Tucked away in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement is a sanctum of colour. There, Isabelle Roché and Margaret Zayer, the chatelaines of La Maison du Pastel, serve the business’s devoted patrons with the kind of rare attention that only the stewards of a 300-year-old house can provide.
The modest storefront.
Over the centuries, pastelists have shared their colour wish lists with the proprietors, who’ve scribbled notes about each request and spent years, if not decades, honing the tonal hues. In the late 19th century, chemist Henri Roché acquired the house and perfected formulas for binding powdery pigments in sticks of lightfast, luminous colour. He consulted such artists as Edgar Degas, who sketched pink-toned ballerinas in fluid poses, their fans and costumes lit with yellow and blue, and James McNeill Whistler, who touched his drawing of windows over a narrow Venice canal with aqua, crimson, and olive.
The hand-made pastels have a cult following among artists, designers, and other creatives. Photograph by Margaret Zayer/Maison du Pastel.
When Isabelle Roché, a distant relative of Henri’s, took over the business 25 years ago, she inherited its legacy of craft. She set about reviving the house, sifting through vintage pigments and papers to learn pastel-making, which involves turning taffy-like batter into small batches of hand-rolled sticks.
Fifteen years ago, Zayer joined the maison as an intern and went on to oversee colour formulation. The two come to Paris once a week from their atelier in the countryside to open their shop on Thursday afternoons for just four hours.
Hot pinks. Photograph by Margaret Zayer/Maison du Pastel.
“The colours are just beyond,” says fashion illustrator Richard Haines. “It’s like buying a box of bonbons—a delicious piece of Paris.” Recently, the maison’s palette surpassed 2,000 colours. The hues draw both artists and fashion designers (Karl Lagerfeld had a set), and devoted patrons know their favourites by their numbers or evocative names like Scarab and Flamboyants.
A drying rack of pastels. Photograph by Margaret Zayer/Maison du Pastel.
A new line of fluorescent pastels debuts this summer, promising to ignite creativity in ways yet to be seen.
Heads up: there’s a new gold rush coming; the Middle East is the hot place to be for art lovers; and Hawaii has two just-opened, must-try sushi restaurants. Here’s what’s on our radar from the world of art, culture, style, and fine dining.
See
Serra’s East-West/West-East sculpture. Photograph by Iwan Baan, courtesy of Qatar Museums.
Art in the Desert: Extraordinary public art pops up all over Qatar’s capital city of Doha—home to both Four Seasons Hotel Doha and Four Seasons Resort and Residences at the Pearl-Qatar. But two unexpected monumental sculptures are worth seeking out in the country’s remote desert. Richard Serra’s steel monoliths loom over the sands of the Brouq Nature Reserve, while Olafur Eliasson’s Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day in Al Zubarah uses mirrors and metal rings to create a disorienting yet dazzling experience. —Nicola Chilton
Porcelain roses at the Frick. Photograph by Joseph Coscia Jr./The Frick Collection.
The Frick Collection: The storied New York City museum has emerged from a glorious renovation of its Beaux-Arts building and gardens, welcoming visitors to the second floor for the first time and featuring an exhibit of porcelain flower works by sculptor Vladimir Kanevsky. Located on East 70th Street between Madison and Fifth avenues, the esteemed museum is just blocks away from Four Seasons Hotel New York City.
The Grand Egyptian Museum
Grand Egyptian Museum: After a partial debut last fall, the GEM celebrates its highly anticipated full opening this November. Housing more than 100,000 artifacts, including a colossal statue of Ramses II, and affording panoramic views of the Pyramids of Giza, the archaelogical institution located outside Cairo will finally unveil the Tutankhamun Galleries, featuring thousands of items laid to rest with the boy king (he was nine years old when he assumed the throne) and displaying them together under one roof for the first time. —NC
Eat
Komo at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Island Fresh: Two sublime sushi spots recently debuted in Hawaii. Graced with the Hawaiian name for a subspecies of the black noddy seabird, the Big Island-based Noio is an intimate space perched above Four Seasons Resort Hualālai’s ‘Ulu restaurant. Chef Nuri Piccio’s delectable creations range from Japanese Wagyu tempura and sake-steamed chicken to the crown jewel, a seven-course omakase experience. For the new restaurant Komo—inside Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea—the Tokyo-born chef Kiyokuni Ikeda flies in a selection of fresh seafood each week from Japan’s Misaki Megumi Suisan. Komo’s signature Mystery Box is a choice way to experience Ikeda’s masterful, precise method with nigiri while enjoying the element of discovery.
