Jeremy and I own so many TWA Hotel products that we consult before we meet. Are you wearing your sweatpants or can I wear mine?
My boyfriend and I have two retro tracksuits, a pair of sneakers, a hat, an umbrella, a dressing gown, five notebooks, a handbag and a shopping bag; all in gorgeous red and white, adorned with JFK Airport motifs. hotel’s logo. I even have a framed print of the Eero Saarinen-designed terminal building converted into a lobby in my kitchen. Yes, we can safely say that we love this hotel so much that we turned ourselves into walking billboards and our friends think it’s hilarious.
Other hotel hot spots also sell souvenirs to their devotees, of course. You can wrap yourself in a Soho House towel or shop for checkered tablecloths from Summerill & Bishop, inspired by the art-deco vibe of Claridge’s. You may also have heard of “Aman addicts.” These passionate repeat visitors to super-luxury Aman resorts account for 50 percent of the brand’s business, regaling their friends with tales of high-end service and minimalist design aesthetics. Aman hotels never advertise; Enthusiasts wear their loyalties discreetly.
It’s not hard to understand the appeal of an Aman; But why exactly am I so obsessed with an airport hotel? Well. Jeremy and I first visited the hotel, located in the former TWA Flight Center at JFK Terminal 5, as post-pandemic pioneers at the end of 2021. Since then, we haven’t stopped talking about this place. Lackluster isn’t a word you’d use anywhere near TWA: it’s brash, bold, and out there, and we love it.
“Welcome to 1962!” There’s a banner on the wall when you step onto the set of the movie Catch Me If You Can, where pairs of uniformed pilots lug their suitcases along red-carpeted walkways amid jet-lagged civilians.
The immersive mid-century experience begins before you climb the staircase to the cavernous white lobby. As you cross the parking lot, you’re accompanied by Burt Bacharach music piped into the open air. Guests can check in at the original airline counters to the sound of the Beatles and Buddy Holly.
Then the fun really begins. Residents and casual visitors alike can enjoy drinks at the 60-seat Connie cocktail bar, which is actually located inside the TWA 1958 Lockheed Constellation jet. The main lobby has a sunken red seating area where you can sip drinks (and watch shy Haredi Jews from Queens meet each other on blind dates) while the old-fashioned flight departure board flashes in the background. The lobby features a life-size Twister set and retro hair salon; On the rooftop, overlooking the track, there is a heated swimming pool that also has a bar.
But TWA is not just about gimmicks: it’s also about tranquility and luxury. The beds are big and comfortable, behind super thick glass (you can see but not hear the planes taking off). Each room is equipped with retro touches: rotary phones, triangular cocktail glasses and toiletries in original containers from the 60s.
For us as a couple, the pandemic has probably strengthened our bond with this place – Jeremy is an American who lives mostly in New York, and Covid meant we couldn’t see each other for months. When I arrived on one of the first flights allowed back to the US, Jeremy took me to TWA. That night the hotel was almost empty and we happily ran up and down the curved stairs. For us, the hotel represents the resilience and triumph of our transatlantic relationship. (Jet Fuel cocktails didn’t hurt, either.) It’s no wonder, then, that we want to bring some of the TWA into our homes with our casual attire and home furnishings.
Two years later our relationship has settled on a more permanent basis, but TWA is still special to us and is always our first port of call when we arrive in New York. And we intend to continue praising this place to anyone who will listen. To the heavens!
Jeremy and I are definitely not alone in having a hotel we’re obsessed with. So what makes a guest go to the same place year after year? Let’s find out.
Distinguish it: TWA Hotel offers double occupancy from $288 (£229). Read our expert review here.
‘We spent more than three years in Sandal resorts’
Heather Bailey, 61, is an ophthalmologist from Stafford. She is married to Christopher, 55, who works in a family practice.
In July of this year, we passed our 1,000-night anniversary at the giant all-inclusive Sandals resort; but since then we have planned 114 more paid nights, as well as 13 more free “reward” weeks. When we passed our milestone we were in Barbados, a location we have stayed in 15 times – this is probably linked to our favorite resort, the Halcyon in St Lucia (30 visits), as well as two trips to the Bahamas and two trips to the Bahamas. Jamaica. Our longest trip was 29 nights. Every year, we take the last regular-priced flight before Christmas and take the first regular-priced flight back. Yes, we can say we love Sandals.
