Destinations: Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

The Wisdom of Water

Posted on by Ann Abel

Bathing isn’t just about cleanliness. From the moment we’re born, it becomes a ritual that bonds parents and children. And most cultures have ways of extending this practice to more people – siblings, friends, even strangers.

Traditions of “taking the waters” go back as far as the Neolithic Age. The Great Bath, for example, built around 2500 BC in what is now Pakistan, was probably used for religious purposes of purification and cleanliness.

Today, Russians still unwind in banyas, Japanese soak in onsen baths, and Eastern Europeans embrace the healing powers of mineral-rich water. One reason is obvious: It feels good.

But studies have also shown that settling into a nice bath can have health benefits. Exposing the body to different water temperatures and pressures can block pain receptors. And waters with mineral content are believed to soften the appearance of certain skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema.

If you’re unaccustomed to public bathing, the idea of exploring this wellness-focused, communal activity can be intimidating. But don’t let that stop you.

“Not sampling the local bathing culture would be like not trying the local cuisine.” – Melisse Gelula, co-founder of Well + Good.

As for proper behaviour, common sense and good manners should stand you in good stead. If the room is silent, be silent. If it’s sociable, join in.

Still, sceptics should know that private, luxurious alternatives exist. Thanks to hotel spas that balance authenticity with customer comfort, these are more prevalent than ever before.

Whether you’re looking for a traditional experience or one that’s personal and private, these three different bathing cultures will flood you with desire to dip in soothing H20.

European bathing: Taking the continental waters

The Brittany coast of France.

Soaking in the sea is a simple – and scenic – way to relieve irritated skin.

Photography courtesy kotangens / Getty Images

The spa at the Four Seasons Prague

Before you begin any treatment at the AVA Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Prague (like a traditional Czech-inspired bath), take a dip in the Vitality Pool.

Photography courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

The Roman Empire is long gone, but European aristocrats have enjoyed the privilege of wallowing in the restorative waters of thermal springs and the sea for centuries. You too can do as the Romans did – in Paris, perhaps, or a little old spot near Prague.

The Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary has been a popular resort since medieval times. Guests enjoy à la carte thermal soaks or stays at “spa houses,” where prescribed treatments are given in various vitality pools, saunas, salt rooms and caldaria (hot baths).

The new AVA spa at Four Seasons Hotel Prague – a two-hour drive from Karlovy Vary – also centres on modern versions of historical practices, says Spa Manager Claudia Santos. The name AVA, she adds, is Celtic for “water.”

Here, guests may soak in a private bathtub – overlooking Prague Castle – in the spa’s Couple’s Suite. To fill that tub, they may choose either mineral-rich water like the “miracle mineral water” of Karlovy Vary, sulphurous water or water with high iron content.

Four Seasons Hotel Prague

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Plunging into a hot spring isn’t the only way to go, especially if you’re fond of salt water. Therapeutic sea bathing got its start in the late 16th century, when various nobles such as King Henry III began vacationing on the Bretagne coast in northern France. In the 1800s, Empress Eugenie brought her court to summer in Biarritz, where they would take their dips, at prescribed times, in accordance with medical mediation.

Almost as early, scientific studies began to document its effectiveness at everything from accelerating the elimination of toxins to replenishing depleted calcium and phosphorus in the bones. And nearly everyone feels better after a swim in the sea.

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, channels this healing power by incorporating algae and other sea minerals into its body treatments. This way you can time your own tides.

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

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Mediterranean hammams: Marble and clay

Interior of the Hammam (Baths), Mosque Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco

One of the joys of any hammam is its architectural beauty. Discover remarkable designs yourself in Turkey and Morocco.

Photography courtesy roevin / Getty Image

The spa inside Four Seasons Istanbul Hotel.

Guests at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus can enjoy a private hammam alone or with friends and family.

Photography courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

In the Roman Empire, public bathing was not just for rinsing off the grit but also for socializing and conducting business. Later, in the Ottoman Empire, this excellent idea gave rise to the hammam, where bathing rituals are used to celebrate major life events like weddings and births.

Today, hammams can be enormous and bustling. Almost always, they’re separated by gender. When trying out a traditional hammam, it’s best to bring your own supply of Moroccan black soap, an olive-based, spreadable soap that leaves skin unbelievably hydrated. But most locations sell samples, along with sandals and towels.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

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Four Seasons Istanbul and Four Seasons Marrakech offer hammams that are completely private.

