What It Takes to Be A Belmond Legend

For over four decades, our friends at Belmond have been crafting exceptional travel experiences with a pioneering spirit and a passion for authenticity—each property has a story to tell, and fortunately for us, this collection of Belmond Legends is captured in a visual journey by some of the world’s greatest photographers.

…it’s undeniable that the brand’s long-standing commitment to creative expression has brought to life the dynamic and authentic moments that provide a glance into genuine guest experiences.

When it comes to dreaming up where you want to stay next, so much of that highly personal decision-making process is dominated by the effectiveness with which a property or destination can tell its story. Notably, Belmond has taken a slightly different approach than many other leading hospitality brands, whereby instead of quick gimmicky cuts, they’re favoring a ‘slow luxury,’ as seen by their January 2025 launch of a new film series, “Long Shots.” Whether you’re sitting down to watch one of their 60-minute films designed for passive viewing and active dreaming, or checking out one of our latest stories on the brand—the recap of our time aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express isn’t to be missed—it’s undeniable that the brand’s long-standing commitment to creative expression has brought to life the dynamic and authentic moments that provide a glance into genuine guest experiences.

In this roundup, we’re recapping what stands out about some of the most epic products in the brand’s collection: Belmond Legends. Beyond being exceptional stays shaped by a personalized approach to service and design-forward accommodations, the essence of these places has been captured by photographs that offer a progressive and personal perspective on these already iconic destinations, in turn, showing each property in a new light.

Copacabana Palace: Rio’s Energetic Spirit

Set along the iconic curve of Copacabana Beach, the Copa hums with energy from sunrise swims to sunset caipirinhas by its legendary pool.

Copacabana Palace, a Belmond Hotel is the heartbeat of Rio—an address where the city’s electric spirit, beachside allure, and cosmopolitan edge all converge. Set along the iconic curve of Copacabana Beach, the Copa hums with energy from sunrise swims to sunset caipirinhas by its legendary pool. Inside, the mood is equally vibrant: a meeting point for culture seekers, business travelers, epicureans, and sun-chasers who come for the city’s pulse and stay for the Copa’s unmistakable charisma. It’s Rio at its most effortless and exuberant, a cosmopolitan playground where locals and global tastemakers mingle in style.

Yet beneath the glamour of the present lies a century of storied history. When the hotel opened in 1923—crafted by architect Joseph Gire and inspired by the grand hotels of the Côte d’Azur—it instantly became Brazil’s stage for high society, artistic expression, and global intrigue. Its eclectic and Art Deco design set the tone for a destination where the world’s elite gathered: Brigitte Bardot strolls along the sand, Albert Einstein lectures upstairs, and the Rolling Stones soundtrack the night. Today, guests can choose between the Palace Building’s historic opulence or the Deco Building’s contemporary indulgence, experiencing firsthand why the Copa remains a symbol of legendary glamour—a place where Rio doesn’t just begin, but endlessly unfolds.

Maroma: The Beating Heart of the Riviera Maya

…shaped by generations of Mayan masons, the resort reflects an artisanal ethos that honors both its history and the cultural traditions of the region.

Maroma’s story is rooted in sacred architecture and authentic craftsmanship, a property originally shaped by believers in Sacred Geometry who aligned its white-stucco buildings with the land’s natural energy fields. Built entirely from local materials—palm, bamboo, and stone from Mérida—and shaped by generations of Mayan masons, the resort reflects an artisanal ethos that honors both its history and the cultural traditions of the region. Perhaps most notably, Maroma, a Belmond Hotel is set along a gorgeous white sand beach lapped by the vibrant Caribbean Sea, where lush sands, revered cenotes, and an intricate network of underwater caves create a landscape that feels both empowering and deeply connected to nature’s mysticism.

A stay here is all about surrendering to the rhythm of Riviera Maya days—slow, sun-drenched, and effortlessly sensual. Guests drift between serene pools and the sea’s turquoise edge, pausing only for memorable meals that spotlight regional flavors or for spa rituals that draw on ancient healing traditions and the energy of the surrounding jungle. Whether you’re exploring a sacred cenote, meditating beneath the palms, or simply listening to the waves from a shaded terrace, Maroma invites you to reconnect with yourself and the natural world in a way that feels both restorative and transcendent.

