Eight new properties join Relais & Châteaux collection
Relais & Châteaux is very pleased to welcome eight new members with whom the Association shares a passion for authenticity and terroir.
These properties invite guests to enjoy the culinary, cultural, and natural heritage of their regions, treasures that they are eager to share, promote, and preserve.
I am delighted that these eight new properties have become part of Relais & Châteaux, complementing our existing establishments. With each of these members, we share a passion for authenticity and terroir, for they are committed to showcasing, sharing, and preserving the culinary, cultural, architectural, and natural heritage of their regions. Laurent Gardinier, President, Relais & Châteaux
Morukuru Family Madikwe, Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
3 villas (2, 3, and 5 bedrooms) – Rates: €1,560 to €8,120 per night
South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve, a four-hour drive or 1 hour flight north of Johannesburg, is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and is one of the most desirable safari destinations in the world. In a private section of this natural sanctuary, your bush house awaits. Sheltered by the leafy canopy of native trees, the three villas at the Morukuru Family Madikwe are oases of peace, quiet, and comfort. To welcome and serve you will be a private chef, a host, a butler, and your personal housekeeping staff tending to every minute detail throughout your stay. All that is left for you to do is enjoy your adventure! Each residence – solar-powered to preserve the fragile ecosystem – possesses its own unique cachet, and all boast contemporary décor graced with ethnic touches. The interior design gives pride of place to natural wood and stone, for the feeling of living with and within nature, even when indoors. What pleasure to take a refreshing dip in your private swimming pool between your personalized safaris, planned and led by your private guide and tracker. In the hands of these seasoned professionals, you may encounter the celebrated “Big Five” – elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, and lions. Perhaps you will also come across one of the cheetahs threatened with extinction, now reintroduced into the reserve. Morukuru Goodwill Foundation offers you the opportunity to be immersed in nature conservation and community support. As night falls, savor a moment of relaxation in the Morukuru Family Madikwe open-air spa overlooking the river. There, as the sun sets over the bush, time stands still.
Fyn Restaurant, Cape Town, South Africa
Seats 52 – Price: €93 to €160 (with wine pairing)
Fyn has been headlining the African gourmet dining scene since it opened in 2018 on the top floor of a restored 19th-century silk factory in Cape Town’s historic heart. The restaurant’s name is a tribute to the Cape Floral Kingdom’s endemic plant-rich fynbos biome, and a nod to the Afrikaans word fyn, meaning ‘fine’. It has certainly been a good omen, given that Fyn has made the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for three consecutive years, and was also voted Africa’s Best Restaurant and presented with the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2023. The global recognition is a source of pride for Fyn’s visionary founder, Peter Tempelhoff, a member of the Relais & Châteaux World Culinary Council. In partnership with his culinary director, chef Ashley Moss, and service and beverage director, Jennifer Hugé, Templehoff balances the wildness of Africa with Japanese refinement in creative, kaiseki-style menus that champion sustainably sourced, in-season ingredients with a hyper-local emphasis on provenance and terroir. This potent culinary identity, deftly balancing authenticity and innovation, carries through to pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan menus, too. The exceptional wine list showcases old and rare South African vintages. The restaurant’s warm, modernist décor is the work of award-winning interior architect Tristan du Plessis, the inviting triple-volume room and mountain views elevating the gustatory experience. The open kitchen is an opportunity for easy interaction between chefs and guests, while the prompt, friendly service guides diners through a boundary breaking expression of South African and Japanese flavours and techniques that will thrill adventurous palates.
