The Top 100 Hotels in the World 2017
The Top 100 Hotels in the World 2017
This year’s list of the best 100 hotels – which include exclusive safari lodges, urban sanctuaries, and family-friendly beach resorts – will inspire some serious wanderlust.
At least, he followed their lead by checking himself in to the Brando, an all-villa private-island resort in French Polynesia this past March. Turns out, our readers had a similar need for some R&R – this year, they voted the property the second best in the entire world. “We are very busy with work and hardly get a chance to relax,” said one fan. “At the Brando, if you can’t relax and enjoy yourself – it’s your own fault.”
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe – to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Hotels were classified as City or Resort based on their locations and amenities.
But as it turns out, you don’t necessarily have to fly halfway across the globe to stay in a World’s Best Award–winning property. Twenty-seven of the top 100 hotels were located right here in the United States, and they range from an old-school Floridian retreat (Gasparilla Inn & Club) to a discreet New York City boutique hotel (the Surrey). New to the list this year: the Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, a Wyoming property where travelers can fly-fish, hike, skeet shoot, or go horseback riding among some 30,000 acres of wilderness.
Only 17 hotels out of the top 100 were in urban locations, which, perhaps, in our 24/7 connected world, speaks to our readers’ need to be in the great outdoors – be it on a beach in the Bahamas (Kamalame Cay), in the jungles of Costa Rica (Nayara Springs), or on the floodplains of Botswana (andBeyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp). The urban retreats that did make the list spanned the globe, and were in locations that may seem surprising. The Temple House, a 100-room property set in a Qing dynasty building in up-and-coming Chengdu, China, was No. 19, while the Alfond Inn, an Orlando-area property known for its contemporary art collection, was No. 62.
Just where in the world is our No. 1 winner? You’ll need a passport to get there, and you’ll probably want to pack a bathing suit. But leave the surfboard at home – the resort’s got you covered.
99. (tie) InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Vietnam
Score: 95.20
99. (tie) Wilderness Safaris Little Kulala, Sossusvlei, Namibia
Score: 95.20
98. Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Score: 95.29
97. Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford, California
Score: 95.36
96. Inn at Hastings Park, Lexington, Massachusetts
Score: 95.38
95. Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key, Florida
Score: 95.38
94. Acqualina Resort & Spa, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Score: 95.42
92. (tie) St. Regis, Osaka, Japan
Score: 95.45
92. (tie) Katikies Hotel, Santorini, Greece
Score: 95.45
91. Inn & Club at Harbour Town, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Score: 95.45
90. Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Sacred Valley, Peru
Score: 95.47
89. Shinta Mani, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Score: 95.48
88. Singita Grumeti, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Score: 95.52
87. Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort, San José del Cabo, Mexico
Score: 95.53
86. The Chatwal, New York City
Score: 95.57
85. Inn at Rancho, Santana Rivas, Nicaragua
Score: 95.60
84. Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India
Score: 95.61
82. (tie) White Elephant Village, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Score: 95.64
82. (tie) Post Hotel & Spa, Lake Louise, Alberta
Score: 95.64
81. Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Oregon
Score: 95.64
80. Singular Patagonia, Puerto Bories, Chile
Score: 95.70
79. Capella Ixtapa, Mexico
Score: 95.71
78. Wilderness Safaris Mombo Camp and Little Mombo Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Score: 95.72
77. Aria Hotel, Budapest
Score: 95.73
75. (tie) 21c Museum Hotel, Oklahoma City
Score: 95.77
75. (tie) Portrait Firenze, Florence
Score: 95.77
74. Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
Score: 95.78
73. Ellerman House, Cape Town
Score: 95.78
72. Egerton House Hotel, London
Score: 95.79
71. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi
Score: 95.81
70. Blantyre, Lenox, Massachusetts
Score: 95.83
69. Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India
Score: 95.84
68. Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India
Score: 95.84
67. Belmond Palacio Nazarenas, Cuzco, Peru
Score: 95.88
66. Old Edwards Inn & Spa, Highlands, North Carolina
Score: 95.89
65. andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Score: 95.91
62. (tie) Tierra Atacama Boutique Hotel & Spa, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Score: 96.00
62. (tie) Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa, Giraavaru
Score: 96.00
62. (tie) Alfond Inn, Orlando Area, Florida
