My wife and I find ourselves coming back again and again whenever we come to DC. The customer service is outstanding even for Ritz standards. This trip specifically happened to coincide with her birthday and they spoiled us with a 1br suite upgrade along with some seriously cool gifts.
Waldorf Astoria Platte Island Seychelles, just got back from 6 nights stay.
We stayed on hawksbill garden villa. Unfortunately it was really windy when we were there, so wasn’t able to do any snorkeling or water activities at all. We stayed at villa 4, on the south end of the island, close to the sandbank.
Our beach had lots of the seagrass, but we are expecting that coming this island. Some people might find it off putting but personally it added to the charm of the island. The seagrass are the reason for the abundance of sea life of the island.
Most of the development are in land, they had to do it this way to conserve the beach.
The island is a year round nesting ground for sea turtles. You can see abundance of wild sea life when you walk or bike around. It is swarmed with sand crab, hermit crab, rays, baby sharks and turtles to name the fews.
You learn to enjoy biking with tiny crabs poking from the trails. They also do have a tortoise enclosure where they had 7 endangered aldebara giant tortoises, which they are planning to bring more ! Those gentle giants are definitely a great addition to the island amazing ecosystem.
The villa itself is the star of the island. Other than breakfast, it does felt like you’re alone on the island. Most guests do end up squating on their villa. Each villa does come with it own plunge pool. Most villas are identical in layout, except for the bigger grand villa. They all come in a standard living room, bed room and bathroom. The room design and layout was very functional. The theme of tortoise shells, coconut and turquoise blue can be seen everywhere through out the design of the villas and common spaces. There are around 50 villas on the island, but we mostly seen probably 20-30 guests throughout our stay. Good mix of couples and young families.
Food can be tiresome, especially with having only 3 restaurants on the property, it can get repetitive on a longer stay. Breakfast is made to order of 15 dishes or so items you can order as much as you want. We tried pretty much all of them by the third day. Although the reef fish dishes was definitely amazing, we had fresh caught grouper two times for dinner. Definitely must order when you’re there. You can get it either at La Perle or Maison des Epices. You do have to pre-order it. Food is pricey but not as eye watering as Maldives level. Keep in mind, prices on menu is inclusive of 10% service charge and 15% tax, even with in villa dining. Expect $200-$300 dinner for a couple, sharing one appy, two entree and one cocktail each. We skipped desserts. They do grow organic vegetables and fruits on the island, which they use it in all the dishes. Moulin, a set menu only restaurant, does their cooking based on what the chef sourced from the garden that week. They also do delicious musk melon juices for breakfast !
Staff was definitely amazing and hospitable, with 4:1 staff guests ratio, most of them would know you by the second day.
Definitely do not skip the Moutya dance by the Seychellois’ staff, it comes with a cocktails and bites complements of the manager. They do provide snorkeling gears and reef shoes that you can keep in the villa. It is a coral island, hence the sands are a bit on the rougher side.
Overall it’s an excellent stay. We did this after a week safari trip from Kenya, it was nice way to wrap it up. It does require a bit of logistics to travel to Platte, we had to stay one night in Mahe as they only do one transfer per day. Depending on your arrival and departure from Mahe, you might need to do the same. We do wish we had more times to visit other island like Praslin and La Digue, as they would probably be a better representation of the Seychelles postcard pictures, but we felt lucky to be able to experience Platte Island. It is one of the unique additions to Waldorf Astoria portfolio.
Quite enjoyed our stay at the property.
Sharing a room tour of our lovely room.
The best part was there were no bugs at all. Breakfast was quite decent though it was cold on one occasion.
Might be helpful for anyone planning a Hawaii vacation.
Sharing below compiled offers live in Hawaii. For all offers - VIP Perks are also available. VIP Perks include:
Most offers are not public and are only valid with perks for preferred program bookings.