Le Ponant
Average cruise: 7 days – 16 cabins – Rates: €874 to €2,496 per person per night
Seats 34
From legendary stopovers to little-known ports, the sleek silhouette of Le Ponant sails as a shining example of French art de vivre across the seas of the world. This three-master of sophisticated design reflects Le Ponant’s commitment to ever-more-responsible maritime tourism and exceptional, tailor-made service. The vessel’s more intimate proportions allow it to offer very select ports of call, respecting local territories and communities. This means you can dock alone or in small groups under advantageous conditions, visiting sites that are off the beaten path. The ship boasts a variety of non-motorized nautical activities, cutting-edge technology to reduce polluting gas emissions by 90%, cruising with sails only, selective waste sorting, elimination of single-use plastics: Aboard Le Ponant, a boat certified by Green Marine and Cleanship, everything has been designed with environmental preservation in mind and guest wellbeing as the top priority! The cabins and suites, spread over three decks, most with large openings onto the outdoors, have refined interior décor in natural hues: The muted light and breathtaking view beckon you to stretch out, contemplate, dream. The common areas provide versatile settings for relaxation, refreshing breaks, or get-togethers. The chef serves delicious menus that will delight the most exacting epicurean, working with first-rate local ingredients, authentic culinary traditions, and regional vineyards.
SAGA, New York, United States
Seats 60 – Price: $400
Atop 70 Pine Street, a landmark Art Deco skyscraper in The Big Apple’s Financial District, SAGA is a New York restaurant that will dazzle your five senses. This restaurant – spread over several floors with a 360° panoramic view, three large outdoor terraces, and a private solarium adjacent to the kitchen – is unlike any other dining space in New York, be it outside or inside! The stylishly decorated rooms vary in size, revealing new wonders around each corner as you explore. The main dining room awaits you on the 63rd floor, with vast windowscapes offering a wraparound view of the skyline bristling with high-rise buildings. SAGA’s cuisine is unquestionably cosmopolitan, boasts two stars in the 2022 Michelin Guide, and is impeccably suited to this sleek, chic, and welcoming urban world: Some dishes are served center-table, meant for family-style sharing. Chef James Kent’s creative, seven-course gourmet menu is inspired by his childhood memories and world travels and, for those with a busy day ahead, is available during the week in a four-course “Short Story” version. Two floors are reserved for private events. The warm peach and emerald tones of the velvet, the green marble of the tables, and the sculpted stone details heighten the ambiance of a comforting cocoon, ideal for small, intimate dinners and tête-à-têtes. One floor up, on level 64, Overstory welcomes those who appreciate inventive elixirs. In this cocktail bar that, in 2023, ranked 34th on the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, guests can write a story all their own.
Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa, Kefalonia, Greece
12 villas with private swimming pool or jacuzzi – Rates: €700 to €2,900 per night,
Seats 45
Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa is a tranquil oasis on its perch above a secluded beach on the southern Kefalonian coastline. It is the perfect place to relax on a Kefalonia getaway to explore the island’s natural and cultural treasures. Offering the atmosphere of a private villa retreat, Eliamos makes for the perfect Greek island getaway. The chic contemporary architecture has Mediterranean spirit, blending with the surrounding olive trees and island scrub. You are invited to stay in one of its 12 elegant villas, many of which are clad in local stone, each with a private salt-water pool or jacuzzi, and views of the Ionian waters. Paying homage to their location, interiors feature natural materials, such as wood and terracotta tile, made more soothing still by a neutral color palette. The restaurant serves new interpretations of Mediterranean culinary classics, deliciously crafted with locally sourced organic ingredients. Wellness is at the heart and guests can practice yoga, reformer Pilates or enjoy an invigorating massage, with nature-inspired treatments.
Providence, Los Angeles, California, United States
Seats 60 – Price: $295 per person (excluding food-wine pairing) – Open for dinner only
Established in 2005 on the famed Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, the restaurant known as Providence has become one of the nation’s most sought-after sustainably led dining experiences. With two stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide, it invites you to take part in a multi-sensory seafood-forward dining experience, an unforgettable dive into an exquisite world of refined flavors. The tasting menus by American chef Michael Cimarusti are symphonies of sensitivity and sophisticated technique composed with the freshest, most sustainable seafood possible, entirely wild-caught along the California coasts and in international waters. Sample the Santa Barbara vermilion rockfish served with morel, sorrel, and miner’s lettuce, or the Alaskan halibut with clam bouillon and grilled fava bean. The selection of additional items is equally tempting, with sea urchins, oysters, and local shrimp. Each ingredient is treated with uncompromising respect to bring out the best of its flavors. Naturally, the establishment also serves a vegetarian tasting menu by request, taking into account the ultimate comfort and enjoyment for the most discerning of diners. Lastly, the restaurant’s striking new décor in Pacific tidal blue-greens and warm sand tones invites guests to dine in a truly immersive experience that feels serene and intentional with subtle nods to where the ocean meets the horizon and sky, distilling the complex simplicity of Cimarusti’s cooking into the design.
