5 of the best urban oases

Hailing from London’s bustling East End, this is the more laid-back option to neighboring Shoreditch House. Guests can enjoy a lazy Sunday brunch on the rooftop, complete with a great view and heated Moroccan-style pool (perfect for moonlight swims). The suites are cozy and edgy at the same time, with exposed brick walls, statement artwork by up-and-coming artists and sumptuous beds to dive into. There is also an underground spa, 24-hour gym and cinema room. But the most exciting thing of all is The Curtain’s very own Red Rooster restaurant – legendary chef Marcus Samuelsson’s first London outpost and sister restaurant to the jazzy Harlem institution. With live music every day, this is soul food with a twist – go for the best fried chicken in London.

Expect contemporary art and rampant eclecticism at hotelier Kit Kemp’s humming downtown Firmdale outpost, with 86 loft-style rooms built on the site of a former SoHo parking lot. During summer, everyone congregates in the sculpture-garden-cum-private-courtyard for rosé and the signature burrata and tomato salad (made with produce from the hotel’s rooftop kitchen garden and vegetable patch). Book the Meadow Suite, which boasts a private garden that’s akin to a mini High Line, complete with indigenous grass species, from sumac to aster and echinacea.

The Rome Cavalieri is that rare phenomenon – a resort in a city. Here, you’ll find a Michelin-starred restaurant, three swimming pools, vast grounds, children’s clubs and endless activities on tap. Perched high on a hill in Monte Mario, the entire Eternal City spreads at your feet. A free hourly shuttle whips you into town, where concierges can procure special passes to all the sites, book kids on gladiator training sessions, or introduce you to artisans who can customize a pair of sandals or a bag. The Grand Spa Club is one of the best Italy has to offer, with glass dome pools, amethyst Turkish baths and a hot tub, studios for yoga and Pilates, and incredible chromotherapy treatment rooms.

Hidden behind towering redwoods and palms, discreetly tucked away in lush tropical gardens is the Hotel Bel-Air. Time stands still at this City of Angels oasis, where only the faint swish-swish of sprinklers from neighboring mansions disturbs the platinum-edged peace. In spirit, it belongs more to the graceful, languid era of half a century ago, when people ordered wine for lingering lunches, waiters knew your progeny by name, and the barman could second-guess how you wanted your martini. The new suites, redefined by the Dorchester Collection, are a sanctuary within the sanctuary, complete with their own terraces, plunge pools and fire pits for chilly nights. Cross the threshold into a pink stucco fantasyland of voluptuous bougainvillea-clad gardens, jasmine-scented arbors and blousy hydrangea-bordered pathways. Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, frequented by many Hollywood stalwarts, is as familiar as family.

This hotel particulier in the 16th arrondissement conjures up all the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie, with its extraordinary levels of service and discretion. Basking in the luxe, calme, et volupté of a 19th century mansion (it used to belong to Napoleon III’s half-brother, then to Pierre Cardin), the emphasis on privacy is almost pathological. Channeling a more civilized era, La Réserve is almost like a private club. Built around a charming courtyard garden, La Pagode de Cos offers simple seasonal menus created by Michelin-chef Jérôme Banctel, while the south-facing terraces of Le Gabriel offer elegant yet relaxed white linen table dining. The spa is the secret trump card, where guests can swim privately in the 16-meter pool behind drawn curtains.

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