A Guide To The World's Best Fine Dining Restaurants


London

  • The Ritz - including The Rivoli Bar - very special and intimate- one of my favorite bars in the world. Don't miss the finest high tea in the world in a stunning classical room.
  • The Dorchester - (get a park view) with in-house chauffeurs driving a Rolls Royce Phantom, Bentleys, or a Maybach S600
  • 45 Park Lane - get the Park Lane corner suite overlooking Hyde Park


Edinburgh

  • The Balmoral - including the Bar Prince and the Scotch Room
  • The Old Course Hotel at St Andrews - The Road Hole


St Jean Cap Ferrat

  • Hôtel du Cap - get a sea view room     


Geneva

  • The Four Seasons - including Le Bar des Bergues - get a lake-view room


Copenhagen

  • Hôtel d'Angleterre


Barcelona

  • The Ritz - on the Club Floor  - get a sea-view room     


Athens

  • The Grand Bretange - including Alexander's Bar - get a suite with the Acropolis view


 United States

New York City

  • Ritz-Central Park South - on the Club Floor (see image)
  • Mandarin Oriental - including the Mo lounge on the 35th floor
  • The bars at Daniel and Per Se


Los Angeles

  • The Bel Air Hotel - get the junior pool suite with patio and fireplace
  • The Polo Lounge - at the Beverly Hills hotel


Las Vegas 

  • The Four Seasons - if you prefer a high-end hotel with no casino


Palm Beach

  • The Breakers- the Seafood Bar and the HMF cocktail lounge- the largest and most expensive to build lounge in the world(excluding nightclubs)

Europe

Paris

  • The Ritz - including the Hemingway's bar. Get the top floor rooms with a balcony and city view. The hotel includes driver service at Degaulle airport, where they will meet you at the gate and walk you through the baggage claim
  • The 4 Seasons George V - including Le Gallerie lounge. About  the most extensive high-end restaurant and bar/lounge offerings of any major city in France or the United States. The French suite is exceptional.
  • The Meurice - get a room overlooking the Tuileries garden and the Lourve (see image)
  • Les Ambassadeurs bar at Hôtel de Crillon - one of the world's grandest bar rooms


Monte-Carlo

  • Hôtel de Paris - including Le Bar Américain.  The hotel has access to the Monte-Carlo Country Club and the Monte-Carlo Beach Club
  • L'Ermitage - including Le Crystal Bar
  • The Maybourne Riviera - with the finest views of Monaco

My favorite hotels are based on desiring the most sophisticated ambiance and best views of the area. In bigger cities, the hotels I like most but do not stay at are candidates for a night of 'bar hopping', so some bars are also listed. I often stay at two to three hotels in the same city if I spend more than two nights or 'hotel hopping'. The best views from the highest floors have always been important to have a much better 'sense of place'. This is especially true in cities that I rarely or have never visited or have so much to see, like New York City, San Francisco, Paris, etc.