Shop
Rolex’s Perpetual 1908
Gold Watches: After years of stainless steel being the metal of choice for luxury watches (think steely examples of the Rolex Daytona, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and Patek Philippe Nautilus), the tide is shifting to designs crafted in precious metals, especially gold. At this year’s Oscars, Timothée Chalamet, Sebastian Stan, Kieran Culkin, and Robert Downey Jr. brandished gold timepieces on the red carpet, and sale prices of pre-owned gold watches are on the rise. In Switzerland at the recent Watches and Wonders fair, standout watches gleamed in timeless gold, among them Rolex’s stunning new Perpetual 1908 dress watch and Chopard’s latest L.U.C model featuring a sublime astronomical moon-phase display. —Degen Pener
Sneakers from Versace’s new summer collection
Versace’s La Vacanza Collection: Seaside chic enjoys a maximalist interpretation in the Italian label’s new summer fashions. Dario Vitale, the brand’s chief creative officer, has rendered iconic Versace motifs in sea and sand hues to create must-haves, like the Mercury M_VS_01 Sneakers (shown), that epitomize casual glamour. Versace supports the reef restoration efforts of the Coral Gardeners nonprofit in French Polynesia. —Laurie Brookins
Saint-Louis’s Twist collection
ElegantStemware: Saint-Louis—crystal glassmaker since 1586 in France’s Moselle département—has released a collaboration with Nicolas Julhès, co-founder of Distilllerie de Paris, which crafts gin, vodka, and rum in the French capital. The new Twist 1586 collection includes a decanter and long-stemmed glasses with Venetian ribs that guide the liquid to the mouth. —LB
Spa
A sacred nap at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Bali Bliss: The Indonesian island known for yoga retreats and spa escapes is more attuned to well-being than ever before, thanks to a new six-night immersion across two distinctive Four Seasons resorts. The escape draws inspiration from the fundamental Balinese concepts of sekala, the tangible or visible, and niskala, the intangible or invisible. “I see it as an awakening journey,” says regional director of spa Luisa Anderson in reference to The Seen to the Unseen, which takes guests from the oceanfront Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay to Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, located in a river valley near Ubud. The physical body is the primary focus at Jimbaran Bay, where classes and treatments at the Healing Village Spa include AntiGravity yoga, Pilates, massage, volcanic mud masks, ice baths, and infrared therapy. After a transfer to Sayan, guests have their spirits soothed at the Sacred River Spa with chakra ceremonies and mystical therapies, among them the gentle Restu Bumi ritual featuring Balinese instruments such as the gong and the sacred genta bell. Says Anderson, “It feels like Mother Bali cradling me in her arms.” —Kathryn Romeyn
From cruising Italy’s Lake Iseo in a vintage Riva Aquarama boat and sampling the famous sparkling wines of the Franciacorta region to picking produce in a Versailles garden for a cooking demonstration at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le George, Four Seasons gives you insider access to some of the most exclusive European experiences. Travellers to Europe are increasingly seeking experiential activities, and these six exclusive experiences – curated by Four Seasons and led by experts – will take you off the beaten path and invite you to see Europe from a different perspective.
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon is located in the heart of the city, making it the perfect starting point for exploration.
Let Lisbon inspire your creativity
Winding streets, iconic trolleys and azulejo-studded buildings make Lisbon one of Europe’s most photogenic destinations; it’s hard to walk a block without seeing a traveller capturing images for Instagram. From Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, venture across the Praça do Comércio to feel the city’s energy or take in its stunning architecture. Your nose might lead you to the nearest bakery offering traditional pastries like a pastel de nata (cinnamon-dusted egg custard tarts). Take in the sweetness while listening to the nostalgic, soulful sounds of Fado playing from a neighbourhood café.
Such an awakening of the senses might inspire you to explore your own artistic side. Discover the tradition of Portuguese tile painting during an exclusive experience at Viúva Lamego, a renowned tile-making factory about 30 minutes from Lisbon. Tour the factory and learn about its history and original production of its world-famous tiles. Here you can meet experienced local artisans; then, with the guidance of an instructor, you can try painting your own azulejo as a souvenir.
