Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg

Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg

"With its ornate white-and-yellow facade and gilded cupola, this property captures the opulence and grandeur of St. Petersburg itself. An exacting eight-year renovation of an 1820 palace designed for Princess Lobanova-Rostovskaya has resulted in a sumptuous retreat, whose 183 rooms have spacious white-marble baths and furniture in keeping with imperial Russian design. Equally impressive is the service (the hotel offers behind-the-scenes tours of the Mariinsky Theatre), the stunning four-story spa (including a banya, or Russian bath), and two of the best restaurants in town. It’s a hotel fit for—you guessed it—a czar. –Alexander Lobrano"