To know the worth of lodge, you solely need to solid your thoughts again to the unhealthy ones. The boxy room with the unusual odor. The spectacular vista of a worksite and a brick wall. The service that bordered on hostile.
These recollections make you realise {that a} lodge is not only a place to sleep: it is an establishment that may make or break your vacation.
Everyone knows these unhealthy ones. However we’re additionally aware of the nice inns, the nice inns, the inns that get issues excellent, the locations which have considered all the pieces, the lodging that seems to be the spotlight of your total vacation.
So, Traveller, with the vacation season quickly approaching, thought it excessive time to award these standouts. However, not content material with merely awarding inns individually, we have deconstructed them in an effort to recognise their most important elements.
Collectively, the writers who’ve contributed to our personal awards estimate they’ve spent 1000’s of nights inside lodge rooms all through their travels. They’ve seen each faucet becoming in each bathe set-up conceivable. They’ve fumbled round searching for hidden gentle switches in institutions throughout the globe. In doing so, they’ve come to know precisely what makes a lodge distinctive, from the doorman or lady on arrival proper by way of to breakfast the following morning. – Ben Groundwater
CONTRIBUTORS: Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Brian Johnston, Catherine Marshall, Rob McFarland and Ute Junker
THE BEST TRANSPORTATIONS
THE NOMINATIONS
The Peninsula, Hong Kong Its unrivalled fleet of venerable Rolls Royce limousines present airport transfers of essentially the most glamorous form. And with so many heads turning as you glide grandly alongside metropolis streets it is exhausting to withstand the urge for a regal wave. See peninsula.com
4 Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, Thailand It is a jungle on the market so a Jeep is a enjoyable and acceptable airport switch alternative. Nevertheless it does not cease there. Nicely, it does truly, at a wharf the place you are transferred by conventional motorised longtail boat alongside a Mekong tributary to the secluded lodge. See fourseasons.com
Tea Trails Hatton and Wild Coast Lodge, Yala, Sri Lanka The “limo” service – a seaplane – delivers superlative views of plantation-cloaked highlands sloping in the direction of rugged coastlines. See resplendentceylon.com
Shinta Mani Wild Tented Camp, Cardamom Nationwide Park, Cambodia From a four-storey tower the place your butler will strap you right into a harness so you’ll be able to zipline your manner above treetops and into the camp. On the different finish, a second butler awaits with a chilly towel and a drink, as one would anticipate. See wild.shintamani.com
Wildwaters Lodge, Kalagala, Uganda The lodge’s “limo” is a wood canoe paddled by a employees member with the island solely 100 or so metres from the mainland. However reaching it necessitates crossing the strategy channel to Kalagala Falls, a treacherous class six fast. See lemalacamps.com
THE WINNER: The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong’s well-known fleet of Rolls-Royces. Photograph: Peninsula Resorts
THE BEST WELCOME
THE NOMINATIONS
Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico The welcoming committee features a margarita butler, who affords you a welcome shot (and a second one, in case you are that manner inclined), a lot the higher. See rosewoodhotels.com
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Fiji On arrival you’re serenaded by a pair of burly, angel-voiced males with frangipani flowers tucked behind their ears earlier than a trio of grass-skirted warriors brandishing spectacular struggle golf equipment leads you to test in. See sofitel-fiji.com
RAAS Devigarh, Delwara, India Rose petals flutter down from fortress ramparts as you arrive with formalities performed over a cool drink on the bar terrace, from which fabulous views stretch over village and countryside to purple hills past. See raashotels.com
Aguas Arriba, El Chalten, Argentina Homeowners Patricia Garcia and Ivor Matovic are ready on the steps as company arrive by boat at their forest-cushioned log cabin, surrounded by icefields mountain chain on the shores of Lago Desierto in southern Patagonia. See aguasarribalodge.com
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, Vancouver Island, Canada When your floatplane lands on the tiny jetty on the far finish of the forest-covered fjord, a horse-drawn cart is ready on the foot of a dust highway. Hop aboard for a drive by way of the wilderness that ends on the homestead the place the lodge’s total employees is ready to greet you. See clayoquotwildernesslodge.com
THE WINNER: Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Fiji
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Fiji.