Concierge Tip: Have the Concierge arrange for a luxury car to take you to Viúva Lamego so you can sit back and enjoy the views of jagged hills, opulent palaces, castle ruins and 19th-century villas along the way.
Let the team at Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel arrange for a curated ride through the French countryside in a vintage car.
Follow the scenic roads of the French Riviera
Marvel over the same views of the Mediterranean Sea that once captivated Hollywood royalty from the palatial Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel. For more than a century, this Hotel has welcomed notable guests like Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor, offering opulent rooms with views from Nice to Monaco. Delectable Michelin-starred dining at Le Cap and luxurious dips in a heated saltwater swimming pool over the French Riviera are just a couple of reasons you may never want to leave.
But when you do venture out, you can do so in style. Cruise the countryside in a vintage convertible or supercar. The Concierge can help you customize an itinerary with the perfect balance of shopping, sightseeing and gourmet dining along the Mediterranean coastline. Prolong your seaside drive with stops to stroll around a medieval village, wander through a royal castle or browse a local market.
Concierge Tip: Be sure to save time – and your appetite – for a leisurely gastronomic experience at one of several Michelin-starred bistros overlooking the sea. Let the Concierge know what you’re in the mood for, and they can point you in the right direction.
Sit down for dinner on a private balcony at an undisclosed historic villa overlooking the Duomo, all arranged by Four Seasons Hotel Firenze – it doesn’t get more exclusive than this
Enjoy a secret dinner alongside the Duomo in Florence
This Florentine dining experience is so exclusive that the Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze can’t even divulge the name of the Renaissance palazzo where the evening takes place. We can, however, reveal that it’s a 15th-century residence designed by Medici confidant Giuliano da Sangallo. Like the nobles who own the property – and greet you at the front door – you’ll enjoy unparalleled city views from a balcony while sipping champagne or a classic Italian negroni. In a room with elegant Renaissance-style furnishings and a panoramic window that frames the Duomo, the dinner table is adorned with artful flower arrangements, centuries-old crystal and bottles of wine from the owner’s Tuscan family estates. Dive into seasonal plates such as cavatelli cacio e pepe and marinated scampi as the candles flicker.
Concierge Tip: “Mimicking noble Renaissance family traditions, we can arrange hand-painted menus or even have Florentine flag-wavers welcoming you,” says Catering Manager Alessia Magni.
Meet Chef Simone Zanoni from Le George at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, in the garden and see first-hand where his celebrated dishes get their start.
Gather in the garden with a Michelin-recognized chef in Paris
This unforgettable cooking and dining experience begins at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, where Chef Simone Zanoni from Michelin-starred restaurant Le George greets you. He’ll then drive you to the Kitchen Garden in Versailles in an electric Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. After touring the garden and harvesting seasonal fruits and vegetables, you will have the unique opportunity to prepare an authentic Italian meal with Chef Zanoni in an outdoor kitchen. While sharing the traditional cooking techniques that he learned from his grandmother, he will guide you in transforming the day’s harvest into an unforgettable meal meant to be shared in the midst of this idyllic French garden.
Concierge Tip: Have award-winning sommelier Francesco Cosci – crowned Best Sommelier of Italy in 2023 – help pair your meal with the perfect Italian wines. His in-depth knowledge is rooted in his lifelong passion for French and Italian varietals. Indulge in a one-of-a-kind experience and learn about sought-after vintages, as well as unfamiliar labels, lesser-known indigenous grape varieties and locally produced wines that he will present with emotion and delight.
Get to know the under-the-radar wines of Italy’s Franciacorta region with a tasting tour curated by Four Seasons Hotel Milan.
Sip your way through the Italian countryside
With its frescoed churches and renowned fashion houses, Milan is an alluring city that beckons those with sophisticated tastes. And Four Seasons Hotel Milan, a 15th-century convent turned garden retreat, puts you right in the centre of the city’s fashion district. Once you’ve explored this bustling metropolis of art and design, let the Concierge arrange a trip to the countryside to see a different side of Italy. Explore the Franciacorta region and Lake Iseo, where you can learn about the region’s famous sparkling wines while touring its most notable cellars. Feel in-the-know as you sample world-class bottles filled with rich fruit flavours from this under-the-radar wine region. Afterwards, board one of the most iconic motorboats in the world – an original Riva Aquarama – to cruise around Lake Iseo. After enjoying a scenic lunch in Monte Isola, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, you’ll return to Milan via private transfer feeling sated and refreshed.