At the centre is a giant marble slab, where guests recline and acclimate to dry or steamy heat, depending on the hammam. Meanwhile, they can look forward to an intense, full body scrub, which leaves skin feeling baby-soft. Traditionally, guests complete the scrubs themselves, or with help from friends or family.

“The hammam ritual is a venerated Moroccan tradition which has endured for centuries,” says Ouafaa Aboudya, the spa manager at Four Seasons Resort Marrakech. The Resort’s spa offers a luxurious, private version of the hammam and its signature scrubs designed for those who desire a calmer, less social experience.

The Resort’s ritual is performed in a steamy marble room full of Arabian lanterns, carvings and mosaics: A therapist gives guests the traditional black soap treatment with a mildly exfoliating kessa glove before applying a full body wrap of ghassoul (a naturally cosmetic clay) and argan oil, along with amber oil, sugar and beeswax.

Guests at The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus can enjoy a similar experience. Unlike the lively traditional hammams, this one is fully private. Guests can savour exclusive moments by themselves, with a partner or with several friends. Here, therapists apply the soap with a kessa glove and then treat guests to a plush foam massage.

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

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Japanese onsen: Soaking in peace


Japanese onsen

Step into a Japanese onsen to reconnect quietly with the natural world.

Photograph courtesy Shutterstock

The Japanese have relished silent, meditative soaking in the abundant natural hot springs of their volcanic country for millennia. Dogo Onsen, for instance, is believed to be 3,000 years old.

The heat, the tranquillity and the scenery give rise to a sense of awe at the natural world. But onsen (a word for either a hot spring or an associated resort), have also served as important social levellers; historical texts describe springs as welcoming peasants, emperors and gods.

Traditionally, etiquette is quite strict – for instance, tattoos are still banned from many public onsen, due to their association with criminal behaviour in Japan.

“Many people do not have a good impression of tattoos,” explains Mami Kumoda, the Guest Experience Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi. “They can intimidate people. Visitors might be unable to relax, which unfortunately defeats the purpose of visiting an onsen.”

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo

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Before entering a public onsen, guests are required to sit on one of its stools, rinse off and shampoo their hair. During this process, Kumoda says, it’s important to enjoy the moment quietly, without disturbing others. It’s also important to wash away all shampoo before entering any onsen’s waters.

“Onsen and their surroundings should remain as untouched as much as possible,” she says. “Hot spring water should only be from nature. Surroundings, minerals, temperature and colour all count toward the feeling of being one with nature at the onsen.”

Despite being indoors, the onsen at the Hotel feels as if it’s a part of the natural world. “Natural light floods a dimly lit area in both the men’s and women’s onsen,” she says. “Guests are able to escape here from the realities of their busy day-to-day lives. It allows anyone a moment to breathe and mediate. You won’t get distracted by anything here.”

Ultimately, the onsen at the Hotel enhances the age-old tradition of hadaka no tsukiai (socializing while naked). “It’s not easy to become open-minded in many situations,” Kumoda says. “The atmosphere of this particular onsen changes that.”

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7 Pieces of Art You Didn’t Know to Look For

Posted on by Ashitha Rao

The Mona Lisa, Starry Night, Dalí’s Persistence of Memory – we all need to see these show-stoppers, but visitors can forget that they’re in a museum full of equally beautiful, intriguing artworks. Because of their more famous neighbours hanging nearby, these 7 paintings and art installations are some of the most undeservedly overlooked masterworks in the world.

London: Saint Margaret of Antioch


Francisco de Zurbaran’s Saint Margaret of Antioch. On Display at the National Gallery

Encounter St Margaret’s direct gaze, but take a moment to admire the painter’s attention to detail and the menace of the dragon beneath her feet.

Digital image © The National Gallery, London/ Art Resource, NY

You’re in London, at the National Gallery, and your first port of call – naturally – will be Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers, hanging in Room 43. But for one of the gallery’s curators, Francesca Whitlum-Cooper, it’s Francisco de Zurbaran’s Saint Margaret of Antioch (in Gallery 30) that shouldn’t be missed.

“Every time I look at Zurbaran’s picture of Saint Margaret,” Whitlum-Cooper says, “I fall in love with the bright red of her skirt, her beautifully painted alforjas, or saddlebags, the amazing geometric swirls of her straw hat – it’s a surprise every time to look down at her feet and remember that there’s a menacing dragon prowling around them.”

