The best new hotels in the world: 2023 Hot List
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Nothing makes us more excited to get up and go than putting together our annual Hot List of the world’s best new hotels, cruises, restaurants, cultural destinations, and transportation projects. Now in its 27th year, this curated collection is a labour of love for our global team, which spends the year researching, visiting, and vetting the entries to bring you a definitive directory of places whose style, ethos, and service set new standards for hospitality. This year's hotel winners span every continent – with an Antarctica property appearing for the first time – and fill every need, from sprawling eco resorts to design-focused boutique options. All that’s left is for you to decide where you’re going first. Here are the best new hotels in the world.
Click here to see the entire Hot List 2023. Find last year's winners for best new hotels here.
- Diego Martinezhotel
First in: Vermelho Hotel Melides
Twelve years ago, Christian Louboutin hurt himself down at his retreat in Comporta. On his way to the Santiago do Cacém hospital, he noticed Melides, a small village barely half an hour away. He fell in love with its dense pine forests and a marshy lagoon flanked by beaches of unequalled beauty, like Galé, with its fossil cliff of more than five million years old. He bought himself an old fisherman's house and turned it into a tranquil escape, where he entertains friends. Vermelho is his first-ever hotel, a rare fresh build in this town, brought to life with the help of Portuguese architect Madalena Caiado. It is eclectic, extravagant, and curious, much like the man himself. The taste is impeccable – a mix of Spanish and Alentejo traditional design, pops of colour amidst a palette of white and blue that speaks to this part of coastal Portugal. Doubles from around £280. David Moralejo
- Nikolas Koenig 2021/The Madrid EDITIONhotel
The Madrid EDITION
Despite its many virtues, the Spanish capital has never been replete with top-notch hotels; but in the last five years, the situation has improved beyond recognition. But even in the face of tough competition from big-name luxury brands, the new EDITION is plainly the cherry on the cake – or the prawn on the paella. The drama of the building – cunningly repurposed from a boxy modern former bank HQ on the old-town Plaza de Celenque – begins with the ornate 18th-century granite doorway by Pedro de Rivera (one of the few historic elements remaining from the original site) and continues into a vast spiral staircase in pearly-white stone, curving spectacularly upwards like a giant seashell. The public spaces have a low-lit calm but go all-out for contrast: An antique tapestry hangs behind an all-white pool table lined with electric-blue baize, and you might find a minimalist bench artfully draped with a traditional Spanish shawl. On the ground floor, chef Enrique Olvera disembarks from Mexico City with a restaurant (Jerónimo) that eschews fancy fine dining for a streamlined modern interpretation of traditional Mexican cuisine; if budgetary restrictions apply, an evening in the EDITION’s rooftop wonderland would be a great way of catching the hotel’s hedonistic vibe. Rooms from around £390. Paul Richardson
- La Zambra Hotelhotel
La Zambra Hotel – The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
This is a clean contemporary take on Andalucia, named after a style of Flamenco that is danced in bare feet (the idea is that guests should feel free to do their thing). You’ll know when you’ve arrived: The gate is immaculately edged in lavender; it opens onto a white courtyard in which three soaring palms and high Moorish walls draw the eye up to the porcelain-blue sky. This leads to an airy lobby and a series of patios and fountains, with glimpses of leafy gardens through latticework and arches. An iron-frame door slides open onto a patio planted with succulents; basket chairs and loungers look over a silvery pool and golf course to the Andalucian hills. The late-afternoon sun casts shadows on whitewashed walls, natural stone floors, and handcrafted ceramics, and the staff are coolly dressed in neutral cotton and linen. Even if you aren’t a big golfer (the hotel offers direct access to two courses designed by Robert Trent Jones and 12 more within a 15-minute drive), La Zambra is well worth your time – the sunlight really is out of this world. Rooms from around £260. Lisa Johnson
- Portrait Collection/Portrait Milanohotel
Portrait Milano, Italy
Over the last decade, Italy’s now-leafy design capital has transformed itself from a grey business blur into a dashing contemporary feather in the nation’s cap. It’s a must-do weekend with a raft of museum expansions, “centralissimo” restaurants, and a second wave of hotel openings just a five-minute whoosh away from Linate Airport on the city’s high-speed sustainable metro. Portrait Milano places visitors at the city’s physical, spiritual, and luxurious heart with the restoration of this baroque religious college hidden in the lauded Fashion Quadrilateral. Its vast private courtyard was inaugurated as a new public piazza by Milan’s mayor in December 2022. Meanwhile, its ground floor is set to be a new Milanese playground with a roll-call of Italian fashion, spa, and restaurant coups. Suites are roomy Milanese mid-century apartments in walnut and cardinal red velvet, with luxe details like antler-like leather handles by Florentine craftsmen and comprehensive vanity kits in the powder rooms. Rooms from £810. Stephanie Rafanelli
- Fabio Semeraro/Vocabolo Muscatellihotel
Vocabolo Moscatelli
Relaxed luxury is the name of the game at this intimate member of Design Hotels in a restored monastery in Umbria, Italy’s green heart. The hotel is set on a 2.5-acre estate planted with a vegetable garden and replete with manicured lawns where dogs can play. A hub for the local community, this hotel draws Italians and ex-pats from the neighbouring towns, who come to sip creative cocktails at the bar, enjoy Sunday lunch at the restaurant, or attend events hosted by the owners. There are just 12 rooms, which juxtapose the ancient monastery’s stone walls with sleek contemporary art and design. The beds, for example, are each bespoke creations in minimalist silhouettes and bold colours made by fourth-generation ironsmith Emanuele Lispi. In the afternoon and evening, the on-site restaurant transforms into a showcase for the chef, who brings Middle Eastern and Asian flavours to this very traditional part of Italy. Start with a creative cocktail or glass of wine in the lounge, which feels more like a living room than a hotel bar, and then settle in for a culinary voyage in the restaurant, where you might start with ramen in Umbrian beef broth with smoked duck breast and end with bread pudding with ricotta, pistachios, and vanilla cream perfumed with rose water. Rooms from around £330. Laura Itzkowitz
- Stefan Giftthaler/Passalacquahotel
Passalacqua, Lake Como
From a pale-amber estate, seven acres of olive groves, roses, mimosa, jasmine, and magnolia descend to the glittering waters of Lake Como, wafting their fragrance into the sleepy air. A perfectly confected 24-suite hotel born of a 1787 neoclassical villa, Passalacqua is the second Como hotel for the De Santis family, after their beloved Grand Hotel Tremezzo. The suites in the villa have baroque details like original frescoes and ceiling carvings. Como silks, etched Barbini mirrored cabinets, and Bordoni leather ottoman tables. The Palazz contains a small spa stocked with Dr. Barbara Sturm products, with hand-painted wallpaper that replicates that of Portaluppi Herbarium in Milan’s Atellani House. Guests congregate on the colourful swimming terrace for unfussy Lombardy lunches. There, the sage green 200-year-old greenhouse and jaunty La DoubleJ – designed floral parasols offer a cheeky riposte to the formal villa interiors. Passalacqua deliciously recaptures the lost art of villeggiatura, or taking to a country villa and revelling in la dolce far niente – sweet idleness. Rooms from £670. Lydia Bell
- W Romehotel
W Rome
Prepare for a W like you’ve never seen before, located in the heart of Ludovisi – a posh, quiet neighbourhood abutting the Villa Borghese and just an arancino’s throw to the Spanish Steps. The brand’s first outpost in Italy captures the exuberant, energetic vibe that W is known for but ditches the dark models-and-bottles aesthetic, opting instead for spaces that look as good by day as they did the night before, while striking the right mix of elevated and playful. Award-winning firm Meyer Davis Studio oversaw the transformation of the property’s two 19th-century palazzi, which now feel thoroughly modern thanks to natural light, pastel palettes, and an alfresco courtyard filled with greenery and fountains. The rooms – some with views onto the neighbouring Swiss Institute’s lavish gardens – have gorgeous herringbone wood floors, powder-blue walls with pink and navy furniture, and opulent marble bathrooms. But don’t let the hotel’s refined aesthetic fool you – this is still a place to see and be seen. Up on the rooftop you’ll find a plunge pool (that’s more suited for snapping selfies than swimming laps), as well as Otto, one of Rome’s only rooftop bars. At sunset, it becomes one of the most magical places in the entire Eternal City. Todd Plummer
- hotel
Aristide Hotel, Syros, Greece
The grand, neoclassical exterior – all pediments and Doric columns and ceremonial marble entrances – belie the relaxed, seductive vibe and intimate service here. Hotel Aristide can feel more like a club and a home, allowing you to connect to the artistic heartbeat and true creative spirit of Syros. As a landmark building in the prosperous Vaporia district, it perches loftily overlooking the Aegean, close enough for a five-minute stroll down to a public swimming platform beside the sea. From the destination rooftop restaurant, it’s an exhilarating view over the coming and goings of the ferries. The tone of the place is set by owner-novelist Oana Aristide; a generous, calm, and intelligent presence at the helm, supported by empowered and engaged staff. Fontini and Chryssa at reception, chef Petros in the kitchen, and Konstantinos at the bar are as emotionally invested in the success of the hotel as the owner. It makes all the difference in the world. Rooms from around £320. Catherine Fairweather
- Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paroshotel
Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paros
This hotel – part of Marriott Bonvoy’s Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts portfolio – feels more like a narrative, a breathing thing. The property draws in the fresh, salty air that whips off the Aegean Sea and allows it to fill its white-washed lungs, to uplift the myriad pathways and passages (inspired by the bright fishing villages of Paros itself) that connect guest rooms with thoughtful spaces, dining areas, and outdoor living. From the achingly cool entrance that frames the stretch of private beach in front to the half-moon infinity pool that perfectly kisses the ocean beyond it, island living doesn’t get much better – or much freer – than this. Rooms from around £395. Anya Meyerowitz
- Yiorgos Kaplanidis/Pagostas Guest Househotel
Pagostas, Patmos
Unless you can persuade one of the European aristocrats or gilded Greek beau monde to lend or rent you their summer house, there’s only one place to stay in Chora: this three-bedroom guesthouse, built in 1597 and renovated with great sensitivity in 2022. Wafts of jasmine greet you as you step across the threshold – a sage green door framed by slabs of stone mantomata – into an arched courtyard. A constellation of 19th-century Cannakale plates are pinned to the whitewashed wall, and a pair of carved wooden chairs frame a low table with a delicate, embroidered tablecloth. Inside, steep stone steps lead to cool, quiet rooms with huge windows that frame views of a patchwork of white, flat roofs – upwards to the monastery, or outwards to the Aegean. It’s a masterclass in the poetry of place, an ode to craftsmanship where each object has found its rightful place. Rooms from £215. Rachel Howard
- W Costa Navarinohotel
W Costa Navarino, Greece: hotel review
A chug through Messinia’s olive-dotted countryside, past bare-chested octogenarians driving ancient tractors, brings you to this 32-acre waterfront property, designed in the form of a Greek coastal village. The first W hotel in Greece offers everything you’d expect from the famously fun, tongue-in-cheek brand – poolside DJs, geometric cushions, a central infinity pool begging to be Instagrammed – plus some added doses of wellness, eco-consciousness, and inclusivity. In line with the rather chummy W vernacular (staff quarters are labelled “Talent”), there are 246 Fabulous, Spectacular, and Wow! room options spread throughout the property – try to book one of the infinity swim-up rooms, which grants access to a shared ground-level 90-metre pool. Like the other hotels in the Costa Navarino collection, there is a true sense of warmth at the heart of the hotel from the 350 staff members – even though it is a big brand hotel, ultimately this is a family-run business, and that hospitable embrace is felt throughout. Rooms from around £215. Jemima Sissons
