As our roller-coaster year continues, leave it to travel advisor impresario Jack Ezon to come up with a creative twist to counter your boredom.
With no office to go to and no in-person school to attend, Ezon, founder of Embark Beyond, said he was seeing a significant rise in demand for long-term stays ranging from one to six months.
He notes, “Many of our successful urbanite families are seizing the opportunity to explore a new destination by literally moving into a home-style unit with hotel services to change their view and gain access to new activities, local history, and cultures.
Welcome to Embark Longer, a collection of villa-style hotels and resorts in accessible destinations that include things long-term guests need:
- Unlimited laundry
- Unlimited Parking
- Daily breakfast
- Complimentary Wifi
- Dedicated point person (butler /concierge)
- Full virtual office setup for working adults and/or kids learning virtually
For stays over two months Embark even ships luggage complimentary. With overseas travel sometimes still difficult, this week, here are 12 options that don’t require a passport.
- Dorado Beach, A Ritz Carlton Reserve
- The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel
- Rosewood Washington D.C.
- Belmond El Encanto
- Montage Laguna Beach
- Fairmont Miramar Hotels & Bungalows
- Malibu Beach Inn
- The Peninsula Beverly Hills
- Hotel Fairmont Ghirardelli Square
- Faena Hotel
- 1 Hotel South Beach
- The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee
1. Dorado Beach, A Ritz Carlton Reserve
Location: Dorado, Puerto Rico
Why? Suites and Residences feature signatures tied to Puerto Rico: the ocean just outside your door; the personal attention of an Embajador; outdoor living space; an open-air shower and artwork capturing the colors of nature.
Forbes Travel Guide rates the resort with 5 stars. Here’s the take from their inspectors: “The five-acre Spa Botanico stands out as a world unto itself on the island. This hacienda-style Five-Star sanctuary may be as new as the hotel, but it was built to look as if it has stood here for a century, and with an herb-filled apothecary portal, a vine-covered shade house, a pineapple garden and two tree-house treatment platforms, it certainly has an air of the ancient.
Three Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed courses present a variety of challenges and ocean views. The golf courses are distinct to their setting, with each hole of the East Course bearing the name of an indigenous tree such as the uva de playa, or sea grape.”
2. The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel
Location: New York City
Why? The Carlyle offers the exclusive ambiance of an Upper East Side pied-à-terre. Exquisitely decorated, the luxury New York accommodations are a wonderful example of elegance and comfort.
Departures Magazine says, “This 1930 Art Deco gem on the Upper East Side is a New York icon, thanks, in no small part, to its famed Bemelmans Bar and jazz shows at the Carlyle Café (Woody Allen plays on Mondays; book a table far in advance). Rooms offer elegant (though traditional) hotel fare with Regency furniture, Frette bed linens, and Kiehl’s bathroom amenities, while the suites are more residential in style. The hotel’s Deluxe Tower Rooms, especially 3307 and 2307, offer spectacular views of Central Park and downtown Manhattan, respectively.”
3. Rosewood Washington D.C.
Location: Georgetown, District of Columbia
Why? From plush furnishings to intuitive technology, every element has been thoughtfully considered to create comfortable, residential-style living spaces that are equally suited to business and leisure travel.
Forbes Travel Guide says, “Rosewood Washington, D.C., Georgetown is a go-to spot for dignitaries, celebrities and visiting jet-setters alike. While the 49-room property on the C&O Canal may be the smallest of D.C.’s hotels, it delivers an exclusive, personalized experience.
The cozy hideaway underwent a refresh in early 2019, debuting two venues from renowned restaurateur Wolfgang Puck, and redesigned public spaces including the lobby and library.
A plush, residential-style permeates the small but luxurious hotel. Hole up in the library, where double-height ceilings, antique mirrors, and deep velvet armchairs invite you to curl up with a book; head to rooftop lounge CUT Above for comforting bites and skyline views; or retire to your Townhouse Suite (to debut in early 2020) where private entrances, courtyards, and custom artwork make you feel right at home.”