“To me, there’s something very modern and powerful about Saint Margaret’s direct gaze,” the curator continues, “so cool and calm, so confident in her faith, the dragon’s presence doesn’t bother her in the least.”

Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

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Paris: Death of the Virgin

While the notorious crowd swarms around Leonardo’s most famous work, the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre, slip away to see Caravaggio’s Death of the Virgin (1606). This Italian baroque masterpiece shows the Virgin Mary’s mortal body as you’ve never seen it depicted before. The painting is so intense that it was rejected by the monks at the church it was intended for, Santa Maria della Scala in Rome.

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

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Los Angeles: Portrait of a Girl/Still Life With Fan


Max Pechstein's Portrait of a Girl/Still Life With Fan on display at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art

Highlighting the dark, oppressive environment of Europe’s post-war period, Portrait of a Girl/Still Life With Fan served as the beginning of a breakthrough for artists Wassily Kandinsky and Emil Nolde in art’s contemporary period.

Digital image C1919-1920 Museum Associates/LACMA, Licensed by Art Resource, NY

When you go to LA’s most famous art museum, Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, chances are you’ll flock to see Diego Rivera’s Día des Flores (Flower Day), 1925. It’s one of his most iconic depictions of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, and the first major Rivera painting to enter a public art collection in the U.S. But as you meander through the collections, be sure not to overlook the paintings of German expressionist Max Pechstein.

Although he’s not as well known as his contemporaries Wassily Kandinsky and Emil Nolde, he played an important part in the breakthrough of the style. Pechstein survived the turmoil of the 20th century – and was incredibly skilled at translating this onto the canvas. His painting Portrait of a Girl/Still Life With Fan, painted in 1919–20, captures the dark, meditative atmosphere of the post-war period in Europe.

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

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Seoul: Matrilineal Society in Asia – China #4

You can find the work of American greats, such as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, at the Seoul Museum of Art. But it would be a shame to miss the emerging Korean artists that the museum nurtures and showcases. Admire Bek Ji Soon’s photographic portraits of women from across South East Asia, particularly her photograph Matrilineal Society in Asia – China #4, in which a young girl in traditional clothes – confident and joyful in her gaze – sits front and centre. It’s a unique way to get acquainted with the city’s locals and learn more about the culture.

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

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New York: One: Number 31, 1950


Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950. On Display at the Museum of Modern Art.

One of the “drip” paintings Pollock created by pouring and drizzling paint from above, One: Number 31, 1950, highlights the artist’s technical expertise.

Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/ Art Resources, NY

If you’d rather avoid the masses crowded around Starry Night, another of MoMA’s must-see paintings is on the same floor. Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950 is an iconic piece of American abstract expressionism that is often overlooked since it doesn’t really “look like” anything in the conventional sense. But what you’re really seeing in this painting is Pollock’s dramatic, dynamic movements, throwing paint (and himself) around. It can’t be missed.

Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown

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Mumbai: Maratha Lady

While visiting Mumbai’s renowned colonial-era Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, it would be difficult to miss Rao Bahadur MV Dhurandhar’s Court Scene, an early 20th-century watercolour. Bahadur was known for capturing the busy scenes and colourful characters of early 20th-century Mumbai, then known as Bombay, and this is a perfect example.

But another of his works, Maratha Lady from 1916, should not be overlooked. Rather than depicting a busy scene, here Bahadur focuses on one strong woman looking straight at the viewer, with a rural scene in the background. At the same time, the soft fabric of her sari shows her softer side, in sync with the rolling hills behind her.

Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai

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Chicago: The White Place in the Sun


Georgia O’Keeffe’s The White Place in the Sun (1943). On display at the Art institute of Chicago.

At the Art Institute of Chicago, steal away to find O’Keeffe’s White Place in the Sun, which brings to life the smooth and stunning rock formations of New Mexico.

Photography courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago/ Art Resource, NY

The Art Institute of Chicago is home to Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks (1942), one of the best-known artworks to emerge from 20th-century America, so it’s no surprise that it draws a lot of visitors. While you wait for the crowd to thin out, make your way to AIC’s Gallery 265 and see Georgia O’Keeffe’s The White Place in the Sun (1943). This shows you a completely different side of the U.S. – the sparse desert and smooth yet striking rock formations of the White Place near Abiquiu in New Mexico. The geological formation in the White Place had been smoothed and whittled by water and wind over centuries, until it eventually resembled spires and cliffs, and O’Keeffe contrasts its undulating shapes with the bright blue sky.