You can ping us or your TA to book via their preferred program. You can reach us via DM or at GildedRetreats.com
Only the top deals have been highlighted and and there might be a few others.
| Location | Hotel | Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Maui | Fairmont Kea Lani | 4th night free |
| Maui | Hana-Maui Resort | 30% off |
| Maui | Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua | 30% off |
| Maui | Grand Wailea | 25% off |
| Maui | Hoʻolei Villas at Grand Wailea | 25% off |
| Maui | Sheraton Maui | 25% off |
| Maui | Andaz Maui at Wailea | 20% off |
| Oahu | Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina | 4th night free |
| Oahu | Ka Laʻi Waikiki Beach, LXR | 33% off |
| Oahu | Royal Hawaiian | $400 resort credit |
| Oahu | Moana Surfrider | $300 hotel credit |
| Oahu | Sheraton Waikiki Beach | $300 hotel credit |
| Oahu | Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach | $300 hotel credit |
| Big Island | Fairmont Orchid | 4th night free |
| Big Island | Kona Village, Rosewood | 4th night free |
| Big Island | Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection | 30% off on suites |
| Big Island | Mauna Kea Beach Hotel | 15% off |
| Lanai | Four Seasons Resort Lanai | 5th night free |
| Lanai | Sensei Lanai, Four Seasons | 5th night free |
| Kauai | Timbers Kauai Ocean Club & Residences | 4th night free |
| Kauai | Grand Hyatt Kauai | 20% off |
Glad to answer any questions on this!
Also, you can comment below if there's any location you'd like to see next and I can check for those.
PS - All luxury hotels can have perks added and a few have exclusive free night offers.
Just came back from Ritz Carlton Reserve Mandapa, Bali. Amazing resort at such a gorgeous location. It was surreal.
I’m already planning my next one and wanted to hear about your top resort experiences.
Also, what made the stay truly unforgettable?
any recommendations for sanya in october ? would be with wife for few days. i’ve heard ritz is good ? thank you
Stayed at JW Marriott El Convento Cusco and loved how different it felt from a typical luxury hotel.
The property sits on the site of a former convent, and the courtyards, arches and stonework give it a real sense of place and history. It was especially beautiful at night when the courtyard was lit up.
One of the more memorable touches: an alpaca comes by the hotel every morning and poses for photos with guests.
Definitely one of the most unique hotels I’ve stayed at.
Aman is by far one of the most overhyped luxury hotel brands in my opinion. I’ve only stayed at two Aman properties so I can’t speak for the entire brand but both experiences left me underwhelmed. Would I stay at another Aman Probably not
Personally I feel Ritz Carlton Park Hyatt and Four Seasons deliver a better overall experience. Just my personal opinion based on my experiences
Aman Bangkok was even more disappointing than Tokyo. The staff didn’t ask about allergies before taking our order and I was served almonds with my drink which apparently contained egg despite me being allergic to eggs. Thankfully nothing serious happened but the lack of attention to such an important detail was concerning
The staff also seemed to lack synergy. I had to ask different members of staff for the bill twice (i had checked out and came back in the night for dinner) which was quite disappointing for a property at this level
Overall Aman Bangkok simply didn’t feel like an Aman property to me
I just saw Paul McCartney at the Mark hotel!
Wondering if anyone else had any cool celebrity sightings during their luxury stays.
Post sharing about benefits at Four Seasons last week, a lot of people reached out for Marriott hotels.
Eligible Brands: Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, EDITION, Luxury Collection, Bvlgari, W*, JW Marriott*
You can book the above brands through a Preferred Partner so you get the following additional perks:
All Bonvoy benefits will also apply.
You can ping us or your TA to book via their preferred program. You can reach us via DM or via (GildedRetreats.com)
Glad to answer any questions on this.
WSJ covered the ongoing Feud with inputs from both Aman and Walker
Link: https://archive.is/1f5pL
A New Luxury Hotel Canceled a YouTuber’s $4,663 Stay. Then Came the Viral Feud.
The dispute between Aman and content creator Ryan Walker illustrates the growing tension between commercial enterprises and influencers
It was supposed to be the hottest hotel opening of the year.
The travel world was abuzz over the coming Aug. 1 launch of Amanvari, the first Mexican resort from Aman, the multibillion-dollar, ultraluxury hospitality group, whose mythos is built on seamless service, total tranquility and fierce guest confidentiality. Set within Baja California Sur’s private Costa Palmas community, the resort promised 18 beachfront casitas, holistic wellness temples and fine dining.
Less than a week after its debut, the hotel was at the center of a viral controversy. In a social media video titled “Amanvari Called the Police on Me,” YouTube luxury hotel reviewer Ryan Walker alleged staff at the resort barred him from entering and summoned law enforcement when he tried to check-in for a one-night, $4,662.82 stay on the resort’s third day open.
An Aman spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal, “The deceptively edited video created by someone unauthorized to be on our property does not reflect the circumstances of the incident accurately.”
Their dueling accounts reflect a new reality where cameras are always rolling, virality can outpace truth and public perception is shaped less by what happened than by who posts first.
