Hideaway Report Announces 2011 Grand Award Winners

Just four miles from the center of Florence and set amid 12 acres of formal gardens on a lane leading up to the exquisite hill town of Fiesole, Il Salviatino occupies an historic cream-colored villa that enjoyed a heyday during the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was home to the powerful Salviati family. In September 2009, it opened as a 45-room hotel, having been subject to a $60 million restoration. Today, it stands as a small masterpiece of Old World style and hospitality.

Mr. Harper chooses his favorite properties visited over the past calendar year to comprise this list. All of the Grand Award winners possess exceptional character, a commitment to classic hospitality and a profound sense of place. Mr. Harper does not evaluate hotels by means of a checklist, but uses his three decades of experience to distinguish the truly enchanting from the merely excellent.

The 2011 Hideaway Report Grand Award winners:

HIDEAWAY OF THE YEAR
Il Salviatino (Florence, Italy)

NORTH AMERICA
Amangiri (Canyon Point, Utah)
The Ranch at Rock Creek (Philipsburg, Montana)
Lake Placid Lodge (Lake Placid, New York)
The Hazelton Hotel (Toronto, Canada)

SOUTH AMERICA
Tambo del Inka (Sacred Valley, Peru)
Titilaka (Lake Titicaca, Peru)

CARIBBEAN
The Peninsula House (Las Terrenas-Samana, Dominican Republic)
Tucker's Point (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda)

ASIA & MIDDLE EAST
Banjaar Tola (Kanha National Park, India)
Sumahan on the Water (Istanbul, Turkey)

EUROPE
Villa Bordoni (Greve in Chianti, Italy)
Hotel Le Fontanelle (Toscana, Italy)
Lydmar Hotel (Stockholm, Sweden)
Tenbosch House (Brussels, Belgium)
Lime Wood (Hampshire, England)
Amberley Castle (West Sussex, England)

GRAND HOTEL
The Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills, California)

GRAND RESORT
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Kohala Coast, Hawaii)

In addition to the Grand Awards, Mr. Harper has also selected several restaurants, personalities and properties for special recognition:

RESTAURANTS OF THE YEAR

United States
Gastronomic: Sixteen (Chicago)
Informal: Gautreau's (New Orleans)

Europe
Gastronomic: Mistral (Stockholm)
Informal: Bar Boulud (London)

Rest of the World
Gastronomic: Canoe (Toronto)
Informal: Ciya Sofrasi (Istanbul)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS

HOTEL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Brian Young (Tucker's Point, Bermuda)
CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR: Concierge Staff (Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii)
CHEF OF THE YEAR: Daniel Rose (Spring, Paris)
SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR: Tony Amaro (Opus, Toronto)
BEST NEW HOTEL RESTAURANT: Bar Boulud, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (Knightsbridge, London)
BEST RESTAURANT MEAL: Sa.Qua.Na (Honfleur, France)
BEST COCKTAIL HOUR: The Peninsula House (Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic)
BEST HOTEL BAR: Oak Bar, The Hermitage Hotel (Nashville, Tennessee)
BEST SPA: Vidago Palace (Vidago, Portugal)
MOST BEAUTIFUL SETTING: Lake Placid Lodge (Lake Placid, New York)
BEST BEACH: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Kohala Coast, Hawaii)
BEST VIEW: Il Salviatino (Florence, Italy)
BEST RESORT POOL: Amangiri (Canyon Point, Utah)
BEST SUITE: La Casona (Cusco, Peru)
BEST CRUISE: Aqua Expeditions (Iquitos, Peru)
BEST NEW MUSEUM: Ashmolean (Oxford, United Kingdom)
MOST GLAMOROUS BATH: Barnsley House (Barnsley, Gloucestershire)
MOST STYLISH DESIGN: Tambo del Inka (Urubamba, Peru)
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESORT: Kona Village, Kohala Coast (Kailua Kona, Hawaii).

The full list of Grand Award winners are listed below and can be found at https://www.andrewharper.com/GrandAward