Finding the right accommodations can make or break a trip. That’s why every year we put together the T+L 500, a directory of your favorite hotels around the globe. These luxurious destinations deliver, with coveted amenities (think: floating breakfast in your private pool) and staff that goes the extra mile with meaningful local insights.
The best part is that you, our readers, picked them all: when you vote in the annual World’s Best Awards survey, the 500 highest hotel scorers make up this prestigious list. The honorees are grouped into eight geographic regions: Africa and the Middle East; Asia; Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific; Canada; the Caribbean; Europe; Mexico, Central America, and South America; and the United States.
Below, we've gathered fun details on a handful of properties to pique your interest for future getaways.
You can read the full T+L 500 list in Travel + Leisure's May 2023 issue, on newsstands today, or digitally on Apple News+.
Baccarat Hotel New York
Inside the Grand Salon at the Baccarat Hotel New York. Photo: ERIC LAIGNEL/COURTESY OF BACCARAT HOTEL NEW YORK
This glittering hotel in New York City has 53 chandeliers — the largest, located in the Petit Salon, is 28 feet tall, weighs two tons, and holds 26,500 crystals.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Mexico
At Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Pool Suites like this one offer beachfront views. Photo: JHANKARLO PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA
At Banyan Tree Mayakoba, located on Mexico's Riviera Maya, seven floating overwater villas have a little something extra: rooftop infinity pools.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Babylonstoren, South Africa
The outdoor pool at Babylonstoren, in South Africa's Franschhoek wine region. Photo: COURTESY OF BABYLONSTOREN
This chic farm getaway in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine region caters to honeymooners and families alike, with a motion-sensing water garden for children decorated with statues of local critters, from the African bullfrog to the Cape cobra.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla
At Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel in Anguilla, the vintage Cap Shack food truck on Maundays Bay beach serves cocktails, Caribbean-inspired barbecue, and beers from Anguilla, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad.
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Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Canada
Inside a Valley Suite at Fairmont Chateau Whistler, with views of Blackcomb Mountain beyond. Photo: BRANDON BARRÉ©/COURTESY OF FAIRMONT CHATEAU WHISTLER
In spring and summer, guests can visit the rooftop garden of this historic property in Whistler, British Columbia, to see herbs and other edible plants and visit the wooden bee house, which provides sanctuary to working bees.
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Hotel Rangá, Iceland
In Hella, Iceland, guests at Hotel Rangá can witness the Northern Lights. Photo: STEFAN LIERBERMANN/COURTESY OF HOTEL RANGÃ
In southern Iceland, the staff at Hotel Rangá can arrange year-round, expert-led tours around the 700-foot-deep magma chamber of the mighty (and, happily, dormant) Thrihnukagigur Volcano.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Nihi Sumba, Indonesia
Wild horses on the beach in front of Nihi Sumba, in Indonesia. Photo: TANIA ARAUJO/COURTESY OF NIHI SUMBA
This 27-villa oceanfront resort on Nihiwatu Beach in Indonesia is a surf haven, where travelers come to surf a famous 900-foot wave named “God’s Left.” (For calmer waters, sign up for lessons in nearby Coconut Cove.)
Book now on nihi.com
Shinola Hotel, Detroit
The Shinola Hotel, located in downtown Detroit. Photo: NICOLE FRANZEN/COURTESY OF THE SHINOLA HOTEL, DETROIT
Guests staying at this the Shinola Hotel in Detroit's Woodward district can browse goods from Michigan-based companies at the adjacent Parker’s Alley, a shopping street named after Thomas Parker, one of the first Black landowners in the city.
Book now on Tripadvisor
The St. Regis Bora Bora
A swimming pool at St. Regis Bora Bora, in French Polynesia. Photo: JOHN KINCAID/KINCAID GALLERIES/COURTESY OF THE ST. REGIS BORA BORA
At the resort's Lagoonarium, an underwater wildlife sanctuary that’s home to more than 120 species of marine life, guests can meet certified biologists for an educational tour, as well as sign up for a preservation-focused coral-cutting activity.
