Asbury Ocean Club Hotel

"Many hotels attempt to transport visitors to another place or time, or at least sequester them from the outside world. Ocean Club actually fulfills that promise. Miami? Santorini? Standing on the outdoor terrace among the fully grown pine trees and wisteria-cloaked pergola shading an open-air bar, you’d buy either. Designer Anda Andrei oriented the fourth floor, which contains all 54 guest rooms, to align perfectly with the horizon, giving the illusion that nothing but sea lies just beyond the edge of the pool fringed by minimalist loungers. A colorful bench by artist Dirk Vander Kooij, roving granita cart, and man-made installation of sand dunes fill out the frame. Taking the scene in, it’s hard to believe you’re only an hour and a half from Manhattan."