Liss Ard Estate, West Cork, Ireland
26 rooms (including 5 suites) – Rates: €460 to €620,
Garden at Liss Ard Estate (seats 63)
Nestled in the verdant West Cork region, Liss Ard Estate epitomizes the enchantment of the Irish countryside. Surrounded by a lush, 163-acre estate, this elegant, Georgian-style mansion is prized for the beauty of its natural surroundings. The bright, fresh guest rooms have generous natural light, are furnished in modern country style, and are divided between several buildings: the Manor, the adjacent Mews, and the Lake House, a Victorian waterside pavilion. The award-winning Garden at Liss Ard Estate restaurant has a menu featuring in-season ingredients. The vegetables are grown in the property’s own organic vegetable garden, the perfect accompaniment to the meats and fish from local producers, all blending into a down-to-earth, farm-to-table dining experience. During your stay, you can choose to stroll along paths lined with cypresses and century-old Lebanese cedars, go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding on the serene waters of the private lake, or join an outdoor yoga class followed by a relaxing massage at the wellness center. The hotel also offers guests a nearly metaphysical experience with its Sky Garden: a giant earth-and-stone crater lined with emerald grass, the work of landscape artist James Turrell, that beckons you to contemplate the heavens and the unique sensation of the earth and sky changing places. This property is also an excellent starting point for exploring the Wild Atlantic Way, going deep within the untamed landscapes of the Irish coast.
ESPLANADE Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken, Germany
16 rooms – Rate: €190 to €340,
Seats 30 – Menu prices: €62 to €195
In the border triangle between Germany, France, and Luxembourg, ESPLANADE Saarbrücken is located at the Max-Ophüls-Platz, which marks the entry to the trendy Nauwieser Viertel, the cultural center of Saarbrücken. The building that ESPLANADE calls home is a former schoolhouse, dated circa 1890. This architectural gem, a historic landmark from the Wilhelminian era, is now an elegant retreat and an outstanding dining establishment. The common areas are masterpieces of natural light, harmonious hues, sleek lines, noble materials, and sensual fabrics. The cuisine at the restaurant, which boasts two stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide, is every bit equal to the décor. Chef Silio del Fabro always uses fresh regional market produce to compose his evolving selections and his gourmet menu in five, six, or eight courses. Savor an arctic char with crispy fried skin or a perfectly poached veal filet with truffle jus. His dishes are interpretations of classic French haute cuisine with Mediterranean and Japanese influences, playing on the subtle contrasts between classicism and modernism. Though Jérôme Pourchère, the French restaurant manager and sommelier, can choose from 600 prestigious labels on the wine menu, he is partial to little-known wines from the German terroir. Individually selected design classics and mid-century artworks adorn the 16 tastefully decorated guest rooms, while the attentive and efficient service makes every stay an utterly unforgettable delight.
About Relais & Châteaux
ESTABLISHED IN 1954, Relais & Châteaux, is an association of 580 unique hotels and restaurants throughout the world, owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs – most often families – who are passionate about their craft and deeply committed to forging warm, lasting relationships with their guests.
Relais & Châteaux members protect and promote the wealth and diversity of the world's culinary and hospitality traditions, to ensure they continue to thrive. They are equally dedicated to preserving local heritage and the environment, as articulated in the association's Vision presented to UNESCO in November 2014.
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