Cap Juluca: Where Island Bliss Finds Its Meaning

…many of the beloved “Julucans” have been here since the resort opened in 1988, weaving warmth and welcome into every stay.

Cap Juluca has always been the kind of place that teaches you what island bliss really means. Set across 179 acres on Anguilla’s southwestern tip, the resort curves gracefully along two sugar-soft coves on Maundays Bay—a setting so cinematic it practically begs you to exhale. This is where the island’s barefoot ease meets a refined, quietly glamorous indulgence, the kind that drew the global jet set long before Instagram discovered it. And yet, what makes Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel, truly special is its sense of family; many of the beloved “Julucans” have been here since the resort opened in 1988, weaving warmth and welcome into every stay. Days unfold between sunrise yoga, breezy Guerlain spa rituals, and spirited tennis matches—all designed to leave you feeling as restored as the sea looks.

After its 2018 renovation, Cap Juluca emerged brighter than ever, thanks to designer Lauren Rottet’s blend of natural authenticity and modern comfort. Local artisans shaped everything from the curved architectural details to the jewel-toned accents that echo Anguilla’s blues and greens. The result feels like a Caribbean stage set just for you: a hideaway where you can slip into your silver-screen alter ego, whether lounging poolside, wandering crescent beaches, or sipping something cold as the sun melts into the bay. It’s no wonder the resort has captivated the likes of Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, and Princess Alexandra—Cap Juluca is, and always has been, the sort of place that makes everyone feel like an icon in their own island story.

What drew them all here wasn’t just luxury—it was the ineffable sense of connection, history, and warmth that defines this beloved pink palace.

Mount Nelson is Cape Town’s joyful pink icon—a hotel with a legacy as vibrant as its pastel façade. Originally the family estate of Sir Hamilton Ross, the property evolved into a grand hotel in 1899 and quickly captured international acclaim. Its signature blush hue was introduced in 1918 to celebrate the end of WWI, while the Greek-columned entrance and palm-lined driveway were later added to honor the Prince of Wales. Over the decades, the Nellie has welcomed everyone from Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela to Marlene Dietrich and Leonardo DiCaprio. What drew them all here wasn’t just luxury—it was the ineffable sense of connection, history, and warmth that defines this beloved pink palace.

What truly sets Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel apart is its nine-acre garden oasis—a rare green sanctuary in the heart of Cape Town. Beneath canopies of wild olive trees and alongside 200-year-old sentinels, vineyards, and an aviary, guests can wander, unwind, and embrace the property’s park-like calm. Days might include tennis, swimming, or sunrise yoga under the open sky, while picnics on the expansive lawns (all set against the dramatic rise of Table Mountain!) offer a beloved local escape. Here, Mount Nelson becomes not just a place to stay but a verdant world of its own.

Splendido: The Radiant Stage of Portofino

…Splendido’s greatest luxury is the sense of peace it evokes—the feeling of being tucked away, yet effortlessly connected to the beauty below.

Splendido, a Belmond Hotel is Portofino at its most transportive—a radiant hillside escape that lets you rise above the village’s lively rhythm and slip into a world where time seems to unfurl more slowly. Perched high above the harbor, the property offers a rare kind of stillness, the kind that invites you to shed the everyday and surrender to pure, carefree indulgence. Its historic architecture and sweeping terraces feel suspended between sea and sky, each balcony and patio angled toward Portofino’s astonishing panorama. Whether you’re gazing across the bay from a sun-drenched nook or wandering through fragrant hillside paths, Splendido’s greatest luxury is the sense of peace it evokes—the feeling of being tucked away, yet effortlessly connected to the beauty below.

At the heart of this reverie is the seawater pool, a serene sanctuary where the essence of the Ligurian Sea is distilled into a private, pampering experience. Guests drift between loungers and cool dips, wrapped in the quiet pleasure of being both seen and cared for, relishing the kind of rejuvenation only Splendido seems to master. Yet for all its tranquility, the property has always been a palace of conviviality, a backdrop for celebrations that have become part of Portofino’s lore. From Richard Burton proposing to Elizabeth Taylor to Madonna ringing in her 50th birthday, Splendido has long drawn royals, Hollywood icons, and discerning travelers seeking both intimacy and delight. To stay here is to become part of that joyful lineage—a place where memories aren’t just made, but cherished.

