Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa

The thermal springs of Baden-Baden, in southwestern Germany, have enjoyed fame since ancient Roman times. The town’s Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, bordering the gingko-lined Lichtenaler Allee, is no secret either. Since the property’s founding in 1834, every high-powered politico and cultural notable (Johann Strauss; Richard Tauber; Charles de Gaulle) has rested his head under a leather-tufted headboard or gilt-framed painting, and parted the guest rooms’ toile de jouy drapes. These days, chef Andreas Krolik’s classic, complex cuisine (recently awarded a second Michelin star) turns heads; try the marinated Danube salmon with Kaernten caviar. The hotel’s other claim to fame, the expansive spa—with a Roman–style pool, blossom baths, and two types of saunas—offers curative rituals, such as Secret of the Lotus, a pearl-powder body peel, silk-glove massage, and milk bath.