With the world open for travel, there are a host of highly anticipated openings scheduled for 2023. From secluded beachfront retreats to awe-inspiring skyscrapers, BOAT has rounded up the finest hotels for you to explore this year...
Nobu Hotel San Sebastián, Spain
Now with 14 properties around the world and more than 15 outposts in the pipeline, the Nobu Hotel brand delivers on lavish amenities, excellent service and, of course, sensational food centred around the eponymous Japanese restaurant. The new hotel will open in March with just 20 contemporary rooms overlooking La Concha Bay. With one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, San Sebastián is famed for its food. The Basque Country offers a true culinary adventure, and the new Nobu Hotel will sit at its very centre.
Eliamos, Kefalonia, Greece
Set on the southern shores of Kefalonia, Eliamos is a new hotel comprising 12 villas nestled among ancient olive groves and lavender fields. Each boasting their own saltwater or spa pool and private garden, the villas here are family friendly and sequestered in a village-style layout. But it’s wellness and relaxation that take centre stage at Eliamos, with its spa and wellness programmes and a holistic approach that aims to melt away stress and reconnect with nature.
Hotel La Palma, Capri, Italy
First opening its doors 200 years ago, Hotel La Palma was the first hotel on Capri, setting a luxurious precedent that would cement the island’s lavish reputation. Determined to build upon this history, the Oetker Collection – which also owns Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and The Lanesborough, London – will open Hotel La Palma, designed by Francis Sultana, just steps from the buzzing Piazzetta. With its own beach club, a newly built pool deck, and 50 rooms with a serene blue-and-white aesthetic, Hotel La Palma has set out to capture the essence of la dolce vita.
Coquelicot, Champagne, France
The luxurious hotel group, Belmond has introduced Coquelicot, a new barge that will take guests into the heart of Champagne. Classically French, the boat is an opulent portal to the past designed by Humbert & Poyet and features three en suite cabins, a large saloon and a champagne bar. Belmond has partnered with Maison Ruinart, the world’s oldest champagne house, to arrange for guests to meander through the region’s canals while enjoying a tasting lunch by Maison Ruinart’s chef-in-residence.
The OWO, London
Much anticipation has surrounded the revival of London’s Old War Office, or The OWO as it's now known in its new guise as Raffles’ first hotel in the capital city. Opening this spring, the OWO will have nine restaurants, three bars and a spa and health club, in addition to its 120 rooms and suites, and 85 luxury branded residences. A London property not to be missed.
Casa Chablé, Sian Ka’an Biosphere, Mexico
If you’ve scoped out Mexico’s most luxurious hotels, it’s likely you’ve heard of Chablé, a group of high-end Mexican retreats in locations such as Maroma and Yucatán. In the final months of 2022, the brand opened its latest address, Casa Chablé, which sits just south of Tulum in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Surrounded by five hectares of rainforest and fronted by a powder-white beach, Casa Chablé has 10 rooms across five secluded beachfront villas and one main villa with five suites. A thatched-roof gourmet restaurant also sits on the private islet along with an oceanfront wellness cabana, outdoor wellness esplanade and a rooftop lounge to indulge in margaritas before the flaming sunset.
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
Set on a private peninsula overlooking Bahía de Banderas on Mexico’s west coast, Naviva isn’t your traditional waterfront Four Seasons property. Instead it opens as 15 luxurious tents set within 20 hectares of lush forest, through which you can catch glimpses of the Pacific. But this isn’t camping in the traditional sense: each “tent” features an oversized plunge pool, a deck with a firepit and a king-sized bed.
Lying adjacent to the more traditional Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Naviva breaks from the formality of a luxury retreat and immerses its guests in nature. Guests can partake in activities such as wine tasting, breathwork on La Solana Beach or a sunrise hike through the untouched surroundings, and leave Naviva feeling restored and grounded
Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Set in 80 hectares of tropical jungle and the white sands of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, will reopen its doors in May 2023. Having been reimagined by designer Tara Bernerd, the new property honours Mexican heritage, blending indigenous materials with a contemporary aesthetic. The hotel opens with 10 new waterfront suites with private pools, colourful tiled floors and Mexican artworks, as well as the first Guerlain Spa in Latin America, with treatment rooms overlooking the dense jungle.
Ocean Club St Barths
Set in Gustavia, the beating heart and capital, the Ocean Club St Barths is the hottest opening on the Caribbean island for some time. With a members-only arrangement, it boasts panoramic views over Port de Gustavia from its elevated position while its restaurant serves an eclectic mix of local dishes and delicate pastries. Natural textures, brass accents and shades of orange, blue and white make up the club’s modern interiors while infinity pools adorn the outdoors.
The Hideout, Jost Van Dyke, BVIs
Set on the south coast of paradisial Jost Van Dyke, The Hideout opened its doors in the final weeks of 2022. With seven thatched roofed villas, perched atop the powder white sands of White Bay beach. The Hideout emanates traditional Caribbean laid-back luxury, with each villa boasting its own pool between the palm trees. Guests can spend their days at the Soggy Dollar Bar nearby, sampling the most famous cocktail in the Caribbean, the Painkiller, or indulging in the catch of the day at Hendo’s Hideout on the shores of Jost Van Dyke.
The Lana, Dubai
Set to open its doors in September, the Dorchester Collection’s newest property, The Lana, lies in Dubai’s Business Bay area on the banks of Dubai Canal, by the Marasi Business Bay Marina. Designed by Foster + Partners, the building is certainly a striking addition to the Dubai skyline, with its intertwining profile and pillared lower floors. Inside, things are just as spectacular with lots of marble and wooden accents, while tall windows frame views of the Burj Khalifa district or the sun-baked desert on the horizon. The hotel will open with 225 rooms, a restaurant on the 18th floor, and a rooftop pool.
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai
Dubai will welcome a new addition to its glittering skyline in 2023. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is set on a peninsula on the city’s largest private beach and has been inspired by a futuristic superyacht, with a soaring wave-like profile and panoramic vistas over the Arabian Sea. With 386 rooms and suites, four penthouses and 83 luxury apartments, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is surrounded by immaculately landscaped gardens and a superyacht marina. The property will complete the Jumeirah Group’s oceanic trilogy, including the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Burj Al Arab, and promises the same exceptional service. Guests will have their pick of 10 restaurants and bars, four swimming pools and more than 3,500 square metres of spa and fitness facilities. jumeirah.com
Raffles Doha, Qatar
This property offers 132 suites, inspired by the grandeur of a palace, with an abundance of gold and marble accents. The hotel has the world’s first “in-suite scent library”, where guests can choose which scents are diffused across the space during their stay, created in partnership with French perfume house Compoz. There are also themed suites, one of which features a marble wine cellar.
Fairmont Doha, Qatar
With exceptional service, opulent interiors and gravity-defying architecture the second property to open in Katara Towers is the Fairmont. The rooms at Fairmont are inspired by superyachts, with gold mosaics and curving walls. In the lobby hangs the world’s longest chandelier, which measures 56.5 metres and has 4,807 bulbs.
The Peninsula Istanbul, Turkey
In February The Peninsula will open its new outpost on the banks of the Bosphorus, in the heart of the historic district of Karaköy. The hotel opens with 177 rooms, each with mother-of-pearl inlays, kilim carpets and sumptuous baths clad in Marmara marble – there’s even a private Turkish hammam in the vast Peninsula Suite. The hotel takes its place in former harbour buildings with several original features still intact, such as the old clock tower, which has been restored. The Peninsula has also launched a waterfront revitalisation project called Galataport, that will bring museums, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques to the promenade.