Best Hotel Bathroom Views

By Lyndsey Matthews
January 07, 2011
Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco
From views of the Serengeti to panoramas of Manhattan skyscrapers, bathing is never dull in these bathrooms.
You stumble from bed in the morning, bleary eyed, and head straight for the bathroom. As you fumble to find your toothbrush, your eyes focus on the jagged snow-covered peaks of the Teton Mountain Range. No—you're not still asleep and dreaming. You're in a bathroom in one of the 40 suites at the Amangani Resort located in Jackson, WY.

When there's nothing to look at but grout and boring bath tiles, bathing can be a dull chore—one that travel has the ability to transform from day-to-day drudgery to a memorable, even luxurious, experience. The following hotels, located in some of the world's most picturesque national parks and exciting cities, realize this and kick-start their guests' sightseeing by bringing the outdoors inside.

It's not exactly what E. M. Forster had in mind when he wrote about a room with a view. But there's no denying it's revitalizing to start your day at Shanghai's Hyatt on the Bund, in the Pudong district on the Huangpu River, with a shower looking through floor-to-ceiling windows at the illuminated pinnacle of Jin Mao Tower.

If you prefer seascapes to urban panoramas, head to St. Lucia's Jade Mountain, where the rooms have no fourth wall and are completely open to the elements. There you can unwind in a whirlpool tub, which is raised above the rest of the living area, for unobstructed views of the Caribbean Sea and the verdant mountainsides of the Pitons World Heritage Site.

However, there's no need to worry—these hotels are not replacing function with form in these astounding bathrooms. The following are also some of the world's most well appointed bathrooms, complete with marble finishings, heated floors, and royal-worthy toiletries. Though some of the toilets in these bathrooms have great views, too, rest assured many of them also have separate water closets so that the loos are a little less, ahem, public.

So, sit back, relax in private, and take in the scenery.
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Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, CA

Kodiak Greenwood

From the tiled baths in the resort's ocean-view rooms, guests can take in seascapes of the Pacific Ocean and Big Sur coastline. Mountain-view rooms include views of the Santa Lucia peaks and rugged Ventana Wilderness. If you want to be even closer to nature, head outdoors for a soak in a stainless-steel hot tub on the private terrace of the Peak House.

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InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa, Bora Bora

Courtesy of InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa

The bathtubs in the over-water villas set on stilts at this secluded spa resort overlook the pristine blue lagoon and Mount Otemanu. If you'd like to get even closer to nature, head outside for a swim in the turquoise lagoon.

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Amangani, Jackson, WY

Courtesy of Amanresorts

Catch vistas of the Grand Teton mountain range and Jackson Hole valley below from your bathroom at this grand resort. Gigantic picture windows offer snowcapped views from the sunken tubs or separate showers in each of the 40 suites, set on the western tip of East Gros Ventre Butte.

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Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai

Courtesy of Hyatt on the Bund

Can't decide whether to bathe in the rain shower or the jetted spa tub? Either way you'll have unobstructed panoramas of the Pudong skyscrapers—including the spheres of the Oriental Pearl Tower—across the Huangpu River through floor-to-ceiling windows at this luxe hotel.

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Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris

Courtesy of Christoph Kicherer/Hôtel Plaza Athénée

All of the rooms in the Eiffel Suite on the hotel's eighth floor have views of the iconic tower. However, you'll be tempted to spend most of your time admiring the monument from the roomy bathtub.

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Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman

Courtesy of Six Senses Resorts & Spas/Kiattipong Panchee

If you're looking to catch the most exhilarating view of Zighy Bay, you can paraglide into the resort. Want something more tranquil? The bathtub and shower on the enclosed patio in the Private Reserve suite have views of the Gulf of Oman and sandy stretches of beach.

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Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India

Courtesy of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts

The views of the Taj Mahal from the stand-alone tubs directly in front of the window in the hotel's top floor suites are unique. It'll be hard to pry your eyes away from the monument to even notice the rest of the elegant and roomy marble and granite bathrooms, which come with baskets of ayurvedic toiletries.

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Singita Sasakwa Lodge, Singita Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania

Courtesy of Singita Game Reserves

Each of the Edwardian-style cottages at this lodge has a claw-footed bathtub that looks out over the infinite plains and diverse wildlife of the Serengeti. Even if you aren't brushing your teeth or showering, you can still unwind in these oversize bathrooms—they're large enough to fit an armchair where you can sit and enjoy the views.

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Trump SoHo, New York City

Courtesy of Trump SoHo New York

The Donald knows how to spoil his guests. Deep-soaking tubs placed in front of floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the glittering skyline, Statue of Liberty, or the Empire State Building. A majority of the hotel's 46 stories rise high above the rest of the surrounding buildings, providing unobstructed views.

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Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

Courtesy of Jade Mountain

The sanctuaries (don't call them rooms) at this Caribbean resort have only three walls, making the Piton mountains, which rise sharply from the immaculately blue Caribbean Sea below, part of the space. Rinse off in the rain shower after a dip in the private infinity pool, or take a long soak in the whirlpool tub, which is raised up on a pedestal for the best views possible.

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Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco

Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco

The bathtubs in Mandarin Golden Gate rooms look out not only over the famous bridge, but also onto the Bay and the Transamerica Pyramid. After walking up and down the city's notoriously steep hills, be sure to relax your sore muscles with a long soak in the tub while watching the sun set behind the Golden Gate.

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