The 50 Greatest Luxury Hotels on Earth in 2026

We told you to keep an eye on this brand-new property on the Mediterranean’s up-and-coming island, and within months of opening, it’s already making this list. When Rug Company founders Christopher and Suzanne Sharp purchased the historic palazzo, they planned to make it their own country retreat, but instead pivoted to a hospitality play, their first ever: “It feels like staying in a private and beautiful Maltese home, than a hotel,” raves Jules Maury. The decor is fittingly sumptuous—think Sicilian tiles, frescoes and bespoke wallpapers—and it’s protected from the hubbub of Valletta in a country town, 15 minutes’ drive away. All but one of the 17 rooms have their own outdoor space, but one is a real jaw-dropper: suite 5, where the bathroom has been sensitively created out of the original family chapel.

Conservation-obsessed billionaire hedge funder Louis Bacon is behind this buyout-aimed resort for 24, which sits on the 14-island archipelago Islas Secas. The casitas are immersed in the lush landscape and most guests come to spend time on the crystal blue waters here, whether diving with sharks in Coiba National Park on the huge reef or sport fishing for red snapper. Ask the hotel’s staffers to drop you off on one of the inhabited islets—Bacon’s edicts for operation included leaving 75 percent of the land here untouched by human interference—with a picnic and some water gear so you can play at Robinson Crusoe. Maury says the thoughtful touches are world-class, including a series of essential oils and a recipe book left in every room to create your own bespoke scent to use in shower gels and body lotions.

One of a clutch of so-called palace hotels in the City of Lights, the grande dame of the Right Bank definitely manages, as Jennifer Schwartz says, to be “old school and new all at the same time.” The interiors feel like you’re staying with a wealthy, jet-setting aunt with a fondness for expensive chintz, reassuringly retro yet chic, but you can also pick up some superb merch emblazoned with the logo of its collab with Sporty & Rich, Le Bristol Society (the shrunken cashmere sweaters are a standout). Make sure to pause and stroke Socrate, the male Birman cat who roams the hotel as its unofficial mascot and keep an eye on what Fabrice Moizan has planned: The widely respected GM is about to take the helm here and will likely bring a jolt of je ne sais quoi from his previous longtime perch in St. Barths.

Picture a tony London hotel in your mind: formal but effortless service in a building that reeks of history, buzzy restaurants and bars plus rooms with a reassuring whiff of Victoriana that subtly nods to Britain’s heyday. Picture no more. It’s Claridge’s that you’re envisioning, the Mayfair mainstay that’s become synonymous with luxury hospitality in London. Ashley Isaacs Ganz always stays there, raving about its consistent reinventions, with fun additions constantly on offer. The latest of those: New York’s award-hogging cocktail bar and restaurant Dante, which has taken up permanent residence as the all-day restaurant after its pop-up presence proved so popular they didn’t dare shut it down.

This one-time boarding school on the northeastern outskirts of Tuscany’s anchor is now an 83-key Auberge-operated property that Stacy Fischer Rosenthal raves about, mostly for the GM Lorenzo Maraviglia. “He’s helped create a property that feels both deeply rooted in place and exceptionally polished from day one,” she says, of the barely year-old hotel. It makes the most of its former incarnation, with the Gamella restaurant in the vaulted onetime rectory (gammelle were the tin lunch boxes once carried by local kids to school) and cheekily deeding the erstwhile principal’s study to better use—as the Bertelli Bar. One major bonus is the huge heated pool, perched in the ideal location for views across the city and out into the countryside. Make sure to walk to the daily local market in Piazza delle Cure if you want to immerse yourself in a Florence beyond the museums and world-class sights.

Yes, another of the hotels we’ve already honored lands a slot on this list in its debut year—and for good reason, says Alex Wix, who raves about the experience there, including “unique moments like seeing white Himalayan monkeys and tasting rhododendron juice.” If you brave an eight-hour drive plus a one-hour trek on foot, you’ll be more than rewarded at the end with a stay at the ambitious luxury retreat conceived by Shakti founder Jamshyd Sethna (and yes, the art that festoons the walls come from Sethna’s own collection). There are seven log cabin-style villas with open terraces and fire pits but most come here for the activities, roaming for full or half-day treks through the surrounding landscape. Prana means “breath” in Sanskrit, and it’ll definitely be taken away during a stay here—not only because of its astonishing 7,000-foot altitude but also for the remarkable views of the Himalayan range you’ll see from everywhere.

Lost in Translation helped this hotel soar above rival five-star properties in Japan more than 20 years ago—and it’s held that advantage ever since, including during a recent 19-month shutdown for some much-needed TLC which ended with a splashy reopening last December. “People like new hotels and classic hotels, not middle-aged ones,” says James Jayasundera. “And it emerged from that refurbishment as a genuine classic.” Hyatt artfully called that makeover a restoration rather than a refurb, and it certainly told architects Jouin Manku not to meddle overly with what so many would expect. The result: the bar remains recognizable from the movie, and the Diplomat Suite, where ScarJo and Bill Murray shot several scenes, is still bookable. There are better, wet room-style bathrooms, though, and an F&B upgrade courtesy of Girandole, the new restaurant on-site from Michelin regular Alain Ducasse.