On July 7, Walker booked a stay at Amanvari. The YouTuber with more than 150,000 followers has built a brand around paying full price for hotel rooms to guarantee honest reviews, standing out amid influencers accepting free trips in exchange for positive content. “I’m honest and transparent,” Walker told the Journal. “I tell you exactly what to expect and why.”
He had previously paid roughly $26,100 for a Four Seasons Yacht trip that he panned in a May review for sewage-smelling water in his cabin and inattentiveness to his bean allergy. Four Seasons Yachts declined to comment. That same month, Walker posted a positive review of Aman Tokyo.
He traveled to Amanvari on Aug. 3.
To hear Walker tell it in the video he shared the next day, he was the victim of a hospitality nightmare. His video, which rapidly surged to more than 750,000 views, shows his vehicle approaching an unfinished wooden guard hut with stud walls still visible on the outside. In the interactions that follow, which appear to take place between two different gates, staff recognize him, inform him he has no reservation and—according to Walker—eventually call the police to escort him away.
As Walker drives off, he finds an email he says he missed. Sent the day before, it apologizes for canceling his stay due to scaled-back capacity during opening week. Not looking closely at the timestamp, he tells viewers the email arrived late the previous night. When later pressed by the Journal, Walker revised his timeline, saying it arrived the previous morning. Walker did not amend the timeline in his video or in a subsequent livestream.
The internet quickly took Walker’s side. Viewers of his YouTube channel, including people who identified as Aman loyalists and travel industry professionals, expressed disbelief. “Will never book another Aman property again,” read one of more than 5,000 comments, many of which expressed similar sentiments. An Aman spokesperson said the company does not comment on bookings.
Inspect the footage closely, and questions surface—notably, around an absence of the police invoked in the video’s title. Aman says it didn’t call police and showed the Journal an incident report that made no mention of law enforcement. In the video, at one point in the encounter, a staff member says “I need to call the police now.” Walker sees her on the phone, says off camera, “Yep, she’s calling the police right now,” and leaves.
Later, he told the Journal he did not see police arrive on site. When the Journal told Walker that Aman said it had not called police, he said he hoped that was true and that the information would make him reconsider how the resort had handled the situation.
There is also the arrival gate that does not look like a typical five-star welcome. The Aman spokesperson said Walker bypassed the main entrance, ending up at staff access points instead. Ambient audio in Walker’s footage captures someone saying: “Este es el acceso de colaboradores.” (“This is the employee entrance.”) Walker told the Journal that he never heard the remark, and that his driver followed GPS directions to the first entrance shown in the video.
Internal documents provided by Walker show the resort emailed him five days before his visit, telling him it was unable to allow stays involving content coverage until after a month-long media blackout, and suggested he postpone his travel. Walker replied that staff should consider him a standard guest. The property replied that it was prepared to welcome him, noting he could post content after the media exclusivity window, but filming public spaces was prohibited and filming private spaces required approval. The Aman spokesperson said Walker made no arrangements with staff to film.
To Walker, the email about where he could and could not film was a sign that he was still welcome. “To me, that felt like, ‘Great, we’ll wait until I get on site and we’ll coordinate,’ ” Walker said.
He says that after receiving the email about terms, he didn’t hear anything from Aman until seeing the cancellation email on camera. A spokesperson for Aman said the resort also sent Walker a WhatsApp message about the cancellation. Walker said he didn’t see the WhatsApp message until the Journal asked him about it.
The Aman spokesperson says the resort refunded Walker’s booking in full, pledged to cover additional travel and cancellation costs and offered to help him rebook his stay. Walker said he received the refund but didn’t take Aman up on the other reimbursements.
The dispute highlights growing tension between commercial enterprises and content creators looking to record on private property. Jack Ezon, CEO of luxury travel advisory Embark Beyond, noted that hotels maintain the right to cancel reservations or deny access. He added that properties immediately after opening should be approached cautiously. “You don’t need to be the guinea pig,” Ezon said. “Give it six to eight months to grow, minimum.” Luxury travel advisers may make commissions from hotels when booking clients.
In this case, nearly every claim has a competing account. Did Amanvari overreact to a content creator’s opening week visit to prevent an honest review? Or did Walker turn a misunderstanding at the gate into a viral story?
The luxury world may still value discretion. The internet values whoever speaks first.
Park Hyatt Kyoto – Review of our amazing stay!
Someone once said that if you could choose only one Park Hyatt to stay at from the entire Park Hyatt portfolio, it would have to be Park Hyatt Kyoto. Staying here during my Kyoto trip was already incredibly fortunate, and I felt even luckier when I managed to secure a Park Suite with Garden View.
