Late Checkout: Top Hotel Picks

For a lovely wine country getaway, I can’t recommend LOISIUM enough—you can’t help but relax here. From the tranquil setting to the cozy rooms and spa component, combined with the proximity to some of the best bubbly in the world, this is what my dream vacation looks like and I cannot wait to come back.

While the hotel lobby feels quite tiny, beyond the elevator doors, the building houses 48 rooms. My hip “Professor” room included a very comfortable queen-sized bed, plenty of space to store my suitcases and hang clothing, a bathroom with a full tub and shower, and nice touches like a high-end hair dryer, kettle, and air-conditioning—something that is pretty rare in small Parisian hotels. This room also had an assortment of vinyl and a record player, Google Chromecast, WiFi, and even a selection of books to keep me entertained. I can’t imagine a family with kids necessarily staying at this hotel, but as a solo business traveler and a creative, I felt right at home.

With roots as a grand eighteenth-century residence, Patria Palace has all the majesty that its name might suggest, but with the warmth and approachability of a cozy bed and breakfast. After hours of sun-drenched sight-seeing, stepping back into its cool white walls was a pleasure – one I'd recommend to anyone venturing to the heel of the boot.

This small boutique hotel is in Arraiolos, a small town north of Evora, the main city in this region. Its contemporary structure and design-driven interiors sit in simultaneous contrast and harmony with the surrounding landscape.

The Juvet Landscape Hotel ($385/night at the time of publishing) is located along the fjords of northwestern Norway. Approaching the Juvet Landscape Hotel almost makes you feel like you’re in the wrong place, driving through rural roads dotted by farmhouses. But as soon as you approach, you’re greeted by the iconic modern one-room cabins overlooking a stream. Once checked in and inside our room, it felt like it was just us and the landscape, with no one else in sight.

Originally built as a roadside motel in 1936, it’s recently been remodeled into an 86-room hotel and grounds that include a hot tub and pool.

The newest luxury boutique hotel to open in Palm Springs, it's 21 and over and boasts just 14 rooms. While the desert is full of resorts with every conceivable amenity, I was attracted to Azure Sky's peaceful, residential feel.

The resort is home to 49 hacienda-style suites called casitas (as well as villas and private casas) inspired by Spanish colonial design. The casitas are single-level and spread in clusters throughout the grounds, which lends to a neighborhood-like feel, worlds away from elevator banks and multi-story hotels.

A full-service boutique hotel in the Hamptons. House Rooms in the main building; Cottage rooms and suites are set apart from the main house in a modern-looking building with conveniently located parking. The room was spacious as promised and we had our own private yard.

In our cottage, the simplest of furniture seemed to channel all the calm of being near the beach without any of the kitsch. A curated snack bar sat next to a primed Nespresso machine. The bed, decked in Frette, was transporting even upon its first impression. That’s the magic of The Roundtree—the attention to detail that makes you feel an immediate, and lasting, sense of tranquility; like a second home made up just for you.

Dating back to the 1840s, this thoughtfully renovated inn has gone decidedly modern by booking via Airbnb. Yet what struck me most about The Hamden Inn was that the crowd was genuinely mixed. Longtime residents clearly loved it as much as the newer transplants, a dynamic that mattered deeply to the owners upon opening. It's become the town's clear anchor, with its large front porch hosting all sorts of confabs throughout the day.

Unlike other hotels, where you might spend no more than a few minutes in the common areas during the entirety of your stay, The Maker’s communal spaces invite you to lounge and laze about. You can read one of the many books from the Library, which were all sourced from Manhattan’s The Strand, play a board game with friends and family, or drink your morning coffee in the Salon while cracking open the pages of the New York Times. However you decide to spend your time at this charming little refuge situated on a quiet corner of Warren Street, your day is sure to be made.

California's premier luxury dude ranch, a sort of elevated summer camp spread across 10,500 acres

House of Light is an immersive art experience and inn designed by American artist James Turrell where you get to experience the “light show” at sunrise and sunset under a retractable roof. It’s a can’t-be-beat overnight excursion from Tokyo—only a 2-hour train and short taxi ride separates you from the bustling city to this countryside destination.

While you can find other accommodations on Naoshima, I’m a firm advocate of saving your pennies to stay at Benesse House. Prices are steep, starting from JPY50,000 (about $350) for a twin room and go up to JPY140,000 (about $950) for a suite in the luxurious Oval section of the hotel. Benesse House Hotel sits on the other side of Naoshima from the Miyanoura Port and is reachable by the hotel’s private van or the island’s bus service. Your introduction to the hotel is a drive past the Yayoi Kusama “Pumpkin” and onward to a welcoming lobby. It offers “Park” guest rooms closest to the sculpture garden, “Beach” rooms along the sea, “Museum” rooms within the hotel’s museum, and “Oval” rooms atop a hill and separated from the rest of the property by a funicular.