from the Nobis Group. The hotel has an enviable address between Vesterbro and Tivoli Gardens. The architect, Gert Wingardh, took inspiration from Danish classicism and avant garde Nordic design to transform the heritage building into what he describes as an “updated take on Le Corbusier.” Rooms feature high ceilings, flowing drapes, hardwood floors, and a deep blue color scheme. At Restaurant Niels, chef Jeppe Foldlager will serve his unique take on New Nordic cooking.

From $260; nobishotel.dk.

What’s more relaxing than a massage set to the soundtrack of a flowing river, chirping birds, and the occasional bellow of a hippo? Guests at the iconic Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara can now be pampered alongside the Zambezi River. Three new riverside spa gazebos allow guests to take in the wild while being pampered. The signature Zambezi massage uses African floral oil to relieve tension while an entire menu of spa journeys features three hours of multiple treatments, like a safari foot soak and hydrating body cocoon.

Rooms from $571; royal-livingstone.anantara.com.