Concierge Tip: For the best views of Lake Iseo, dock at one of the towns bordering it and head to the mountaintops. Or have the Concierge get you a lakeview seating at a table on the terrace of the Ristorante Panoramico and take it all in over a glass of Franciacorta wine.
The geodesic dome at Four Seasons Hotel Megève offers a unique setting for private yoga sessions in the Alps.
Find your Zen in the French Alps
No matter the season, the French Alps offer some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the world. For a stay filled with distinct French character and pure Alpine tradition, Four Seasons Hotel Megève is an intimate mountain retreat that’s hard to beat. While world-class skiing and snowboarding lure visitors in the winter, summertime offers a chance to experience the Alps differently.
Find balance as you activate your chakras during a private yoga session enhanced with exceptional panoramic views of the Alps. Whether you practice outside in the fresh mountain air or in the open-air geodesic dome, you’re sure to feel relaxed and renewed.
Concierge Tip: Unwind in total harmony with a full moon ceremonial session in the Hotel’s geodesic dome. Harness the energy of the full moon and immerse yourself completely in the present through a unique sensory journey in the heart of the Alps. Spa Director Charlotte Ginolin has devised a cocoa ceremony to revive the body and soothe the spirit. The intoxicating aroma of cocoa stimulates your body and calms your mind as you focus on the moon’s energy to relax and reconnect with your inner self.
With hotels that play a prominent role in every major fashion-week city – New York, London, Milan and Paris – Four Seasons has deep experience in high style, experience that helps guests uncover each city’s unique creative spirit. And with more and more of the fashion industry’s energy now being generated beyond its traditional centres, a growing roster of other urban areas is gaining attention from style-savvy visitors who (with the help of Four Seasons experts) know where to look.
From updating your wardrobe to gaining access to designers’ spaces to inspiring your own creativity, here’s a sampling of customized experiences that connect you to influential – and up-and-coming – arbiters of fashion, art and design.
Define – and shop – your style
Denver stylist Koya Nyangi wants to inspire and motivate you to live life boldly, one outfit at a time. She calls on her clients to experiment and, most importantly, have fun with fashion: “Remember; you’ve got to try it. Be bold, be brave and be different.” A Kenyan native, a jetsetter who’s lived in London, India and Dubai, and now a transplant to the Mile High City, Nyangi’s diverse experiences in the fashion industry also include coveted stints at Neiman Marcus, Glenn + Glenn and the Denver Art Museum. Nyangi’s roots haven’t escaped her; she continues to advocate for African fashion brands and designers with the aim of expanding their reach to a global audience. To guests of Four Seasons Hotel Denver, she lends her international background and expertise, in the form of personally curated closets and exclusive guided shopping trips to her favourite boutiques, including Haven, Lady Jones and C.R. Lee.
In Chicago, Tali Kogan’s style studio resides in the posh 900 North Michigan Shops, seven floors of luxury retailers on the northern end of the Magnificent Mile. Guests of Four Seasons Hotel Chicago – located on the same block – can choose from a private consultation in Kogan’s studio, where she curates capsule wardrobes, or a guided visit to the city’s hottest boutiques, where store directors await with wardrobes Kogan has preselected especially for you.
When style is a priority but you’re short on time, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal offers direct indoor access to luxury retailer Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, where brands like Prada and Dior shine alongside the works of up-and-coming designers. The Concierge can arrange for an Ogilvy personal shopper to guide you to an expansive shopping suite where the latest pieces have been pulled for you.
Much of the fun of shopping is showing off your new styles afterwards. In Los Angeles this season, Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel launches an experiential series based on personas drawn to this glamorous city. First up is “The Dreamer”: an exclusive experience in which an A-list team treats you to some Hollywood sparkle. After your Rodeo Drive shopping trip with stylist Nicole Pollard Bayme, hairstylist Léa Journo and her team of makeup artists give your look a magazine-cover quality. Portrait photographer Art Streiber, who’s worked with the likes of Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio, captures the new you before a wrap party at the Hotel’s CUT by Wolfgang Puck.
