Deck chairs and parasols are so 90’s. The best hotels are now offering spoilt travelers yet another reason to lounge around the hotel pool all day (and not take their cash elsewhere!) – at the poolside cabana.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii
These tall (8ft) cabanas are free for hotel guests, who can get their sun-block-smeared sunglasses cleaned and freshen up with “oshi bori” towels, as well as get fresh fruit, popsicles and designer water spritzers served all day long.
Monte Carlo Beach Hotel, Monaco
Reserving one of these simple 1930 stone villas will set you back 1,500 Euros for the summer reservation fee, plus another 75 Euro daily – but, you also get a large terrace, a bijou shower, and private solarium.
Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Florida, USA
Where else other than the over-the-top South Beach can you expect a cabana with 7 x 7ft terry-covered four-poster beds, a tanning butler (clad in designer swimwear of course), and exclusive seating to the Saturday afternoon mermaid water ballet? For $200, lunch and spa treatments are thrown in, and if you prefer to seek some privacy, there is nothing to do but to simply draw the roman blinds and retractable drapes of your cabana. Reservations way in advance are necessary.
Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy
The famous Cipriani had now joined the cabana boom, offering much-needed pool privacy for the celebrity clientele. True to the elegant luxury the Cipriani is known for, the cabanas are likewise kitted out with breezy linen interiors, fully-stocked mini bars, fresh fruit, comfy armchairs and sun beds.
Jumby Bay, Antigua, West Indies
Book-loving families will be in heaven on one of Jumby Bay’s 8 poolside cabanas, as this private island’s white sand resort offers a unique “Hot Type” service of the latest books – before they even hit the bookstores. Nannies are on hand to amuse the little ones while your butler waits on you hand-and-foot as you dive into the next season’s hot bestsellers.