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen opened this lodge as part of his intensive, extensive investments into his adoptive home of Scotland, which he’s dubbed Wildland. Helicopter transfers in Scotland require the permission of the landowner, which often stymies that convenience but it’s not an issue here—Povlsen is the country’s largest landowner, with an estimated 220,000 acres across 13 estates. Wix raves about the exclusive-use property, and how it’s operated more like a country estate you’d borrow from a friend than a conventional hotel. It was designed by Cecilé & Boyd, best known for its work with Singita, so think of this as a Scottish safari lodge, with guides as connected to the natural surroundings as many trackers would be. “They immerse you in the landscape through everything from hiking, foraging, and biking to sound bath sessions and conservation sessions,” says Henry Cookson, who calls out the spectacular Hope River’s fly-fishing as among the best in the country.

Why stay here? It’s the only place in the whole of Rwanda where you’ll be able to begin the day with a private gorilla trek. “Singita has the exclusive on this,” says Mark Lakin. More than a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in the jungles of the adjoining 178-acre park, improving your chances of spotting them sooner. That privilege alone could score it a slot on this list, but there’s far more to its appeal, too. “Most go for the gorillas,” agrees Cari Gray. “But it’s a place we’d go back to just as a lodge.” The eight-suite property features indoor-outdoor fireplaces, locally made, hand-fired brickwork (more than 500 artisans contributed to the project) and, of course, heated plunge pools. The best perch, though, is the four-bedroom penthouse-style villa, Kataza House, which acts like its own, self-contained safari lodge within the property’s confines.

Another of maximalist designer Bill Bensley’s masterful far-flung palaces of fantasy, this Baglung stone building is designed so every room has jaw-dropping views of the near mountain range—Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell sums it up as “breathtaking views in the ultimate retreat for the body, mind and spirit.” (The five-night minimum all but guarantees everyone the chance to truly decompress.) The 29-room property sits in a once-independent corner of Nepal, far more sparsely populated (and so, more appealing) than Everest and co. Come here to ride horses, try archery, or hike through the rugged terrain, “a landscape so dramatic it barely feels real,” adds Tanya Dalton. Don’t miss the chance to walk to the 800-year-old Lubra village, which remains a stronghold of the Bon Buddhist beliefs or try some complementary medicine from the on-site Amchi traditional Tibetan doctor.

This list continues to tiptoe away from major cities to the countryside, with rural wellness retreats in Portugal’s Algarve and cliffside boutique stays on quieter Greek islands rising to the top. Don’t worry, though: There are still plenty of former palaces represented.

This five-star property has sat on the banks of Lake Geneva since the 1860s, right in its 10-acre garden best placed to make the most of Lausanne’s balmy microclimate—Ganz sums it up simply: “old world elegance with incredible lake views and beautiful rooms.” It’s attracted boldfaced travelers from the outset, with regulars including Charlie Chaplin, Nelson Mandela, Audrey Hepburn, and Coco Chanel (who buried one of her dogs in its cemetery), and it oozes a timeless elegance. Come here for supper at Michelin-favorite Anne-Sophie Pic’s restaurant, and book a treatment at its spa, one of just a handful under the auspices of Guerlain.

This chainlet of upscale hotels was started just over 20 years ago by Jonathan Kafri (hence JK) and his son Ori, and remains family-run today. They carved out a reputation for excellence via their initial sites in Italy, but expanded to Paris seven years ago—and thank goodness, says Jason Squatriglia, who says the GM Riccardo Ortogni is one of the best in the country. The 30-room property on the Left Bank’s rue de Lille feels more like an eccentric stylish aunt’s bijoux home than a hotel, all flea market finds and bespoke Italian furniture plus a buzzy outpost of Casa Tua, Miky Grendene’s Miami-Italian restaurant.

The gut-refresh of this storied medi-spa hotel earned a spot on our Best of the Best list earlier this year, for good reason—and it was worth the wait, as it underwent a yearslong, much-needed reconfiguration. Baden-Baden has been a spa town since ancient times, luring Roman-era nobles to take the waters there at its natural springs in the Black Forest. That ritual became more formalized in the late 19^th century, via new options like Brenners Park and it’s been a storied five-star hotel for more than 150 years; the adjacent Villa Stéphanie now houses its medical facilities, under the stern-but-fair authority of longevity guru Harry König (Curious to know what it’s like to undergo the regimen there? We road-tested that first hand in our upcoming August issue.) “The park and estate grounds make it unique,” says Gwen Kozlowski, noting its setting both moments’ walk from the center of town, but in a lushly green perch more like a country pile.