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A Michelin-Starred Chef Stirs Up Soupe à l’Oignon

Posted on by Rooksana Hossenally

I’m at Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, following my guide through the sumptuous gallery lined with regal Flemish tapestries. As I watch guests leisurely enjoy a late breakfast, suddenly he taps a hidden button on the floor, and we slip behind the wall into the labyrinthine kitchens of Le Cinq. The Hotel’s fine dining restaurant has just been awarded three Michelin stars for the second consecutive year, while the Mediterranean menu at Le George and the Hotel’s newest dining addition, L’Orangerie, each recieved their first Michelin star this year.

For me, to succeed in making a humble local product luxurious is the role of haute cuisine today. – Chef Christian Le Squer

We navigate around hot plates, sizzling pans and trays of freshly baked croissants to find Le Cinq’s Executive Chef Christian Le Squer in his whites, supervising the meticulous preparation of one of his signature dishes, a soupe à l’oignon. The classic French soup he serves, like many of the Hotel’s deft details, is quintessentially French, yet unique.

Originally from Brittany, Le Squer maintains a strong connection to slow-life values – he still cycles to work most mornings – and sustainability is important to him. To ensure the quality of the dishes, Le Squer and his team constantly seek out the best produce.

Chef Le Squer cooks in the kitchen at the Four Seasons Paris

Chef Le Squer is meticulous while overseeing dishes in his kitchen at Four Seasons George V in Paris.

Photography courtesy Eddy Brière

Chef Le Squer rides his bike in Paris

A believer in slow-life values, Chef Le Squer begins his workday by riding his bike to Four Seasons Hotel George V. He often rides his bike to the local markets, too, to select fresh, local produce for his recipes.

Photography courtesy Morel

Chef Le Squer from the Four Seasons Paris shops in a market

The Ile de France region is rich with quality produce, which is why Chef Le Squer shops at local markets whenever possible.

Photography courtesy Morel

“We usually order from the best farmers, usually from people who specialize in one product,” he says. “For instance, for the onion soup, the onions come from one place in summer, and at this time of year they come from another, from the Cévennes [in south-central France], because they have a certain sweetness to them that I like.”

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

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Earning Michelin stardom

For more than 10 years, Le Squer was at Pavillon Ledoyen, another Parisian institution, where his cuisine earned him three Michelin stars. When he arrived at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, in 2014, the chef’s challenge was to retrieve a third Michelin star for Le Cinq. By February 2017, he’d succeeded in doing so twice. And it’s easy to see why.

I’m just like a perfumer. Inside my head it’s like a library of scents, but for flavours. I remember flavours and I know which ones I’d like to put together. – Chef Christian Le Squer

The extravagant, colonnaded Louis XV and Louis XVI surroundings certainly help, as does the stellar service, but the jewel in the crown is Le Squer’s cuisine, which plays on refined simplicity and a dedication to marrying unusual flavours.

“What drives me is my insatiable passion for movement, for evolution, for finding surprising new combinations,” he says. He vividly recalls one such surprise, a match made between oysters and foie gras that he tasted in Japan: “The iodic taste of the oyster cut through the bold fatty taste of the foie gras. It was wonderful.”

A modern twist on a classic


Chef Le Squer's onion soup

This French onion soup, a classic reinvented by Chef Le Squer, is served on a plate opposed to in a bowl. It’s one of the signature items at the three-Michelin-star Le Cinq restaurant.

Photography courtesy Amara Becirovski

While Le Squer’s creative cuisine can be adventurous and doused in plenty of Breton spirit – he particularly likes seafood and fish – his signature dish remains the modest onion soup. “I wanted to reintroduce this old traditional bistro dish,” says the chef of soupe à l’oignon. “However, we’ve completely redesigned it, like Yves Saint Laurent, who redefined how women dressed with his trouser suit. For instance, we serve it on a plate as opposed to in a bowl.”

When the dish is placed before me, I hesitate to spoil the presentation – small, bulbous sweet onions arranged like flower petals on a fine Parmesan galette, dotted with confit onion beads and finished with a dash of truffle and thyme coulis. But I do, and every mouthful is a burst of flavour with all the gourmand comfort of a home-cooked soup.

“It’s precisely that emotion that flavours create that I love. To share that emotion with people is incredible,” Le Squer beams. “You know, it’s important to remember that eating doesn’t belong just to the luxury world. Wherever you cook, the most important thing is always to bring flavour – and therefore emotion.”