4. Belmond El Encanto
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Why? Experience timeless Californian glamour. Rooms invite coastal-style serenity with a blend of light, airy textures, and locally carved furnishings that echo the tranquility outside.
A Best of the Best winner from Robb Report, the luxury magazine writes, “Since 1918, travelers looking to immerse themselves in the local landscape have absconded to Belmond El Encanto, a Riviera-area retreat with a collection of Craftsman cottages and Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows spread over a 7-acre hilltop site…Garden paths lead from the 92 cottages and bungalows to a newly built infinity-edge pool and a Craftsman-style main lodge with a seven-treatment-room spa and a fine-dining restaurant. The restaurant’s staff will pack a picnic lunch for guests interested in venturing out into the surrounding suburbs, which are best explored aboard the resort’s complimentary electric bicycles.”
5. Montage Laguna Beach
Location: Laguna Beach, California
Why? Villas are the ultimate home away from home, exquisite single level three-bedroom residences that can accommodate up to eight guests.
Travel + Leisure writes, “Montage aims for an experience you might find in Positano, crisp service and the smell of the surf. The location is exceptional: 240 rooms on 30 acres with a panoramic view of the Pacific. The shingle-style architecture, all twists and turns and gables, and porches is incurably romantic, though interiors are also impressive, as they include a prominent collection of art from early in the 20th century, including works by William Wendt, Jean Mannheim and other air painters who put Laguna Beach on the map. For dinner, choose from one of three restaurants—Studio, The Loft, and Mosaic Bar & Grille—and then retire to the lobby to hear the resident pianist.”
6. Fairmont Miramar Hotels & Bungalows
Location: Santa Monica, California
Why? Ideal for those seeking a contemporary beach side oasis. Offering a plush residential feel with a convergence of a Southern California beach house with the glamour of a mid-century pad.
Forbes writes, “Situated on the bluffs of Santa Monica and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows has a history and loyal patronage both intimately tied to the city of Los Angeles. City council, famous faces, and ocean lovers have all called it home. An 80-foot Moreton Bay fig tree stands just inside the gate of the hotel and is the second-largest of its kind in California.
Miramar has also served as a haven for Hollywood legends, including Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Sir Anthony Hopkins. But, you don’t need to have a star on Hollywood Blvd. or screen credits to feel at home at this beachside beauty. Though located in one of the city’s most popular neighborhoods, the property is a sanctuary dotted with bungalows nestled between trees and high-rise views of the endless Pacific Ocean. Poolside, families and singles enjoy smoky margaritas and the California sun.”
7. Malibu Beach Inn
Location: Malibu, California
Why? Warm coastal tones and exclusive amenities compliment the serene atmosphere that has drawn so many to California’s shores.
Departures reports, “Five-star boutique hotel Malibu Beach Inn, sits on the cheekily (though not inaccurately) named Billionaire’s Beach. Guests will love the artistic touches in each of the 47 rooms; the property’s highly unique art collection is curated by the Mani Brothers Real Estate Group. At Malibu Beach Inn, guests have access to the on-site Carbon Beach Club, which has an oceanfront terrace where guests can enjoy the light California fare made with seasonal ingredients and craft cocktails with a view.”
8. The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Why? The Peninsula Villa Suites are situated in free-standing villas set amidst the hotel’s lush tropical gardens.
Forbes Travel Guide says, “While Peninsula Beverly Hills is known for its old-school attention to service, it also delivers of-the-moment details, such as the in-room technology centers that control the lighting and ambiance or the luxe Oscar de la Renta bath products.
On the roof garden, poolside cabanas — surrounded by heated limestone flooring for year-round lounging — can be transformed into offices or massage treatment spaces.