Go behind the scenes
Glimpse the life of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent with Four Seasons Resort Marrakech. Through an exclusive partnership with the Foundation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, you’ll explore Villa Oasis, the late French designer’s kaleidoscopic second home, with a dedicated docent. Marvel at the home’s interiors – a study in colour, pattern and texture – and peruse the same books, paintings and objects that inspired the designer himself, before touring the renowned Jardin Majorelle, one of the city’s most visited sights, and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, where a rotating collection of pieces from the YSL archives is on display.
Enjoy the royal treatment at Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano, Egypt, where you can explore the Royal Jewellery Museum – located in a 19th-century palace – during a private visit. Stroll the grand halls as you examine a glittering collection that belonged to the royal family of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. The collection includes precious stones and diamonds, a golden chess set, clocks, watches, ornamental boxes and even diamond-encrusted garden tools. An expert guide will be on hand to answer questions and share the personal history of each piece. Afterwards, savour a private dinner in the palace’s Royal Gardens, prepared by the Hotel’s chefs and accompanied by live music.
Find artistic inspiration
A sense of style, of course, extends far beyond our clothing choices, and fashion designers have long been influenced by myriad forms of art. Find your own inspiration in the undulating curves and vivid hues of glass art with a guided visit to the non-profit arts centre Public Glass, arranged by Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco. After a tour, a professional glass-blowing artist will teach you how to shape and add colour to molten glass to create your own handcrafted paperweight. Then head to Montague Gallery to view a mesmerizing showcase of works by contemporary glass artists.
The gallery scene is vast and vibrant in South Africa’s largest metropolis, where guests of Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg, may opt for a journey to the city’s most innovative spots, including the revered Goodman Gallery. Founded as a non-discriminatory space during apartheid, it has grown into one of the country’s top destinations for contemporary South African art. Also on your tour: Kim Sacks’ retail gallery, for African ceramics, jewellery and tribal handicrafts, and the legendary Everard Read gallery, established in 1913 and the source of many pieces in the Hotel’s own collection.
Bangkok’s Creative District, where stylish new showrooms and galleries pepper a historic neighbourhood of century-old shrines, temples and markets, unfurls along the small lanes that crisscross Charoen Krung Road just beyond Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. The Concierge can arrange a guided visit to ATT 19, a showcase of ceramics, contemporary art, and vintage and designer clothing – all surrounded by a lush garden established by one of Thailand’s pre-eminent conservationists in the 1950s. Your next stop is P. Tendercool, nearby, where designers work with clients to create bespoke modern furniture. Break to refuel at Chef Chalermpon “Van” Rohitratana’s innovative haunt Dag, housed in a former warehouse and open late for after-hours gallery-hopping.
Appreciate street style
New York’s most stylish neighbourhoods are a clear choice for shopping – but they offer much more. Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown will pair you with travel and architectural photographer Joe Thomas, who lends you a Sony A7III camera to walk the streets of Lower Manhattan, stopping to examine and photograph outdoor paintings, from New Yorker Dean Stockton’s comic book–inspired work to realistic portraits by Nomad Clan, a duo of female artists from England. Ponder Shepard Fairey’s depiction of Debbie Harry, across the street from where CBGB once stood, and Audrey Hepburn on Mulberry Street, painted by Tristan Eaton, whose works also reside in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.
In Lisbon, another street art capital, let Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon set you up to take a spin in a restored 1940s moto sidecar and traverse the city in pursuit of its most riveting displays of large-scale public art. Your guide will take you to works ranging from carved portraits by renowned Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (also known as Vhils) to a 12-metre (39-foot) painting of Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral by artist Nunca.
Spring is the season of new beginnings, so why not see it in a new place, or see a familiar place in a new light? Here are five Four Seasons destinations that call for exploration this spring.
London loves the spring. “It’s the best time to explore the popular sights and the city’s many green spaces, from public gardens, parks and commons to hidden terraces,” says Head Concierge Raphael Lelaure of Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge. To see the season in full bloom, he recommends a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show – held this year from May 24–28 and billed as the “world’s greatest flower show.” If you’re craving a little more action, don your best hat and head to the Royal Ascot from June 14–18 – the horses might be the winners of this storied race, but the fashion and food on offer are a close second.