Park Hyatt Kyoto has a truly unique design that beautifully blends Kyoto’s traditional architecture with the understated elegance and minimalist luxury that Park Hyatt is known for. The hotel is also exceptionally intimate, with just 70 guestrooms in total, including only 6 suites.
As for the hotel itself, I’ll let the photos below tell most of the story. But there are a few experiences that I think are absolutely worth trying:
The Bath House, featuring both hot and cold onsen-style soaking tubs.
The hotel’s spa services.
An evening at Bar Kohaku, which offers one of the most iconic views of Yasaka Pagoda.
The traditional Japanese breakfast at Kyoto Bistro. At $50 per person, it’s worth every penny—not only because the service feels like you’re flying First Class, but also because the breakfast is prepared by the Michelin-starred restaurant Kyoyamato.
The hotel is also home to Yasaka, its signature restaurant, as well as the Michelin-starred Kyoyamato. They’re both excellent but undeniably expensive, so I don’t think they’re must-dos. The Japanese breakfast, however, is something I highly recommend and wouldn’t skip.
Throwback to our stay at the Fresco Suite in FS Milan!
It was beyond gorgeous and very pleasing. Best property in Milan.
Loved the service and the breakfast there.
We were at Trunk Bay St John USVI and we found it incredible.
Would love to know which was your most beautiful one?
Stayed here a while ago and the pool area was one of the highlights for me. The resort is huge, but this part never felt too crowded, and being able to look straight out toward the ocean made it especially relaxing.
Stayed at W Bali recently and this somehow felt like the perfect summary of the whole place: loud, playful, colorful, and very W. The beach club atmosphere was fun without feeling too chaotic, and this little coconut presentation made me laugh.
Might be helpful for anyone planning a Japan trip.
Sharing below compiled offers live in Japan. For all offers - VIP Perks are also available. VIP Perks include:
Most offers are not public and are only valid with perks for preferred program bookings.
You can ping us or your TA to book via their preferred program. You can reach us via DM or at GildedRetreats.com
Deals were manually checked, so I might've missed a few.
| Location | Hotel | Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo | 25% off (min 3 nights) |
| Tokyo | Palace Hotel Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon | 25% off (min 3 nights) |
| Tokyo | Conrad Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | Fairmont Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | Shangri-La Tokyo | 15% off |
| Tokyo | JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | InterContinental ANA Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | 1 Hotel Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | mesm Tokyo, Autograph Collection | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya | 3rd night free |
| Tokyo | Westin Tokyo | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | Waldorf Astoria Osaka | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | Four Seasons Hotel Osaka | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka | 35% off (min 3 nights) |
| Osaka | Conrad Osaka | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | InterContinental Osaka | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | W Osaka | 3rd night free |
| Osaka | RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection | 3rd night free |
| Yokohama | InterContinental Yokohama Pier 8 | 3rd night free |
| Kyoto | Six Senses Kyoto | 3rd night free |
| Kyoto | Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto | 3rd night free |
| Kyoto | HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO | Stay More Save More |
| Kyoto | Dusit Thani Kyoto | 3rd night free |
| Kyoto | ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts | 3rd night free |
| Fukuoka | The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka | Double Hotel Credit |
| Sendai | The Westin Sendai | 3rd night free |
| Nagasaki | Hotel Indigo Nagasaki Glover Street | 3rd night free |
| Inuyama | Hotel Indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden | 3rd night free |
| Karuizawa | Hotel Indigo Karuizawa | 3rd night free |
| Beppu | ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa | 3rd night free |
| Hakone | Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora | 3rd night free |
Happy to answer any questions on this!
Also, you can comment below if there's any location you'd like to see next and I can check for those.
PS - All luxury hotels can have perks added and a few have exclusive free night offers.
Quick room tour of the FS Hualalai as we've just checked in.
Absolutely blown away by how close the room is to the ocean.
Is this the best hotel on FS Hualalai?
Hey everyone! I'm trying to decide on my spot for my next vacation. I love the Caribbean: I've already been to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas this year.
I was leaning toward Jamaica, but someone told me some weird stuff about it: that it doesn't feel like the Caribbean, the water is freezing, and it's full of sharks. Is any of that actually true?
I love beautiful beaches and usually look for budget-friendly all-inclusive resorts. Would love to hear your thoughts on Jamaica, or if you have any other all-inclusive recommendations that fit the bill! Thanks!