Date of publication 23/08/2019
Luxury hotels The new era of terraces
A new era for hotel terraces: ideas for enjoying your travels in style and making the most of outdoor spaces.
The world of luxury is increasingly looking to the sky, creating experiences that allow discerning guests to take in nature's own displays. Terraces are a perfect example. Defined by their open-air settings and sweeping views, these spaces have evolved in recent years with premium services such as those offered by the Star Prestige category, where sunshine, flavors, and sounds take center stage. These clues will help you recognize a truly modern terrace.
The first sign is the furniture. This is the age of hammocks, loungers, Balinese beds, and even hot tubs. A peaceful sea view may soothe the eyes, but the body deserves somewhere equally comfortable to settle in and see the world from a more relaxing perspective. That's exactly what guests will find at Iberostar Selection Coral Bávaro, in Punta Cana, a hotel with a terrace and bar where hammocks by the pool and ocean views from the lounge bar turn any afternoon into a ritual.
Room for everyone. That's another essential. Terraces no longer have to mean crowds: they're places to unwind, find some peace, enjoy a sense of space, and take in the Caribbean from your table. Efficient, attentive service also matters, turning your own corner of the terrace into an open-air suite. In the Riviera Maya, the Penthouse Suite at JOIA Paraíso takes the idea even further, with a private oceanfront terrace complete with hammocks and a hot tub, so every inch of that Caribbean view feels entirely your own.
The third feature may sound obvious, but there's more to it than meets the eye: location. Being outdoors alone isn't enough. The real pleasure comes from feeling the Caribbean breeze on Playa Paraíso in the Riviera Maya, where some suites sit so close to the shore that opening the terrace door is almost enough to feel the sand beneath your feet. Or waking each morning at a beachfront hotel in Punta Cana, such as Iberostar Selection Bávaro Suites, where a terrace with hammocks overlooking the Caribbean makes mornings feel like a ritual. For the full effect, choose a terrace where the ebb and flow of the waves becomes part of the view.
At our hotel in Ibiza, for example, peace, views, Mediterranean style, and a wonderful sense of space come together naturally. The only question is whether to watch the evening sky from a modern pouf or from the calm waters of this adults-only hotel's pool. Its rooftop sun deck, with Balinese beds and an infinity pool, lets the Mediterranean set the pace for every sunset.
Last but certainly not least, a premium terrace should connect with its surroundings in more ways than one. The views are the most obvious example, as this hotel with views in Mallorca shows. At Iberostar Suites Jardín del Sol, the rooftop terrace opens onto privileged views across Santa Ponça Bay, but the connection goes further. The design of the space and the food menu should also draw on local ingredients and influences, with dishes that connect you to the destination through the senses, its flavors and aromas becoming part of a fuller experience. Now that you know how to tell a premium terrace from an ordinary one, all that's left is to experience it for yourself.