THE BEST DOORPERSON
THE NOMINATIONS
The Connaught London, UK A luggage-laden traveller, bedraggled from months on the finances highway, was greeted right here as if she had been arriving royalty.
Fingal, Edinburgh, Scotland It is not a lot a doorman at this five-star lodge set aboard a former lighthouse tender and extra a gaggle of smiling and useful employees positioned by the entry always.
Raffles, Singapore The standard, tall and at instances faintly intimidating (should you’re a non-staying, non-paying interloper, that’s) Sikh doorman at this official nationwide Singaporean man-made treasure isn’t solely an emblem of the lodge there’s additionally a memento toy primarily based on him on the inhouse reward store. See raffles.com
Plaza Athenee, Paris, France When a doorman additionally greets you by title – despite the fact that that is your first go to to the lodge – you already know you have got arrived at a next-level property. See dorchestercollection.com
Illa Expertise Resort, Quito, Ecuador Juan David Chang, a 2.1-metre-tall former nationwide basketball participant sporting a protracted gray overcoat and a black prime hat, towers over you as you are ushered into the internal courtyard of this transformed historic mansion. See illaexperiencehotel.com
THE WINNER: Raffles Singapore
The standard, tall and at instances faintly intimidating Sikh doorman at Raffles Singapore. Photograph: AP
THE BEST LOBBY
THE NOMINATIONS
The Langham, London, UK The foyer of Europe’s first grand lodge feels each glamorously five-star and cosily homely. See langhamhotels.com
Reverie Saigon, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, Vietnam The fantasy foyer right here is mind-bogglingly ostentatious but someway the lodge pulls it off, Murano glass chandeliers and blue Bolivian marble tiles and all. See thereveriesaigon.com
JK Place Roma, Italy Settle into one of many sink-into sofas within the foyer any time of day or evening and a staffer will deliver you a espresso to sip as you flick by way of the espresso desk books. See jkroma.com
Resort Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand Over a welcome cup of kawakawa iced tea, admire the putting black sand function wall, paintings by famend Kiwi painter Shane Cotton, a local totara tree rising out of the reception desk and low desk customary from a three-tonne slab of Timaru bluestone. See thehotelbritomart.com
Mandarin Oriental Singapore Many lobbies are showier, extra glamorous and extra up to date however, should you belong to the pre-Instagram period, you will love this lodge’s old school central atrium, hovering 21 flooring up and surrounded by wrap-around corridors. See mandarinoriental.com
THE WINNER: Reverie, Saigon
The Reverie’s foyer.
THE BEST WELCOME DRINK
THE NOMINATIONS
The Library, Phuket, Thailand You are offered with a lidded goblet and, on lifting the lid, dry ice vapour swirls and entices, a whispering trace of what lies forward at a spot the place element is of the essence.
La Residence, Franschhoek, South Africa The welcome drink right here is sort of easy: it is a glass of wine, native after all, sourced from one of many surrounding vineyards on this beautiful a part of South Africa. See theroyalportfolio.com
Illa Expertise Resort, Quito, Ecuador Don an apron and stir a mix of naranjilla juice, cloves, cinnamon and Norteno (a distilled sugarcane-based spirit) in an effort to make canelazo, a conventional Ecuadorian scorching drink. Serve in small copper mugs. See illaexperiencehotel.com
The Clan Resort, Singapore At this lodge, which salutes Singapore’s historic Chinese language diaspora guilds, company should not merely served a restorative welcome tea however a complete, although not too prolonged, welcome Chinese language tea ceremony, served by a schooled inhouse tea grasp. See theclanhotel.com.sg
Abbaye de la Bussiere, Burgundy, France At this mediaeval former abbey, you are put in on the garden with a half-bottle of champagne and small jug of cassis. Pop the cork as a pony munches on grass, bees buzz and swans paddle on the pond. See abbayedelabussiere.fr
THE WINNER: The Clan Resort, Singapore
Get a welcome tea ceremony at The Clan Resort, Singapore.
