2 min read
Taking this issue’s theme—“Now”—as a filter for where to go right now was an opportunity to focus tightly on three incredible destinations and the highly anticipated new properties opening in each spot.
Courtesy Imperial Hotel
A lounge at the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto
Courtesy Imperial Hotel
The exterior at the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto
While it’s true that Kyoto has fully entered the zeitgeist—the city, home to Japan’s emperors for more than 1,000 years, has become popular, thanks to its Zen gardens and ancient Shinto shrines with vermillion-red torii gates—it shouldn’t deter a visit. The recently opened Imperial Hotel in the historic Gion district is part of a beloved old-school Japanese luxury chain that is not as well-known outside the country. (Its Tokyo property was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.) Imperial was entrusted with transforming Kyoto’s landmark Yasaka Kaikan theater into an urban retreat with 55 rooms. The interiors are subdued and minimalist, featuring traditional Tamina-ishi stone pillars and tatami flooring. The building’s past life as a theater is captured by the property’s four culinary stages, from the Yasaka, which offers dishes cooked over open flames, to the Old Imperial Bar, which offers spectacular views over the city, as well as classic cocktails.
Mark Anthony Fox
The marble-and-granite pool at Villa Fayoum
Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Siwa are all expected stops on an Egypt tour. The just-opened Villa Fayoum lures visitors to the desert oasis of Fayoum. Located a two-hour drive from Cairo, it is renowned for its exceptional schools of pottery and is home to the picturesque Lake Qarun, which is dotted with flamingos. Housed within a historic villa, the property has a dozen rooms surrounded by a 6,500-square-foot garden and a 50-foot marble-and-granite pool. The interiors are an eclectic mix of Murano chandeliers, art-deco armchairs, antique Egyptian screens, and vintage textiles. In between desert adventures and visits to pottery cooperatives, guests dine on elevated Egyptian and international dishes prepared by the villa’s private chef and served in various locations, from the winter garden to the rooftop terrace.
Courtesy Ytri
The exterior of one of the buildings at Ytri
Make the pilgrimage to Ytri, which opens this month on one of the 477 islands that make up the archipelago of Træna, for a truly off-the-beaten-path experience. It’s located off the coast of Norway, just south of the Arctic Circle, and getting there is part of the experience: a flight to the remote Bodø airport, followed by a high-speed ferry. The modern compound of spare wood-and-glass buildings features 38 rooms and suites with minimalist interiors and floor-to-ceiling views of the otherworldly seascape outside. The meals here, prepared by chef and nutritionist Sean Ryan, are healthy and sustainable, using locally foraged food and the freshest possible seafood. After spending a day exploring the other surrounding islands, guests can experience the Norwegian art of the badstu (Norwegian for sauna) at the retreat’s wood-fired bathhouses, which sit right by the water. To be followed, of course, by a cold plunge into the sea.
This article was originally featured in the April 2026 Issue of Harper’s Bazaar
AloJapan.com