Inside Three Newly Opened Escapes That Treat Native Stone and Architectural Heritage as the Ultimate Luxury
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There’s something wonderfully interesting happening with some of the most notable hotel openings this summer. Rather than focusing solely on amenities, they’re the ones that have been built specifically with their location in mind — using local materials, local architectural traditions, and a local sense of what a building should feel like in that particular landscape or neighborhood.
Three new openings this summer exemplify this trend across very different settings: a restored Porfirian mansion tucked into Roma Norte in Mexico City, Four Seasons’ first address on Mykonos, designed by a Greek architect in the style of a Mykonian village, and a collection of stone villas on the Aegean coast of Turkey.
El Cortés Roma Norteds
Mexico City, Mexico
The Roma Norte neighborhood has had the galleries, design studios, restaurants and tree-lined streets for years. What it hasn’t had is a hotel that matches the neighborhood’s unique and vibrant character. El Cortés, which opened in June, is a 15-room boutique hotel inside a restored Porfirian-era mansion. It’s a building that once served as a presidential residence and spent three years being brought back to life by owner Carlos Zaragoza and a team of local artisans. The original Art Nouveau facades, hand-carved moldings, Neoclassical detailing and marble finishes have all been preserved.
Each of the 15 rooms has been individually designed, ranging from Classic rooms with queen beds to Suites with antiques, original artwork and private terraces. Byredo amenities, local minibar selections and artwork the owner collected personally at auction give the rooms a considered feel that leans into the building’s history. At the center of the property is Lotti, a restaurant led by Swiss-born chef Luc Liebster, whose cooking draws on European technique and Mexican ingredients. Even the staff uniforms have a local origin, designed by Kris Goyri, a prominent figure in Mexican luxury fashion.
The hotel sits in the thick of what makes Roma Norte worth visiting: independent galleries, architecture that rewards walking slowly, and a restaurant culture that has been pulling international attention for years. The hotel organizes bookstore explorations, architecture tours, artisan workshops and visits to local design studios for guests who want to go deeper into the neighborhood.
Four Seasons Hotel Mykonos
Mykonos, Greece
Four Seasons has opened its first hotel on Mykonos, set above Kalo Livadi Bay on the island’s quieter eastern side — a deliberate contrast to the scene around Mykonos Town and the more crowded beaches on the south coast. Four Seasons Mykonos was brought to life by Greek architect Nicos Valsamakis across 15 acres of clifftop terrain, designed in the style of a Mykonian village. Most of the 94 rooms, suites and villas have plunge pools and views across the Aegean.
The hotel has a private beach and two infinity pools, along with four restaurants and bars. Álef handles Mediterranean grilled meats and seafood with Greek and Old World wines; Corbu is Italian and runs all day; The Beach does cocktails at the waterfront; and Kafeneo covers everything from morning coffee through Greek meze to sunset drinks.
For guests who want to explore, the hotel runs shuttles and private transfers into Chora, and organizes day trips to the ancient ruins at Delos — a UNESCO World Heritage Site just offshore — as well as horseback riding at the secluded volcanic beach of Fokos and helicopter sightseeing over the island.
The spa has seven treatment rooms, an outdoor pavilion and a thermal circuit with sauna, steam room and vitality pool. For travelers combining Mykonos with Athens, Four Seasons’ Astir Palace property there is three hours by boat, 30 minutes by plane or 20 minutes by helicopter, with transfers the hotel can arrange.
Maxx Royal Bodrum Island Villas
Bodrum, Turkey
Bodrum sits on Turkey’s Aegean coast — whitewashed architecture, ancient castle, clear water — and has long been the destination of choice for European travelers who want the Mediterranean feeling without the crowds of the French or Italian riviera. This summer, Maxx Royal Bodrum, which opened in 2024 as part of the Leading Hotels of the World collection, has added a collection of Island Villas designed by the architecture firm GEOMIM. The design features textures and materials of the surrounding landscape: locally quarried Hekimköy stone, natural timber, olive trees and native planting.
Each villa opens onto a private garden and terrace with a private pool. Strategically placed skylights and oversized openings pull natural light through the interiors across the day, the latter with unobstructed views of the turquoise sea.
Maxx Royal Bodrum landed on both Travel + Leisure’s It List and Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List in 2025, and its restaurant program has been recognized by the Michelin Guide and Gault & Millau Türkiye. The spa has won Turkey’s Best Resort Spa at the World Spa Awards two years running. For travelers who want to go further afield, the brand’s Maldives property is scheduled to open in autumn 2027.
