The Four Seasons Welcomes You Won’t Soon Forget

Guests of Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake arrive at the Hotel not by plane or train, but traditional wooden rowboat. The 45- to 60-minute trip is a tranquil tour of West Lake, a body of water that has long inspired poets, painters and philosophers. Sip longjing tea and glide past temples, floating lotus groves and ancient causeways with arched bridges on your way to the Hotel, idyllically nestled in the flora.

As families check in, a welcoming staffer pulls around a red wagon filled with small stuffed animals, inviting kids to pick (and keep) their favourite. Children then complete a clipboard questionnaire that’s used to customize their stay. Pro tip for parents: Book the “Kids Adventure Package” and prepare to wow your brood with the greatest arrival gift of all – a dreamy tent complete with luxury linens, a souvenir pillow and a special “glamping” gift, set up in your room.

Like a drumroll introducing the main event, the journey to Four Seasons Resort Nevis is part of the Resort’s appeal. After touching down at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport on St. Kitts, you’ll cruise to Christophe Harbour on a ribbon-like road, taking in sweeping ocean views at every turn. Order a rum punch at the harbour bar before boarding the gleaming white Four Seasons speedboat. Verdant Nevis Peak gradually comes into sharper focus, and in less than 20 minutes you’ve arrived at the Edenic island known as Nevis. Just follow your Four Seasons guide down the pier to the white sand beach and the palm-shrouded string of pastel gingerbread buildings beyond.

Upon arrival at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, you’ll be greeted with fragrant frangipani – a Balinese symbol of purity and immortality – and make your way to an open-air temple fronting the turquoise waters of the bay. Here, Resort priest Ajik Ngurah, a chakra healer and meditation teacher, conducts traditional Balinese ceremonies and blessing rituals. For road-weary guests, he can offer a special welcome blessing: Close your eyes, breathe deeply and allow gentle spritzes of holy water to wash away all the burdens and stresses of daily life and help balance your energy.

You know that heart-full feeling you get when your dog greets you in a frenzy of licking and tail-wagging? Feel it whether or not you’re a pet owner at Four Seasons Hotel Megève, where a young Bernese mountain dog named Nemo waits by the door. Just like Nemo, this iconic ski town in the French Alps has a pedigree – the Baroness Noémie de Rothschild famously vacationed here, and built a ski resort in the 1920s. As if Nemo’s welcome weren’t enough, during ski season guests are ferried to and from the Mont d’Arbois slopes in horse-drawn carriages. Baroness Rothschild would be proud.

Say goodbye to hours-long layovers in Honolulu. Four Seasons Resort Lanai now offers private air charters, and the trip couldn’t be simpler: Land in Honolulu, allow airline staff to transport your luggage, board the Lanai Airlines PC-12 and be on your way. The planes run on a flexible daily schedule and seat 2 to 8 passengers, so whether you’re going as a couple or as a family, the aircraft’s all yours. At the landing pad in Lanai, a Four Seasons Ambassador awaits with keys to a Mercedes Sprinter or luxury SUV – the comfortable final leg of your trip to Hawaii’s wildest island.