THE BEST ROOM
THE NOMINATIONS
The Raj Mahal Palace RAAS Jaipur, India At practically 300 sq. metres, the awe-inspiring multi-room Maharaja Suite at this confection with 18th century roots is huge in space and big in character. See raashotels.com
Hoshinoya, Tokyo, Japan Rooms at this stunning “trendy ryokan” function delicate gentle filtered by way of paper screens, tatami-mat flooring, conventional futon beddings and spartan but completely chosen furnishings. See hoshinoya.com
Bensley Assortment pool villas, Siem Reap, Cambodia Secluded behind excessive partitions, every villa affords a wealth of pleasant design particulars reminiscent of partitions moulded just like the folds in a monk’s robe – in addition to an indoor-outdoor lavatory, a lap pool and a rooftop terrace. See angkor.shintamani.com
Joali Maldives, The Maldives Joali Maldives is the Maldives’ first “artwork island”, and the sheer scale of your villa, with its huge rooms flowing into one another and its expansive deck space, all with point-blank water views, is matched solely by the serene design. See joali.com
Chedi Muscat, Oman Moorish, whitewashed villas supply cool respite from Oman’s warmth with their domed roofs, Zen-like bedrooms and huge bogs fitted with sunken terrazzo bathtubs and scented with heavenly Acqua di Parma toiletries. See lhw.com
THE WINNER: Bensley Assortment, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Your non-public villa pool on the Bensley Assortment Shinta Mani, Siem Reap. Photograph: Bjorn Teufel
THE BEST BED
THE NOMINATIONS
Elewana Loisaba Star Beds, Kenya Your handcrafted four-poster mattress is moved every night out of your hut onto a deck the place there’s simply the celebs and a mosquito internet separating you from the Kenyan bush. See elewanacollection.com
The Fairmont, Singapore The beds all through the Fairmont chain should not too exhausting, not too delicate and excellent. They’re so broadly cherished you should buy them for residence. See fairmont.com
L’Oscar, London, UK What you will bear in mind most out of your keep right here is the bedding, and specifically the Doona, which is crammed with Icelandic eiderdown that takes two and a half years to gather and prices a staggering £5000. See loscarlondon.com
Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, Germany Right here the main focus is on consolation and rest somewhat than pretension, and it reveals within the mattress. It is huge, unadorned with annoying cushions and sits squarely in the course of the room and faces a wonderful mountain view, inviting breakfast-in-bed indulgence. See schloss-elmau.de
The Moso, Vanuatu The king measurement beds right here invite lazy lie-ins and languid afternoon naps with their Goldilocks springs (not too exhausting, not too delicate), sensuous bedlinen, driftwood headboards and a cooling breeze by way of louvred home windows. See themosovanuatu
THE WINNER: L’Oscar, London, UK
L’Oscar, London: What you will bear in mind most out of your keep right here is the bedding, and specifically the Doona.
THE BEST VIEW
THE NOMINATIONS
Sir Victor, Barcelona, Spain Gaudi to the left, Gaudi to the appropriate – the rooftop bar presents a diorama of a few of the avant garde artist’s stunning Barcelona landmarks, notably the long-lasting Casa Mila residences buildings. See sirhotels.com
Marriott Mena Home, Cairo, Egypt Get up, draw the curtains and step out onto your balcony and discover the one of many Seven Wonders of the Historical World proper there in entrance of you. See marriott.com
Shakti 360 Leti, Uttarakhand, India This extraordinary mountaintop retreat is surrounded by a dramatic halo of snaking glaciers, snow-capped peaks and plunging forested valleys. All of which might be admired in sudden luxurious from one in all 4 glass-fronted stone cabins. See shaktihimalaya.com
Bebek Resort by the Keep, Istanbul, Turkey Watching the Bosphorus by no means will get outdated and out of your riverfront room at this glam boutique lodge, you’ll be able to absorb 180-degree water views. See thestay.com.tr
Chateau de la Chevre d’or, Eze , France Eze teeters in mediaeval splendour atop a cliff above the French Riviera, trying over Cap Ferrat and squinting at distant Corsica with views unfurling from the second you totter alongside a vertigo-inducing path in the direction of the reception. See relaischateaux.com
THE WINNER: Marriott Mena Home, Cairo
Marriott Mena Home: One of many Seven Wonders of the Historical World is correct there in entrance of you.