Score: 96.00
61. Farmhouse Inn, Forestville, California
Score: 96.06
60. The Surrey, New York City
Score: 96.09
59. Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland
Score: 96.10
57. (tie) Nayara Springs Arenal, Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Score: 96.14
57. (tie) Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne, Switzerland
Score: 96.14
56. Milestone Hotel, London
Score: 96.16
55. 41, London
Score: 96.17
54. Wequassett Resort & Golf Club, Chatham, Massachusetts
Score: 96.21
53. The Louise, Barossa Valley, Australia
Score: 96.22
52. Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway, Colorado
Score: 96.24
51. Château du Sureau, Oakhurst, California
Score: 96.25
49. (tie) Rosewood Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Score: 96.26
49. (tie) Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest
Score: 96.26
48. Ko’a Kea Hotel & Resort, Kauai, Hawaii
Score: 96.30
47. Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia
Score: 96.30
46. Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
Score: 96.37
45. The Willcox, Aiken, South Carolina
Score: 96.38
44. andBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge, Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Score: 96.40
43. Rambagh Palace, a Taj Hotel, Jaipur, India
Score: 96.41
42. Gasparilla Inn & Club, Boca Grande, Florida
Score: 96.43
41. Curtain Bluff, Antigua
Score: 96.45
40. Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Score: 96.54
39. Ballyfin, County Laois, Ireland
Score: 96.55
38. Mont Cervin Palace, Zermatt, Switzerland
Score: 96.63
36. (tie) Four Seasons Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand
Score: 96.71
36. (tie) andBeyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Score: 96.71
35. Londolozi, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
Score: 96.71
34. Leela Palace, Udaipur, India
Score: 96.73
33. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
Score: 96.80
32. EcoCamp Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Score: 96.84
31. Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Score: 96.86
30. Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, Vermont
Score: 96.87
29. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Indonesia
Score: 96.88
28. Resort at Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Score: 96.88
27. Manoir Hovey, North Hatley, Quebec
Score: 96.96
26. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis
Score: 97.00
25. Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
Score: 97.03
24. Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, Hangzhou, China
Score: 97.05
23. Four Seasons Resort the Nam Hai (formerly the Nam Hai), Hoi An, Vietnam
Score: 97.11
22. Castello di Casole – A Timbers Resort, Casole d’Elsa, Italy
Score: 97.12
21. andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Score: 97.17
20. Hacienda AltaGracia, an Auberge Resort, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica
Score: 97.33
19. Temple House, Chengdu, China
Score: 97.37
18. La Residence, Franschhoek, South Africa
Score: 97.41
17. Kamalame Cay, Andros, Bahamas
Score: 97.49
16. Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore, India
Score: 97.50
15. Twin Farms, Barnard, Vermont
Score: 97.54
14. Singita Sabi Sand, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
Score: 97.63
13. 137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Score: 97.71
12. Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland
Score: 97.76
10. (tie) Zarafa Camp, Selinda Reserve, Botswana
Score: 98.00
10. (tie) Rosewood CordeValle, San Martin, California
Score: 98.00
9. Inn at Willow Grove, Orange, Virginia
Score: 98.13
8. Cavas Wine Lodge, Mendoza, Argentina
Score: 98.22
7. Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, Montana
Score: 98.23
6. Tswalu Kalahari, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Score: 98.40
5. Gibb’s Farm, Karatu, Tanzania
Score: 98.59
4. Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay, New Zealand
Score: 98.61
3. Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga, Wyoming
Score: 98.77
2. The Brando, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
Score: 98.91
1. Nihi Sumba Island (formerly Nihiwatu), Indonesia
Score: 99.12
Our readers have found a new paradise beyond Bali – and it’s Nihi, an eco-friendly resort on the Indonesian island of Sumba. “It is the epitome of escape, adventure, and luxury,” said one fan. Surfers know it because of Occy’s Left , one of the world’s most incredible waves – but you’ll be forgiven for skipping out on that activity in favor of fishing, visiting traditional villages (nearly all of the staff comes from the island) or trekking to nearby waterfalls. The spacious villas play off the jungle-and-beach setting by using organic materials (natural stone, teak wood) and many are big enough to accommodate multigenerational groups. “The people of Sumba are so warm and beautiful,” wrote in one family. “They will forever be in our hearts and soul.” (travelandleisure.com)
