WallPaper 1

066 ∑

Best Urban Hotels 2017

TOP, THE LOUNGE OF

THE MAIN RESTAURANT,

SEEN FROM THE LOBBY

ABOVE, THE 20M

INDOOR SWIMMING

POOL, COMPLETE

WITH UNDERWATER

LOUNGERS AND TWO

LARGE WHIRLPOOLS

Four Seasons

Kyoto

Set at the foot of the Higashiyama

mountains in Kyoto’s temple district, the

Four Seasons is an exercise in high-impact

understatement. Steeped in tradition yet

thoroughly modern, it sits within a unique

800-year-old pond garden and features

slick interiors by global design firm HBA.

The new building has grandeur in spades:

quadruple-height ceilings in the dining

room; an Hermès rickshaw in a hallway;

and cushions woven by Hosoo, a Kyoto

atelier that dates from 1688 (W*181). The

garden tea house is used for tea ceremonies

by day, but come twilight, it turns into

a swanky bar serving fine sakes, including

one produced exclusively for Four Seasons.

It’s the perfect pre-prandial stopover

before heading to Sushi Wakon, the ten-

seater restaurant that serves Edo-style

sushi from chef Rei Masuda. Lauren Ho

445-3 Myohoin Maekawa-cho, Higashiyama-ku,

tel: 81.75 541 8288, fourseasons.com/kyoto.

Rates: from ¥66,484 ($594)

B

es

t^

U

rb

an^

Hotels

(^20)
(^17)
Joint
Runner-Up