The world’s best luxury hotel penthouses
Disney recently announced the launch of the Disney Wish, a new cruise liner which will sail from the Bahamas in summer 2022. The Wish features the AquaMouse water ride (the first-ever Disney attraction at sea), along with six swimming pools, a musical and a Marvel superhero academy for kids. It also contains the Wish Tower Suite – a unique 1,966-square-foot penthouse in the sky.
The Moana-inspired suite sleeps up to eight people and contains a library, bar and floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests can also make use of a personal concierge team who will help provide a “delightful selection of curated services and daily treats”, according to a blog on the Disney Parks website.
Hotel Il Sereno, on the star-studded shores of Lake Como, has launched a new penthouse suite inspired by post-war Italian glamour. Made from locally-sourced materials and designed by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola, the suite features almost 1,600 sq ft of living space, as well as a large terrace and sculptural vertical garden.
Accessed by a separate lift, the penthouse sleeps up to four guests who can enjoy panoramic views of the lake. The project was five years in the making; it took hotelier Luis Contreras years to obtain permits and finalise the design before Covid-19 forced Il Sereno’s closure. Half a decade after its conception, the suite is finally open for business, with prices starting from £3,035 per night.
If you’re looking for solitude on Spanish party island Ibiza, OKU Hotels’ Penthouse Rooms offer calm from the chaos. Located off the pristine Cala Gracio bay, a short walk from restaurant and clubbing destination San Antonio, these top floor suites feature rainforest showers, Marshall speakers and a spacious terrace with sunset and ocean views.
Glenapp Castle, the 17-bedroom, five-star hotel on Scotland’s south-western coast, has converted its entire top floor into a luxury penthouse named The Endeavour. The 4,500 sq ft apartment contains four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a lounge and dining room, sauna, library, games room, private lift and massage room.
On a clear day, guests can see as far as Ireland – but on a cloudier one they’ll have to settle for the granite islet Ailsa Craig, the Isle of Arran and the Mull of Kintyre. Prices start from £2,750 a night in winter and £3,950 a night in summer (breakfast included).
At the top of 45 Park Lane, the luxury hotel in the heart of Mayfair, central London, is the 1,830 sq ft Penthouse Suite, accessed by a private lift. The two-bed, two-bath Art Deco apartment has a wrap-around terrace with 360 degree views of Hyde Park and the capital, as well as a separate sitting room, underfloor heating and floor-to-ceiling windows. Penthouse guests are provided with a dedicated butler and concierge – and presented with a negroni on arrival.
The Bellavista Penthouse Suite on the sixth floor of the Hotel Eden in Rome, just minutes from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, offers panoramic views of the “Eternal City”. This 2,174 sq ft apartment, accessed via a private entrance and lift, contains a study, dining room, master bedroom and an opulent marble bathroom featuring a large circular bath.
Prices start from £6,500 for one night including airport transfers, a complimentary bottle of champagne and a Dyson hairdryer.
Every detail of the four-bedroom apartment was the brainchild of chic Lyon-based design studio Lally & Berger, from the moveable furniture in the living room (enabling guests to transform the suite into their “home from home”) to the “boudoir” entrance hall. But the penthouse’s highlight is undoubtedly its marble bathroom, complete with a whirlpool bath and views of Montmartre, the artists’ quarter.
At more than 10,000 sq ft (including 2,500 sq ft of rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art), the Mark Hotel’s five-bed, six-bath penthouse is the largest of its kind in the United States.
Designed by French interior designer Jacques Grange, the suite has its own conservatory, library, lounge and stately dining room across floors 16 and 17 of the lavish Upper East Side hotel. The penthouse is so luxurious that it was chosen by Serena Williams to host Meghan Markle’s baby shower in 2019. A night’s stay starts from £54,000.
Kate Samuelson www.theweek.co.uk