Dallas

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas is an elegant, polished retreat in the heart of Uptown with an excellent restaurant and spacious spa. Read Indagare's review.

The Italian Renaissance–inspired estate, built in the 1920s by a cotton mogul, was among the first fanciful constructions in the now mansion-stuffed neighborhood. Rosewood’s Caroline Rose Hunt bought the property in 1979 and over the course of the next decade transformed it into one of the U.S.’s best-known and most beloved hotels.

Designed to feel like a private home—albeit a showy one; you are in Dallas, after all—the Mansion has retained such original details as smooth marble floors, carved-plaster ceilings, stained-glass windows and the lobby’s 32-foot-high marble rotunda. The 143 spacious rooms, including several luxe (some might say over-the-top) suites, contain lots of antiques, original art and plush fabrics, as well as hefty four-posters with curtains, large flower arrangements, sofas; airy Italian-marble bathrooms are stocked with Lady Primrose bath products. Subtle it is not, but many high-profile travelers consider the Mansion the quintessential Dallas property.

The somewhat removed location should not deter visitors who plan to do a lot of sightseeing in the Arts District: the hotel provides guests with complimentary car service to anywhere within a five-mile radius.