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10 Food Festivals Worth Travelling to Find

Posted on by Alia Akkam

Of course you always seek out a seat at the best bars and restaurants when you travel. But for a deeper dive into the culinary scene of your chosen destination, align your trip with a food festival. From a multi-stage music fest showcasing the best of a city’s eats to gatherings focused on a particular regional dish, the stops on our smorgasbord tour abound with local cuisine and culture.


Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

The Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival attracts culinary talent from around the globe.

Photography courtesy Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

As if Florida isn’t seductive enough in winter, the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival adds yet another excuse to head South in December. This lauded culinary event attracts powerhouse chefs like Daniel Boulud, Mike Lata and the Sunshine State’s own Michelle Bernstein to a number of local venues, including festival home base
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. Beyond the capstone Grand Tasting, buoyed by book signings and the sounds of a DJ, there are multi-course wine-paired dinners revolving around themes such as sustainable seafood and modern Southern cuisine.

Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach

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Big Apple BBQ

Every June for the past 16 years, 16 top pitmasters from California to New York have taken over Madison Square Park for a two-day-long backyard barbecue right in the middle of Manhattan. Meat and smoke are the main ingredients for the Big Apple BBQ, which will be relocating elsewhere on the island in 2019 (no word yet). The venue may be changing, but greats such as Sam Jones, Rodney Scott and John Stage will no doubt still be prodding the fire. Move from tent to tent sampling Eastern Carolina pulled pork sandwiches, St. Louis–style ribs, Texas brisket and jalapeño-tinged sausage. Serious foodies who want to talk shop with their BBQ heroes know to swing by Thursday night when the mouthwatering aroma of hot coals and slow-roasting swine starts to fill the air. Can’t muster the motivation to move after the feast? Both
Four Seasons Hotel New York and Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown are just a cab ride away.

Four Seasons Hotel New York

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Tokyo Ramen Show

For 11 days in October/early November, the many flavours and styles of Japan’s most buzzworthy noodle soup come together at the Tokyo Ramen Show in Komazawa Olympic Park. The steaming comfort food comes not just from Tokyo purveyors, but from ramen makers in Hokkaido, Kagoshima and everywhere in between. Make Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi your home base, and stay awhile: 18 vendors ladle soup for the first six days and an entirely new cast takes over for the final five. Ramen is known for its wildly varied flavours and ingredients, which differ from city to city, town to town. You can taste for yourself a kaleidoscope of regional variations like miso-based broth with horsehair crab and dashi with dried bonito flakes and sea kelp. And don’t miss the mash-ups – ramen shops collaborating with one another to create completely new dishes only available here.

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Outside Lands

Gone are the days of sad and soggy music festival fare. Melon salad, Malaysian lamb curry, samosas and stir-fried veggie glass noodles are among the menu choices when 70 or so of San Francisco’s best restaurants set up al fresco kitchens at the Outside Lands music festival in August. About a dozen food trucks are on hand, as well as, in true California fashion, a Cypress Grove pop-up slinging artisan cheese plates. Oh, and there’s music too: If you like your meals paired with the stylings of Florence & The Machine, The Weekend, Beck and Bon Iver, this fest’s for you. Rest and recover at the centrally located Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco.

Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

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Chef Fest, Hawaii

If cosying up to an intimate group of all-star chefs in one of the most exquisite natural settings in North America is your idea of a memorable holiday, make your way to
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in October for Chef Fest. Interactive cooking classes with such experts as Hugh Acheson, Brooke Williamson and Andy Ricker at the Resort’s outdoor kitchen are the main draw, but beach cookouts, al fresco tastings with local farmers and pre-brunch paddleboarding excursions further enhance the tropical environs. Treat yourself to the cocktail showcase at the Resort’s Palm Grove Pool and toast to the most tasteful of beach getaways.

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Salon du Chocolat, Paris

Held each fall at the Porte de Versailles expo centre about 15 minutes from
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, Salon du Chocolat is one of several such shows around the world – but this one’s in Paris, a city famous for its sophisticated confections. The truffles and ganache here are enough to exhilarate any chocophile, but the centrepiece is the Salon’s unusual fashion show: Designers and chocolatiers collaborate on haute-couture outfits embellished with or delicately spun from chocolate.