Just outside Florence sits Fiesole, which in Roman times would have been the local hub, and it’s here that Belmond operates the just-renovated Villa San Michele (one of two Florence-adjacent hotels to make this elite list). “You can enjoy Florence from above without being consumed by it,” says Andrea Grisdale. “You’re near enough but far enough.” Clock the stunning views across the city and the Tuscan Hills, from most of the 39 rooms, split between the main building and a few satellite spots, plus three restaurants (sunset supper overlooking the city from its namesake restaurant is sensational). Embrace the history around you with a stay in the Grand Tour, the first-floor suite that’s been carved out of rooms that once acted as Napoleon’s HQ, and don’t miss the Nicodemo Ferrucci fresco of the Last Supper, which was painted in 1642, when the complex was functioning as a monastery.

Venice is a hotbed of activity for five star hotels right now, whether via the renovation of Cipriani, the Four Seasons-powered makeover of the Danieli or the newly opened Airelles. But only one hotel made the cut on our list, and it’s this one, the second site for the new Orient Express hotel brand (the first, in Rome, was a slam dunk Best of the Best for 2026, too) One of its main appeals: the unlikely location, in quiet Cannaregio, which Grisdale calls a “to-be-discovered, loved-by-the-locals area” still close to St Marks and co. It commandeered the neo-Gothic pink pile, Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, which dates back to the 15^th century, with a reassuringly theatrical flourish courtesy of designer Aline Asmar d’Amman. Book a suite next year and you can take a water taxi from the hotel to the relaunched Orient Express train, which will hit the tracks from Istanbul once more after several years’ absence.

Paros is “having a moment,” as they say, as a more laid-back alternative to Mykonos and Santorini. And within the beautiful Cycladic landscape is Luura, a clifftop boutique hideaway opening August 1 by Morgans Originals, a collection of independent hotels deeply rooted in local culture. John Clifford recalls how Luura is “sculpted like a stark-white minimalist village” overlooking Agia Irini Bay, creating a quiet, hyper-exclusive, adults-only retreat. All guest rooms face west, ensuring unobstructed sunset views over the Aegean for everyone. Experience the local culture through ceramics and marble workshops, or on a sail around to hidden bays and nearby villages. Sample the flavors of the region at Lenea, a contemporary Mediterranean kitchen, or for something totally different, get a taste of Osaka at Mimi Kakushi.

Like a movie set version of a billionaire’s retreat, the Hideaway on Thirasia is the ultimate hidden gem amid the hectic hubbub of the Cyclades. It sits in a former pumice facility opposite Oia, and so its roof terrace gives you “bragging rights to the best view of Santorini” during sunset on the Caldera, according to Ileana von Hirsch of Five Star Greece. The whitewashed building’s accessible only by a five-minute speedboat ride or helicopter, keeping the hoi polloi at bay; the skipper and boat come bundled for your use during your stay, as does a hostess and cook. Reassuringly, it’s operated by Perivolas, the luxe hotel carved out of a series of centuries-old caves, once used as wine cellars and stables, which helped establish Oia’s five-star credentials.

Newly renovated and reopened, Octant Vila Monte is a boutique 55-room retreat set among the hills of the Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost stretch of countryside and Mediterranean beaches. The ocean is a 10-minute drive away, though you’re more likely to come to enjoy that tourist-free pastoral life: 22 acres of citrus groves and gardens, wood-fired Algarvian meals at À Terra restaurant with produce sourced from the on-site garden, beautiful airy suites and two outdoor pools (one for families, one for adults). The hotel also offers cultural excursions, such as boat trips to Fuseta Island and Ria Formosa or oyster farm tours, and benefits from having the “best general manager in the south of Portugal,” says Virginia Irurita.

Location, as they say, is everything, and Hotel Miramar benefits from a beautiful perch: The restored 1920s palace is within Forestier-designed Miramar Gardens on the slopes of Montjuïc. The park’s lush, terraced viewpoints were designed for the 1929 International Exposition, and still have outstanding views of Barcelona Pier and the sea. “That Mediterranean feel . . . it’s amazing,” says Irurita. The recently renovated hotel mixes heritage architecture with sleek interior design; the rooms are big, the outdoor space plentiful, and the spa has an indoor “thermal zone” with hammam, sauna, and hydrotherapy circuit that proves a godsend in the winter.

St. Regis is a storied brand unto itself—now imagine it occupying a neo-Baroque palace, commissioned by Archduchess Maria Klotild at the turn of the 20th century, where writers and artists of the Belle Époque would gather to swap stories and raise glasses. Klotild Palace remains well preserved, just minutes from the Danube River, and within, the St. Regis creates an experience still fit for royalty and the literati. Ascend a grand staircase beneath crown-shaped chandeliers, pause for the St. Regis Champagne-sabering ritual in the sunlit atrium or marble-filled bar, relax in the subterranean spa’s hammam, or retire to the Klotild Tower Suite in the domed corner tower, a standout amid the 102 guest rooms and suites. This decadent addition to Budapest is the “first real competition for the Four Seasons,” says Kozlowski. Expect us to be talking about it for a while.