It was the warm water that first brought us to the Caribbean. Christopher and I are both keen divers and followed our dive guide Claudy when she moved from another resort to Sandals in the Bahamas in 2006. We stayed with the company afterwards. We love the fact that diving is free at all Shoes resorts; if you have to pay elsewhere it could cost £200 per day. Each resort caters to different types of diving: small fish in Barbados and St Lucia; Sharks in the Bahamas.
Famous Sandals’ child-free policy was also a big plus for us; but there were plenty of other reasons to keep coming back. Many of the Caribbean resorts we’ve previously visited featured canteen food or buffets: When we returned to our seat with soup, someone had stolen the table. Sandals saved room for dinner. The food is excellent, there are different themed restaurants and they all accommodate my gluten intolerance.
We were staying in Barbados when the pandemic started in March 2020. Virgin canceled all flights: we had no idea how to get home. But the staff assured our remaining 30 guests that they would let us stay and eat whatever we wanted, from whatever restaurant we wanted. By the time we were due to board our flight home, supermarkets across the UK were empty due to panic buying. So the Sandals staff sent us home with boxes of chips and toilet paper.
Distinguish it: Shoes Barbados offers seven-night accommodation for two from £1,926 per person, all-inclusive with return flights and transfers. Read our expert review here.
There’s something special about ‘JK Place’; ‘This is my home away from home’
Benoit Charot (61), a lawyer from Paris
My Roman home is suite 31 at JK Place Rome on Via di Monte d’Oro. I start the day with the eastern light breaking on my beautiful balcony, where I like to work and have breakfast. The suite itself is wonderful, it has two rooms with eclectic furniture, completely reflecting the spirit of Rome.
I’m a Parisian partner of an international law firm, I travel a lot for work and I love boutique hotels. There is something special about JK Place; This is my home away from home. I come to Rome both for business and to buy art. I spend a lot of time in the city; I will come to JK Place every two months for 10 days or two weeks.
It took a while to find JK Place and since I discovered it in 2018 every other hotel feels like a factory. I’ve been back more than 15 times so far: It was so hard when I couldn’t visit during the pandemic. When I first came to the hotel, I was very pleased with the hospitality of the staff. I had a drink in the library; It was like a private palace: so charming, so special. All rooms are very different and not “showy”. There’s a great restaurant here, but I prefer eating out and the staff always recommends excellent places.
The staff here fulfill all roles and not just stay at the front desk, for example; so you know them very well and they take care of their customers nicely. Manager Maria is especially wonderful. When the doorman fell ill, I asked my gardener to send him 12 buckets of honey from my garden in south-west France.
Distinguish it: JK Place Roma (00 39 06 982634; jkroma.com) offers double rooms from €700 (£611) including breakfast. Read our expert review here.
‘The only place we would consider getting married was Sugar Beach’
Bob Keating, 83, is a retired IT manager from Buckinghamshire.
Between us Anne and I have been to Sugar Beach Mauritius 37 times. Therefore, when we decided to get married in 2012, we did not consider having our wedding anywhere else. I was 70 years old: Mother was 73 years old. We held a ceremony on the beach lawn, accompanied by the scent of bougainvillea and John Denver’s Annie’s Song. Nine members of our family flew in from England, but we were also surrounded by our Sugar Beach family: the manager and assistant manager were our witnesses. The staff here is great; one year I had a fall and the front desk manager Scyam came to visit me in the hospital.
I first visited Sugar Beach in 2001 with my late wife, Babs. We were looking for winter sun in a Kuoni catalogue, and we were not disappointed: the resort is located on the beautiful “sunset” west coast of Mauritius, with all rooms facing the sea and an idyllic beach.
By 2010, Babs was suffering from severe dementia, but I was determined to take her to her favorite place one last time. Anne, a close friend of the family, offered to come and help. Sugar Beach did everything she could to take care of Babs, making sure she had the best spot in the dining room and always being extra attentive. Babs didn’t remember much, but we could tell from her face that she was happy listening to an audiobook by the sea in her favorite place in the world.
After Babs died, I didn’t want to travel to Sugar Beach alone, so I invited Anne to join me. We were still just friends at that point, but I soon realized that we really wanted to be together, so I proposed. We continue to visit every year since our wedding, mostly in October. Mom especially loves water aerobics and the gym. Sugar Beach is our home away from home, and we’re not planning on driving 6,000 miles to get there.
Distinguish it: Sugar Beach Mauritius offers double occupancy from £288 including breakfast. Read our expert review here.