Hotels to Love
places and things I fell hard for this summer
While a bulk of my summer was spent moving out of Brooklyn (i.e. figuring out what to keep and shed from 30 years of living in New York), there were some great travel moments that bookended the big move. It was exciting to stay in some hotels we’ve never been to—some new, some classic, all great, and all in France. I hope these give you inspiration to plan for next year, or, if you’re up for super off season travel, I can’t tell you how much we loved Nice in the winter. But before I get to that, let me tell you about last night. First off, Yolanda, who rarely travels without me, but had been to London for a night last spring and stayed at the new Emory hotel, insisted that we stay here for a night, saying I just had to see their cigar room, The Humidor. We arrived late morning, had a workout in their spacious gym, then rushed to lunch with friends at their ABC Kitchen, which has the greatest hits from the three New York restaurants ABCv, ABC Cocina, and the original. It was an incredible meal, and the Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige was the perfect pairing. (By the way, these are my new favorite white wines—if I see a bottle from this region on a list, I order it—they’re also usually the bargain on the wine list!) From lunch we walked to Marylebone where we were having a launch party for my latest collab project—a bar cart! My dear friend Paul deZwart owns a great British company called Another Country—they make great furniture and sell British design out of their showrooms in London and Wiltshire. Last summer when he and his wife Ariel came to visit us in France for a week, we dreamed up this collab, and it’s finally here. I love it—so beautifully made, so classic. It was great to see our London friends and followers, and we all enjoyed the Negronis and gin and tonics made with Harris Gin, a big favorite of mine. We had an epic dinner afterwards at Lurra, a Spanish restaurant in the neighborhood, where the highlight was a 55 day aged ribeye steak. And then we retired to The Humidor at the Emory. A very sexy room as far as hotel cigars bars go, also spacious (another treat) with great views! We chose cigars wisely (Cuban, tasty, and not breaking the bank—Ramon Allones) paired with some Madeira, followed by an extraordinary martini called an Egypto, created by the legendary Argentine barman Tato. The Emory is doing a pop-up with his bar Floreria Atlantico until November 5, and the cigar lounge is only open to guests of any of the Maybourne hotels in town.