Beverly Hills! What a thrill to see it back on the list. Same for San Diego and Aspen—beachside escapes and mountain lodges are among our favorites this year, so pack your hiking boots and flip-flops.

Notice it next time: the moment you step onto the private launch for the 15-minute-long trip to Jumby Bay from the mainland, your shoulders unclench. It’s a remarkable feat for this Oetker-operated resort, arguably one of the Caribbean’s most admired. Even entry-level rooms are luxurious, with indoor-outdoor bathrooms (the alfresco tub is near irresistible) but there are also impressive villas, including the ultra-exclusive, ultra-secluded new nine-bedroom estate Coco Beach (which we’ve already raved about, of course). Don’t call the rates all inclusive, but you won’t receive a bill for anything, whether a glass of iced Champagne or a kids trip to see the red-footed tortoises at the island’s farm. Rosenthal loves the thoughtful touches, or “personalized arrival surprises,” like a custom wooden cutting board engraved with a guest’s name left in the cottage’s kitchen.

The logo: a cursive, instant classic of a design from the 1940s, by African American architect Paul R. Williams. The color: that candy pink which should be its own Pantone color, so redolent of this hotel is a glimpse of it. The banana leaf print wallpaper: festooning the corridor to the pool and the diner-like coffee shop, it’s painstakingly maintained today as it was when first applied in 1949. It even proved the inspiration for an all-time classic song—the Eagles are rumored to have been singing about this spot in “Hotel California.” No wonder, then, that the 210-key locale earned a slot on this list, with GM John Scanlon continuing to deliver celeb-level service to every guest, per Rosenthal, whose team “delivers the kind of intuitive, highly individualized service that is increasingly rare at this scale.”

We told you to keep an eye on this new opening—and that attention wasn’t misplaced. The Nantucket and Palm Beach operator swooped into the Rockies for its latest site, a 54-suite property in the quieter West End. (Gray says it’s “a perfectly tossed stone’s throw away from the action.”) It snapped up a superb local GM, Justin Todd, from St Regis Aspen, which ensured connections and cachet from the outset and is configured for year-round appeal—there’s a heated patio around the pool. The rooms are cleverly designed to accommodate multi-gen trips, adjusting for interconnections easily, but best  to book the three-bedroom penthouse, which spans the entire length of the building’s footprint and includes a spacious living room and kitchen plus its own fire pit, for the ultimate comfort.

Smith Fork Ranch, a historic dude ranch sitting in the middle of a million acres of national forest in Colorado, raises the bar with its buyout-only concept. Six fit-for-a-billionaire log cabins are immaculately done—and recently refreshed—with a mix of designer and antique Western furniture, including the main lodge (Marley’s Lodge) with six suites, a chef’s kitchen, and gym. Take your pick of bedrooms across the property: There are 17 that sleep 30 comfortably. Also unique to the property is its spa fashioned out of restored 1950s Spartan wagons next to the river, which travel master Kevin Jackson loves for the “amazing natural sound during treatment.” The response has been big—the ranch was nearly fully booked for 2025. Look at your calendar now to plan those exclusive fly-fishing, horseback-riding, multigen- or family-and-friend retreats.

Fawn Bluff Private Lodge is remote with a capital R, but that’s part of the appeal. Whether arriving by seaplane, yacht, or helicopter from Vancouver Harbour or Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, guests enter a world where grizzlies roam the shoreline, eagles soar overhead, and the only sounds are waves against the dock and an occasional humpback breaching. “Don’t expect to hear or see another soul (aside from your friends and family),” says Cookson. Here sits Fawn Bluff, the former private residence of Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley—beautifully made with hand-hewn timber and soaring stone fireplaces—transformed into a full-service, exclusive-use wilderness retreat by French entrepreneur David Tuchbant, one that serves as a thought-leading model of regenerative tourism. All profits support the Homalco First Nations community, whose land the lodge occupies, including the building of a Homalco-run trauma center in Campbell River. The guest experience is the ultimate in remote luxury, a complete immersion into ancient woodland of the Great Bear Rainforest, be it on heli-hikes to the tops of glaciers or foraging through the mossy woods with Chef Kwin to source the next incredible gourmet meal.

