Indie pop playing softly makes you feel like you're in the knowwhile still being able to hear yourself think as you finish that slide deck for an upcoming pitch meeting. I spent meditative hours swimming in the saltwater lap pool, sailing in a traditional dhow along the Mozambique Channel, and fishing on the lagoon. ritzcarlton.com; doubles from $659. Occupying the third floor and stretching four city blocks are La Plume (the hotel's excellent Franco-Japanese restaurant and bar) and all 82 rooms and suites. Jane Broughton, The landscape of the largely uninhabited Nhamabwe peninsula in southern Mozambique is both the location and the design inspiration for Sussurro owners Sarah Birkett and Adam Humphreys. Snag a west-facing room with floor-to-ceiling windows, or head 13 stories up to Bar Julian and watch mammoth container ships from far-flung ports slide quietly past, day and night. On the wooded site of a former bluestone quarry, Piaule brings the outside inits 24 one- and two-bedroom cabins are raised on stilts and have floor-to-ceiling windows, giving the impression of being perched amid the trees. The Lowcountry influence is evident as you enter the airy lobby, which draws on the wraparound porches and manicured gardens found throughout the region. A central piazza houses the restaurant, La Corte, which highlights regional producers and ingredients, as well as breads and pastries baked in the wood-fired oven. Jen Murphy, With its bay full of bobbing sailboats, the seaside enclave of Southwest Harbor, Maine, is hardly lacking for beauty. Rebecca Rose, If Italy's elegant, truffle-rich Piedmont region is still an upcoming destination, then the little-visited Dolcetto di Ovada wine country in its southeastern corner is a veritable dark horse. At the first-floor restaurant Fleeting, executive chef Rob Newton helms a menu of seasonally driven Southern cuisine. Instead, they opted to completely reimagine the 1,300-acre resort, from all 410 guest rooms to the food and beverage concepts, to the swimming pools and landscaping. I spent mornings surrounded by it on my balcony, which seemed to extend into the sea like the prow of a yacht. If you book the Aurora Suite, one of the hotel's largest, you'll get a 1,160-square-foot penthouse that juts out like a ship's prow toward the port. But art and history also flourish inside this converted 12th-century palazzo: take the Lorenzo Il Magnifico suite, covered from wall to ceiling in astonishingly well-preserved 18th-century frescoes. David Amsden, In 1860, Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the archbishop of Santa Fe, bought some land for $80 and built a small chapel. Then you walk through the hulking wooden doors of the Baja Club, and you're enveloped in a wholly unexpected, eclectic world. And to honor the island's artistic community, the resort exhibits large-scale works by Hawaii-based artists including Nick Kuchar, known for his vintage travel-inspired designs, and Abigail Romanchak, who specializes in Hawaiian printmaking. In-house amusements include the lively Italian osteria Peppina and the rakish Mary Mary cocktail bar, both of which are as popular with locals as they are with hotel guests. Six Senses Shaharut Negev Desert, Israel, Courtesy of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, Six Senses Fort Barwara Rajasthan, India, Silky Oaks Lodge Daintree Rainforest, Queensland, Golden Rock St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean, Courtesy of Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort, Lovango Resort and Beach Club St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Nicole Canegata/Courtesy of Lovango Resort & Beach Club, Soho Beach House Canouan St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Flora Stubbs, Much of Portland's architectural charm comes from its enthusiastic embrace of old buildings for new purposes. The overall look is largely thanks to Martin Brudnizki, the interior architect and designer known for his wildly colorful aesthetic and theatricality (as seen in previous projects that include Annabel's, the legendary private member's club in London). Horseback riding, hiking, and trout fishing combine natural immersion with Auberge's signature high-end aesthetic. Jen Murphy, The Palisociety is known for hotels that make guests feel (almost) as much a part of a city as locals. Next, warm oysters filled with oyster cream, aged hake with carrots and caviar, and a "marine" mille-feuille dusted with nori powder. The property's five restaurants, meanwhile, all take advantage of the local bounty. Tracey Minkin, St. Bart's has no shortage of glamorous hotels, but on a list where most properties have only a handful of rooms, Rosewood Le Guanahani stands out as the island's only full-scale luxury resort. Upstairs, the postmodern rooms are more spacious than at some of the brand's other locations, with western-facing rooms getting a distant view of the Statue of Liberty.