- Capelongue, a Beaumier Hotelhotel
Capelongue, a Beaumier Hotel, France
At first glance, this five-acre hilly property resembles a resurrected ancient farm with all the agricultural vestiges: a sheepfold, a dovecote, gurgling fountains, surrounded by rows of stately cypresses. Guess again. Capelongue, an impeccable Neo-Provencal 37-room hamlet, was actually built from scratch only a decade ago – and acquired by the Beaumier hotel group in September 2020, who embarked on a two-year renovation – using prettily polished weathered old stones. The airy 57 bedrooms and 19 suites sum up the re-energising, unpretentious vibe perfectly, with rattan chairs, ceramic jugs, and sweeping views of the verdant Petit Lubéron countryside. Set above a grassy garden of flowering white oleander, Capelongue’s inviting rustic stone bistro La Bergerie excels in Mediterranean comfort food: think Provencal-style pissaladière, chocolate ganache crumble, and verbena-spiked strawberry salad with whipped cream. With the newly-awarded Michelin star, Capelongue’s second gastronomic restaurant, La Bastide, offers two prix-fixe menus meant to be shared amongst friends. And though central Bonnieux is just a quick bike ride away, Capelongue makes a compelling case for staying put – lounging on a sunbed by a stone pool edged with lavender, sipping icy freshly-squeezed lemonade to the tune of whirring cicadas. Rooms from £255. Lanie Goodman
- Ludovic Balayhotel
First in: Hôtel Dame des Arts, Paris
The Quartier Latin is, of course, a famously artsy part of Paris – one with strong cinematic associations. But you needn’t have stumbled out of a screening room at the nearby Le Champo rubbing your eyes with one hand and clutching an issue of Cahiers du Cinéma in the other to appreciate what designer Raphael Navot has done with Hôtel Dame Des Arts. It’s all about the interplay between curved and straight lines, hard and soft textures, and glossy and matte surfaces – you’ll inhale its essence the moment you step inside. Style-wise, the 109 rooms are similarly got-up in a way that is at once spartan and spoiling, chic and subdued. The in-house restaurant serves up elevated contemporary Mexican cuisine with a fusion of French, Mexican and Japanese flavours, while the 360-degree views from the rooftop bar alone are a reason to book. If your faith in Paris is flagging – which does happen but seldom lasts – a visit to the rooftop of Hôtel Dame des Arts will restore it. Rooms from around £280. Steve King
- Anthony Lanneretonne/La Ferme HIbridehotel
La Ferme HI bride
This innovative eco-friendly hybrid guest house/hotel, tucked away in the sleepy Provençal countryside, is unlike anywhere else in the tourist-clogged Lubéron. A restored ancient farm surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, and a nine-acre forest, the real draw is experiencing the whimsical world of French interior and industrial designer Matali Crasset, who masterminded every detail of the spare but deeply comfortable rooms and small houses, aglow with eye-popping colours, hand-drawn wall murals, and signature furniture. Add to that a dressed-down convivial vibe, superb homegrown wine, a pretty pool (a reservoir, actually), plus masterclass cooking classes and musical events, and you have yourself the ideal (read: bling-free and unspoiled) avant-garde boutique creation. Rooms from £224. Lanie Goodman
- Benjamin Rosemberg/Maison Prousthotel
Maison Proust
Themed hotels devoted to literary giants may be nothing new. Happily, the uber-stylish 23-suite Maison Proust belongs to another rarefied category, designed for an international luxe clientele who appreciate beauty, art, history, and – why not? – love. In other words, not just for book snobs or self-proclaimed esthetes. And it’s perfectly okay if you’ve never read a single page of Proust. The subtle conjuring of the French novelist is more about the Belle Époque atmosphere, as glowing with exquisite detail as the writer’s haunting seven-volume masterwork In Search of Lost Time. When you step inside this gorgeously restored six-story townhouse, set back on a quiet street in Le Marais, guests are immediately caught up in the enchantment – an enveloping whoosh of exoticism – where, in the blink of an eye, you gaze in wonder at the sumptuously furnished Belle Époque salon/bar and slide a century back in time. Rooms from £440. Lanie Goodman
- Gleneagles Townhousehotel
Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
Everyone knows all about the original Gleneagles in rural Perthshire, which has long been the stuff of legend. Acquired by Ennismore in 2015, it was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and an invigorating defibrillator blast – and it worked. The place has surely never looked better or felt more lively than it does today. You can perceive a family resemblance in the Townhouse, though in terms of temperament – as well as scale, tone, and emphasis – she is very much her own person. This is ostensibly – though not entirely – a members’ club, though it most respects it also functions as a normal hotel. Non-members can dine in the restaurant (spectacular), stay in the rooms (delightful), and get squiffy in the rooftop bar (terrific). Senior staff members are notable for their presence. You see them all the time, they remember your name, they are actively solicitous of your well-being, and they will actually take time to chat – all of which is more impressive and less common than it might sound. Rooms from around £485. Steve King
- The Twenty Twohotel
The Twenty Two, London
This previously residential Edwardian manor house has been turned into a 31-room hotel and member’s club by former Blakes owner Navid Mirtorabi, with the help of business partner Jamie Reuben, a scion of a family that owns swathes of Mayfair. In a marble-floored lobby that smells of churchy frankincense, guests are greeted by a cape-wearing doorman and a row of staff in Charlie Casely-Hayford suits. A pervasive friendliness cuts through the velveteen quality of a place that feels more like a louche Parisian hideaway than most smart new London hotels, which tend to fit into Hoxton or Heritage pigeonholes. Most rooms are understatedly plush, painted an elegant blue that’s on the sensual side of Edwardian; former Arbutus chef Alan Christie hits the key modern British notes in the dining room. Some of the prices are shiver-inducing, but then this is Mayfair, and The Twenty Two is offering something different – something sexier and more fun, which might just be a marker point for the area’s future. Rooms from around £430. Toby Skinner
- hotel
First in: The Cōmodo, Bad Gastein, Austria
Once upon a time, Bad Gastein was the most glamorous village in the Austrian Alps, famed for its curative waters and elegant Belle Époque architecture. But hard times befell the village, and from the early 2000s onwards, there was an end-of-the-road, almost forgotten feel to the place – but that’s all changing thanks to a passionate, creative community breathing much-needed new life into the village. The Cōmodo is part of the new wave of hotels, restaurants, and co-working spaces driving this new energy – not to mention one of the most stylish properties in the Alps right now. A mid-century vibe flows throughout the former clinic and health resort, with vintage and custom-made furniture bathed in mountain light. The 70 rooms and suites are filled with custom wallpaper and carpets, and most overlook the valley with spacious balconies. Bad Gastein’s history as a place of healing can be felt throughout the soothing spa, in two dry saunas, and out on the sun deck. If you’re a fan of mid-century modern design, mountain views, Alpine living, and dreamy duvets, The Cōmodo is absolutely worth your time. Rooms from around £120. Nicola Chilton
- Courtesy Rosewood Viennahotel
Rosewood Vienna, Austria
Right on Petersplatz and almost nudging the copper-green dome of St Peter’s Church, with horse and carriages clip-clopping past, this is a neoclassical ooomph of a building, reimagined and embellished, more than holding its own amid the rococo and Art Nouveau treasures of Vienna. Those statues peering down from surrounding buildings seem to nod their approval. A checkerboard passageway leads to a light-filled atrium with a molecular light installation and all the calm of one of Vienna’s historic courtyards. Off the first-floor check-in – more of a salon, really, with comfortable sofas to lie back on and confess to all your psychoanalyst – is a drawing room painted floor-to-ceiling with ferns and palm leaves and butterfly-bright tropical flowers so vivid that the occasional jewelled dragonfly may well skim the top of your kaffee und kuchen. Crowning the top of the building’s architectural trifle – and coming as quite a surprise after the hush of the rest of the rooms – is a bustling brasserie with angled windows onto the cityscape and an outdoor grotto planted with a how-on-earth-they-get-it-up-here pine tree. Steps lead up to the lookout bar, an elevated speakeasy with panoramic views that half of Vienna is queuing up for right now. Doubles from around £650. Rick Jordan
- George Apostolidis/Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzernhotel
Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern
Lucerne. Serenity and drama as far as the eye can see. The lake and its forested foothills provide the serenity; the jagged peaks of the Alps, the drama. The old town contributes a bit of both with its tangle of spires, turrets, and fortifications, and its stupendous 600-year-old footbridge. In the thick of it all is what used to be the Palace Hotel, which has lately been reborn as the Mandarin Oriental Luzern. Easing such places into the 21st century without turning them into either a museum or a muddle requires uncommon sensitivity. London-based designers Jestico + Whiles (One Aldwych, W London) have done the trick with aplomb. The heritage elements have been lovingly preserved while the contemporary flourishes are bold but not dissonant – minimalist brass chandeliers in concentric circles that resemble ripples on the surface of the lake, for example, or the use of butterfly joints that recall both Mandarin Oriental’s Hong Kong origins and the actual butterflies that proliferate here in summer. If the bones and location hadn’t already existed, some Pixar or Disney prodigy would’ve had to make this property up – the storyboard essence of the Belle Epoque lakeside Swiss grand hotel ideal. Rooms from around £675. Steve King
- Francisco Nogueira/Sommerrohotel
Sommerro, Oslo
Sitting on an elegant tree-lined street in Frogner, one of Oslo’s oldest neighbourhoods, this 246-room hotel occupies a prominent 1930s building – the former headquarters of the city’s first electricity company. The eclectic interiors are a decadent embellishment to the original mishmash of Art Deco and sober, functionalist details – from the handsome timber wall panels in one of the suites, the former director general’s office, to the grand staircase in the lobby. Designed as a social hub with a roster of cultural events for visitors and Oslo locals, the ground floor is a sweep of humming restaurants and bars, plus a cinema and a theatre. Meanwhile, the top floor, with sublime Oslo views, is home to a restaurant by Nordic sushi pioneer Frida Ronge as well as the city’s first rooftop pool and sauna. A spacious subterranean wellness floor occupies the building’s former public baths, where you’ll find the original pool and a restored mosaic wall by Norwegian artist Per Krohg. From bathrobes by local bed-linen company Abate to tote bags and cushions from Sisters in Business, a sustainably focused social enterprise that employs immigrant women, Sommerro acts as a showcase for Oslo’s relatively undiscovered brilliance. Rooms from around £220. Lauren Ho
- Felix Brüggemann/Chateau Royal Berlinhotel
Chateau Royal Berlin
If you listened to the naysayers, you’d believe that Berlin was rather boring these days. “Berghain is so vanilla,” they say. “All the artists are moving out.” Well, here’s a hotel that proves otherwise. Several of the city’s artists hang out within these walls – one or two, perhaps, sitting with an Oyster Eau Martini to hand at the bar – and many more have been involved in designing bedrooms or displaying pieces up the stairs and down the corridors. A bronze self-portrait by Alicja Kwade stands outside, Karl Holmqvist’s neon piece signposts the kitchen, and a bold pink painting by Simon Fujiwara in the lobby picks up the colour of the Persian carpet below. While other so-called art hotels are little more than blank canvases, Château Royal walks the walk: Owner Stephan Landwehr’s connection to Berlin’s contemporary scene goes back to the 1980s when he started out as a picture framer; later, as a restaurateur, he opened Grill Royal, which became popular artists’ haunt. His partner, Kirsten, co-curated the spaces, which flow from the bar through a darkened fireplace room to the restaurant, Dóttir, where Icelandic chef Victoria Eliasdóttir plates up buttermilk-steeped artichokes and linseed meringue. Artists were given free rein in the bedrooms, with results that are occasionally challenging but often surprisingly restrained. With Berlin currently rebalancing itself – the west is regaining its confidence, while Kreuzkölln in the east picks up hipster points – this arty but not too-cool-for-school hotel in central Mitte is a fine place from which to reframe the city. Rooms from around £170. Rick Jordan