As the ninth and newest property in the Ritz-Carlton Reserve portfolio—an already starry list—Siari has “pushed away, at least for now, from most of the other five-star resorts,” says travel master Jonathan Adler. It benefits from a truly gorgeous location: 920 private acres of an already secluded stretch of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Nicknamed the Emerald Coast, this land has miles of golden-sand beach on one side, mangrove estuaries, evergreen rainforest, and Sierra Madre mountains on the other. In between are light-filled, butler-serviced suites and guest rooms best enjoyed with the doors flung open to the outdoor terraces and private pools. Soft tones, natural stone and wood, and woven textiles evoke what’s native to the region, while celebrity chef David Castro Hussong leads the charge at the hotel’s five dining spots, each connecting their plates to the traditions of Nayarit.

For many, Hotel del Coronado—or “Hotel del” as it’s affectionately known by loyal guests—is an icon of San Diego, instantly recognizable with its red-gabled roof and golden-sand beach. It’s also 138 years old. Don’t mention age to this grande dame: In 2025 it completed a massive, multi-year $550 million preservation and upgrade, easing it into a new century of top-tier hospitality. The historic Victorian architecture remains intact, though there are now 938 guest rooms across five distinct “neighborhoods”—the newest 75 seaside villas at the Shore House are an “ultra-exclusive” addition with private pool gates and come recommended by Clifford. Visitors are spoiled for choice, with a new Nobu all-day restaurant, reimagined spa and salon, and a surf experience coached by pro surfer Jamie O’Brien.

This high-end camp in the remote forest of Vancouver Island sets a benchmark in barefoot luxury, with tented camp rooms that don’t skimp on conveniences (think heated floors in the bathrooms), the perfect perch for adventuring round the untouched wilderness. Waterfront ensuite tents line the banks of the Bedwell River, offering direct, unobstructed water views—“we would always aim for these for our Scott Dunn Private members,” says Maury. The Forest ensuite tents are back among the old-growth cedar and hemlock rainforest, a more secluded, moody, and deeply immersive nature experience. Expect days filled with whale-watching, bear-spotting, biking, and rain-forest trekking. Conservation is core to Clayoquot’s mission, too. For more than 20 years, the lodge has worked with the government and local Indigenous people to help bolster native salmon stocks in and around the waters here—the more of these fish found in the river, the better the overall health of the ecosystem.

Several of our South American picks are leaders in remote luxury with sustainability and conservation at their core. Whether you’re visiting the Brazilian Amazon or Peru’s Sacred Valley, know that the impact of your stay goes beyond the lodge’s walls.

Deep in the Brazilian Amazon, about a 40-minute drive and boat ride from Alta Floresta Airport, is Cristalino Lodge, a five-star wilderness retreat with conservation at its core. Founder Vitória da Riva’s initial plan—to protect a few hundred hectares of the Cristalino river basin, known for its biodiversity yet facing deforestation—has grown to encompass a world’s best ecolodge, an ecological foundation, and the 28,167-acre Cristalino Nature Reserve. The lodge’s bungalows are spacious, comfortable, and made sustainably with certified timber from renewable forests—a serene home base for embarking on two daily guided excursions. Guests can also book extended trips around nature tours, photography, or birding. (This is considered one of the world’s best birding locations.)

A Relais & Châteaux hotel in the Sacred Valley that also funds a school for local children? Yes, please. Founders Petit and Franz Miribel opened Hotel Sol y Luna in 2000 with just 14 casitas; proceeds funded the Sol y Luna Foundation, which provides care and education for children from Peru’s poorest communities. By 2014, Relais & Châteaux had taken notice. Now, Sol y Luna has 43 private stone casitas, two contemporary Peruvian restaurants, a luxury spa, and its own Peruvian Paso horse stables. About 1.5 hours by car from Cusco, guests are well positioned for whatever adventure they crave: tandem paragliding, mountain biking, white-water rafting, exploring Incan archaeological sites, and eventually heading out to Machu Picchu. In short, the experience is “outstanding,” says Gray.

With its angular architectural design inspired by traditional Chilote palafitos (stilted wooden homes), Refugia Chiloé stands out on any list. The 24-room hotel, formerly Tierra Chiloé and still owned by the Purcell family (owners of Ski Portillo), sits on concrete pillars to minimize its impact on the land and take advantage of crosswinds and views from its hilltop setting on Chile’s Chiloé Island. Guests of Refugia can enjoy high-end hospitality—farm/garden/sea-to-table meals, a sublime wooden sauna with heated indoor and outdoor pools—paired with guided land and water excursions. The destination is distinctive on its own, not far from the northern reaches of Chilean Patagonia and a site of UNESCO World Heritage churches built by Jesuit missionaries in the 18th century.

As of April the Four Seasons Hotels and Residences has officially planted its flag in Cartagena, and its debut is a beaut. The hotel brand is now one of the most prominent neighbors in the art-filled, bohemian barrio of Getsemaní, restoring not one but several heritage buildings: a 1920s Beaux-Arts social club houses the hotel’s lobby, atrium, and two signature restaurants, Grand Grill and Bar Lelarge. A 16th-century Franciscan cloister is the heart of the hotel’s colonial guest room wing, set around a quiet central courtyard anchored by century-old banyan trees. Multiple historic movie theaters have been reimagined as event spaces and public dining. It’s a “beautiful design and repurposing of incredible historic buildings” in a city seeing a surge of interest, says Wilmot-Sitwell. 

