Cover The private swimming pool in the Presidential Suite of Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, Italy
Queen Elizabeth II lived a life well travelled. We look back at some of the beautiful places she enjoyed visiting, and where her memory will live on for generations to come

Fairmont Empress, Victoria, Canada

Named after the queen's great-great grandmother Queen Victoria, Fairmont Empress is a longstanding favourite among travelling royals. Then Princess Elizabeth first visited in 1951 with then Prince Phillip of Greece, just a year before she became queen. She has since visited so frequently that she even has her own royal china, bought exclusively for her use by the hotel. 

The hotel’s famous afternoon tea is served on replicas of the tea set gifted to the hotel by King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth. Guests can book the Royal Suite which overlooks the Parliament Buildings and Inner Harbour. (She even has her own royal china, bought exclusively for her use by the hotel.)

See also: How the UK Is Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee This Weekend

Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan, Italy

This stylish Milan hotel is a favourite among the rich, the famous, the royal.

Queen Elizabeth II has stayed in the Hotel Principe di Savoia's 5,400 square foot Presidential Suite, which comprises three bedrooms, a 12-person dining room, wraparound balcony and its very own private Pompei style spa, complete with a large swimming pool, sauna and Turkish bath.

Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand

Queen Elizabeth enjoyed Huka Lodge so much that she was a repeat customer at the stately getaway.

Situated on New Zealand’s North Island, Huka Lodge sits on the Waikato River and is one of the oldest and most coveted luxury lodges in the country. Think regal interiors, monogrammed linens, fine dining, excellent wines and breathtaking natural surroundings.

Waldorf Astoria, New York City, USA

It's no secret that celebrities love this legendary New York hotel - Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower are just a handful of icons who named the Waldorf Astoria one of their favourite homes away from home. 

In fact, the two-bedroom Royal Suite at The Waldorf Astoria was designed specifically for the Queen. Running the length of the building on the top floor, the suite was modelled after the royal family's private estate outside of Paris.“Opulent details such as gold-embellished woodwork, layers of champagne-coloured Italian silks, antique mahogany mouldings, and carefully selected artwork and accessories reinforce the sense of a well-traveled, sophisticated, and international elegance,” noted designed Ken Hurd, who is behind the suite's design, in a press release.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore

Raffles is Singapore's most iconic heritage hotel. During her last visit to Singapore in 2006, the Queen and Prince Philip stayed in The Sir Stamford Raffles Suite, one of the hotel’s two presidential suites.

The luxurious suite features a large, private verandah overlooking the hotel's tranquil Palm Court and Raffles' iconic porte-cochère, and the living and dining rooms feature a curated selection of antiques and artworks, including a modern-style fresco by American artist Eugenia Pardue.

See also: The Suite Spot: This Lavish Singapore Suite Was Featured in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’

The Goring, London, United Kingdom

For something a little closer to home—quite literally, as it sits on a leafy side street in the shadow of Buckingham Palace—there's The Goring.  

Opened in 1910, The Goring has been a favourite of the British royal family for decades, and even holds a royal warrant for hospitality from the Queen, who is believed to have held her annual Christmas lunch in The Goring's Michelin-starred dining room, which was designed by her nephew, Viscount Linley.

The Queen Mother was also a fan, and was known to be a dining room regular, where she always ordered the eggs Drumkilbo, a  lobster and egg dish that is still on the menu today. 

Treetops Lodge, Nyeri, Kenya

Situated on the edge of a watering hole in Aberdare National Park is Kenya's oldest safari lodge, Treetops. Built in 1932, the site was built to resemble and elaborate treehouse. 

It was here that Elizabeth was on her honeymoon with the Duke of Edinburgh when she received news that her father, King George VI, had unexpectedly passed away. According to The Telegraph, big-game hunter Jim Corbett wrote in the Treetops logbook, “For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into the tree as a princess and climbed down as a queen.” 

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