Hotel Cipriani: The Venetian Oasis Where Legends are Made

Over time, Cipriani has developed a personality as captivating as its guests: bold yet refined, indulgent yet intimate, a world unto itself that feels lifted straight from the golden age of travel.

Hotel Cipriani, a Belmond Hotel is where Venice’s legend comes to life—a place where profound glamour and effortless serenity have intertwined since Giuseppe Cipriani first opened its doors in 1958. For decades, the hotel has been a magnet for European jetsetters, Hollywood A-listers, artists, royals, and cultural icons who arrived not only to see and be seen but to revel in the hotel’s singular charisma. Over time, Cipriani has developed a personality as captivating as its guests: bold yet refined, indulgent yet intimate, a world unto itself that feels lifted straight from the golden age of travel. Step onto its grounds and you understand instantly—you’re entering a chapter of Venetian history that continues to shape the mythos of this extraordinary city.

Yet what truly defines the Cipriani experience is its role as the true heir to La Serenissima (meaning, “The Most Serene Republic of Venice”). While the center of town around St. Mark’s Square hums with crowds, on the island of Giudecca, just a few minutes’ water taxi away, the hotel’s gardens offer a soft, secluded exhale—a return to the quiet luxury affluent Venetians once sought here centuries ago. Guests slip easily between the cultural riches of Venice and the restorative calm of the hotel, finding sanctuary in a space that feels both timeless and deeply personal. At the heart of it all lies the famed saltwater pool, a travertine-clad icon whose oversized footprint (thanks to a happy architectural miscalculation in which feet were mistaken for metres) has made it one of Venice’s most coveted scenes. To swim or sun here is to join a select lineage, summering in the city with an ease and elegance that only Cipriani can inspire.

Caruso: The Haven Beyond Sky & Sea

Caruso, a Belmond Hotel is Ravello at its most romantic—a haven suspended between history and the heavens. Set within a meticulously restored 11th-century palace, the property carries the soul of its past in every vaulted archway, frescoed corridor, and stone passageway, while embracing the ease and elegance of modern luxury. Wander through its terraced gardens and you feel the centuries unfold around you, the architecture echoing the cultural richness that has long made Ravello a refuge for artists, dreamers, and lovers chasing beauty along the Amalfi Coast.

And then there’s the infinity pool, Caruso’s shimmering crown jewel, often called one of the most beautiful in the world.

Yet nothing captures Caruso’s magic quite like its perspective—perched on the cliffs at the very edge of the horizon, where sea and sky dissolve into one. Here, views spill endlessly across the Tyrrhenian, turning every balcony, pathway, and quiet corner into a front-row seat to the coast’s breathtaking sweep. And then there’s the infinity pool, Caruso’s shimmering crown jewel, often called one of the most beautiful in the world. Floating at its edge feels like swimming in the sky itself, a moment where gravity softens, time disappears, and the Amalfi Coast reveals its most transcendent self.

La Residencia: The Sanctuary of Artistic Energy

La Residencia is the soul of Deià—an intimate sanctuary where artistic energy seems to hang in the air in every cozy corner of the sweeping property. Once an agricultural estate sustained by centuries-old olive groves and orchards, the property has transformed over the past four decades into a magnetic creative enclave. Under Sir Richard Branson’s stewardship, it became a hideaway for musicians, writers, directors, and cultural icons—Bono, Bob Geldof, Pierce Brosnan, and even Princess Diana—each drawn to its bohemian heartbeat and natural beauty. Today, as a Belmond hotel, that legacy lives on through an esteemed contemporary art collection and a thriving artist residency program, ensuring that inspiration remains the currency of the house and that La Residencia, a Belmond Hotel continues to champion the creative spirit that shaped its past.

