The Suite Life: 5 Luxury Suites Worth the Perks
Many LGBTQ+ travelers, especially those traveling with their chosen family or for business, opt to splurge on a suite for extra room to spread out. But added space isn’t the only reason to upgrade your digs. In some cases, reserving a suite unlocks special perks like private guides, access to your own speedboat, free-flowing champagne, and VIP dining experiences—not to mention bragging rights. From a designer suite on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to the world’s largest overwater villa, here are five suites worth the expense.
andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge Family Suite (South Africa)
Designed to provide the right balance of privacy and together-time, the Family Suite at andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge is cleverly laid out to help you make the most of a group safari getaway. A central living room connects the two wings of the suite, each of which has bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms and outdoor showers, and interleading children’s rooms. A private veranda off the shared lounge offers panoramic views of the surrounding bush and connects directly to the lodge pool. Keep your eyes peeled for the Big Five!
Luxury Suite Perks: Book the Family Suite and you’ll get your own dedicated private guide and vehicle for exploring the lodge’s 70,560 acres of protected wildlife land, where wildlife like a cheetah, black rhino, and nyala roam.
The Marylebone (London)
Get the royal treatment in London and book the lavish Marylebone Suite at The Marylebone Hotel. Offering 860 square feet of living space, it’s like owning your own stylish pied-a-terre in the heart of the city, and steps from Hyde Park and Manchester Square. The best place to take in the views is the suite’s Scandi-style terrace, complete with a retractable roof and blinds, plush sofas, a fireplace, and a TV. Relax inside, where a Julian Chichester dining table, a marble bathroom and whirlpool bath, freshly cut flowers, and a complimentary selection of alcoholic and soft drinks will make you feel right at home.
Luxury Suite Perks: Book this chic suite for perks that include a VIP airport pick-up (London City & Heathrow only, one way), in-suite check-in, and access to a dedicated guest liaison who can hook you up with dinner reservations, in-room meals, or anything else you should need.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
In June 2023, eight new suites will be unveiled aboard the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train. Two original carriages, built in the 1920s and 1930s, will accommodate just four suites on each car. Belmond will carefully restore the carriages’ design inspired by pastoral European landscapes and featuring plush fabrics and furnishings from renowned brands and makers like Majorelle, Dufrene, Leleu, Rousseau, and Lalique. The La Forêt Suites will evoke Germany’s Black Forest, while the La Campagne Suites will be adorned with rich velvet greens and intricate flower marquetry, an homage to Northern Italy’s rolling pastures and vineyards. Les Montagnes Suites will mirror the mountainous peaks of Austria’s Arblerg massig, and Les Lacs Suites will reflect the serene beauty of Lake Zug in Switzerland and Lake Como in Italy. The suites are portals to the golden day of train travel, with luxuries like private marble ensuite bathrooms and lounging areas that transform into either double or twin beds by night.
Luxury Suite Perks: Additional amenities might include personal 24-hour cabin stewards, complimentary kimonos and slippers, and free-flowing champagne. Cheers!
Gili Private Reserve (Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives)
It’s a Robinson Crusoe fantasy come to life! The Private Reserve at Gili Lankanfushi is the world’s largest overwater villa, stretching across the Indian Ocean in multi-level tiers. Guests spend their days lounging by the infinity-edge pool and in the overwater catamaran nets; working out in the air-conditioned gym; pampering themselves with treatments at the private couples’ spa (complete with a steam room and indoor/outdoor treatment rooms); and sliding down the top-deck waterslide into turquoise waters. Running late on dinner reservations? Luckily guests of Gili Private Reserve have access to their own speed boat, which they can use to travel around the resort or farther afield. By night, enjoy movie screenings at the private cinema, and retire in the guestrooms (of which there are two ensuite master bedrooms and a guest suite), which have doors that open to the breathtaking scenery.
The Perks: Additional perks of the Private Reserve include a fully equipped kitchen and the option to curate your own wine selection from the 400-label cellar.
Master Casita at Paradero Todos Santos (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
At the Paradero Todos Santos, guests staying in the indulgent Master Casita – spread over three floors – can do as much (or as little) as they want. Enjoy access to all the resort’s immersive experiences including energizing morning yoga, taco tours, farming tutorials, cliffside champagne tastings, and sunset walks. No matter what activities you partake in, you’ll come back to the ultimate hideaway in Todos Santos. Like all of Paradero’s suites, the Master Casita embraces triangular geometries—a sacred symbol of the Mayan culture–to promote a sense of balance and wellbeing.
Luxury Suite Perks: The Master Casita features a kitchenette, a spacious dining room, a plunge pool, and a suspended “star net” with 360-degree views of the mountains, Las Palmas Beach, and the La Mesa farming fields.