- Michelle Chaplow/Cashel Palace Hotelhotel
Cashel Palace, Ireland
This palace was one of the grandest examples of Palladian architecture when it was designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, surveyor general of Ireland, as a home for the archbishop in 1728. During the recent painstaking revamp of the Grade I-listed structure, even the faintest whir of a builder’s drill was scrutinised by planning regulators. Nevertheless, some happy-making surprises turned up: The roof was replaced with the original blue Bangor slate from Wales; old pitch timbers that hadn’t seen the light of day for decades now shine in top-floor bedrooms in the main house; the chimneys, which had been knocked to two-thirds of their height in the 1950s when they were deemed unsafe, are back to the proportions first conceived by Pearce. Such extensive restoration was made possible by the deep pockets of Cashel Palace’s owners, the Magnier family, who built their fortune breeding thoroughbreds at the nearby Coolmore Stud. It’s an important revival of a significant building in Ireland’s architectural canon, but also a clever move to redirect the compass for luxury travel in this part of the world – drawing the golfing crowds of Adare Manor, the genteel country set of Ballyfin, and making Tipperary a destination in its own right rather than a county whizzed through en route from Dublin to the coast. Rooms from £235. Gráinne McBride
- Madani Sindi/Banyan Tree AlUlahotel
Banyan Tree AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Drive through AlUla’s Ashar Valley and there’s a chance you won’t even notice this new desert outpost. Its villas are practically camouflaged, with their surfaces textured like sands and batwing-shaped canopies protecting them from the sun. Light and spaciousness reign inside calmingly minimal villas, with shaded lounging spaces and firepits outdoors; all are set against the backdrop of the surrounding honey-coloured rock formations that have been carved by wind and water for millennia. After a hot day of exploring AlUla’s extraordinary Nabataean tombs, coming home and sinking into a private plunge pool feels like the ultimate treat. The Rock Pool, squeezed between natural sandstone pinnacles next to the spa, has what must be one of the most spectacular settings anywhere for an infinity pool. Nights here are for campfires beneath the constellations that guided ancient Arabian nomads across these deserts. With luck, the clear skies above will be filled with shooting stars. Rooms from around £1,040. Nicola Chilton
- JOE CHUA AGDEPPAhotel
The Ned Doha: hotel review
In a region where hotels tend to rely on being the biggest, boldest, and most expensive to draw attention, The Ned Doha has chosen instead to embody supreme stylishness. Housed in a brutalist former government ministry, the look inside is utilitarian but sultry: Geometric features and original waffled concrete ceilings are softened by layered fabrics, bold patterns, and Murano glass chandeliers. Rooms exude 1970s glamour, with vintage references including Roberts radios, clunky rotary-dial phones besides the beds, and TVs hidden behind tapestries designed by local artists. The terrazzo balconies look out over the sea, Al Bidda Park, or the Amiri Diwan palace, where camels patrol throughout the day. Walnut-clad walls double as gallery space for the hotel’s collection of more than 350 pieces, many by Qatar-based artists and most by women. As with its big sister in London, which is also a members’ club, The Ned Doha’s social scene centres on a circular stage with nightly live music, surrounded by the hubbub of diners in Cecconi’s and Millie’s Grill. Outdoors, sunshine filters through overhead drapes at Malibu Kitchen, which serves colourful Californian cuisine next to a pool flanked by striped daybeds and cabanas. But the best spot to reflect on what this atmospheric hotel brings to the city is at a table loaded with excellent Levantine meze, salads, and grills beneath the frangipani trees at Hadika. Rooms from £304. Nicola Chilton
- Natelee Cocks/Bab Al Shams, A Rare Finds Desert Resort, Dubaihotel
Bab Al Shams, A Rare Finds Desert Resort, Dubai
Bab Al Shams reveals herself slowly, her sandstone exterior – an ode to traditional Emirati forts – half-hidden by spindly date palms and sand dunes. In a city that so often leans into excess, the grande dame of Dubai’s desert resorts works her magic with restraint.
For almost two decades, UAE residents have made the 45-minute pilgrimage from the city up Al Qudra Road – past outlandishly shaped man-made lakes, swirling cycle paths and endurance horse-racing tracks – to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and indulgent weekends at Bab Al Shams. The city may be creeping closer, but this is still the place we come to get away from it all. The resort’s much-photographed infinity pool, which drops off into a vast sandy expanse in a paradox of elemental opposites, is the draw for many. For me, it’s the quiet, which is all-enveloping and absolute. The resort comes into its own as the sun sets, the silhouettes of sand dunes framed in pinks and mauves; bamboo torches -flickering along the perimeter and lanterns creating a play of light and shadow in outdoor passageways.
Now Bab Al Shams is fresh from a 10-month, no-holds-barred renovation, with new bragging rights as the first property in the Rare Finds Hotels & Resorts collection by the Kerzner group (Atlantis, One&Only). The exterior remains largely unchanged, the deep solid walls, arches, alcoves and geometric patterning lifted directly from the UAE’s vernacular architecture. But interiors have been transformed by a deft hand, the gilded ornamentalism that characterises the country’s Arabesque-inspired resorts forsaken for a lighter touch. The lobby, once a warren of dimly lit, compartmentalised spaces, has been opened out and brightened up. In my terrace garden room, instead of dark woods and heavy upholstery, nods to tradition come in delicate mother-of-pearl detailing on arched mirrors, brass studs on cupboard doors and majlis-style seating in a corner nook. Teal accents flit from headboards and furniture piping to diamond-shaped mosaic tiles in the rain shower.
The hotel is unassuming, but not devoid of spectacle. At Al Hadheerah, a colossal open-air restaurant, nightly performances accompany the Arabian classic dishes: a belly dancer, whirling dervish, musicians, singers and even a re-enactment of a Bedouin -caravan with camels and horses crisscrossing a bordering desert plateau. Cooking stations serve lamb salona and chicken biryani, and the spirited Egyptian chef de cuisine takes great delight in showing guests the underground contraption used to prepare his seven-hour slow-cooked lamb ouzi. More sedate meals are served at the Mediterranean-inspired Zala or Pan-Asian Anwā, a prime sunset spot.
Bab Al Shams remains loyal to her desert environment. In the newly opened standalone spa, home to male and female hammams carefully crafted from green-veined Cipollino Nuvolato marble, some treatments use De L’Arta, a locally grown skincare line featuring Tetraena qatarensis, a shrub found in abundance around the hotel. On a recent visit, a morning safari took us through Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, over powder-soft pale-yellow dunes, past camels feasting on desert grasses, regally horned Arabian oryx, skittish gazelles and the season’s first migratory flamingoes. Indian rollers flitted between ghaf trees and lizards scuttered off into hidden burrows. It was a reminder, as Bab Al Shams has always been, that there is immense natural beauty in the UAE, if you only stop to look. Selina Denman
- Francois Nel/Getty/Atlantis Dubaihotel
First in: Atlantis the Royal, Dubai review
Any retreat that bills itself as “the most ultra-luxury experiential resort in the world” is not going for subtlety – but here, that’s very much the point. Sitting alongside its famous sister, Atlantis the Palm, on Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis the Royal’s eye-catching curves contain 795 rooms, suites, and penthouses, 17 restaurants and bars, a 1.2-mile beach, and more than 90 pools. Beyoncé performed at its opening celebration, and Tiësto wrote its theme song. (Yes, it has its own soundtrack.) Guests enter the lobby between walls of fire and water, conceived by Moshe Safdie, who created the Rain Vortex at Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport. The spaces are vast, with light bouncing off enormous swathes of marble and massive fish tanks; stately internal boulevards lined with luxury boutiques crisscross the property. Up in the rooms, the mood is calmer, with soothing palettes and surprisingly minimalist decor accentuating views, from the Palm-facing balconies especially. The suites and penthouses elevate the experience even further with landscaped terraces and glass-walled pools. Rooms from about £911. Nicola Chilton
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Wilderness Safaris Vumbura Plains, Botswana
Botswana’s wondrous Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta on the planet – and this contemporary retreat (recently rebuilt from scratch) lets guests observe the ebb and flow of life in this fascinating stretch of wilderness. The lodge’s new look and feel celebrates a sense of place, centring the local staff’s talents and the minutiae of Delta wildlife through walls of illustrations of smaller beasts and the beautiful weavings of staff members, displayed and available to buy. The 14 thatched bedrooms are connected by timber walkways – high enough to let a hippo pass under – and are spacious and contemporary. Seeing the waterways, palm islands, lagoons, and floodplains of this spiritual landscape is a once-in-a-lifetime affair, and Vumbura Plains is a magical launchpad from which to do it. Push the boat out and book a chopper ride over the surrounding floodplains to see crocodiles sunbaking on sandy white banks and hippos etching their channels under the clear water. Rooms from £1321. Lydia Bell
- Lolebezihotel
Lolebezi
The Lower Zambezi National Park has long been a pilgrimage for safari-goers seeking natural drama on water as well as land. So when this new lodge was opened in 2022 on a formerly wild 12-acre concession on the banks of the Zambezi River, conservationists’ eyes were firmly turned. Owned by Dubai-based businessman Irfaan Yousuf for his wildlife-loving wife Shahida and son Lole (hence the name), Lolebezi is surrounded by game – which can be seen from kayaks (keeping a watch out for monster crocodiles and irritable hippo), sundowner cruises, walks and game drives. Built in partnership with respected African Bush Camps’ founder Beks Ndlovu, the six suites and double-height living space were designed by South Africa-based Fox Browne Creative and Jack Alexander Studio to feel like an indulgent contemporary boutique hotel, with curvaceous banquettes alongside calabash-strung art installations; reed ceilings above opulent green Italian marble. Considering the remote location, the food is remarkably inventive and fresh. There might be an Indian tandoori feast in the evening, Ottolenghi-style vegan tapas for lunch and spirulina- and baobab-spiked juices at dawn. With an Africology and Healing Earth spa set among giant leadwood trees (and, sometimes, wandering lions), a glass-walled gym, games room and velvet-seated cocktail bar, this is the most glamorous camp in Zambia. An instant classic on the African continent. Lisa Grainger
- Kleinjan Groenewald/Caravan by Habitas Agafayhotel
Caravan by Habitas Agafay, Morocco
