Mystery and Legend at the Burman Hotel, the Best New Hotel of 2025

"Anchored in Tallinn’s Old Town amid legends of the devil’s wedding, a mermaid’s well, and Michel Sittow’s nearby home, this 17‑room hideaway — winner of MICHELIN Inspectors’ 2025 Opening of the Year Award — marries painstaking historic restoration with unapologetic luxury and an intimate adjoining casino. First opened in 1850 and among the city’s oldest hotels, it was revived after a 2021 closure to reveal what might be the most luxe hotel in the Baltics, preserving Karl Burman’s 1930 innovations (asymmetrical balconies, varied window boxes), the curved lobby staircase with its elegant wooden handrail, and century‑old Estonian parquet in select Heritage Suites. Comforts are extravagant: access to a private jet for shopping trips in European capitals, hyperluxurious Amouage bath products, Paris‑handcrafted Orient Express–grade mattresses, a pillow menu ranging from down to buckwheat, and bathrooms MICHELIN Inspectors called “stunning,” with spacious showers and electronic bidets. The minimalist subterranean spa offers a 43°C Japanese pool, hydromassage Jacuzzi, deep‑tissue treatments, and Biologique Recherche therapies. Service suits the scale — staff remember your name and coffee order, handwritten welcome notes and daily weather forecasts appear with charming regularity — and dining includes two MICHELIN‑recommended restaurants, Shang Shi and Koyo, plus Maison Francois, an on‑site Belgian bakery. Steps from the Town Hall, the Niguliste Church Museum, and sweeping viewpoints, it’s both a polished launchpad and a destination in itself; couples should consider the top‑floor Kellalac Heritage Suite with its larger bathtub, bedroom, and separate living room. Ultimately, it’s a luxe gem that’s more affordable than almost any comparable Two‑Key hotel in the world and should put Tallinn on everyone’s radar." - The MICHELIN Guide