Princess
1961
Sandringham, Norfolk, England
British
$589
Hotel Arlberg gives Lech the intimacy of a family home with the finish of a five-star Alpine retreat. Princess Diana brought young William and Harry here for ski holidays, finding a discreet world of snowy slopes, fireside rooms and rare family freedom.
$1,725
The Carlyle wraps Upper East Side discretion in Art Deco rooms, white-glove service and the late-night glow of Bemelmans Bar. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson stayed in a suite while Wilson was performing at Café Carlyle, turning the hotel into a temporary New York home complete with a famously good-natured encounter with their noise-sensitive neighbour.
$1,626
La Residencia spills down a Deià hillside in honey-coloured stone, surrounded by olive groves, mountain light and Mallorca's bohemian spell. Princess Diana found rare privacy here in 1996; former owner Richard Branson still returns regularly, drawn back to the intimate retreat he once helped shape.
$710
The Kahala is Honolulu's quietly glamorous oceanfront hideaway, set beyond Waikiki with a private beach and a tradition of protecting famous guests. Princess Diana rested here during her first American visit in 1985, her royal party filling one hundred rooms around the secluded resort.
$290
La Zambra revives the glamour of the former Hotel Byblos beneath the hills of Mijas, pairing Andalusian calm with pools, gardens and a cocooning spa. The Rolling Stones were among the rock royalty who retreated to the same blue-towered property in its Byblos years, before its careful rebirth as La Zambra.
Copacabana Palace is Rio's enduring beachfront stage, where white-glove service, Atlantic light and the famous pool turn a stay into old-world theatre. The Rolling Stones used it as their base for the monumental 2006 Copacabana Beach concert, crossing to the stage through a purpose-built bridge from the hotel.
