When we travel, we love immersing ourselves in the local culture. Often times we’ll book a vacation rental in the heart of a neighborhood to truly experience life as much like a resident as possible.
On the flip side, we also really love being pampered and sleeping in a luxurious bed only steps away from a soaking tub and rainforest shower with on-demand champagne and turndown service with slippers in the evening. Therefore, we always jump at the opportunity whenever we’re lucky enough to stay at a Four Seasons property.
Four of our favorite places to visit—Lanai, Hawaii, New Orleans, Mexico City and Austin—each have at least one Four Seasons hotel or resort.
Suppose you have any of these destinations on your vacation radar for 2025. In that case, it’s definitely worth the splurge, whether you want to lounge on the beach all day, head to the French Quarter for a jazz show, or tour pyramids followed by an afternoon of indulging in tacos by the dozen.
These three locales each have something unique to enrich your life for a few days and making a Four Seasons your home base pleases our bougie side and our more adventurous traits at the same time. And they’re all extremely LGBT-welcoming, which is very important to us.
Read on for three of our favorite Four Seasons hotels and resorts and what you can enjoy on the property and nearby at each.
We’ve visited most of the Hawaiian islands that tourists are allowed to access, but there’s something truly special about Lanai. It’s an easy ferry ride from Maui (or an even easier journey on Lanai Air), but worlds away as one of the most tranquil islands we’ve ever visited.
You’ll find breathtakingly scenic spots throughout the resort and all over the island with experiences ranging from catamaran tours and snorkel sails to picturesque golfing and horseback riding. At the resort itself, dine cliff-side at Nobu Lanai or during sunset at Malibu Farm/One Forty as dolphins dance in the waters nearby.
The Hawanawana Spa falls in the top of our all-time favorite spa experiences and the pool was a frequent hangout spot for us, too.
We go to New Orleans at least four times a year if it fits our schedule and it’s never the same trip twice. We adore the Crescent City and go as often as we can to see how the city transforms during each new season. So why not spend one of the four seasons (or each) at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans? It brings a whole new level of charm and sophistication to NOLA that was previously non-existent.
Views of the Mississippi River from many rooms and public spaces—including the spa, pool and Chemin a La Mer (our favorite of the on-site restaurants)—establish your presence in one of the most unique cities in America. From other directions, you can see Canal Street and the French Quarter, which are all a quick walk from the hotel for several hours of gay-bar-hopping and culinary experiences.
Then wrap up each night as we do: at the Chandelier Bar, one of our go-to favorites in New Orleans, even on visits when we’re not staying at the hotel. (Tip: Sip on a Sazerac, then order the blue crab roll and crispy chicken sandwich are musts from the bar snack menu.)
If you do it right, they’ll have to laissez les bon temps rouler you back to your room!
Our most recent Four Seasons stay was in Mexico City and we split up our six-night stay between an Airbnb and the Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City. It was wonderful to end the trip with pampering at the teeny-tiny spa (our massage therapist, Mario, was fantastic!) and hanging out in the lovely courtyard for cocktails in the evening. (Oh, who are we kidding? Cocktails in the morning, afternoon and evening!)
Location is key, too. You can walk in almost any direction in the Reforma neighborhood and see something amazing or find a charming little restaurant serving fantastic, super-cheap food and drinks.
A real differentiator for the Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City is its pool and hot tub, which are among only a handful in the entire city available to visitors. None of the other luxury brands in the Reforma neighborhood offer the same wet escape, so if you’re going in the warmer summer months, consider this a major selling point.
We remember our very first adult trip to Austin, staying at the Embassy Suites on the shores of what was then called Town Lake. We used a coupon out of the Entertainment Book (now the Entertainment Coupon app) and we felt so fancy when the fellow gay working the check-in desk gave us each a free drink and an upgraded room.
My, how times have changed. Much like New Orleans, we visit Austin multiple times a year and explore the city, checking out different hotels along the way. But how could we not return to Four Seasons Hotel Austin whenever we get the chance?
Overlooking Lady Bird Lake steps from the nightly bat colony flight, indulgence awaits at every turn, from the Moet and Chandon champagne vending machine in the lobby to the glorious king-size beds and spacious walk-in showers in the balcony rooms.
Dining at Ciclo is always exquisite at dinner (try the flambéed Texas Wagyu tomahawk for a real treat). And the property is walkable to so many venues in downtown Austin, it’s the ideal home base when visiting for a concert, festival or sporting event.
This is an update to a story that initially ran in March 2023.