Set between the UNESCO-protected Serra de Tramuntana mountains and the shimmering Mediterranean, La Residencia offers a landscape as stirring as the art it inspires. Terraces frame vistas of green-cloaked peaks and endless blue water, while three hillside pools create the sensation of swimming directly within the mountains. At the heart of the property’s culinary expression is El Olivo, where Mallorcan flavors unfold as a multi-course work of art—served beneath the stars or within a 16th-century farmhouse surrounded by ancient olive trees. With handcrafted local ceramics, contemporary Mallorcan artworks, and views that feel painted by nature itself, La Residencia is a place where creativity isn’t just encouraged—it’s unavoidable.

Grand Hotel Timeo: The Front Row to Sicily’s Eternal Beauty

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn fell under its spell; and generations of wanderers have come here to feel part of Sicily’s enduring story.

Grand Hotel Timeo offers a front-row seat to some of Sicily’s most captivating stories; this is a place where millennia of myth, art, and romance converge. Its origins trace back to Timaeus, the great Greek historian and son of Taormina’s founder, and its setting beside the ancient Greek Theatre gives the hotel a direct line to the island’s dramatic past. What began in the 19th century as the private home of Don Francesco La Floresta soon blossomed into Taormina’s first hotel, welcoming travelers eager to witness the views immortalized by artist Otto Geleng. As the town transformed from a quiet fishing village into a coveted escape, Timeo became the haunt of Europe’s elite—aristocrats, artists, film stars, and free spirits seeking a place where creativity and beauty thrived without constraint. D.H. Lawrence and Tennessee Williams wrote from its terrace; Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn fell under its spell; and generations of wanderers have come here to feel part of Sicily’s enduring story.

The hotel’s hillside gardens and volcanic vistas only deepen the enchantment. Built into the cliffs of Taormina, Grand Hotel Timeo, a Belmond Hotel overlooks the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna in a panorama so sweeping it feels almost otherworldly. Terraced lawns spill down the hillside, hosting picnics, open-air art exhibits, and moonlit musical performances. And then there is the legendary Literary Terrace—where writers, painters, and Hollywood icons have long gathered to create, converse, and revel in the view that stretches from manicured gardens to deep blue waters to Etna’s smoking summit. It remains an irresistible sanctuary for contemplation and inspiration, proof that at Grand Hotel Timeo, beauty isn’t just observed—it’s lived.

VSOE: Step Onto A Legend in Motion

…the train’s literary and cinematic legacy, from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express to Bond’s spycraft and Hitchcock’s mysteries, and it becomes clear why the VSOE has captivated travelers and storytellers for nearly a century.

Step aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and you enter the golden age of travel—an era of opulence, intrigue, and a joie de vivre that still gleams through every midnight-blue carriage. Champagne once flowed beneath Lalique panels as royalty, diplomats, artists, and bon vivants gathered in Louis XIV–style salons, swapping stories over cigars and live music while Europe’s grand châteaux drifted past the windows. The train’s interiors remain a world unto themselves: Baccarat and Saint-Louis crystal, Haviland china, and original Art Deco marquetry crafted by the same artisans who shaped the train nearly a century ago. These legendary objects—gleaming porcelain, crystal glasses, intricate woodwork—root you in the romance of the past while offering a striking canvas for contemporary design touches. Layer in the train’s literary and cinematic legacy, from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express to Bond’s spycraft and Hitchcock’s mysteries, and it becomes clear why the VSOE has captivated travelers and storytellers for nearly a century.

Yet the true magic of the VSOE lies in the Europe it reveals—its shifting moods, remote contours, and lesser-seen edges unfolding outside your window. From lacquered cabins and plush armchairs, passengers watch Alpine giants rise along the Gotthard Pass, Champagne’s rolling vineyards unfurl in soft green waves, and the wilder landscapes of Eastern Europe pulse with folklore and shadow. Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria give way to thick riparian forests, mirrored lakes, and the winding arteries of the Danube, all leading toward the storied domes and minarets of Istanbul. Every bend in the track offers a new perspective, a fresh chapter in a journey where history, beauty, craft, and imagination move in perfect rhythm.

Ready to book your stay at a Belmond Legend? Connect with a SmartFlyer travel advisor to get planning.