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

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Prague Food Festival

Chances are a visit to Prague will lead to its majestic castle, a ninth-century marvel that is home to St Vitus Cathedral and the Renaissance-era Royal Garden. Here, just across the Vltava River from Four Seasons Hotel Prague, the Prague Food Festival unfolds each May. Don’t pass up a chance to consume the best dishes from Czech chefs – steak tartare and lamb ragout with bread dumplings, or perhaps sushi or empanadas – with the added zest of a fairy-tale dining spot.

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Taste of Sydney

Taste of Sydney pairs delicious bites with an al fresco setting.

Photography courtesy Taste of Sydney

Taste of Sydney

For four days in early March the all-encompassing Taste of Sydney festival takes over Sydney’s verdant Centennial Parklands, minutes from Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. Wine tastings and demos in butchery and baking add an interactive element, and an artisan marketplace of locally made ingredients and wares means you can savour the festival long after it’s over. More than 60 dishes from notable Sydney chefs like Mark Best and Nelly Robinson are the main attraction. Sample barbecued octopus, shrimp toast okonomiyaki and lamb skewers, then retreat to a glamping tent with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills.

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Desserts at Dubai Food Festival

A chef prepares miniature desserts at the Dubai Food Festival.

Photography courtesy Dubai Food Festival

Dubai Food Festival

The Dubai Food Festival in February and March reflects the city’s rich diversity, attracting chefs like Jun Tanaka, Nikita Gandhi and Tim Read. Throughout the celebration, at various locations near Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre, local restaurants roll out limited-edition menus sure to evoke extreme Instagram envy. Sit down in one of their dramatic dining rooms, or head to a food truck or al fresco pop-up at the festival’s Etisalat Beach Canteen. Learn a little something at a chef master class, tour an urban farm and nosh at a street food bazaar – all part of this robust 17-day event.

Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach

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Ubud Food Festival

From tofu to turmeric, the Ubud Food Festival – sister event to the Ubud Writers & Readers and Bali Emerging Voices festivals – puts Indonesia’s vast culinary landscape front and centre each April. Start by reading the story of the woman who adopted Bali as her home and launched this annual festival, located minutes from Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan. Then master macarons with Bali’s Prince of Pastry, Rafi Papazian; make the healing herbal drink jamu; cook with clay pots and wood-fired stoves in a traditional paon (Balinese kitchen); and breathe deeply at a fiery sambal cook-off. Beyond the kitchen, consider the intro course on Indonesian language and culture, led by an instructor from the Cinta Bahasa Indonesian Language School.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

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Plan The Perfect Wedding: 34 Ideas for Your Destination Nuptials

Posted on by Anne Chertoff

Planning a wedding gives couples the opportunity to express personal sentiments and traditions in the details: a silver bracelet inherited from a great-grandmother, a bouquet of wildflowers reminiscent of a first-date hiking spot, a favourite homemade family dessert instead of a cake.

For everything else, couples can sometimes divine their best ideas from other people’s weddings. To help spark your creativity, we’ve pulled together some of the most beautifully creative touches from weddings at Four Seasons properties around the world. See something you love? Click through to the wedding’s full photo gallery for even more inspiration.

 

Bouquets for every bride

Your bridal bouquet is your most prominent wedding-day accessory, so when deciding what it will look like, keep in mind a few style details:

  • Choose a colour that coordinates with the rest of the wedding palette, or opt for white blooms for a more traditional look.
  • Make sure the bouquet is fashioned in proportion to your body, so it doesn’t look too big or too small when you’re holding it.
  • Think about the mood and overall look you want for your wedding and work with your floral designer to choose the most appropriate blooms. Lush roses can be traditional or romantic, while a simple bundle of calla lilies can be quite modern.

Here are six bridal bouquets in a variety of styles, thanks to a mix of flower types, colours and stem wrappings.

A Christmastime wedding at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole had a winter-wonderland feeling, with rustic romance as the theme. Romantic details included the bride’s bouquet of pink and white roses interspersed with pink calla lilies and dusty miller.
See more photos from this rustic-themed Jackson Hole wedding >

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Mixing Chinese and Western wedding traditions, this wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Beijing included vintage and quirky elements. The bride carried a bright burgundy-and-green arrangement that complimented her bridesmaids’ dresses and provided a pop of colour against her white wedding dress.
See more East-meets-West Beijing wedding photos >

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Modern elegance was the theme at this Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta wedding, and the pastel colour palette found fresh expression in a bouquet of lush roses and anemones in shades of pink and white.
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To help create an ethereal mood for her wedding at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, the bride chose a white rose bouquet finished with satin ribbon and crystal-and-pearl embellishments.
See more photos from this traditional-meets-contemporary San Francisco wedding >

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A wedding at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico, featured bright blue and orange hues. Balanced against that palette, the bride carried a simple bouquet of white calla lilies, traditional in colour but quite modern in silhouette.

