Meg Nolan’s Favorite Hotels

World traveler, author and newest addition to Tablet, Meg Nolan van Reesema shares a selection of her more memorable hotels.


There’s a new member to the ever-expanding Tablet family, and we thought it best to introduce you to her here.

Meg Nolan van Reesema is a hotel expert through and through, with so many hotel stays under her belt, she’s starting to lose count (450? 500?). After working on the editorial staffs of magazines such as Town & Country, Vanity Fair and Travel + Leisure Golf, she became a freelance travel writer, blogger and author, publishing three books (Caribbean Hideaways, Italian Hideaways, and most recently, England’s Hideaways) with Rizzoli.

She’s traveled the world (43 or so countries), scouting true hotel gems and their enviable locations. So why keep that kind of knowledge under wraps? Despite her reluctance towards the word “favorite,” we asked her to select a few of her top spots below:

Cape Grace Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
“From the rooftop spa to the in-your-face Table Mountain view, plus a few indulgent extras like a mahogany-laden cigar bar, multi-course tasting menus (vegan versions too!) and a gleaming motor yacht for champagne sundowner cruises, coddling one’s jet-lag knows no better home. That, and even the standard rooms’ dressing area and bathrooms offer the most comfortable layout I’ve seen yet.”

Villa Fontelunga
Siena, Italy
“With natural entertainers Paolo, Simon and Philip as hosts, throwing impromptu family-style dinner parties and low-key cocktail gatherings on the back lawn, Fontelunga has an inviting, social air. So when you pair that inclusive spirit with the setting of a historic, rose-colored Villa, or the more mod, tangential villas, the makings of a memorable, if not cinematic, evening are assured.”

Relais La Suvera
Siena, Italy
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for hotels that make me wish for time travel, or at least a grand, eighteenth-century, soiree to attend. With an enormous aviary in the courtyard, a fragrant lemon-tree garden and a ballroom with balconies overlooking the Tuscan countryside, the setting is complete. Plus, the breakfast buffet features silver serving trays and crystal glasses.”

Jade Mountain
Soufriere, St. Lucia
“Easily, it is one of the most architecturally astounding hotels in the Caribbean. The open-air, panoramic views render requests for ‘ocean view’ amusing, while the ‘dojo,’ or personal butler, policy, full-feature spa and sunrise yoga ensure the pampering box is boldly checked. It’s also where I was introduced to  jungle-biking, a remarkably challenging adventure through tangled, muddy paths alongside remnants of a 17th-century rum plantation.”

Covent Garden Hotel
London, England
“Rarely has a hotel married the concept of private and public space as well as Covent Garden and smack in an enviable urban location. It satisfies the need to meet people for coffee and then squire away in solitude with a book in the cozy library. Plus, the suites actually deliver on their elevated stature and make one feel truly special.”

Hotel Oceana
Santa Barbara, California
“I may be slightly influenced by memory and our exceptional service (it’s where my husband proposed), but I’m fairly certain I was smitten with its beachfront location, laidback buffet breakfast, affordable price and adorable pool cabanas before the question was popped.”

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Jade Mountain photo courtesy of Jessica Antola for Caribbean Hideaways, Rizzoli