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Raising the bar

ATLAS BAR,SINGAPORE

Building a better

tree house

TREEHOTEL,HARADS, SWEDEN

Tree houses aren’t generally
synonymous with splendor.
But the seven elevated cabins
at Sweden’s Treehotel—
located in a tiny village in the country’s
Arctic region—could easily give the
Swiss Family Robinson a run for its
money. For starters, there are the
extraordinary exteriors: one resembles
a UFO, another resembles a bird’s nest,
and the bottom of the latest edition—
the aptly named 7th Room(right),
which opened in 2017—features a life-
size photograph of the canopy view it
displaced. Inside, the cabins, which
start at just under $500 per night, are
more reined, with sleek, minimalist
furniture and cozy lounge areas.

Like gin? Then make haste for
Singapore’s recently renovated
Atlas Bar, which features about
1,000 varieties of the spirit, some
dating to 1910. The 7,400-sq.-ft. facility,
set in Singapore’s Gothic-looking Parkview
Square ofice tower,
is an Art Deco
throwback—The
Great Gatsby as
conceived by the
Hong Kong property
mogul C.S. Hwang.
His granddaughter
Vicky says that the
refurbishments
were “intimidating,”
but the hard
work appears
to have paid off.
The Atlas now
occupies the No. 15 slot on this year’s
World’s 50 Best Bars List, helped in no small
measure by its gin collection, which is one of
the world’s largest. “We wanted to be a center
of excellence for gin,” Hwang says. “A place
where those who were gin enthusiasts or
simply gin-curious could come, enjoy and
learn a bit more.”—Suyin Haynes

Although some guests may have to

travel to a separate facility to shower,

fans argue that that’s a small sacriice

to make for a one-of-a-kind camping

experience, especially when it’s under

the Northern Lights.—S.C.

A taste of history

EIGHT TABLES,SAN FRANCISCO

UNDERSEA

IMMERSION

PONANT LE

LAPÉROUSE

AN ECO

ADVENTURE

HOTEL XCARET,

RIVIERA MAYA,

MEXICO

Ponant’s new

cruise ship may

have Hermès bath

products, a Michelin-

starred chef and

24-hour butlers, but

its most striking

feature is below

deck. A multisensory

underwater lounge,

dubbed the Blue Eye,

features two large

portholes just below

the water line,

allowing daylight to

illuminate the marine

life below, as well

as hydrophones,

which pipe in the

natural clicks, calls

and trills of the

underwater world.

“Body Listening”

sofas vibrate

discreetly in time

to the underwater

orchestra.—K.R.

This resort, which

opened in December,

is the irst in Mexico to

earn an “EarthCheck”

certiication for its

sustainability efforts,

such as following a

strict composting

program and

donating to wildlife

conservation efforts.

Should guests tire of

its on-site amenities—

spa treatments, pools,

restaurants—they can

take a free shuttle to

XCaret’s eco theme

parks, which offer

activities like zip-lining

and snorkeling.—S.C.

George Chen has opened more

than a dozen restaurants,

including the James Beard

Award–nominated Betelnut,

but Eight Tables has been lauded as

his most ambitious one to date. It stars

a 10-course, high-end showcase of

sifang cai, or private chateau cuisine,

an experience popular during the Qing

dynasty, when Chinese elite had private

chefs and would invite friends to their

homes for grand and elegant meals.

The $225 meal starts, for instance, with

nine small bites representing the nine

essential lavors of Chinese cuisine,

ranging from sweet (dates stufed

with chrysanthemum honey) to spicy

(beef tendons topped with Sichuan

peppercorns) and is studded with

luxurious ingredients, like foie gras and

caviar. To evoke a private chateau, Chen

hired design irm AvroKO. The studio

skipped the usual bar area for a bar

cart, hung photos of Chen’s father and

grandfather in the reception area, and

carved out a semi-private room for each

of the eight tables.—Kate Rockwood