The restaurant, Alaia, meanwhile, features the sustainable agriculture of the North Shore throughout its menu. oetkercollection.com; doubles from $1,006. Located on the city's Old Harbor, it is surrounded by breathtaking, 360-degree reminders of Iceland's seafaring identity: lighthouses, fishing trawlers and Coast Guard ships. And between the candlelit librarywith floor-to-ceiling glass windows facing the agave-dotted plainsand the after-hours Rhino Room, there's no shortage of corners in which to enjoy a mezcal nightcap. Both nuances of "tinh t" are present in Capella Hanoi. Now the striking brass faade gleams anew, and the 154 rooms and suites, all graciously proportioned, have been enlivened with luxurious textiles and contemporary art. Adrenaline junkies can access Big Sky Resort's famed double-black-diamond runs via a complimentary 20-minute Cadillac shuttle to the base area. Henri Sauvage, the building's architect, gave it a distinctive honeycomb of windows almost a century ago to help usher in the age of Art Deco. Rooms, meanwhile, overlook the cityand Toronto's constant constructionbut the 360-degree views and killer cocktails from Harriet's (the poolside lounge on the rooftop) make even construction sites seem somehow beautiful. From there, you can see how Budapest sprawls out as wondrously as it did in the early 20th century. The club's restaurant was perfect for a leisurely lunch that included spaghetti alle vongole and a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio. Hadley Freeman, From Hollywood stars to those docking their yachts in Portofino, everyone loves the Splendido, a Belmond Hotel. The building itself is an elegant limestone structure dating from 1901 with a wedding-cake faade by French architect Franois Durel. But if that seems too busy, guests can retreat to their rooms, which have roaring fireplaces (a few have soaking tubs, too). The Tasman's location near the Central Business District puts every city attraction in easy reach; it's also the ideal base for excursions to vineyards in the Coal River Valley, encounters with Tasmanian devils at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, and invigorating walks in Mount Field National Park, a 90-minute drive west of Hobart. But then it opens to an expansive, sun-speckled courtyard, where Mediterranean-inflected fare is served under a pergola. From the quiet ambience of the lobby to the warm, cordial service, the Pendry offered everything I wanted from a hotel. It feels like it's a world away from everything, yet it's only a 15-minute ferry ride to St. Thomas or St. John. After breakfast, enlist the hotel's private gozzo (an iconic wooden motorboat) for the morning, or stroll around the headland to find the unusually green-blue waters of Paraggi Beach. It is with the traveler in mind that one of these structures stands dead center in the stylish lobby of the Edition. Trained spa practitioners implement the signature holistic health and well-being philosophy, developed by Chiva-Som, according to individual needs. Each cabin comes with a kitchenette and a deck backed by tall Douglas firs. Refurbished after decades of deterioration, Matild once again showcases grandeur, now as a hotel. Instead of rising above its sandy surroundings, the property's low-slung, rough-hewn buildings (made with limestone excavated on site) are seamlessly integrated into the terrain. Do expect savvy details (French pressequipped mini-bars, sparkling water stations), sound infrastructure (feisty water pressure, ADA compliance)which you can't take for granted in a National Historic Landmarkand the overall feeling of staying in a Gilded Age manse. aubergeresorts.com; doubles from $1,585, all-inclusive. Inside, its 69 suites and common spaces are filled with extraordinary pieces, including Eileen Graydesigned chairs and an intertwined pair of gleaming figures by Louise Bourgeois that dominate the lobby. From art tours of cutting-edge studios to investment workshops with entrepreneurs, the list of activities is refreshingly outside of the ordinary.