The season is also the ideal time to experience the city. Thanks to the Hotel’s central location, you’re perfectly positioned to explore iconic landmarks like Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, just a short walk away. You’ll have them to yourself during an after-hours viewing of the stunning Crown Jewels collection, part of a private tour available only to Four Seasons guests. The Hotel’s address at Ten Trinity Square is itself an important piece of London’s history: the gentle hill where the building now sits was first used more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans as the site of the settlement of Londinium. The building opened in 1922 as the headquarters of the Port of London Authority and in 1946 served as the site of the inaugural reception for the UN General Assembly. Four Seasons is celebrated Ten Trinity Square’s 100th anniversary with a variety of special events and experiences, including guided tours and a display of artefacts on loan from the Museum of London Archaeology that were uncovered during the careful redevelopment of the site.
After a day spent exploring the city, return to the Hotel and celebrate one of the most cherished English traditions: afternoon tea, served beneath the beautiful domed ceiling of the Rotunda Lounge.
In the garden- and temple-filled city of Kyoto, spring is synonymous with sakura (cherry blossom) season, when the city is awash in shades of pale pink. One particularly famous spot for admiring the blooms is the tree-lined road along the Kamogawa River, but you don’t have to stop there. “My hometown is near Ginkakuji Temple on the north side of Kyoto city,” says Kanako Morita, Concierge Team Leader at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. “When it was sakura season, my father and I used to walk Philosophy Path among the beautiful cherry blossoms and then go up to Mount Daimonji for a half-hour of hiking,” he says. Looking down at the view of Kyoto city from the top of the mountain in spring weather with my family is an absolute favourite memory.”
The Hotel itself has 37 of the flowering trees in its pond garden, and a number of ways to salute the season, such as the delightful Floral and Honey Afternoon Tea.
Come spring, the bright flowers that give India’s Silicon Valley its other nickname, the Garden City, put on a spectacular show. You’ll see the asymmetrical mauve and pink blossoms of the purple bauhinia, as well as Indian laburnum, or golden shower trees, with their cascading branches of bright yellow flowers.
“A morning walk in Lalbagh Botanical Garden or Cubbon Park is always wondrous,” says Siddhant Chalke, Chief Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. “Just strolling through the trees – some of which are very interesting and ancient – brings joy.”
To help guests celebrate this season of renewal, the Hotel has launched a special wellness experience. The Flower at Four Seasons program is “inspired by fragrances of marigold, rose, geranium and jasmine, which you might encounter on the garden walks in Bangalore’s iconic neighbourhoods,” says Spa Manager Minu Budhatoki. “The treatment is a full-body massage that guests adore. It starts as a sensuous journey and leaves you feeling joyfully uplifted. Our wellness experts can release knotted muscles but also help heal stress in a serene environment.”
To hear Kristen Klus, Guest Manager & Chief Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, tell it, the Windy City is completely transformed when winter ends. “Spring is my favourite season, as the sunshine invigorates Chicagoans and gets the city inspired,” she says. “You see this resurgence of vitality – people are biking, walking and kayaking on the lake.”
The season is on full display at the Hotel, where a special afternoon tea offers a botanical escape high above Michigan Avenue. Enjoy elevated bites and sweet treats crafted by Executive Pastry Chef Juan Gutierrez – winner of the Netflix special School of Chocolate.”
Spring can be seen and heard in other areas of the city: The roar of snow plow motors is replaced by the cheers of White Sox and Chicago Cubs fans, rooting for their favourite teams. And by early April, visitors can see a bold wave of colour along Michigan Avenue as the season’s tulips blossom and greet the world.
Spring is all about renewal. Nourish your mind and body at Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort. The brand’s first all-inclusive wellness retreat aims to start guests on a journey to greater well-being with the help of Sensei Guides and customized programming, including wellness consultations, spa treatments in a private hale, fitness classes, lectures and healthy meals. Whether you’re looking to rest or recharge after a momentous occasion, reset your health or spend quality time with loved ones, Sensei’s botanical art gardens and tropical mountain setting are the ideal backdrop, offering a unique place for discover and renewal.
At the oceanfront Four Seasons Resort Lanai, fine-tune your golf game with a Trackman session at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Manele Golf Course. Or enjoy a beverage and delicious pupus – appetizers – aboard the Resort’s catamaran, during a sunset cruise along the scenic coastline. It’s also a chance to spot spinner dolphins, turtles and humpback whale spouts. “Through April, the channels that run between Lanai, Maui and Molokai are some of the best waters in the world for whale watching,” says Captain Ricky Etrata. “The crew even has a hydrophone on board so guests can listen as the whales sing to each other.”
