90 houses · 25 cities
For those who travel for the place,not just the destination.
Each one walked, written up and argued over before it made the list.
Pictured · Keemala · Phuket, a Bird's Nest Pool Villa at dusk
25 cities
Each on the list for a reason of its own
From the desk · This month
Dubai
For deciding whether you want a garden, a tower or an island.
They are not the same holiday. There is a walled garden of 65 acres that never goes above 2 storeys, a stack of white blocks 43 storeys up with a swimming pool on the roof, and an island 300 metres offshore with its own marina. Decide which of those you want before anything else.
Wander by theme
For when the question isn’t where, but what kind
New to Kismet
Colonial bungalows on Sentosa, a corner of Brook Street, a palace on the Place de la Concorde, and a marina at Umm Suqeim.
6 houses
Houses with a story
A marble palace on Lake Pichola, a royal residence the family still lives in, the first Aman, a harbour front open since 1903.
6 houses
The great city houses
The Grand Canal, Colaba, Lutyens' Delhi, Tsim Sha Tsui, MG Road, and a bend of the Chao Phraya.
6 houses
Worth the detour
A coffee estate, a private island, a villa above Moltrasio, a coconut plantation on Phuket.
5 houses
For the design-obsessed
A pool in a beam 100 metres above Dubai, a mosaic nymphaeum at Cernobbio, a coral screen on Jumeira Bay, a fort rebuilt in white marble.
6 houses
Where the kitchen is the reason
Persian cooking from a family's own recipes, a tandoor worked in the open, a tasting menu with the kitchen wall taken out.
5 houses
New to KismetColonial bungalows on Sentosa, a corner of Brook Street, a palace on the Place de la Concorde, and a marina at Umm Suqeim.6 housesHouses with a storyA marble palace on Lake Pichola, a royal residence the family still lives in, the first Aman, a harbour front open since 1903.6 housesThe great city housesThe Grand Canal, Colaba, Lutyens' Delhi, Tsim Sha Tsui, MG Road, and a bend of the Chao Phraya.6 housesWorth the detourA coffee estate, a private island, a villa above Moltrasio, a coconut plantation on Phuket.5 housesFor the design-obsessedA pool in a beam 100 metres above Dubai, a mosaic nymphaeum at Cernobbio, a coral screen on Jumeira Bay, a fort rebuilt in white marble.6 housesWhere the kitchen is the reasonPersian cooking from a family's own recipes, a tandoor worked in the open, a tasting menu with the kitchen wall taken out.5 housesWhy Kismet
Choosing where to stay shouldn’t feel like comparing spreadsheets.
Kismet brings together extraordinary houses and tells you what makes each one worth the journey — from the room worth booking to the table worth reserving, the floor to ask for and the hour to be there.
Every house, written up in full
- Rooms & views
- Tables, with hours
- The grounds
- Policies, up front
- Rates, in full
Curated
A deliberately small collection. 90 houses, and there is no page two.
Considered
We tell you what actually matters — which estate, which floor, which table, and when.
Transparent
Real room choices. What you pay now and what you pay at the house, shown separately. No countdown clocks, no games.
Every house, written up in full
- Rooms & views
- Tables, with hours
- The grounds
- Policies, up front
- Rates, in full
Word travels quietly.
A letter now and then — a new city, a house worth the detour. Never more than we’d want to receive.