The hotel’s Living Room, located just beyond the lobby and entrance, is a see-and-be-seen spot for Hollywood’s power elite, who come for the superlative afternoon tea or to take over the comfortable, overstuffed couches for evening cocktails.”
9. Hotel Fairmont Ghirardelli Square
Location: San Francisco, California
Why? Luxurious and spacious accommodations in San Francisco feature one, two, and three-bedroom suites that are a bold illustration of contemporary urban design in a landmark setting.
Conde Nast Traveler writes, “The Fairmont Heritage Place—not to be confused with Nob Hill’s Fairmont—is an all-suite boutique hotel housed in a brick building that was once Ghirardelli’s chocolate factory. As such, it’s far more low-key than its sister property on Nob Hill, with a small but well-designed lobby with tiled floors and stone steps, contemporary artwork and potted plants. From the outside, the brick building is stately, with Fairmont flags flanking the entryway.
All the residences come with one, two, or three bedrooms, high-end kitchens with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, dining areas, and living rooms with fireplaces. The vibe is far more modern than the iconic hotel, with details like exposed brick, open floor plans, loft-like ceilings, and bronze pendant lights. The space comes with homey touches like framed images, and comfortable chairs and couches and shades of beige and blue.”
10. Faena Hotel
Location: Miami, Florida
Why? The luxuriously appointed premier rooms with breathtaking ocean and city views redefine indoor/outdoor living and are caught between nature and the sublime.
Forbes Travel Guide rates the hotel and its spa as both 5-stars. Its inspectors say, “The experience starts as you walk into The Cathedral, an expansive great hall lined with the (former) Saxony Hotel’s original columns (now gold-leafed), vivid floor-to-ceiling murals by famed Argentine painter Gatti and an intricately patterned mosaic floor made from 632,000 tiles.
At the far end of The Cathedral, back doors open out into the terrace, where the hotel’s signature art piece — a 10-foot-high woolly mammoth skeleton encased in 24-karat gold by artist Damien Hirst — will take your breath away.
The attentive staff is on hand to fetch sunscreen, towels, beverages and light bites. Rejuvenate at Faena’s 22,000-square-foot Tierra Santa Healing House…with direct access to the pool and beach.
11. 1 Hotel South Beach
Location: Miami Beach, Florida
Why? This South Beach retreat is inspired by 600-feet of beach along the Atlantic Ocean. Designed for comfort using reclaimed materials, it is one-of-a-kind, naturally.
Conde Nast Traveler writes, “It’s big (426 rooms) but pulls off the legerdemain of intimacy and takes its commitment to the environment seriously (it’s about to be declared a LEED-certified building). The white, high-ceilinged lobby may now be a familiar Miami trope, but instead of acres of cut flowers, there is a living wall of 11,000 plants. Beyond the lobby, the green initiatives continue: bedroom doors are unlocked with a reclaimed-wood keycard.
On the bedside table is a chalkboard instead of a notepad, inside the wardrobe the hangers are made out of recycled paper, and by the minibar, there’s a tap of fresh, filtered water. Miami Beach has always been about decadence and the 1 Hotel provides plenty of that too, with four swimming pools (including one on the 18th-floor rooftop), a fleet of Tesla electric cars to ferry guests around and a soon-to-open 10,000 sq. ft. gym and spa.”
12. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee
Location: Greensboro, Georgia
Why? Calming, charming, and filled with character, accommodations at this hotel near Greensboro, GA capture the essence of a lakeside retreat.
Robb Report writes, “Midway between Atlanta and Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee is a 12,000-acre community that is home to 374 miles of inviting shoreline, six championship golf courses, a lakefront Ritz-Carlton, an 800-acre sporting clays campus, and four full-service marinas. Reynolds is a place where families connect and friendships flourish—a remarkable community with a unique blend of natural beauty, enriching experiences, and friendly neighbors.”
VIP Contact
Contact Jack Ezon at jack@embarkbeyond.com or visits EmbarkBeyond.com