The rocky sparseness of Morocco’s Agafay desert has long attracted travellers wanting a break from the sensory explosions of Marrakech. It’s an ideal landing spot for the Habitas group, which since 2016 has been setting up its minimalist, sustainable eco-retreats in places like Mexico, Namibia, and Saudi Arabia. Their oasis among the lunar dunes eschews bells and whistles in favour of communal vibes and engagement with nature – or “luxury for the soul,” as founders Oliver Ripley, Kfir Levy, and Eduardo Castillo calls it. They have now applied their ethos to Agafay’s 41 Berber-inspired tents and lodges. Each en suite tent – solar-powered, with eco-bathrooms – embodies stylish pared-downness: no minibars or TVs, just wooden floors and earthy cream and ochre tones reminiscent of the regional rock. Like all Habitas retreats, Agafay uses light-impact building materials as much as possible, either upcycled or sourced locally, which are designed to blend into the landscape. Weekenders escaping European cities sink into pouffes and Berber rugs inside the communal glass-wrapped lounge. On the semi-open dining veranda, beneath raffia lamps, they tuck into lamb slow-cooked in the underground oven before knocking back market sangrias by the open-air bar, silhouetted against the Atlas Mountains and flame-red sunsets that give way to heavenly constellations. This is what travel is about – less guilt and more meaning amid tranquillity, good conversation, and cleansing nature. Rooms from around £280. Noo Saro-Wiwa
- Dookhotel
andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, Tanzania
$$$This lodge was originally built in the 1990s and was a favourite with safari-goers. After it was flooded, in 2020, andBeyond took on the South African safari supremos Fox Browne to rebuild it for the 21st century. Working with the architect Jack Alexander, they created a new central living space and spa, linked by a pool and 10 contemporary bush villas, lined with canvas, wood, and banana leaves, to echo the building materials of a tribal manyatta (or local village compound). The former bush camp opened as a colourful, creative safari lodge in 2022. The rooms are beautifully designed and come with decent food, excellent cocktails, and plunge pools from which to view wildlife in the scrub opposite (Swarovski binoculars included). There are only two other camps within 60,000 hectares, so out on game drives there’s nothing about but creatures: herds of elephants, lions lying in the shade, giraffes galloping across grasslands, and birds from tiny sunbirds to pelicans fishing in the oxbow lagoon beside the lodge. Rooms from £908. Lisa Grainger
- Future Foundhotel
Future Found Sanctuary, South Africa
This isn’t a hotel; it’s a passion project. Jim Brett – who spent his career working for brands such as Anthropologie, West Elm, and latterly J.Crew – came to South Africa in 2004 and vowed one day he’d live here. In 2014, he and his partner bought an old family house on the side of Table Mountain and opened the seven-acre Future Found Sanctuary to the public. Even if you’ve booked only a room, there’s enough space for everyone to do pretty much what they want. If you want to lie about by the pool all day and have a salad lunch in your swimsuit, you can. Or, because it’s situated in a centrally located valley from which the vertiginous Chapman’s Peak Drive winds, you can drive to Cape Point, taste wine in the vineyards in nearby Constantia, pack a picnic to take to the nearby boulder-lined beach of Llandudno, or drive 20 minutes into the city. There truly is nowhere else in Cape Town like it: a secure, contemporary villa with a small spa overseen by a professional wellness expert, staffed by warm locals, and surrounded by a huge garden and backed by the mountain. Brett has employed local experts to create the garden, design, and menus – and it shows. Rooms from around £280. Lisa Grainger
- Dukes Camphotel
Duke’s Camp, Botswana
For three decades, Jack’s Camp has been heralded as the safari superstar, pioneering under-canvas luxury in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans. Until now. Thirty years on, Jack’s Camp’s little sibling – Duke’s Camp – has opened in the northern Okavango Delta. Named in honour of 80-year-old “Duke” Sarefo, the official custodian of the land, the off-grid camp sits among gin-clear wiggly waterways and some of Africa’s best wildlife. In a country that opts for low-volume, high-cost tourism, you’ll feel like the entire 220,000-acre concession that Duke’s sits within is yours alone. Twelve canvas safari suites – complete with four-poster beds, feather duvets, and large Persian rugs – sit on raised wooden decks overlooking the delta’s waterways, so you can peep 400 species of bird, herds of elephants, and red lechwe. The guides here really mean business and will not let up until you’ve ticked every single “must-see” off your list, whether it’s via safari drive or canoe rides. Hot air balloon safaris, fishing, remote fly camping, and spa treatments can also be arranged. Rooms from around £665. Hannah Summers
- Onguma Camp Kalahotel
Onguma Camp Kala, Namibia
Namibia’s iconic Etosha salt pan has long captivated the imagination of nature lovers, who flock to this northwestern slice of the country to witness its astounding concentrations of wildlife. The salt pan (a Unesco World Heritage Site) falls within Etosha National Park which, at around the same size as Slovenia, is one of the largest national parks in Africa. On its eastern boundary is Onguma Private Nature Reserve, a property that boasts five lodges – one of which is the ultra-exclusive Camp Kala. The lodge revels in exclusivity and has just four suites that skirt a busy watering hole – so busy, in fact, that one could quite easily enjoy a safari experience without ever having to leave their room. That said, guests are offered exclusive access to the reserve during morning game drives that go past antelopes, lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, and black rhinos. Back at camp, guests can unwind on their private wooden deck (complete with a log-fired hot tub and cold plunge pool), enjoy a four-course dinner, or ask their personal butler to arrange for some extra excursions. Nightly rates are available upon request. Narina Exelby
- ROMEO BALANCOURThotel
First in: Fairmont Tazi Palace, Morocco
Integrating opulence in just the right measure is a difficult task, but this five-star hotel (once home to the king's advisor) pulls it off perfectly. After you enter the building with its cream-coloured walls, you’ll find yourself in the lobby, a luminous space with nearly 40-foot ceilings. It’s the first hint that this hotel does everything in style: from the eight acres of landscaped grounds to the dramatic lamps that illuminate the corridor leading to the Crudo restaurant and the photogenic swimming pool, where you’ll lose track of time under the Mediterranean sun. The hotel’s 133 rooms are an amalgam of elements that celebrate the country’s craft traditions with fretwork wooden screens, mosaics, and bespoke fabrics created by local artisans. The Fairmont Tazi Palace’s massive wellness centre includes 10 treatment rooms, a private spa, a solarium, a hammam you won’t want to leave, and sunny Andalusian-style gardens that lead to a secluded vitality pool. Let yourself unwind before refuelling at one of the four restaurants, where ingredients are pulled from the hotel’s own orchard and kitchen garden. Rooms from around £300. Lidia González
- White Desert Antarctica/Echohotel
White Desert Antarctica - Echo Camp
When you feel like you’ve nearly done it all in “bucket list” travel – and you have the financial bandwidth to partake in a one-of-a-kind, ultra-exclusive journey that could potentially outshine most (if not all) of your previous global pursuits – Echo Camp is waiting. White Desert’s space-themed property is one of the world’s most audacious eco-luxury projects, featuring an otherworldly design set in an even more otherworldly landscape in Antarctica’s glacier-lined Henriksen Nunataks. It’s the most luxurious base from which to explore coastal colonies of dawdling emperor penguins and to reach the near-mythic South Pole, while near-camp activities include ice wall climbing, skiing, nunatak summit hikes and abseils, and fat biking through scenic wave-textured ice plains. If you can afford it, I suggest going “all the way” and booking the seven-night/eight-day South Pole & Emperors trip. Not only will you enjoy the soul-stirring scene of a 1,000-plus colony of bumbling, chirpy penguins on Akta Bay, but you’ll also get to experience what only about 500 tourists achieve per year: a journey to the geographic nadir of Mother Earth. Itineraries from around £52,000. Travis Levius
- Shiguchihotel
Shiguchi, Niseko
From Shiguchi’s hot tub – a giant rock, sliced in half, its excavated interior filled with volcanic onsen water – the dazzling whites of the valley are broken only by an ink-line of trees and the scarlet legs of a woodpecker in a nearby birch tree. Such is life at this escapist nirvana in a wild corner of Niseko, on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. Named after a traditional Japanese carpentry technique that joins beams without nails, Shiguchi is about connection: between humans and nature, art and architecture, and possibly bathers and birds. English artist, collector, and longtime Niseko resident Shouya Grigg, who was also behind the area’s beloved Zaborin ryokan, meticulously relocated five old kominka farmhouses from across Japan. Shiguchi’s heartbeat is its gallery and restaurant, Somoza, where impressive woodwork is tempered by shelves of ceramics, abstract paintings, and walls of glass framing valley views. Days might be whiled away drinking matcha in a floating tatami mat space wrapped in steel screens, discovering Ainu art artefacts in the lower-level gallery space, or talking art with Grigg over dinners of wild Niseko, from foraged mushrooms to melt-in-the-mouth venison. Pathways cut into walls of snow lead to five spacious and atmospheric villas, with high-tech kitchens, rock or cypress bathtubs, and deliciously soft Babaghuri pyjamas. Sturdy timberwork is the backdrop for antique furniture, fire stoves, and artworks. But the real privilege here is switching off and tuning in to the rhythms of the woodpeckers. Rooms from around £490. Danielle Demetriou
- InterContinental Khao Yai Resorthotel
InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, an IHG Hotel: hotel review
Some two hours into the three-hour drive northward from Bangkok, the landscape starts changing. Concrete sprawl morphs into Khao Yai’s undulating hillscape bedecked in thick jungles and fruit orchards, and just off the area’s main road that snakes past pastiche European-looking country clubs and patchworks of farmland, the Intercontinental Khao Yai emerges from behind a hedgerow of towering trees. Dotted around the lush estate, you’ll see railway-themed buildings and train cars – which is the exact theme Bangkok-based hotel designer Bill Bensley was going for. The lobby is built like an old-timey ticketing booth, while suites are set up in upcycled vintage railway carriages and draw inspiration from different Asian railway journeys. Also set up in railway carts are two restaurants and one bar (head to Poirot for champignon-topped mushroom tarts and boeuf bourguignon) and a spa specialising in Thai and aromatherapy massage. Needless to say, this imaginative stay is a hit with little ones, but even grown-ups will appreciate the whimsical respite from busy Bangkok. Rooms from around £225. Chris Schalkx
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The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon: hotel review
There were barely any surprises left when I checked in just days after the hotel’s official opening at the end of July 2022 – every one of Bangkok’s high-heeled fashionistas and socialites had already TikTok-ed every art-studded nook, DJ set, and Drag Queen Bingo party. And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon because this high-voltage clout magnet in the city’s tallest skyscraper draws the Thai and international in-crowd like bees to a honeypot. The Standard is a five-star with a vibe Bangkok’s hotel scene was still missing, swapping out the predictably serene, Thai-inspired interiors and chi-chi fine dining restaurants of most of its competitors for a riot of colours, clubby restaurants, and the country’s highest rooftop bar. That’s not to say it’s all-out debaucherous, though: The swirling pool, with the CBD’s skyline as its backdrop, is a lovely spot to spend a lazy afternoon, and most of the staff (a mix of Thais and peppy young ex-pats) are a chatty, smiling bunch. Rooms from around £140. Chris Schalkx
- Buahan Balihotel
Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape
Waking up at this “no walls, no doors” resort is nothing short of magical: only a gauzy curtain hangs between your bed and the chlorophyll-rich Buahan Valley fanning out right below your villa. The air smells damp and jungly (in the best possible way) and is sweetened with a hint of frangipani. There are just 16 villas and a two-story central pavilion from which a dreamy, lounger-lined infinity pool protrudes into the valley. Before opening Buahan, the Banyan Tree group ran a five-year long research project to study how the hotel would impact the social, agricultural, and cultural aspects of the surrounding area. As a result, guests are provided with a level of immersion into the Balinese way of life that few other hotels of this caliber have managed to deliver. The 16 villas afford once-in-a-lifetime views of Bali’s jungles and terraced rice fields, and The Open Kitchen sources almost every ingredient from within a one-hour radius of the lobby. If you want to experience Bali in its purest form – but don’t necessarily want to rough it – Buahan is waiting for you. Rooms from £800. Chris Schalkx