THE BEST RESTAURANT
THE NOMINATIONS
Amber, The Mandarin Oriental Landmark, Hong Kong Two Michelin-starred Amber gained a 2022 Michelin Inexperienced Star in 2022 for its sustainable focus. It now affords a dairy and gluten-free vegetarian menu with diminished salt and sugar.
Troisgros, Ouches, France The restaurant, which has held three Michelin stars for over 50 years, is the guts of the lodge and the extraordinary meals is not the one attraction. This have to be the one restaurant in France designed as a synthetic forest the place every desk sits beneath its personal highlight. See troisgros.com
Keio Plaza, Tokyo Japan So lots of the nice inns of Tokyo supply high-quality eating experiences throughout a variety of kinds and cuisines. None are fairly as thrilling because the Keio with its 16 completely different eating places, the spotlight of which is Kyubey, a legendary Tokyo sushi restaurant, based in 1935.
MGM Grand, Las Vegas, US Each dish is a culinary paintings (assume immaculate towers of couscous topped with inky black Osetra caviar) whereas the general expertise is one in all unrestrained extra (a candy cart with 40 completely different petits fours; a 33-page wine record with bottles costing $US20,000). See mgmgrand.com; mgmresorts.com
The Fullerton Resort, Singapore Jade is likely one of the world’s prettiest lodge eating places because of its gentle, pastel-shaded and gilt-free decor together with wallpaper on which flowers bloom and birds twitter. The highest-quality is an excellent showcase of basic Cantonese delicacies with deft up to date influences and trendy plating. See fullertonhotels.com
THE WINNER: Troisgros, Ouches, France
The kitchen group at Troisgros. Photograph: Felix Ledru
THE BEST ROOM SERVICE
THE NOMINATIONS
Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka Ah, mattress tea. A pre-rising Indian custom, in Sri Lanka it is taken to elegant heights at Ceylon Tea Trails’ restored historic tea planter residences.
The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India Served by an immaculately attired butler, the candlelit four-course feast can be memorable sufficient by itself, however when it is served in your suite’s non-public balcony with charming, uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal, it turns into legendary. See oberoihotels.com
Le Bristol, Paris, France Its inhouse eating places boast a collective 4 Michelin stars so that you’d anticipate a spectacular 24-hour room service providing and Le Bristol Paris does not disappoint.
Windamere Resort, Darjeeling, India There’s nothing extra annoying than unhealthy, fussy, pretentious or tip-seeking room service however you will not get that on this Nineteen Thirties lodge. Meals arrives on trays carried by a white-gloved waiters who interact you in eccentric focus. Fantastic. See windamerehotel.com
THE WINNER: The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India
Take pleasure in room service with a view of the Taj Mahal on the Oberoi Amarvilas Agra.