A few favorites across Australia and New Zealand remain on the list, though look to Queenstown, the adventure capital of NZ, for a sophisticated newcomer. The Great Barrier Reef also has a beautiful new place to play.

Though this Australian Outback lodge isn’t new, our Travel Masters rate Mt. Mulligan as an underdog that consistently feels fresh and exceeds expectations. Husband-and-wife team James and Phoebe Egan returned to manage the property in 2024, elevating the food program and keeping families in mind—it’s one of the few luxury Outback lodges to welcome children of all ages. Guests can go hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and barramundi fishing, as well as tour an old gold mine or enjoy a guided tour of the cattle station. Junior Rangers can learn about animal tracks and traditional bush medicines while their parents can kick back and enjoy a chef-prepared picnic or a swim in the infinity pool overlooking the cliffs. Thanks to a renovation during the 2023/2024 wet season, this is now properly a top-tier property. “It’s a real Outback adventure, without sacrificing comfort,” says Maury.

It was never any secret in Australia that Kangaroo Island was home to one of the world’s best resorts. It’s just taken a devastating fire and dramatic rebirth for the rest of the world to take notice. In 2020, the wildfires that incinerated nearly half the island took the Southern Ocean Lodge, too. Four years later, it reopened in December. Max Pritchard, the property’s original architect, created a near replica of the original. With 25 suites projecting from a central lodge—with the exception of a four-bedroom suite looking over the entire property down toward the dramatic oceanfront—the mood here is serenely residential. The restaurant is ultra-refined, serving hyper-local ingredients, and the central bar is self service (as is the entire wine cellar, just grab what you want). Most come here for the experiences included in every stay—like guided cliff-top walks, stargazing, and wildlife viewing. Yet back at the resort, every room has “uninterrupted, sweeping views of the Southern Ocean, wild mallee bushland, and the white sands of Hanson Bay—not a dud” in the house, says Maury.

With just 14 suites and step-off-the-beach access to the Great Barrier Reef, Orpheus Island has delighted visitors since the 1930s, but it wasn’t until a recent major overhaul that it joined the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection. Reopened July 1, the private island resort now offers laid-back luxury with a lighter environmental footprint. Suites and villas are bigger and brighter, with higher ceilings and new bathrooms, and the experience is just as much outdoors as indoors. Guests can enjoy the new restaurant or private beachside dining (all-inclusive plus select Australian wines and beers) and take part in daily excursions, be it snorkeling, fishing, or unlimited use of paddleboards, kayaks, catamarans, you name it. Only 28 guests can stay here at a time—the resort is available for exclusive use—making this one of our Travel Masters’ new favorite hubs to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

The adventure-sports capital of New Zealand started out as a backpacker’s destination—then many of those backpackers grew up, made some money, and came back wanting to play at a higher level. In September 2025 Roki delivered a new level of luxury to Queenstown with this stunner of an all-suite hotel overlooking Lake Wakatipu and the Southern Alps, just two minutes from town. The service is exceptional—“discreet, attentive, friendly, and thoughtful,” says travel master Stuart Rigg—and the food is world class, whether you just want avocado toast or fine dining at Essence under the direction of chef Paul Froggatt, who worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and previously led the kitchen at New Zealand’s ultra-luxury Huka Lodge. Despite the property’s small size (just 15 suites), there’s an option for everyone with one-, two-, three-, four- and seven-bedroom configurations.

Ever since it opened in 2022, this authentic working sheep station–turned–luxury homestead has become a hot spot in what one might kindly call “the middle of nowhere, New Zealand.” A more generous description might be 36,000 acres of pristine South Island wilderness, close to the rock formations of Castle Hill, which the Dalai Lama once called a “spiritual center of the universe.” If that’s not an endorsement, we don’t know what is. The homestead property (c. 1857) can accommodate up to eight people; a private chef serves fully customizable meals with a side of Southern Alps views. Newer to Flockhill are the villas (sleeps 2-4 people); Sugarloaf restaurant, which offers a seasonal set tasting menu; and a wellness spa with a gym, yoga studio, cedar sauna, and hot and cold plunge pools. You may need those plunge pools after testing out Flockhill’s activities: hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, caving, and stargazing. Add “heli-” at the front of several of those. And when they say working farm, they mean it: There are 11,600 sheep and 450 head of cattle here; you can even play farmer, should you choose.

