Plácido Domingo

24/12/2022

24/12/2022

24/12/2022

Hotel Granduca's innocuous stucco exterior belies serious magic: a European palazzo-inspired courtyard, stationed on the building's backside. Positioned on a high point overlooking south Austin's hilly terrain, this hotel feels worlds away from downtown-hipster Austin. Empty-nesters carefully study the European wine list in the Northern Italian-inspired restaurant, while business travelers go for nightcaps in the billiards parlor or ci**rs on the courtyard. Like the rest of the hotel, the rooms are designed to mimic an Italian villa; tiled floors, rich woods, and a library of books create a residential feel. Request a room on a higher floor, which have small Juliette balconies and views all the way to downtown.

24/12/2022

Opened in 1844 and operated by the same family ever since, this property has hosted the likes of Joan Miró and Plácido Domingo. Set in a garden near the Bahnhofstrasse shopping drag (Zurich's equivalent of Fifth Avenue), the hotel looks right onto Lake Zurich and the Alps—but that's not the only nice view. Inside, rooms tastefully mix Art Deco, Louis XVI, and Regency styles, and are individually decorated in neutral tones with red, purple, and teal accents—though, if you're lucky, you'll get a room with a balcony on the water. If you're keen to splurge more than you have, the Michelin-starred Pavillon is worth the indulgence.