Finding the right accommodation 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 world. This great place delivers, with amazing amenities (think: breakfast floating in your pool) and staff who go above and beyond with local information.
The best part is that you, our readers, decide it all: when you vote in the annual Best of the World Award survey, 500 top hotel winners make up this top list. The honorees are divided into eight regions: Africa and the Middle East; Asia; Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific; Canada; in the Caribbean; Europe; Mexico, Central America, and South America; and the United States.
Below, we’ve collected some interesting information about a few properties to whet your appetite for a future trip.
You can read the full list of T+L 500 Travel + LeisureMay 2023 issue, on newsstands today, or digitally on Apple News+.
Baccarat Hotel New York
ERIC LAIGNEL/Courtesy of Baccarat Hotel New York
This glittering hotel in New York City has 53 candles – the largest, in the Petit Salon, is 28 meters tall, weighs two tons, and contains 26,500 crystals.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Mexico
Jhankarlo Photography/Courtesy of Banyan Tree Mayakoba
At Banyan Tree Mayakoba, located on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, the seven overwater villas have an added bonus: rooftop infinity pools.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Babylonstoren, South Africa
Courtesy of Babylonstoren
This beautiful farm retreat in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine region appeals to adventurers and families alike, with a water park that feels like a children’s movement adorned with local sculptures, from the African bullfrog to the Cape cobra.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Cap Juluca, Belmond Hotel, Anguilla
Edgardo Contreras/Courtesy of Cap Juluca, Hotel Belmond
At Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel in Anguilla, Cap Shack’s luxury bar on the shores of Maundays Bay offers cocktails, Caribbean barbecue, and beers from Anguilla, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Canada
Brandon Barré©/Courtesy of Fairmont Chateau Whistler
During the spring and summer, visitors can visit the rooftop garden of this popular location in Whistler, British Columbia, to see herbs and other edible plants and visit the wooden beehive, which provides a sanctuary for working bees.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Hotel Rangá, Iceland
Stefan Lierbermann/Courtesy of Hotel Rangá
In southern Iceland, the staff at Hotel Rangá can organize year-round, expertly guided tours around the 700-meter-deep magma chamber of the mighty (and, happily, dormant) Thrihnukagigur Volcano.
Book now on Tripadvisor
Nihi Sumba, Indonesia
Tania Araujo/Courtesy of Nihi Sumba
This 27-unit beachfront resort in Indonesia’s Nihiwatu Beach is a surfing destination, where travelers come to surf the famous 900 waves called “God’s Left.” (For calmer waters, book a course at nearby Coconut Cove.)
Book now on Tripadvisor
Shinola Hotel, Detroit
Nicole Franzen/Courtesy of The Shinola Hotel, Detroit
Guests staying at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit’s Woodward district can browse goods from Michigan-based companies along Parker’s Alley, a shopping street named after Thomas Parker, one of the city’s first black property owners.
Book now on Tripadvisor
The city of St. Regis Bora Bora
John Kincaid/Kincaid Galleries/Courtesy of The St. Regis Bora Bora
At the Lagoonarium, an underwater wildlife sanctuary home to more than 120 species of marine life, visitors can meet biologists for lectures, and even sign up for a coral-cutting project.
Book now on Tripadvisor