In Fiji’s Kadavu Archipelago, the ultra-luxury, all-inclusive Kokomo Private Island has 21 beachfront villas with private pools and five hillside homes with a dedicated butler and nanny—making it very easy to just hole up and enjoy your individual slice of paradise. Yet under the direction of new general manager Karen Merrick (who started in December), Kokomo is ushering in a renewed focus on experiences “to really elevate a Fiji tropical island vacation,” says Rigg. To start, they’ve built new sports facilities—including pickleball courts with coaching—to pair with their wellness, spa, and yoga offerings. Guided island farm tours and fishing experiences let guests follow the ingredients to the table at menu-less Walker D’Plank. And hands-on conservation experiences like coral restoration and manta ray swims are available for guests of all ages, bringing everyone closer to the Great Astrolabe Reef nearby.

Naturally, on a continent the size of Asia, the flavors of its ultra-exclusive stays are as varied as its cuisines. From the palaces of Rajasthan to the mountains of Vietnam, there’s a little something for everyone here.

This sister property to the much-lauded Nihi Sumba is “understated and relatively unknown” versus that headline grabber, says Wilmot-Sitwell—and a good thing, too. The brand-new resort, comprised of 21 high-end beachfront villas with private plunge pools and outdoor living spaces, exists in part to help support a namesake hospitality academy, intended to help upskill locals so they can work in (and benefit from) the rise in luxury tourism in Indonesia. It’s another property ideal for surf-mad types: the Bo’a Beach on which it’s known is famous for clear water and the Bo’a Barrel, a right-hand reef break that produces long hollow barrels and fast walls. Even better, you can reach it by walking straight out from the beach rather than needing a boat, as many other Rote breaks do.

Three years ago, luxury wellness juggernaut Six Senses took over this retreat in Dehradun, which had been founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Veer Singh (vana means “forest,” a nod to the lush 21-acre sal tree reserve in which it sits). Thankfully, that new operator didn’t meddle much with the offering, though, embracing the integrative approach for which Vana was already known: combining allopathic and Ayurvedic therapies along with TCM, yoga, and Tibetan medicine. The major draw in the latter field: the therapists have trained at the revered Men-Tsee-Khang academy, and have special dispensation from the Dalai Lama to practice their ancient healing rituals outside of a traditional Tibetan setting. Even those skeptical of such benefits will likely see their minds expanded, if not altered, says Dalton, “guest arrive curious and leave converted, without ever feeling they have been subjected to something prescriptive or intimidating.” (Her own husband was one such recruit.)

Aman’s uneven expansion has dinged its once-impeccable reputation, but a stay at one of the properties developed by the hands-on brand founder, Adrian Zecha, is enough to restore your faith—and Amanbagh is one of those OGs. His vision steers the sumptuous, indulgent property, comprised 37 rooms and villas ranged around a lounge-worthy pool in extensive grounds where peacocks preeningly roam free; make sure to keep your doors closed, though, as the cheeky monkeys squawking in the trees are cheekily curious enough to duck inside if they can. “If I were ever told I only had a few days left to live, the first thing I would do is check into Amanbagh,” says Jayasundera, who calls it “the most delicious folly I know, an absurdly elegant pink palace in the middle of nowhere.”

You’d never know you were minutes from the airport at Capella Taipei, a stately modern mansion designed by starchitects André Fu Studio to be a long, slow breath in Taiwan’s most-populous city. Here, guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the all-day lobby lounge, stillness in the spa’s flotation pod, omakase at restaurant Mizue (one of five places to eat), or work with a Capella Culturist to explore art districts like Taze-Neihu and Huashan 1914 Creative Park. Catherine Heald recommends the terrace pool suites with private plunge pools, and also notes that the turndown amenities are “off the chart.” One night, a framed photo of her two Labrador retrievers appeared beside her bed, an image the management had pulled off her social media.

Amanoi isn’t new, but this nearly perfect coastal hotel spills down the side of a mountain in a remote national park in Vietnam and continues to stun at every turn. How to choose from the Wellness Pool Villa with its own hammam overlooking a lake strewn with lotus blossoms, or the nearly 3,000-square-meter Amanoi Ocean Pool Villa with its private pools and timber sundecks facing the sea? There are no bad options—each accommodation is a personal sanctuary, though you’d be remiss not to venture to the cliff-top restaurant, the lakeside Aman spa, or into the surrounding biosphere. Aman veteran and general manager Joy Arpornrat Kuekthong is “ever present and ensures an exceptional experience,” says Heald.

A maximalist palace in Marrakesh, a spa-fari outside Cape Town, a game reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta that’s like nowhere else—it’s all here.

Pax, the glamorous international operators who’ve flocked to fill the waters of the Nile with swanky boats as the allure of channeling your inner, slightly less murderous Agatha Christie grow stronger than ever. Sandy Cunningham calls out the Egyptian-owned Kazazian above them all; the New Cairo-headquartered luxury hotel and boat operator offers a radically different experience from its rivals. This 18-guest, 196-foot charter-first dahabiya is distinctive, too, in that Kazazian’s aesthetic doesn’t hark back to those Imperial days, but instead nods more to the slick, white interiors of a contemporary superyacht. The compact design is deliberate, as it’s small enough to go where larger ships cannot. “That gives unparalleled access to some of the hidden mooring spots and islands,” says Cunningham. “Chopper in, then sail the Nile as Cleopatra would.”