- Bali Interiors/The Sanubarihotel
The Sanubari, Indonesia
For the longest time, visiting Sumba either meant ponying up an eye-watering amount of rupiah for a stay at high-flyer hideaway Nihi, or roughing it at one of the basic homestays dotting the coast. Rowan and Micha Burn, the Bali-based British-Australian couple behind The Sanubari, saw an opportunity for a place pitched between these extremes – a toes-in-the-sand, away-from-it-all hideaway that’s actually affordable. The resort’s remoteness is part of its appeal – guests must take a 50-minute turboprop flight and two-hour drive – but what awaits is well worth the effort: a 1.5-mile swoop of eye-blindingly white sand backdropped by rice paddies and rocky cliffs, with not a single other building in sight. Stroll down the hotel’s beach (or hop on a bike) to reach Pantai Watu Bella, one of southwest Sumba’s most beautiful stretches of sand, where The Sanubari will soon set up an umbrella-shaded cliffside deck for picnic excursions and sunset barbecues. Further inland, you’ll find frozen-in-time villages, eye-popping valley landscapes, and a river to SUP or canoe down for over an hour during the wet season. Rooms from around £260. Chris Schalkx
- Villa Palladio Jaipurhotel
Villa Palladio Jaipur
This boutique hotel, a third Jaipur project by Swiss Italian hotelier Barbara Miolini and her Danish design collaborator Marie-Anne Oudejans, is a riotous ode to Rajasthani craftsmanship and colour, especially hot red. On the outskirts of the city, it is as much a bijou cabinet of curiosities as a retreat, with strikingly white crenellated walls above red awnings and a delicious confection of carved stone trellises, block-printed fabrics, hand-painted walls, and checkerboard-marble courtyards with bubbling fountains. Nine dollhouse-like rooms – including four on grounds dotted with rosebushes and jasmine and palm trees – come richly patterned in red and white with gold accents, each with plush beds, block-printed bathrobes, and soft Jaipuri slippers. Clear blue skies and the forested green hills of the lesser Aravallis are picturesquely framed in the multilobed arches of the breakfast terrace, and candlelit dinners are brightened by starlight. There’s a meditation room, a library, a small two-bed spa offering Tibetan treatments, and the sun-warmed pool with its candy-striped pool house and pavilion bar. At night, the gorgeous dining area overlooking the grounds serves up delicious Indian and Italian dishes. Rooms from around £255. Divya Mishra
- Regent Phu Quochotel
Regent Phu Quoc, Vietnam: hotel review
You’re forgiven if the Regent brand has slipped off your radar. After its heyday in the 80s and 90s, it failed to keep up with splashier newcomers and eventually lost its lustre. Decades later, Regent Phu Quoc is the product of an ambitious brand revival and has already raised the bar in a country that isn’t exactly short of dreamy beach retreats. The message is clear: Regent has (re-)entered the chat. This lush resort is laid out like a Rorschach test, with about 63 villas circling a lagoon and a tall hotel wing on either side. The suites and villas are effortlessly chic and comfortable, with plenty of fresh flowers and, in most cases, a full kitchen. I kept finding new ingenuities that made me think: I can’t believe they thought of that. A set of loungers on both ends of my private pool, so I wouldn’t have to drag them in and out of the sun. Dental kits with a choice between mint or ginger. Wireless phone charging pads on the bedsides, and – get this – a fully stocked second minibar in the bedroom because god forbid I’d have to totter to the kitchen for a cold drink after bedtime. Phu Quoc isn’t as culture-rich as Vietnam’s other regions, but this luxury gem has all the trimmings for an idyllic long-haul fly-and-flop. Rooms from around £320. Chris Schalkx
- Robert Riegerhotel
Lost Lindenberg, Bali: hotel review
Over the past decade or so, most of the boutique hotels in Bali have become a little predictable: the rattan lampshades, the swirling infinity pools, the bamboo yoga shalas. This whip-smart new arrival wants none of that and puts a delightfully different spin on hospitality. After travelling through the rice fields and past the near-deserted beaches of Bali’s little-visited west coast to the sleepy backwater of Pekutatan, guests are greeted by neon pop art and a narrow compound of four wooden watchtowers, each one as tall as the coconut palms flanking it. Elevated walkways, all wood and tillandsia fringes, connect them and lead to a turquoise pool where sun-tanned and salty-haired hotel guests warmly welcome new arrivals to their surfer tribe. Laid-back Pekutatan is lovely for everything it still lacks: There are no blaring beach clubs, no third-wave coffee shops, and no whitewashed (in every sense of the word) brunch spots slinging smashed avocado and spirulina smoothie bowls. Instead, there’s mile after mile of empty black beach, with Medewi Surf Point, Bali’s longest wave, just around the corner. Novice surfers can start in the calmer waves in front of the hotel with the help of Lost’s resident surf instructor. Rooms from around £300. Chris Schalkx
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First in: Kayaam House, Rekawa, Sri Lanka
Hoteliers Resplendent Ceylon upped the hospitality game in Sri Lanka with a trio of deep-nature Relais & Châteaux properties: Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Ceylon Tea Trails, and Cape Weligama. But now the group’s intimate and affordable new sister brand, Reverie, is turning heads. The first opening is Kayaam House, off the beaten track in Rekawa, on the south coast near Tangalle. Built from scratch a few years ago, this whitewashed hideaway is a lesson in absolute peace, broken only by the soundtrack of crashing waves. Flanked by palm trees and frangipanis, the glorious pool sets the scene, stretching across the lawn towards a private beach sprinkled with sun loungers. Inside the house, pops of Persian blue provide a fresh zing while copper pots, planter’s chairs, and an ancient temple door from Jaffna add character. The nine rooms and suites, with ocean or forest views, are simple yet sophisticated, most coming with a four-poster bed, tub on the terrace, and Bang & Olufsen tech. Sleep-inducing Balinese massages await in the spa, and a sea-facing yoga shala is on the lawn. A Bawa-inspired dining room with cane lighting is the showcase for chef Namal Surendra, who brings his global cooking, including a very British roast rack of lamb from the Four Seasons at Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives. Blissed-out guests wake to the song of hornbills and tuck into Bircher muesli on the oceanfront terrace as fishing boats bob in the distance. Rooms from around £380. Harriet Compston
- Alila Kothaifaru Maldiveshotel
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
Situated on a lush, natural private island with pool villas and wonderfully friendly and professional staff, this is easily one of the most charming hotels in the Maldives. About 45 minutes north of Malé International Airport by seaplane, in the Raa Atoll on a natural island known as Kothaifaru, the setting here is blessed with long white beaches and endless palm trees. Throughout the 27.6 acres, there is also thick jungle vegetation that gives the new space an already settled-in feel. The 80 villas – all with pools – are split between overwater villas (with bathrooms that open up to the sea) and beach villas (with sunrise and sunset options). There are two restaurants and two bars to choose from, as well as a spa tucked away deep within the jungle vegetation. But the service here is what makes this resort stand out in the crowd of smart hotels in the Maldives. After a few days, it will start to feel like home with staff remembering your preference for still or sparkling water, the names of your children, and where your favourite table is – so much so that there is an urge to book a repeat trip before you have finished the first one. Rooms from around £680. Mary Lussiana
- Anson Smarthotel
Ace Hotel Sydney, Australia
This hipster-hotel titan has spent two decades establishing itself as a shortcut to a city’s pulse. Its first iteration in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney’s city centre in the cool-kid neighbourhood of Surry Hills, doesn’t disappoint. The Ace, 18 stories high with 257 rooms, is located in a magnificent early-20th-century building that vibrates with top-to-toe creative energy. Revived by Australia’s most in-demand interior architects, Flack Studio, the former brick factory has kept its old bones – high ceilings and exposed brick and concrete walls – offset with one-of-a-kind furniture, art, and bric-a-brac by the country’s best designers, artists, and makers. The deeply comfortable rooms come in varying sizes, some with terraces, living rooms, and marble-clad bathrooms with deep bathtubs and kitchens; all rooms are soundproofed, and some have turntables and vinyl. By day, the lobby, an homage to 1970s suburbia with a burnt-orange-and-tan sunken lounge, is busy with freelancers fueled by flat whites. By night, the lights dim, DJs move in, and olive-leaf martinis flow from the high-shine ochre-and-red marble bar, while the wine bar, Good Chemistry, is a striking mint-green terrazzo-and-tadelakt space that champions the natural-wine movement. Upstairs, the retractable-rooftop restaurant Kiln has been designed by Fiona Lynch with linen walls and colourful Pollock-style splotches, and chef-about-town Mitch Orr delivers an on-trend wood-fired menu, with views every which way across Sydney’s cityscape. Rooms from around £120. Kate Hennessy
- Alan Jensenhotel
Osborn House, Australia
Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales has always had low-key charm. Two hours from Canberra and Sydney, this well-heeled country town has buildings below tree lines, beautiful properties, and antique shops. But, since the opening of Osborn House, a fresh new crowd of movers and shakers have been revving their sports cars for weekend jaunts to Bundanoon. Surrounded by manicured gardens and giant pine trees, Osborn House, in its pretty palette of duck egg blue and soft greens, may look like just another twee country estate – but behind its heritage-listed, shutter-front façade is an interior by former Soho House design director, Linda Boronkay, who has followed the tried and tested formula and transformed the space with the same clubby members’ house feel. Eclectic and quirky furniture, carefully curated prints and textures, cheeky artworks, and bric-a-brac from local designers and flea markets are scattered around – a squiggle bench here, a chubby desk there – creating playful nooks and crannies. The 13 suites inside the main house, some with four-poster beds, feature paisley print curtains and walls in rich shades of teal and navy, mixing English country style with on-trend details like scalloped marble counters, wavy lamps, and dressers by local Australian makers. Outside, the timber-clad cabins have a rustic farmhouse feel with fireplaces and outdoor baths. Dinner in the elegant powder-blue dining room “Dinah’s” attracts the Southern Highland’s smart set, but the hot ticket in town is the “fire feasts.” Here, chefs trained by Segundo Farrell, himself a protégé of Francis Mallmann, show off fire-cooking skills in a jovial Argentina-by-way-of-Australia barbecue, where locals and guests mingle around juicy carcasses of meat and vegetables that theatrically hang over coals and open flames. Rooms from around £360. Chloe Sachdev
- Auberge Resorts Collectionhotel
Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Resorts Collection, Mexico
Everything about this property is seemingly curated to feel more like a boutique hotel than an all-inclusive one. It’s normal to stumble upon things like a sound bath experience on the beach led by a local bohemian who infuses jazz with the singing bowls or a sombrero-making class. The on-site boutique, a Fashionkind outpost (opening in December), co-owned by Nina Farran and Sophia Bush will comprise only Latin American designers creating positive social and environmental impact, and the design by Paul Duesing and Glazier Le Architects, sporting stone walls that continue from the balcony to the interior of the room with pebble-floored rain showers clad in colourful tiles almost entirely Mexican made and also supports local and regional makers, artisans, artists, and purveyors, solidifies the POV of being a boho-fresh, intentional, and barefoot sanctuary for those in-the-know. Don’t get me wrong, it still feels like a resort – just a resort that is focused on what is important to today’s customers. Rooms from around £1,100. Scott Bay.