At night, chef Akira Taniguchi puts a Japanese spin on French cuisine. That's why we here at T+L have spent the last year obsessively tracking debuts and major overhauls, consulting our trusted network of travel pros and globe-hopping writers, and crossed the world in search of the most memorable, game-changing hotels of the year for our annual It List. borgosantandrea.it; doubles from $1,050. Throughout the property, custom-built furnishings sit alongside vintage pieces such as a concierge desk by Carlo Mollino. Stratton Lawrence, Leave it to illustrious designer Kelly Wearstler to make a nearly 100-year-old buildingonce an elite private club and later a YWCAfeel like a lush, far-flung getaway. It represented the juxtaposition of urban soul with resort-like chill that the hotel does so well. The century-old Belden House, a Mediterranean Revival mansion, makes for a perfect place to curl up by one of the two monumental stone fireplaces during a foggy NoCal morning. Rachel Howard, Rebrands of beloved hotels often trade too much of the property's original essence for cutting-edge glitz and corporate uniformity. Deanne Kaczerski, Located in Venice's artsy Arsenale district, which plays host to the Biennale, this sleek hotel breaks with the opulent Renaissance-inspired design favored by many of the city's five-star properties. Brandon Presser, Hidden behind a forest where rare Rothschild's giraffes congregate is a property set to transform the hospitality landscape of Kenya's capital city. star 1964 town ss northern cape zealand 1st nz michael Its bathhouse and three cabins, set on three hillside acres, are linked by a stone walking path and designed in a way that seems to mimic the curve of neighboring Mount Gardner, Bowen Island's highest point. But Pine Cay, a private island and hotel in the Turks and Caicos, remains, for now, a sublime in-the-know spot. It's an ideal finale to a trip through the greater Okavango region, since it's designed with rest and relaxation in mind. The Flamingo Grill chophouse, meanwhile, serves perfectly bitter negronis and throwback entrees like prime rib. This is especially true in the hotel's 1930s-inspired MB Supper Club, which blends whimsical touches (including wallpaper depicting imbibing simians) and nightly live music, ranging from Latin to Bossa Nova. Don't miss a visit to the nearby Bazaruto Center for Scientific Study, which was co-founded with Kisawa as an African ocean observatory. Completing the picture is a Guerlain spa with an indoor swimming pool and two superb restaurants: L'Atelier Robuchon and Le Jardinier, the Swiss branch of the Michelin-star winner in New York City. We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. Add the spa and hammam downstairs, and it's become the clubhouse for savvy travelers and madrileos alike. The past looms, but the real talking points are One Under Bar, a brick-and-tile pub for 19th-hole drama, and 18, the rooftop seafood and steak brasserie. The property also offers woodcarving lessons in the regional style, temple walks, monk-led zazen meditation, and cycling in the surrounding hills. This isn't merely a list of the most high-end resorts, nor is it a who's-who of major hotel chains, though you'll find both indulgent stays and familiar brands in the mix. The team behind the Lake Atitlnfacing Casa Palop just expanded its reach with this 15-room retreat on the outskirts of the historic city of Antigua. Marcia DeSanctis, With a history of illustrious guests (Brigitte Bardot, Romy Schneider, and Franoise Sagan among them), Htel La Ponche is somewhat of a legend in St.-Tropez. Villa Magna's charms have been time-testedsuperb service, cosseting rooms, and a coveted location on the Paseo de la Castellana (near world-class museums and the business, dining and shopping hub of Barrio Salamanca). South of the city of Sighioara, a country road leads through meadows thick with wild flowers to the ancient village of Cri, where old Saxon houses are clustered around a rambling castle. The 164 rooms and suites lean heavy on both elements, with wide entryways, expanses of white oak, curvaceous furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows. thehythevail.com; doubles from $699. In its 130 guest rooms and suites, there are motifs of delicate Hungarian embroidery and mosaic tiles that recall the Gellrt thermal baths, one of the city's most famous examples of the Art Nouveau style. Like everything at the Rooster, it's just the right balance of wholesome and hedonism. Hannah Seligson, Jet-setting travelers breeze through the various Soho Houses around the world to see, be seen, and networkbut the new Soho Beach House Canouan, the company's Caribbean debut, nurtures the desire to relax. The soft thwack of a golf ball outside your bedroom. Guest rooms are designed to relax visitors. We've got far-flung escapes in Argentina and the Maldives and sophisticated city hotels in Madrid and Hanoi. It's the panoramic views of the sapphire waters of Lake Geneva and the snowcapped Alps on the horizon, framed by the heavy damask curtains at every window. Elements include turquoise, yellow, and lavender hues, along with Indigenous crafts and custom-made furniture. This summer, the hotel will expand with additional guest rooms inside the historic mansion on a hill above the riverfront, where one of the brickyard's owners once lived. The sunset is best savored from the rooftop bar. A "tinh t" state of mind is a process of careful selection. theroosterantiparos.com; doubles from $680. pendry.com; doubles from $200.

explora.com; doubles from $917 per person, all-inclusive. But when guests arrive, they're rewarded with refreshing iced tea and date cookies, along with uninterrupted vistas of golden sand dunes and the dramatic red Edom Mountains. The location is a winner, too. Bienvenue to the opulent, 14-suite Le Grand Contrle, which is located in a former hunting lodge on the palace grounds. airelles.com; doubles from $1,759. That's why it wasn't an easy task to carry out a redesign that would match its reputation. oneandonlyresorts.com/portonovi; doubles from $540. The result: pared-back, sustainably minded structures that demonstrate a respect for nature and the region's architectural vernacular. Sarah Bruning, Many structures conjure Budapest's exhilarating bohemian past, but none are as glamorously executed as the UNESCO-preserved Matild Palace. dimorapalanca.com; doubles from $330. The building has been furnished with a tasteful blend of modern furnishings and antiques.