The Laikipia plain might not be the go-to favorite for game-watching like the Mara in Kenya, but that’s one of the appeals—it’s less congested and more wilderness-like, with a sense of Africa’s vastness from its long rolling landscape. Don’t come here, though, unless you’re staying at Ol Jogi, owned by the art gallery maestros the Wildensteins, says Mark Lakin. The 13-bedroom property sits on its own, 58,000-acre preserve, and has a gloriously over-the-top interior befitting a property imagined by the late Jocelyn Wildenstein—think a Swiss Vault bank door to unlock the wine cellar. The big standout, though, is the unique spotting setup, which Lakin calls “perhaps the best hide in Africa.” Slink over to this hide via a carpeted underground tunnel and you’ll surface with a bullseye view right over the watering hole which is primed for perfect photographs.

Another Best of the Best alum, this charming microhotel in the purple-tinged Atlas Mountains is one of Gray’s go-to options in North Africa, with just nine stone pavilions in their own oasis-like setting (the best three have their own private plunge pools). It’s the masterful brainchild of Italian aristocrat Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli who created this haven with his partner José Abete, filling each room with locally handcrafted furniture and designing the buildings by hand. “He measured them with simple bamboo sticks and drew what would be stained glass windows,” raves Gray. The major bonus here is Ruspoli himself, as he’s often in residence and will dragoon local musicians to play in the living room of his home next door, inviting guests to join him.

A fixture of this list from year to year, and well deserved. It sits right in the heart of Marrakech—the warren-like medina is just a short stroll away—like an oasis; indeed, its lush 20-acre grounds are a holdover back to the site’s earliest days, when it was a rose garden for Prince Moulay Mamoun. This hotel was built here in the 1920s, in a Moorish-meets-Art Deco style that made it instantly distinctive, and became a magnet for boldfaced names from the outset: Winston Churchill, for whom a bar is now named, was a fixture, painting the landscapes from his balcony, and Paul McCartney’s wintertime stay there in the early 1970s resulted in the song “Mamunia.” Its lyrics are a tribute to the hotel: don’t complain about hardships when life’s headwinds strike, they suggest, but instead hole up in your safe haven to weather that storm. It’s as true today as then for a hotel that Ganz loves because it manages to juggle being “iconic, legendary, and still staying current.”

Many come to South Africa for a safari—but Kuganha tented camp wants you to come for a spa-fari. Following an extensive redesign, the former three-tent camp reopened in March as a 10-suite retreat, set within the 25,000-acre Karoo Reserve in the Western Cape. In addition to supporting a conservation-led Big 5 private reserve, Kuganha offers total privacy just a few hours from Cape Town. And let it be known: These are “the biggest tents in Africa,” says Cunningham. “They’re drop-dead gorgeous,” each with their own in-suite spa, which includes twin massage beds, hot/cold plunge, steam room, sauna, a flotation therapy pool, salt halotherapy chamber, and dual outdoor tubs and shower.

You’ve already been to the Okavango Delta, you say—not like this, you haven’t. Natural Selection’s new-build camp Tawana is set amid Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, some 1,900 square miles of grassland and flood plain teeming with antelope and elephants, lions and hippos. Tawana is unfenced, which means wildlife viewing happens at all hours, not just on the daily safari drives—you can spy them at the nearby Gomoti River, or an elephant may visit your private deck and plunge pool for a drink, as it did for Maury. “It’s an incredibly special camp,” she says, with “very beautiful architecture and people” created in partnership with Chief Tawana Moremi of the Batawana tribe, whose people have called this land home for centuries.

Though this is a list of one, what a retreat this is—sleep pods inspired by space stations that allow you to explore the Antarctic interior in comfort.

What a world we live in—one where there are multiple luxury camping sites in the Antarctic interior, depending on which part of the White Continent you want to visit. White Desert Echo continues to attract royalty and captains of industry with its audacious, otherworldly offering: heated, futuristic sleep pods designed to mimic space stations, sitting directly on a sheet of ancient, miles-thick blue ice. The lodging is fully collapsible and removed each season, but you wouldn’t think it given the cushy king-size beds and ensuite showers (an amenity that sets this camp apart). Floor-to-ceiling windows let in unbelievable views of East Antarctica’s peaks and ice fields; blackout blinds shield you at night from the midnight sun. By day, guests are “the hero of their own story,” says White Desert CEO Patrick Woodhead—ice climbing, cross-country skiing, ziplining, exploring ice caves, all the while becoming ambassadors of Antarctica. It is “the absolute peak of remote luxury,” says Clifford.