Conde Nast Traveler

the gold list editor’s letter

AT DINNER THE OTHER NIGHT, I sat next to one of my heroes. Which always ends badly, as everyone knows. The thing was, I didn’t realize it was him initially. I only knew his work, as a photographer of fashion, mostly, but also of flowers and plants. I have many of his books. The first—and also last—poem I wrote to my husband sits pressed between the pages of Flora’s blue-green ghostly maple leaves and an artery-red swarm of oaks. But before the awkward identity reveal took place, I found myself in the curious position of talking to him… about him…because it was his work I was thinking of when I spoke. “I want images to take us away from all this,” I said, waving a hand rather grandly. “I need…

conde nast traveler

EDITOR IN CHIEF MELINDA STEVENS PA TO THE EDITOR Katharine Sohn EDITOR, U.S. Jesse Ashlock DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Paulie Dibner MANAGING EDITOR Paula Maynard TRAVEL NEWS DIRECTOR Erin Florio FEATURES DIRECTOR Fiona Kerr SENIOR EDITOR Rick Jordan ACTING FEATURES DIRECTOR Toby Skinner ASSOCIATE EDITOR Betsy Blumenthal FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Tabitha Joyce CREATIVE DIRECTOR Pete Winterbottom ART DIRECTOR Paula Ellis ART EDITOR Nitish Mandalia PHOTOGRAPHIC DIRECTOR Matthew Buck SENIOR PICTURE EDITOR Karin Mueller PICTURE EDITOR Anna Morassutti Vitale CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Gráinne McBride DEPUTY CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Katharina Hahn SENIOR SUB-EDITOR Leah Craig FASHION DIRECTOR Martha Ward FASHION FEATURES EDITOR Charlotte Davey WATCH & JEWELRY DIRECTOR Jessica Diamond BEAUTY DIRECTOR Catherine Robinson PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Olga Kuznetsova COPY DIRECTOR Corey Sabourin RESEARCH DIRECTOR Alexandra Sanidad COPY MANAGER Alexa Lawrence EDITORS AT LARGE Alex Postman, Peter Browne, Steve King WEST COAST EDITOR Rebecca Misner EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Louis Cheslaw EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Shauna Beni DIRECTOR, ARTICLES Stephanie Wu DIRECTOR, CITY GUIDES Corina Quinn SENIOR LIFESTYLE EDITOR Lale Arikoglu EDITOR, TRANSPORTATION Jessica Puckett ASSOCIATE…

the gold list 2020

FOR THE FULL GOLD LIST, VISIT CNTRAVELER.COM/THE-BESTS/GOLD-LIST THE TRIBECA PENTHOUSE AT THE GREENWICH HOTEL, NEW YORK ANANTARA AL JABAL AL AKHDAR RESORT NIZWA, OMAN Set in the sunburnt Al-Hajar mountains, on the rim of the Arabian Peninsula’s most outrageously beautiful canyon, is the region’s most ambitious wilderness hotel. This is Oman’s wild frontier, but this space has souped it up to the max, with chasm-facing pool villas, majlis-style courtyards, a lantern-lit outdoor hookah space, and superslick service fit for a sultan (a little jealous, perhaps, Omani premier Qaboos bin Said is building a palace on the canyon lip opposite). This being the splashy Gulf of Oman, there has to be a superlative or two: The hotel has the highest swimming pools, tennis court, and stargazing platform in the Middle East. But its real essence…

the gold list ships

OCEANIA MARINA COPENHAGEN TO STOCKHOLM A sail that begins and ends in Scandinavia is certain to attract foodies, and Oceania Marina so spectacularly nails the dining that its 1,250 guests won’t mind missing Noma. The beyond-juicy porterhouse at the Polo Grill is a particular standout. Across the Gulf of Finland (shown) burn it off in St. Petersburg with a behind-the-scenes tour of the huge Hermitage Museum, or a stroll of Tallinn Old Town’s picturesque cobblestone streets. The recent introduction of local guides shows how much Oceania is investing in excursions (new intimate, sweet options include picking berries followed by tea inside a Latvian farmhouse). Back on board, even the inner-facing cabins have cachet, with their cozy throws and upholstered headboards. But the room to book is one of the Owner’s Suites, which…

the destination the middle east

THE FUTURISTIC MUSEUMS The Jean Nouvel–designed National Museum of Qatar (shown), an archaeology and history museum that opened in March, may resemble a pileup of flying saucers at a pan-galactic spaceport, but its cracked-skin structure is actually inspired by desert roses, those miraculous crystalline forms that bloom in the sand. Meanwhile, opening in September, Dubai’s Museum of the Future, a showcase for innovation and design—including potential solutions to climate change—conjures a giant eye. In Jordan, the low-slung Petra Museum, devoted to the ancient Kingdom of Nabatea, debuted last year; sand-hued and subtle, the structure hardly detracts from the drama of the ancient city beyond it. R.J. THE FAR-OUT GATHERING NEGEV The Nabataeans, the ancient people who built Petra, used the Negev desert as a caravan pit stop as they cut a swath across the…

the obsession palace pomp

We’ve been crushing on palatial design for a while now—from the lavish sets on The Crown to the daring new chintz epitomized by designers such as Laura Gonzalez (Paris’s Lapérouse restaurant). At the dawn of the 2020s, though, only living like a royal will do. This month, Edinburgh specialist Lateral City is debuting nine apartments in Abbey Strand at Holyrood Palace—the Queen’s official residence in Scotland—with a medicinal-herb garden redesigned by Prince Charles. Meanwhile, Jaipur’s City Palace, whose pink façade is straight out of one of Wes Anderson’s more fantastical dreams, has become the first royal home to list on Airbnb. The 21-year-old maharaja is offering stays in the baby blue Gudliya Suite, with proceeds helping women’s charities. Later in the year, Six Senses’ first Indian foray will be set…