According to AAA, most people book flights for holidays airfare between September 25 and October 27. Have you been daydreaming about a Caribbean getaway over the holidays? Consider heading to The Bahamas and feel good supporting the local economy while you work on that tan. Fourteen beautiful islands in The Bahamas were unharmed and are ready to welcome you! All but two airports are open - including Nassau’s international airport, Bimini, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Great Harbour Cay, San Salvador, and Acklins Islands.

“One of the best ways that people from around the world can show their support and solidarity with The Bahamas at this time, is to visit our other islands by air or by cruise ship,” says Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. “To keep our economy strong in order to help with recovery and reconstruction, we will need to keep our booming tourism economy vibrant.”

Tourism accounts for more than half of The Bahamas' economy, and for a feel-good island getaway, I recommend treating yourself at the Four Seasons' Ocean Club on Paradise Island. I can secure great amenities here for my clients like free room upgrades, breakfast and more. The hotel also showcases local Bahamian art, and is one of the terrific museum-like hotels on this list for art-lovers.

Article excerpt by Megan Padilla and Amiee White Beazley originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Virtuoso Life.

Ocean Club

To spotlight Bahamian art, the general manager at Paradise Island’s Ocean Club, a Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas chooses a local artist each year and exhibits his or her work in the hotel’s lobby and some of its 107 rooms. If guests are interested, the GM can make an introduction, pending the artist’s availability.

Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa

Inspiration comes easy in Arizona’s saguaro- and sandstone-dotted landscapes. When it opened last year, the Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa collaborated with the Cattle Track Arts Compound to showcase nearby artists’ talents. The resort’s 201 rooms – housed in low-slung bungalows spread across 22 acres – pair mid-century modern furniture with locally produced artworks. Oversize installations fill public spaces, and practically every item in the resort’s boutique comes from an area artist – even the bright ceramic coffee cups on the table at Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen are for sale. Guests are encouraged to get creative too, at weekly artist-in-residence-led workshops on felting, ceramics, and more. Come dinnertime, feel free to grab a cup of colored pencils and doodle on a woodcut-printed coaster. (And yes, that is Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting on the TV over the bar.)

The Silo

This soaring Cape Town space is the world’s first hotel to share a building – a converted grain silo – with a contemporary art museum. Occupying six floors above the Zeitz MOCAA, The Silo's public spaces and 28 rooms feature works from African artists also on display downstairs; museum entrance is complimentary for Silo guests.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

The 90-room Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Italy’s Lake Como recently acquired Villa Sola Cabiati, the former summer residence of the Serbelloni dukes. Travelers can book the six-suite villa in all of its eighteenth century glory – and spend their vacation surrounded by Renaissance paintings, frescoes, and majolica. Napoleon Bonaparte’s former bed is in the attic – but that one’s off limits.

Reverie Saigon

Vietnam’s Reverie Saigon welcomes with touches of Italian art and decor, including an ornate Murano glass installation on the lobby ceiling. The 286-room hotel’s curator-led tour includes stops at a few of the city’s museums, galleries, and art studios, such as Duc Minh, a private gallery known for its modern and postmodern collections.

Dolder Grand

Pick up an iPad at the front desk of Zürich’s Dolder Grand for a self-guided tour of the 175-room hotel’s impressive 100-plus piece art collection. Andy Warhol’s Big Retrospective Painting is the showstopper above the reception desk, but works by Joan Miró, Tamara de Lempicka, Takashi Murakami, and others are on display in the hotel and on its grounds.

Contact me for your stay in an art-filled hotel with exclusive amenities!