- Albert Lewishotel
Rancho Pescadero – The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Mexico
$Owners Lisa Harper and Billy Moore have always placed great importance on uplifting Todos Santos, Mexico since Rancho Pescadero’s inception in 2007. So when they decided to overhaul and expand the resort – going from 12 guestrooms to 103 – they implemented rare and lengthy programs for the industry, ranging from creating a solar farm and installing a desalination plant to transplanting thousands of plants moved during construction and placing them back in their original locations. But they are also concerned about the strains that a luxury resort can bring to rural areas. Therefore, they have created a housing complex for employees, where each of the 170 dwellings will actually become their legal home after years of working at the resort – while also implementing a technical education program for the community’s youth and investing in a clean-air incinerator for the resort’s waste and for local use. Waking up on my last day in my elegant-yet-beachy guest suite, designed head-to-toe by Harper (of course), and jumping into the private plunge pool overlooking the crashing waves, I found myself thinking, this is true well-being. A place to disconnect, reconnect with what matters most and feel confident that the investment is eco-responsible and helps to uplift the people who live in this slice of desert paradise. Rooms from around £480. Scott Bay
- Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mitahotel
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
This is not your parents’ Four Seasons. Formalities, like a front desk, have disappeared, and the traditional concierge has been replaced with guides who can help arrange everything from dinner reservations to surf lessons. The all-inclusive model means the entire stay is blissfully transaction-free, and the intimate scale – at just 30 guests, the size is also a shift for the brand – allows for unscripted experiences such as mezcal tastings with local distillers. And the tented suites are what it takes to persuade travellers to book a hotel in Punta Mita that isn’t right on the beach. Terraced into 48 acres of forested Pacific-facing cliffs, this adults-only luxury tented resort was designed by sustainably minded safari-tent pioneers Luxury Frontiers. Each of its 15 spacious rooms has an indoor soaking tub, an outdoor shower, and a private plunge pool with sunset views. Taking in and getting out into nature is at the heart of Naviva, but a visit to the two spa pods is a must for treatments informed by Mesoamerican traditions, like the five-hour Refuge Retreat. It includes a copal cleansing and Mayan mud massage, plus post-pampering time to soak in the pod’s oversized palm-shaded tub. Guests have access to the amenities at sister property Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, just next door, but it’s doubtful you’ll want to leave this jungle oasis. Rooms from £3,200. Jen Murphy
- Victor Elias/Waldorf Astoria Cancunhotel
Waldorf Astoria Cancun, Mexico
For all the resorts that crowd Mexico’s east coast, the Waldorf stands out for its truly white-glove service and amenities that make it hard to leave the property. There are infinity pools aplenty, acres of pristine coastline, and that most glorious asset of all, the feeling of complete privacy in one of the country’s most bustling holiday spots. The decor, a soothing sea of creams and sand hues, spotlights Mexican artisans and highlights materials like tropical woods and local stone. The vibe here is palpably slow – no rushing from one activity to the next, just relaxing. And there are enough private cabanas to go around – you can forget about the dreaded visit to the pool at dawn to reserve a great spot. There are also dozens of lounge chairs facing the beach for when the ocean is your dip du jour. With comfortable yet polished rooms, an excellent spa, and a clutch of bars and restaurants serving excellent riffs on traditional dishes and drinks, this is Cancun like you’ve never seen it. Rooms from around £640. Meaghan Kenny
- Karyn Millethotel
Casa Polanco, Mexico City
Set in Mexico City's posh Polanco neighbourhood, in an elegantly renovated Spanish Revival-style mansion, a stay at Casa Polanco feels like a peek inside the lives of well-to-do chilangos (Mexico City locals). Polanco is within walking distance from sites like Chapultepec Park, a popular hangout for local families on the weekends, and lovely for morning jogs; and a short drive from Museo Soumaya, known for its unique architecture and mirror-like façade; and Casa Luis Barragán. Just around the corner are the trendy Roma Norte and Condesa neighbourhoods for eating, drinking, and boutique shopping. As is a common tendency throughout Polanco, the food here is not quintessentially Mexican – there's a quesadilla offered via room service, but, beyond that, you're working with what feels akin to a country club menu (think Caesar salads and sandwiches for in-room dining, and afternoon tea in the lobby bar). Rooms from around £520. Megan Spurrell.
- Rock House Grace Bayhotel
Rock House, Turks and Caicos
As one of the world’s most desirable winter destinations, the Caribbean has an abundance of resort options based on a familiar model. These are the expansive beachfront properties with grand entries, cavernous lobbies, and ostentatious styling featuring a plethora of palm trees, pools, and piña coladas. I’m not suggesting this can’t make for a fantastic getaway – but if this is what you desire, Rock House is not for you. Located in tropical Turks and Caicos but taking its inspiration from the Mediterranean, Rock House offers guests something refreshingly different. Elegant yet subdued, this is not a resort that overwhelms; instead, it whispers in your ear and asks you to dance. Opened in 2022, the property is the newest addition to the renowned Grace Bay Resorts brand and synthesises 30 years of luxury resort expertise into a modern European-style experience that satisfies the senses and nourishes the soul. Every detail at Rock House, from the painstaking dedication to preserving the native ecology surrounding it to the in-house phone app that enables you to effortlessly communicate with the guest experience team without leaving the beach or your private infinity pool, has been thoughtfully considered. Families are welcome, but Rock House may appeal most to lovers and those seeking a truly tranquil environment to relax and recharge. Rooms from around £580. Caryn B. Davis
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Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, Bermuda
$$Bermuda is generally divided into two parts, east and west, with the capital of Hamilton somewhat in the middle. Most luxury resorts reside in Hamilton or on the east end, but one historic hotel is found on the quieter west end. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Cambridge Beaches recently completed a full revamp, thanks to new owners Dovetail + Co (the hospitality group behind the Urban Cowboy and Wayfinder brands). The resort’s iconic pink cottages, four bars and restaurants, two-tiered pool, and expansive grounds that include four private beaches have been brought into the 21st century—no small feat since some architectural details date back to the 1600s. The 86 cottages are newly chic, with a tropical-inspired coral and seafoam green colour palette, dark wood statement beds, quirky rattan chairs, and boldly patterned textiles. Vintage-inspired pastel-coloured scalloped umbrellas and cushy lounge chairs now populate the refurbished pool area and its accompanying bar and restaurant, which also sports a magnificently detailed shell-encrusted back bar. A highlight is the brand-new Sunken Harbor Club (an outpost of the same-named Brooklyn bar), which is decorated with shipwreck treasures rescued by the late Bermudian diving legend Teddy Tucker. Bermudian-rooted cuisine is on offer, with dishes like shark hash and plantain-stuffed wild boar to complement classic island cocktails and new creations by barmaster St. John Frizell. A revamp of the spa and indoor pool is planned for this year. Rooms from £400. Devorah Lev Tov
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Sunset Reef, St. Kitts
You’d never know it takes just 10 minutes to drive from the airport to get here. After turning off the main road in the village of Trinity, expect to trundle down a bumpy side road shrouded by palms and little else – this level of seclusion will soon reveal itself to be one of the highlights, and what makes Sunset Reef feel a little unique on an island where most of the luxury offerings are resorts. Between the clifftop location and a number of rooms (just seven renovated suites), you can pretend to have the whole place to yourself until it’s time to trot off for lunch by the pool or down to the pocket-size bar, Sandbar, to watch the sunset and spot the other guests. There is a tailor-made concierge service available to arrange activities for guests depending on how adventurous they’re feeling, from a rainforest walk with local operator Greg’s Safaris to a rum tasting at family-owned Old Road Rim distillery. And for days when you’re more interested in staying on property, there’s a yoga deck, as well as opportunities to use requisite beach amenities like kayaks, paddle boards, and electric jet skis. Rooms from around £630. Lara Kramer
- Coulibri Ridgehotel
Coulibri Ridge, Dominica
Combining eco-sensitive best practices with true luxury, this sleek eco-resort is a model for Dominica and the wider Caribbean, demonstrating that you needn’t sacrifice creature comforts to have a sustainable holiday. Coulibri Ridge was built with environmental consciousness at its core – a construction process that took the Canadian-Dominican owners a whopping 15 years (including a five-year delay after the devastating passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017) to complete. Now, what was once a colonial-era citrus plantation has been transformed into an eco-sensitive hillside retreat, which aims to be self-sufficient. The 285-acre property is completely powered by the sun via solar 225 panels and 288 recyclable non-lithium batteries; two communal pools are solar heated and kept clean not with chlorine but by using a copper ioniser to kill algae and fungus. But if you think the resort is more functional than fancy, think again. Guests are treated to modern studios, lofts, and penthouses with sweeping views of the water, tropical and bountiful breakfasts (included in the rate), and a spa with open-air treatment rooms. Rooms from £570. Caryn Davis
- Sofitel Grand Casco Viejo Panamahotel
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, Panama City
Casco Viejo is the historic and walkable heart of Panama City’s nightlife scene for visitors and tourists alike, so for those in the know it may come as no surprise that Sofitel’s sixth Legend property in the world came to town here in early 2022. The brand has garnered a loyal following by preserving famed addresses by transforming them into luxe cultural getaways true to the history of the place. This one, a former social club, fuses the country’s Spanish- and French-colonial pasts (France tried and failed to build the Panama Canal here before its US completion) to a truly show-stopping and high-design renovation that stays true to the building’s original French-colonial architecture. Rooms range from 375-square-foot superior level options to spacious suites with large sitting balconies – and 87 per cent of rooms have an ocean view. All floors except the bottom level have balconies and are well worth the upgrade for enjoying in-room breakfasts with an incredible view of the cityscape and adjacent Old Quarter. Rooms from around £225. Shannon McMahon
- SB Winemaker’s House and Spa Suiteshotel
SB Winemaker’s House and Spa Suites, Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza has long been a magnet for well-heeled Malbec lovers, so Susana Balbo, Argentina’s first female enologist, has done the logical thing and created a swank retreat there for oenophiles. Together with daughter Ana Lavaglio Balbo, she refurbished a century-old property in Chacras de Coria, blending well-being with art, haute cuisine, and a plethora of wine-making references across the seven exquisite suites. It’s Ana’s former home, so she knows every nook and cranny, and her eye for detail honed by winemaking has translated well, as evinced by touches like the wellness butler who organises in-room experiences, the thought-provoking Espejos mirror collection by renowned Argentine artist Julio Le Parc, furniture from female designers, and even heated sun loungers and firepits on each private patio. Meals are a focal point; at lunch, don’t miss the entraña (skirt steak), grilled your way over open flames at the outdoor parrilla counter and best enjoyed alongside Susana’s very own Nosotros Malbec 2018. Come for dinner, book a table at La Vida restaurant and sample the paired 14-course tasting menu created by chef Flavia Amad Di Leo. After a day around the swimming pool or sipping and swirling in local vineyards (the family’s Susana Balbo Wines bodega in Agrelo is a must-visit), kick back in extremely comfortable living quarters. Each suite has a wet room or a soaking tub (the ingeniously upcycled egg-shaped wine fermentation tank), and opening a Torrontés from the generously stocked minibar to savour in a bubble bath is a perfect way to end the day. Rooms from around £675. Sorrel Moseley-Williams
- Stephen Kent Johnsonhotel
Nine Orchard, New York
Ask any in-the-know New Yorker for their favourite neighbourhood, and chances are the Lower East Side will be it. The place teems with urban cool. Tattoo parlours on every corner. Low-key restaurants where the plates rival those in SoHo, but the crowd is a blend of skaters, designers, and musicians. When Nine Orchard opened this past July on a historic corner in the neighbourhood, it brought with it a degree of sophistication seldom celebrated here. There are the historical bones, for one, located inside an old, grand bank, with an airy lobby bar humming under old vaulted ceilings that rival those up at Grand Central. A superstar food pairing in the way of Ignacio Mattos, one of the city’s hottest chefs, means classic dishes like steak au poivre and frites are exceptional at the attached Corner Bar (the tables are lovely with their minimal settings but the pick of seats is one of the 40 stools at the wraparound bar). With a full belly, you’ll happily plunk down into one of the property’s 116 guest rooms with simple wood bed tables and hand-carved chairs that feel like a groovy space to tune into the custom radio stations created for the hotel by DJ Stretch Armstrong, a New York-based DJ and producer who focuses on New York inspired music on all four of the in-hotel stations. Whatever station you choose, this landmark hotel offers locals and visitors alike a sense of being grounded in a place and pays homage to the neighbourhood and its city as one of the very best in the world. Rooms from around £385. Lara Kramer
- Robert Rieger/Aman New Yorkhotel
Aman New York
In the 35 years since Aman was founded, and its first property opened its doors in Phuket, the brand has come to represent a certain kind of experience for a certain kind of traveller: discreet, expansive, and intimate, with a full-bodied approach to wellness and an almost chameleon-like ability to adapt to the surrounding landscape. So it goes with Aman New York, the latest jewel in its crown – the brand’s very first urban outpost in the United States, and only its second urban property in the world after Aman Tokyo. And what a crown it is: taking up residence in the iconic Crown Building, a Beaux-Arts landmark carefully renovated with Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston Architects, the space dazzles with a 7,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, a spa and wellness centre spread over three floors, and serene, high-ceilinged guest suites (each with their own fireplace). Rooms from around £1,650. Betsy Blumenthal.