THE BEST DECOR
THE NOMINATIONS
Resort Marques de Riscal Elciego, Spain With the lodge itself designed by Frank Gehry, you’d need to work exhausting to make the inside décor stand out. Resort Marques de Riscal does simply that, with high-end, distinctive furnishings and inside design accentuating Gehry’s brilliance. See marriott.com
Ritz Paris, France Opened in 1898 and the house of Coco Chanel, a 2016 overhaul upheld the legendary lodge’s conventional 18th century French decor and immaculate opulence. See ritzparis.com
TWA Resort, New York, US Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the putting wing-shaped former TWA Sixties terminal constructing has been remodeled right into a playful homage to the daybreak of the Jet Age period of journey. See twahotel.com
Il Tornabuoni, Florence, Italy The lodge could also be housed in a renaissance palace however the dazzling interiors – accomplished in vibrant color combos like blue and inexperienced, pink and peacock blue, or yellow and gray – are resolutely up to date. See hyatt.com
RAAS Jodhpur, India Knockout Seventeenth-century Rajasthan structure in ornately carved sandstone fuses with up to date additions, together with a glass-box reception space, magnificent pool and two stylish eating places. Search for and the vulture-circled Mehrangarh Fort looms. See raashotels.com
THE WINNER: RAAS Jodhpur, India
RAAS Jodhpur, India Knockout: Seventeenth-century Rajasthan structure in ornately carved sandstone fuses with up to date additions.
THE BEST BAR
THE NOMINATIONS
Cielo, Resort de la Ville, Rome, Italy “Unrivalled views” is an oft bandied time period however Cielo, the rooftop bar on the Resort de la Ville can really declare it within the Everlasting Metropolis. Mingle with the gorgeous individuals, sip an aperitif and dine on delicious signature dishes. See roccofortehotels.com
Palace Resort Tokyo, Japan Although the New York Bar on the Park Hyatt Resort in Shinjuku attracts all the eye – because of Misplaced in Translation – the bar on the Palace Resort Tokyo is much extra private and refined. See palacehoteltokyo.com
InterContinental Resort Dieu, Lyon, France Le Dome bar is all concerning the dome. Constructed into an 800-year-old chapel topped by a 32-metre excessive dome, Le Dome’s structure is nothing lower than monumental. The glamorous fit-out consists of an alabaster bar with subtle cocktails. See lyon.intercontinental.com
So Sofitel Vienna, Austria This minimalist lodge’s crowning glory – actually – is Das Loft bar, perched atop the lodge’s tower with views over Vienna’s outdated city. The ceiling’s solely taken up with a video set up: a large eyeball blinks, goldfish swim previous, forests stand up and disappear. See so-vienna.com
Pier 24, Amerikalijnen, Oslo Norway Norwegian immigrants handed by way of this former transport constructing en path to New York, the place they’d alight on Pier 24 (for which the bar is known as). Their tales are conjured in a cocktail menu celebrating the constructing’s historical past, See amerikalinjen.com
THE WINNER: Resort de la Ville, Rome
Mingle with the gorgeous individuals at Resort de la Ville’s rooftop terrace.
THE BEST POOL
THE NOMINATIONS
Somalisa Camp, Hwange, Zimbabwe Slip into that pool – and even lounge on its sides – and watch the elephants, herds of which commonly roam the plain instantly behind the pool. No infinity pool compares. See africanbushcamps.com
Burgenstock Resort, Lucerne, Switzerland The infinity pool makes you are feeling you are swimming off into the sundown as Lake Lucerne glimmers silver far beneath and snowy peaks fade into the evening. With a pool like this wherein to wallow and soothe your soul, you will not want a spa therapy. See burgenstockresort.com
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Suspending a 1.4-million-litre, 150 metres lengthy infinity pool virtually 200 metres above a triumvirate of sentinel towers is technically spectacular and as an precise immersive expertise, unforgettable. See marinabaysands.com
Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka This can be essentially the most photogenic swimming pool on this planet – a 60-metre crescent moon infinity pool with spectacular, uninterrupted sunsets throughout the ocean. See resplendentceylon.com
Thanda Safari Lodge, Hluhuwe, South Africa The aqua infinity pool is suspended amid a swathe of knob thorn bushes and marula bushes with non-public plunge swimming pools recessed into every of the 9 bush suites’ decks. See thandasafari.co.za
THE WINNER: Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