See more Punta Mita oceanfront wedding photos >

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Inspired by the Hawaiian setting and venue, the bride at this Four Seasons Resort Lanai destination wedding carried a cascading bouquet of magenta and cream-coloured orchids that perfectly complemented the groom’s lei.
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Wedding cakes, from classic to contemporary

Among the most central and delicious of wedding details, wedding cakes come in all shapes, sizes and flavours. Choose a classic bridal-white cake, or add colour, patterns and even flowers to these towering confections. Here are a few delectable styles.

Photography courtesy Southern Light Photography

Lace, ruffles and lush, pastel blooms were in abundance at this wedding at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, even on the multi-tiered buttercream-frosted wedding cake dressed with lace appliqué made of sugar, fondant ruffles and clusters of sugar flowers.
See photos from this Dallas celebrity wedding >

Photography courtesy Lindsey Brittain, Lindsay Shea Photography; Kat Harris

A wedding reception at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, featured a four-tiered white wedding cake decorated with gold confetti and topped with a gilded custom cake topper with the names of the newlyweds.
See more photos from this surprise wedding party in Washington, DC >

Photography courtesy L. Hewitt Photography

With flowers woven into almost every detail, this wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto included a four-tiered wedding cake dressed with a cascade of fresh pink flowers and pearl buttercream accents.
See more photos from this bloom-filled Silicon Valley wedding >

Photography courtesy Junshien International Photographers

A dreamy pink-and-white wedding at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara featured a four-tiered wedding cake decorated with pink and white roses.
See more photos from this Southern California wedding >

Photography courtesy Mi Belle, Inc.

Choosing the right location

The setting of a wedding sets the mood and character of your special day. As you say “I do,” would you prefer a backdrop of an ocean sunset, a city skyline, a horizon of rolling hills or an interior with textured details? Here are several Four Seasons destinations around the world that offer breathtaking wedding settings.

A traditional Polynesian ceremony at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora took advantage of the destination’s pristine beaches and magnificent sunsets – and even included a photo session with its sea life.
See more Polynesian wedding photos from Bora Bora >

Photography courtesy Andreas Kronauer Photography

The setting was English garden–meets–modern romance – created inside the ballroom – at a Four Seasons Hotel Miami wedding and reception. The elegant décor and twinkling lights provided an intimate dining setting.
See more Tuscany wedding photos >

Photography courtesy Rochelle Cheever

The setting was English garden–meets–modern romance – created inside the ballroom – at a Four Seasons Hotel Miami wedding and reception. The elegant décor and twinkling lights provided an intimate dining setting.
See more indoor English garden wedding photos >

Photography courtesy Rodrigo Varela

Flowers set the stage

Flowers add colour and texture to a matrimonial event well beyond the bouquet, of course. At these three weddings, couples created dramatic floral décor elements that added chic statements to their outdoor settings.

Towering vases of deep purple hydrangeas and orchids line the courtyard for a wedding at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, providing bold colour against the ceremony’s black backdrop.
See more photos from this Parisian wedding >

Photography courtesy Dominique Cabrelli, Studio Cabrelli

A wedding at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach evoked an atmosphere of the American South thanks to touches like an antique-style birdcage filled with roses and hydrangeas. Votive candles in green holders completed the vibrant look.
See more photos from this country-chic southern Florida wedding >

Photography courtesy April Belle Photos

For an outdoor ceremony on the lawn overlooking Lady Bird Lake at Four Seasons Hotel Austin, the floral designer decorated a white and crystal chandelier with green and white hydrangeas mixed with soft-pink roses. The arrangement was placed over the altar where the couple exchanged their wedding vows.
See more photos from this Texas Hill Country outdoor wedding >

Photography courtesy Tyler Schmitt, The Mill Photography Studio

Signage as décor

For weddings and receptions, help your guests find their way with signs that entertain with a cute saying or that elegantly display your names or monogram.