- Annie Schlechterhotel
Hotel Chelsea, New York
Hotel Chelsea may not be filled with famous musicians anymore, but the rock-and-roll vibe remains. Long-term residents who have been grandfathered into their apartments in the building still float around, and most guests – usually drawn by the hotel's history – have a knowingness to them, whether they're in their 30s or 60s. The 155 guest rooms and suites have wood floors with the Hotel Chelsea monogram now inlaid; the sun dapples through ivory eyelet fabric on the windows; and the bathrooms are classically done with light and dark grey marble accentuated by bronze details. Animal-print chairs maintain a bit of spunk in the now bright, airy rooms, as do ornate dark wood bedside tables. Massive closets and their interiors a riot of wallpaper, make it even easier to imagine unpacking and sticking around for a while. If you visited the Chelsea back in the day, you'll recognise the original fireplaces, stained glass windows, and those iconic wrought-iron balconies leaning over West 23rd Street, which remain untouched. Rooms from around £300. Megan Spurell
- The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMadhotel
The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
Out of the many, many hotels in New York to choose from, the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad offers one of the most serene (yet cool) escapes in Manhattan. The property is walkable to many of the top tourist attractions, and to local-first neighbourhoods, all while adding its own sleek contribution to the NoMad area. The rooms are spacious and the service is impeccable, but it’s the design and food and beverage that makes this property shine with the style set. Make sure to request a downtown-facing room on floors 25+ for views that compete with the Empire State Building, but instead of fighting tourists for a photo, you can enjoy it from a king-size bed. A subtle gold-hued colour palette is employed in the design of the rooms, with contrasts like a bold chain-link chandelier above the bed and floor-to-ceiling black and white terrazzo tiled bathrooms. Each room has a stand-alone soaking tub and steam shower. Rooms from around £770. Scott Bay.
- Andrea Hutchison/Thompson Denverhotel
Thompson Denver, Colorado
Denver is no longer just a stopover for outdoor enthusiasts coming to play in Colorado’s mountains. And Thompson, a Hyatt brand synonymous with urban cool, is the ultimate base for exploring the Mile High City’s creative cocktail bars, urban breweries and bike trails, and big-name art installations like Meow Wolf. Set in the vibrant LoDo neighbourhood (short for Lower Downtown), guests are steps from all of the action and one of the city’s most exciting restaurants, Chez Maggy, is located on the Thompson’s ground floor. Michelin-decorated chef Ludo Lefevre’s first foray outside of Los Angeles channels a French brasserie by way of the Rocky Mountains with dishes like bison tartare. Design features throughout the hotel, like the soaring brick fireplace in the lower lobby and saddle leather headboards in the rooms, nod to the region’s alpine and Western spirit. Guests can soak in snow-capped Rocky views from Reynard Social, and regular lounge events like shotski decorating workshops let guests feel like a true local. Rooms from £245. Jen Murphy
- Courtesy of Madrona Manorhotel
The Madrona, Sonoma, California
$$Originally built in 1881 as a private residence for the globetrotting Paxton family, this gabled mansion in Healdsburg has been respectfully restored and reimagined as a modern-day boutique hotel by San Francisco-based designer Jay Jeffers. The 24 accommodations include guest rooms located in the original mansion and carriage house as well as more secluded bungalows spread across historic buildings. Many rooms have soaring ceilings, and every accommodation features an original piece of furniture or artwork; many have period fireplaces, bay windows, and spacious balconies overlooking the hills of Dry Creek Valley. Madrona’s namesake restaurant is helmed by Michelin-starred chef Jesse Mallgren – there’s always a loyal local crowd for brunch on the heated terrace (the table waffle to share and salmon gravlax pizza with poached eggs are must-orders). Rooms from £520. Jen Murphy
- Stephanie Russo/Villa Mara Carmelhotel
Villa Mara Carmel, California
Though Dev Patel grew up in a hospitality family, Villa Mara Carmel is his first project on his own – and certainly not his last. The almost top-to-bottom renovation of the property (which took three years) shows in every detail, from the leather-wrapped staircase handrails on the inside to the botanically perfect landscaping outside. And if you could fuse muted minimalism with beach chic and add a dash of fabric fantastic (e.g., the bed headboards and throw pillows), you’d have Villa Mara’s 16 guest rooms nailed to perfection. But the hotel’s most enviable feature is its location, nestled along one of the most historic streets in Carmel-by-the-Sea Carmel Point neighbourhood literally a few hundred steps from Carmel Beach, which is one of the most postcard-perfect stretches of sand and sea in America. Rooms from £400. Peter Taylor
- Chris Simpsonhotel
Sensei Porcupine Creek, California
Toeing the line between a self-improvement sabbatical and bone-fide holiday, Sensei Porcupine Creek is the ideal getaway for the chronically over-achieving: a place where real R&R is achieved proactively, through science and strategy, and in utter seclusion. Formerly the private estate of tech wizard and Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, Sensei’s co-founder, this intensely secluded retreat hidden at the foothills of the Santa Rosa mountains (studded with monumental Robert Indiana and Keith Haring sculptures from Ellison’s personal collection, no less) is only the second outpost for Sensei and marks the brand’s debut in the continental United States. (Its first, Sensei Lānaʻi, A Four Seasons Resort, opened in 2019.) But it’s also the brand’s first true standalone property, and with a lush, 75-acre golf course, a glamorous lagoon-style pool, and tennis facilities modelled after those at the nearby Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which hosts the annual BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament – in addition to a fleet of world-class wellness professionals, all poised to help you hit your marks – it really does stand alone. Rooms from around £1,130. Betsy Blumenthal
- Christian Harderhotel
The Pinch, Charleston
When the iconic Bob Ellis Shoes shuttered its doors after 66 years at the corner of King and George streets, Randall Cook and David Grasso took note. On multiple visits, the co-founder and CEO of the Philadelphia-based hospitality group Method Co. had fallen in love with the Holy City’s rich history, culinary prowess, and creative industry. So the team purchased five adjoining lots and set about preserving, restoring, and transforming the enclave of buildings into a stylish, warmly contemporary boutique hotel, with active storefronts below and two floors above containing 25 chic rooms, suites, and residences, each with a designer kitchen. The transition has been so smooth, many locals didn’t notice the change until realising the upper windows were no longer boarded up, then spying the Pinch’s understated marquee. Though the launch has been quiet, buzz has been growing about the hotel’s ground-floor restaurant, The Quinte, a sexy, glowing, darkly panelled oyster bar fronting George Street. Heads will also turn when restaurant Lowland opens in an adjacent historic dwelling, with a tavern, a second-floor dining room with a hand-painted mural and wood-burning fireplace, and a much-anticipated private extended-stay residence on the top floor. Rooms from £385. Allston McCrady
- Jeff McNeill/The Royal Hotelhotel
The Royal Hotel, Canada
When former Ontario finance minister Greg Sorbara purchased a family farm in rural Prince Edward County nearly 20 years ago, he never imagined how far his new roots would spread. After learning the crumbling structure that was once The Royal was slated for demolition in 2014, he snapped it up and made restoring the former gem a family endeavour. Now, the hotel is back and better than ever, offering casual luxury that honours both Prince Edward County’s roots and current status as a wine tourism hot spot. The 33 rooms put a modern spin on Victorian design – all highly touchable textiles and fresh takes on classic details. Meanwhile, the restaurant pulls ingredients from the Sorbara family’s Edwin County Farms, and a guests-only pool deck makes The Royal the place to book during Prince Edward County’s busy summer season. Rooms from around £300. Alyssa Schwartz
- Graydon Herriotthotel
Ace Hotel Toronto, Canada
Unlike many hotel chains, Ace doesn’t rest on its laurels. Each new property is thoughtfully tailored to its setting, the opposite of cookie-cutter. This 123-room hotel – the Ace chain’s first in the Great White North – sits at the crossroads of three of Toronto’s most happening ’hoods: Queen Street West and Chinatown to the north and northwest, the nightspot-heavy King West strip to the south. To spend a few hours in the space, with its revolving door to the street outside and rows of oversized picture windows, is to recall the bustling ground floor in Grand Hotel, but with toque-wearing hipsters filling the stage instead of Greta Garbo. The variously sized rooms and suites meld the brand’s minimalist aesthetic with distinctly Canadian touches, while the hotel’s subterranean dining room, Alder, is a highlight of any visit: Chef Patrick Kriss’s way with wood-fired grilling is deliciously on display. As you chow down on your suckling pig with charred mustard greens, be sure to admire A. Howard Sutcliffe’s Horizon Line, a large-scale plywood mural that evokes the twinkling waters of nearby Lake Ontario. Rooms from £248. Danny Sinopoli
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1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
Kauaui's 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has all the ingredients you might want to cook up a truly magical Hawaiian getaway – a swimmable beach right out front, a legendary surf break a short paddle away, a stunning main pool (and a sleek adults-only one), great onsite bars and restaurants, a cute town nearby for exploring, and easy access to excellent hiking. But what makes this property truly stand out in an archipelago dotted with luxe oceanfront resorts is that it’s also a legitimate wellness destination, with cutting-edge medi-spa offerings as well as serious fitness and mind/body programming. Guest rooms are a study in neutrals – sand-hued walls, reclaimed teak ceilings and furniture with rope and reed accents. Potted plants live in woven baskets and stag ferns are mounted on the walls, dried grass skirts are hung like pieces of art, the bathroom walls are lined with lava stone, and the island’s seafaring history comes through in the most subtle of ways – sconces that almost resemble fishing nets, or a single conch shell displayed on a shelf. The service on-site is casual but professional, and everyone from the concierge to the person helping you get set up at the pool is incredibly friendly and more than happy to share their favourite spots around the island. As for the Bamford Wellness Spa, I'm not exaggerating when I say the treatments are transcendent. Menu highlights include treatments that incorporate native Hawaiian medicinal plants like kava and noni, massages on a quartz bed (it’s like lying in warm sand while getting your kinks and knots worked out), and floats in the sensory deprivation tank, where you lose track of time and space in the best way possible: A single 60-minute session can be the equivalent of four hours of REM sleep. Rebecca Misner
- 1 Hotel San Franciscohotel
1 Hotel San Francisco
The unicorn this city has been waiting for, 1 Hotel San Francisco has an excellent location overlooking the Bay, an eco ethos at the core of its brand, on-point design, and a bar/restaurant that takes advantage of the fact that it’s mere feet from one of the country’s best farmers markets. While the lobby and the hallways are on the moody side of lighting, the 186 rooms and 14 suites are bright and sunny. My king room looked out toward the Ferry Building and over the Bay, with the Bay Bridge off in the distance. (For even more insane waterfront views, the panoramic suite – 630 square feet with sweeping Bay vistas – is the room to book). Rooms from £284. Rebecca Misner
- Stanly Ranch, Aubergehotel
Stanly Ranch, Auberge, California
