Exclusive | Hotels We Love: Island Idylls

There?s something about an island that really makes you feel like you?ve left all your cares behind. So hop on a ferry or book a flight and skim over to the waves to these idyllic island escapes on my three favorite islands of all time: Martha?s Vineyard, Vancouver Island, and Ireland.

Lambert?s Cove Inn, Martha?s Vineyard
90 Manaquayak Road, Vineyard Haven; 508-693-2298; $165+
Popular honeymoon haven, Martha's Vineyard is a deliciously romantic, off-season escape. Once the hordes of summer have traipsed back on board the last ferry on Labor Day, the island relaxes into its winter rhythm; lonely lighthouses and deserted beaches make perfect backdrops for walks, and inns with roaring fires await. The 15-room Lambert's Cove Inn in West Tisbury is a luxurious boutique hideaway. This sophisticated gay-owned property boasts Thyme's eucalyptus-scented amenities, 500-thread-count Egyptian-cotton linens, and feather beds. And the inn's 70-seat restaurant features an outstanding contemporary American menu.

The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Victoria, British Columbia
623 Courtney St; 1-877-MAGNOLIA; C189+
Victoria's four-diamond, European-style luxury boutique hotel, the Magnolia perches on the British Columbian capital?s historic Inner Harbour, adjacent to the province?s largest public art collection at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Elegant rooms feature crown moldings, floor-to-ceiling windows, fireplaces, and crisp linens. Opulent bathrooms boast glass walk-in showers and separate deep soaker tubs.

The G Hotel, Galway, Ireland
Wellpark; +353-91-865-200; EUR200+
Galway is a small city with a huge personality. The vibrant college town's calendar is confettied with festivals, but don?t let that distract you. The City of Tribes' G Hotel consists of 101 rooms of utter loveliness, frivolous lounges, and the sexiest spa I have ever seen. Galway-born Philip Treacy, gay milliner to the stars, has designed a playful confection of a hotel good enough to eat. The hotel is so delicious, in fact, that you?ll find it very hard to tear yourself away to explore the city's boisterous bars, scatter of fine seafood restaurants, and breezy river walks. Top in-room temptations include the bathroom?s swooping stand-alone tub and LCD TV, enticing room service menus, and over-bed Linda Evangelista portraits.

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