At a surprise wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, a custom marquee-style lighted sign was the first hint that guests would be attending the couple’s nuptials rather than their engagement party.
See more from this surprise Washington, DC wedding >

Photography courtesy L. Hewitt Photography

In addition to the rings, the tuxedo-clad ring bearers at this formal Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta wedding also carried a sign announcing the arrival of the bride at the ceremony.
See more photos from this black-tie Atlanta wedding >

Photography courtesy Paris Mountain Photography

This couple’s custom monogram was highlighted at a Hollywood-inspired wedding held at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. It showed up in several of the day’s details, including as a light decoration projected onto the venue’s wall.
See more photos from this Seattle wedding venue >

Photography courtesy Joe and Jill Hein, Studio Joe + Jill

Stunning tablescapes

While centrepieces have long been a star of reception décor, event designers now see the entire table as a canvas. Reception tables of all shapes and sizes are another medium for expressing your style: Dress them up or down with flowers, linens, candles, china, crystal and flatware to further enhance your wedding’s theme and design.

For an autumn wedding, the ballroom at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze was converted to a garden setting, with a mix of high and low centrepieces and more than 2,000 candles that emulated an Italian al fresco evening for guests.
 See more photos from this Italian destination wedding >

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A Hollywood-inspired black-tie wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle featured a metallic and red palette. The floral designer set the couple’s “sweetheart” table with three clusters of deep red roses placed into metallic silver vessels, surrounded by candlelight.
 See more photos from this Seattle black-tie wedding >

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Inside the elegant dinner tent at this Four Seasons Hotel Austin wedding reception, tables were set with simple yet sophisticated white floral arrangements dotted with a single pink bloom. The long banquet table featured a mix of high and low floral accents and candles, while the round tables featured only low centrepieces.
See more photos from this romantic Texas wedding >

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To enhance the romantic ambience of this Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach wedding, tables were set with wooden boxes filled with lush green and coral-coloured blooms. Candles in mercury glass votives added tableside glow while crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead.
 See more photos from this romantic Palm Beach wedding >

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Tables at a dreamy California wedding reception at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto were dotted with high and low arrangements of roses, hydrangeas and dahlias set in glass and reflective vessels – each illuminated by candlelight.
See more photos from this East Palo Alto wedding >

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Guests at an outdoor wedding reception at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North sat at long dining tables set with high and low floral centrepieces of green hydrangeas and pale-pink and ivory roses, with floating and votive candles throughout. Sequined chair covers and chevron-patterned table runners provided sparkle.
 See more photos from this rustic Scottsdale wedding >

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Unique wedding favours

Tasty treats always makes popular wedding favours – something guests can enjoy in the moment or later.

Whistler wedding welcome bags

Guests at a Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler wedding made mini s’mores at a bonfire set up just outside the ballroom and were given welcome bags with hot-cocoa mix and local snacks among other treats.
See more winter-themed ideas from a Whistler wedding >

Photography courtesy Liz Banfield

A family recipe was included in the favours at a wedding at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach: Bakery boxes containing mini pecan pies handmade by the bride’s mother were handed out with a copy of the recipe and a custom illustration of the couple.
See more photos from this celebrity Palm Beach wedding >

Photography courtesy April Belle Photos

Creative seating cards

When you have more than a couple dozen guests at a wedding, it’s helpful to assign seating – and seating cards provide one more opportunity to get creative! Work with your stationer, floral designer and event planner to come up with imaginative ways for guests to find their seats.

Inspired by the beachfront location, the traditional hand-calligraphy place cards used at a wedding at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, México, were anchored in sand and accented with starfish.
See more photos from this beach-themed Mexico wedding >

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At a destination wedding at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, seating card assignments attached to compasses pointed guests to their tables and served as handy keepsake wedding favours.
 See more photos from this Costa Rica oceanfront wedding >

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An autumn wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Austin included pumpkins in a variety of the day’s details. Hand-painted white and gold mini pumpkins held guests’ names and seating assignments.
 See more photos from this fall Texas wedding >

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A romantic wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto featured seating cards attached to pink carnations, creating a colourful and lush display.
See more romantic Palo Alto wedding ideas >

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A heart-shaped seating card display at a Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara wedding featured guests’ names and table assignments listed on paper arrows.
See more photos from this romantic Santa Barbara wedding >

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The country-chic theme at a Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach wedding included seating cards whimsically hung from wire with clothespins and surrounded by small floral arrangements in the wedding’s colours.
See more photos from this celebrity Palm Beach wedding >

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