Stay with Heritages — Traveling with World Heritage

From Iguassu Falls to the Marrakech Medina, six hotels where you can experience the World Heritage sites that help the planet and its people breathe.

Words Pitch by Pitch

Brazil
Iguassu Falls

Straddling the border between Brazil and Argentina, Iguassu Falls puts the wonder of nature on full display. Stretching 2.7 kilometers across, more than 270 large and small cascades thunder down as if pouring out every stream on Earth. The subtropical rainforest surrounding the falls is also a treasure trove of biodiversity, home to more than 2,000 plant species and rare wildlife such as anteaters and jaguars. Argentina and Brazil each protect their side of the falls as a national park and UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Brazilian side offers the better panorama of the whole, even though roughly two-thirds of the falls belong to Argentina.

Belmond Hotel das Cataratas
Stay at the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas and have the falls all to yourself. It is the only luxury hotel inside Iguassu National Park, and its elegant pink colonial-style building stands out against the greenery. The hotel uses the falls like a giant piece of decor: the mist of Iguassu drifts past the gardens, and the chorus of tropical birds and rushing water plays like background music at the pool and on the balconies. Rooms and suites are furnished with antiques and marble bathrooms, accented with delicate handcrafted fabrics. The hotel also runs private walking tours before the falls open to the public. From 4,400 reais, www.belmond.com

Ecuador
Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands lie about 960 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador in South America. In 1835, Charles Darwin observed the plants and animals here, and he went on to write ‘On the Origin of Species.’ Even today, the Galapagos remain a living stage on which to experience the theory of evolution firsthand, with creatures found nowhere else in the world astonishing every visitor. At the tortoise reserve on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos giant tortoises as big as a person roam, and iguanas crawl all over the beaches. On Isabela Island, you can see the strange ash-gray landscape created by the Negra volcano, which erupted in 2018.

Pikaia Lodge
Pikaia Lodge on Santa Cruz Island is a place to rest thoughtfully amid the remote setting of the Galapagos. The lodge operates in a way that minimizes its impact on nature, and every room offers a sweeping view of the island. It has wellness facilities including an outdoor infinity pool and a spa, and its Evolution restaurant serves dining built around Galapagos ingredients. All-inclusive packages of three nights or more include private yacht sailing and guided Galapagos expedition tours with an expert. Three-night package from $4,650 per person, www.pikaialodge.com

Indonesia
Borobudur

Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in central Java, is a cultural heritage site comparable to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is believed to have been built in the ninth century during the Sailendra dynasty. After the dynasty fell, it was forgotten for centuries and was not excavated until the nineteenth century by a British survey team. It took a full 1,000 years for the world to learn of it again. The temple itself is regarded as a single work of art expressing Mahayana Buddhist and Hindu thought. It is a three-tiered square pyramid about 112 meters on each side and 31.5 meters high, with 504 Buddha statues to be found within. The base and balustrades of each level are delicately carved with scenes of everyday Javanese life and the life of the Buddha.

Amanjiwo
Amanjiwo is a resort overlooking Borobudur and the deep green landscape around it. Its design was inspired by the temple’s stupas. Stepping down from the main building with its circular hall, past 36 suites, to the pool, it recreates the feeling of walking through the temple. True to the Aman reputation, it offers wellness programs that blend with local culture, along with activities such as private tours to Borobudur and visits to an organic coffee farm. A package that includes a seven-hour train journey from Jakarta Station to Yogyakarta Station comes with meals and drinks on the train, plus a lecture by an anthropologist on the history and culture of Java. From $900 per night, www.aman.com

Morocco
Marrakech

The Medina, Marrakech’s old city, is the heart of Berber history and culture. The Almoravid dynasty built it in the eleventh century, and 19 kilometers of ochre-colored walls still stand firm. The maze of narrow alleys, the bustling traditional souks, and the distinctive architecture lay centuries of history bare. Centered on Djemaa el-Fna square, where street performances run from morning until late at night, you will find a mosque built by Spaniards in the twelfth century, tombs of a sixteenth-century dynasty, royal palaces of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the people of today. In the Medina, past and present unfold layer by layer.

La Mamounia
La Mamounia is an exotic traditional Moroccan mansion built in 1923, renovated with the help of designer Jacques Garcia and reopened in 2020. It has gardens lush with orange trees and roses, four restaurants, an outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees, a Pierre Hermé tearoom, and even a private cinema. The hotel also offers guided tours covering Djemaa el-Fna, the alleys of the Medina, Majorelle Garden, and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. From 20,000 Moroccan dirhams, mamounia.com

Portugal
Douro Valley

Follow the Douro River east of Porto, cutting through the valleys of the Marão and Montemuro mountains, and you arrive at the Douro Valley. It is famous for its beautiful natural scenery, its villages and, above all, its port wine. The 4,600 hectares of terraced vineyards spread across the hills and slopes of the valley are the main reason travelers come all this way. Sheltered from harsh sea winds, with a mild climate and fertile soil, it is considered the finest port wine region. It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in recognition of more than 2,000 years of winemaking history and its distinctiveness.

Six Senses Douro Valley
Housed in a beautifully restored nineteenth-century manor, Six Senses Douro Valley overlooks the surrounding vineyards and the Douro River. Its 71 rooms take in peaceful views, and its dining spaces, where you can experience local cuisine and wine, and its wine library are superb. It also has lush gardens, an outdoor pool, and the spa facilities that are Six Senses’ pride. You can join port wine tastings and farm-to-table cooking classes to savor to your heart’s content the cuisine that blooms from the Douro’s nature. Two nights from 3,600 euros, www.sixsenses.com

Colombia
Cartagena

Cartagena is a coastal city in northern Colombia, facing the Caribbean Sea. During the colonial era, it served as a trading port and gateway linking South America and Europe, and it prospered by embracing European culture early on. The massive fortresses built then to guard the harbor still look down over the city, recalling the past. The UNESCO World Heritage–listed Old Town is the highlight of any trip to Cartagena. Inside 13 kilometers of city walls, Spanish-style buildings in every color line a maze of cobblestone streets, and flowers beautifully arranged on every balcony catch the eye.

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena
Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena is a place where you can experience 400 years of history. It began in the 17th century as a convent, was later used as a hospital and a medical school, and its architecture, a blend of colonial-era styles, is the city’s history made tangible. It was then transformed into a hotel and reborn as an exotic retreat. An outdoor pool now occupies the site of the nuns’ orchard, and the old cloister courtyard has become a garden lush with palms and orchids. Gabriel García Márquez’s novel ‘Of Love and Other Demons’ is said to have been inspired by this very convent. From $360 per night, sofitellegendsantaclara.com