Auberge Resorts Collection’s third property in Napa Valley is set on a historic wine country ranch founded in 1956 by Judge Edward Stanly. Guests can choose from 135 cottages, rooms, and suites – decorated in oatmeal and beige hues and leather and oak furnishings – all with private terraces and outdoor showers. Standout amenities include Guatemalan heated robes, yoga mats, and Theragun massage tools. Bay Area food lovers make the trek here just to dine on chef Garrison Price’s ingredient-focused meals at the resort’s Avroko-designed restaurant, Bear; others prefer to sip Rose at the French countryside-inspired Basin Bar. But don’t expect to sip wine all day: This wellness-focused resort can curate fitness optimisation programs, send you out on a cycling adventure with a pro, or arrange a hot air balloon ride for the whole family. Rooms from £1,050. Jen Murphy
- Noe DeWitt/Auberge Resorts Collectionhotel
Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection
Step onto this picturesque Auberge Resorts Collection campus, in a meadow in the shadow of New York’s iconic Shawangunk Mountains, and you feel almost as if you’ve entered the world of a Hudson River School painting. It’s that pretty. And for all its comforts, which are considerable—the instant it opened its doors last fall, it became the premier luxury escape in the Catskills – the hotel rightly recognises that nature is its greatest amenity. Located on a 140-acre site that was once a tree nursery and a dairy farm, Wildflower leans into the region’s agricultural heritage with a working farm that supplies ingredients for cooking classes, the menu of the hotel’s progressive New American restaurant, Clay, and many of the treatments at the excellent spa, Thistle. Guests can swing by to tour the crops, feed the animals, and collect eggs from the chicken coop (to take home or pass along to the kitchen staff at Clay to prepare for breakfast). Just four per cent of the property has been developed, leaving an extensive network of forest trails for visitors to explore on their own or to visit with a guide for ramp planting or forest-bathing experiences. And it’s easy to continue drinking in the beauty of the place from the 65 rooms, all freestanding cabins, cottages, and suites. In addition to offering fireplaces, well-curated minibars, and a stylishly warm, natural design aesthetic, they have extensive private terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows framing a view of woods, meadows, or mountains. Rooms from £1,000. Jesse Ashlock
- Will Pryce/Mayfair House Hotel & Gardenhotel
Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, Miami
This architectural marvel was originally designed by acclaimed architect Kenneth Treister and opened in 1985, then sadly fell into neglect in the early aughts. Enter hospitality Pac-Man and emerging New York interior designer Matthew Goodrich, and you have today’s iteration of Mayfair House Hotel & Garden that, instead of reinventing the wheel, brings back the best the hotel ever had to offer. The 80s-heyday energy is back and better than ever: Around sunset, Sipsip, the rooftop pool bar features a friendly, eclectic bunch of unpretentious patrons; and during the temperate months, the lush atrium will be filled with an amalgam of well-heeled, work-from-home types and creative artists that likely live in the neighbourhood. Rooms feature cool perks like working typewriters, a fully kitted-out bar cart with cocktail sets, oodles of “made in the Grove” craft snacks, and oversized clawfoot tubs. Helmed by Randy Alonso and Chris Hudnall, the Mayfair Grill – from hospitality group Lost Boy & Co. – features an aromatic wood-fired grill (which you can smell across the street) and is inspired by the open-fire flavours of the American Southwest. Rooms from £290. Ayesha Khan
- Ambiente, a Landscape Hotelhotel
Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel, Arizona
Set alongside the stunning views of Sedona’s red terrain, this adults-only property is the country’s first landscape hotel. Ambiente features 40 atriums – all detached and private, with 180-degree views of nature – and rooftops that provide even better views. You truly can’t get any closer to nature, as the atriums are built in the most unobtrusive ways (elevated on steel piers) in order to preserve the environment that surrounds them. A hiking and biking trail is located directly on the property and leads to some of Sedona’s other popular trails. An upscale food and beverage program can be found at the property’s Forty 1 restaurant, led by rising star, Chef Lindsey Dale. Exclusivity and extra attention to detail are provided by the resort’s concierge service, accessed via text message. The hotel’s spa offers location-themed experiences that tap into all your senses – try the Dark Sky Lounge, a 30-minute sound and vibration-based therapy that is experienced alone. Rooms from around £725. David Duran
- The Ingalls/Hotel Per LAhotel
Hotel Per LA, California
This hotel is the third act for the beautifully preserved Giannini building in downtown Los Angeles, but it may be the most meaningful one yet. Built in 1922 as the Bank of Italy in an ornate Neoclassical style, the building later found fame after years of neglect as The Nomad Los Angeles. When the pandemic shut down the world, the building went dark once more. Now after an ownership and management change, the hotel has begun anew as Hotel Per La, Italian for “for the,” which was inspired by the building’s original use as the bank for the people. That “for the people” feeling begins at the new entrance on Olive Street where guests walk through a mirrored tunnel – an obvious Instagram backdrop – but it also serves as an appreciation for guests. It says both “Welcome to Los Angeles” and “Wow, look at you.” The 241 guest rooms and suites have kept the thoughtfully decorated apartment style that was put in place by Jacques Garcia with soft beds, antique knick-knacks, and a mix of vintage and current photography. Yet up on the roof is where Hotel Per La shines, quite literally when the sun engulfs the pool deck and bar – encouraging guests to relax however they want. The future feels bright here again. Rooms from around £260. Juliana Shallcross
- Chase Daniel/The Loren at Lady Bird Lakehotel
The Loren at Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas
This 108-room jewel box has, arguably, the best location in downtown Austin. It overlooks Lady Bird Lake and the city’s growing skyline; a hike and bike trail across the street connects guests to Austin’s top sights and famous quirks alike. Upon arrival, friendly valets meet guests – who, along with their rides, look hot off of the runway – and usher them into the hotel lobby through glass doors. Guests might then take in city views from their balcony, recharge in the award-winning Milk + Honey Spa, take a dip in the rooftop swimming pool, or hit the first-floor cafe. It’s all about understated glamour – and a touch of Caribbean hospitality – at The Loren. Rooms from around £280. Stirling Kelso
- Conrad Los Angeleshotel
Conrad Los Angeles, California
The Walt Disney Concert Hall has long been the crowning jewel of historic Bunker Hill, and famed architect Frank Gehry has upped the ante with the opening of his first hotel project in Los Angeles. Located just across the street from the striking stainless steel home of the L.A. Philharmonic (also designed by Ghery), the Conrad is the ideal outpost for an art-obsessed traveler, within walking distance of The Broad Museum, The Music Center, Angel’s Flight Railway, and MOCA. The entrance to the Conrad is a jaw-dropping one, with the elevator opening up onto floor-to-ceiling views of the swooshes of the Disney Concert Hall. Corner rooms offer similarly spectacular vistas, and on a clear day, you can see all the way down to the Dodger Stadium and San Gabriel Mountains. But it’s not just the exteriors that are top-notch. Extra touches in all of the spaces include full blackout shades, motion-activated nightlights under the bed skirts, and Byredo Mojave Ghost bath products. The spa treatments stand up to the city’s best, and considering there are five separate culinary experiences curated by Chef José Andrés, this is the kind of hotel where you could easily drop your bags and never leave. From modernist cocktails at Sed and Spanish tapas at San Laurel to laid-back, beachy rooftop dining at Agua Viva, there’s truly something for every traveler. Rooms from £286. Krista Simmons
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The Virginian Lodge, Wyoming
Back in the 1960s, Glenn Napierski noticed a lot of vacationers sleeping in their cars and was inspired to open this classic roadside motor lodge. The Virginian instantly became a fixture of the local community and beloved by vacationers. Over the years, the Virg, as it’s locally known, fell into disrepair – enter Outbound Hotels, who swooped in to add the property to their collection of adventure-centric retreats. The revamped motor lodge now features an adventure centre, bottle shop, RV park, swimming pool, and even a saloon all within its 13 acres. Rooms pair nods to old-school motor lodge decor (think wall-to-wall plaid carpeting and wood-panelled walls hung with vintage Western oil paintings) with modern touches like mid-century furnishings and Pendleton blankets. The courtyard also hosts programming for guests and locals such as starlight movie nights, rodeo happy hour, plein air painting classes, and game nights. Rooms from £160. Jen Murphy
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- Brett Woodhotel
Ulysses, Baltimore
The hotelier and design studio Ash loves to tell a good story. And the yarn that powers Ulysses pulls right from the hotel’s roots. It occupies the nine-story Latrobe Building, an early 20th-century Italianate pile in Baltimore’s vaguely European Mount Vernon neighbourhood (see the cobblestone roundabouts and tidy greens), where upper-crust bachelor boarders once laid their heads. Today, the space once again conjures the quarters of some well-to-do gadabout whose trinkets – acquired from a parade of grand tours, no doubt – lie scattered all about. In the foyer, oil paintings with a tinge of the Goya grotesque hang above vivid mosaic floors. The rooms, appointed with antique (and antique-looking) furniture, occupy eight stories, with a palette that shifts depending on where you are: moody greens and blues on the lower levels; hazy yellow and red higher up. In a ninth-floor suite, the television, covered in fabric block-printed with flamingos, is a nod to native son John Waters. No proper boarding house is complete without common spaces, however. Nothing moves the spirit quite like Bloom’s, a drinking den with mirrored ceilings and a bar in the round that makes every shake and stir feel like a performance. To that we say: bravo! Rooms from £200. Betsy Blumenthal
- Life House, Berkshireshotel
Life House, Berkshires
Lit majors, nature lovers, and art fiends alike will feel more than at home in this stylish lodge located just off Main Street in Lenox. There is a specific design narrative here of a writer retreating into inspiring nature to focus on their craft – just as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edith Wharton, and Herman Melville once did in the Berkshires. (The library lounge with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves is the first thematic clue.) Rooms along the open-air corridors evoke a mountain retreat vibe with subtle literary touches like secretary-style writing desks, lampshades patterned with the marble-style paper backing of old books, and framed poetry produced by an antique typewriter. Pull up a green velvet stool at the Club Rooms for some charcuterie and cocktails. Rooms from around £180. Devorah Lev-Tov
- Amy Fronczkiewiczhotel
The Wanderer Cottages, Kennebunk, Maine
This collection of 17 quintessential white clapboard New England cottages has cool, surf shack-inspired decor and a prime location within biking distance to Kennebunkport’s best restaurants, shops, and beaches—perfect for East Coast creatives craving a quick coastal getaway. Each studio and one-bedroom cottage has a cute name, like Love Shack (#11) or Surf Shack (#3) and has been decorated with vintage black-and-white surf photography, nautical-themed antiques, and custom rope-wrapped surfboards. All feature mini-fridges and wet bars, and most are dog friendly. A prime location on a leafy street one mile from Kennebunkport’s buzzy Dock Square allows guests to skip the hassles of summer traffic and parking and use free cruiser bikes to visit downtown’s lobster shacks and bars. Rooms from £160. Jen Murphy