Cape Weligama might have essentially the most photogenic swimming pool on this planet. Photograph: Tom Parker
THE BEST SPA
Tierra Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile It feels soothing sufficient to stare on the Licancabur Volcano at Tierra Atacama however add within the experiences and coverings on the Uma Spa and you’ve got a holistic wellness expertise. See tierrahotels.com
Bliss, W Hong Kong, China Began in Soho in 1996, this cheeky, irreverent wellness model was an ideal match for the equally exuberant W Resort group. Transfer over celery sticks and whale soundtracks; deliver on brownies and the blues. See marriott.com
Nihi Sumba, Nihi, Indonesia Why did Nihi Sumba find its spa on the opposite facet of the island from the remainder of the resort? So it might create a “Spa Safari”, after all. Begin with an early-morning hike by way of rice fields and villages. On arriving on the spa, cool off within the pool and tuck into breakfast earlier than having fun with your therapy. See nihi.com
Resort Hermitage Monte-Carlo, Monaco This four-storey glass-and-marble wonderland of wholesome hedonism has scorching tubs and saltwater swimming pools beneath a shell-shaped roof from which you’ll gaze on the princely palace and mega-yachts within the harbour. See montecarlosbm.com
Gangtey Lodge, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan Sink into the pinewood bathtub on the Australian-designed bathhouse and undergo dotsho, a conventional scorching stone tub ritual. The bathtub is crammed with soothing forest-foraged wormwood and heated with river rocks and baked in a hearth. See gangteylodge.com
THE WINNER: Tie Gangtey Lodge, Bhutan and Nihi Sumba, Nihi, Indonesia
Gangtey Lodge, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan: Sink into the pinewood bathtub on the Australian-designed bathhouse.
THE BEST BUILDING/ARCHITECTURE
THE NOMINATIONS
Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India That is an precise palace, referred to as Jig Nawas, in-built 1746 as a summer season retreat for the Mewar royal household. Original solely from marble within the Mughal fashion, the constructing featured within the Bond movie Octopussy. See tajhotels.com
Benesse Home, Naoshima, Japan Artwork, structure and nature coexist peacefully on this nationwide park in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. Concrete-and-stone angles protrude futuristically from the emerald hillocks wherein a lot of the Tadao Ando-designed museum-hotel advanced is embedded. See benesse-artsite.jp
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore There aren’t many up to date buildings that 12 years on nonetheless look as audacious and arresting because the day they had been constructed. However because of a visionary design by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, Marina Bay Sands nonetheless resembles an ambitiously futuristic artist’s impression.. See marinabaysands.com
Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes Nationwide Park , Rwanda There are few issues as exhilarating as trekking with gorillas. Coming residence to Bisate Lodge afterwards comes shut. Every room, set on a ridge line above the panorama and resembling a woven basket, has curved partitions, magnificent views, and a volcanic stone fire. See wilderness-safaris.com
Resort Borgo Sam Felice, Tuscany, Italy Few different inns boast a Romanesque chapel and mediaeval olive press. The environment is rustic however terracotta and stone interiors are enlivened with wealthy materials and Tuscan furnishings. See relaischateaux.com
THE WINNER: Taj Lake Palace, India
Taj Lake Palace is customary solely from marble within the Mughal fashion.
THE BEST BREAKFAST
Palace Resort, Tokyo, Japan There is a Western-style buffet right here however you’d be loopy to go previous the set meal of conventional choices: a bit of completely grilled fish, seasonal condiments, salted plum and pickles, miso soup, rice and toasted nori. Perfection. See en.palacehoteltokyo.com
Crown Sydney, Australia 9 open kitchens, serving all the pieces from omelettes and waffles to curries and dumplings; an infinite choice of contemporary fruit and juices; the maple glazed gammon; the salted egg custard buns; the heavenly chocolate croissants. The defence rests. See crownhotels.com.au
Resort Metropole, Monte Carlo, Monaco Overlook the breakfast buffet and say hiya to the breakfast trolley, laden with delights together with half a dozen several types of bread, cheeses, fruits and chilly cuts. It will get even higher with a alternative of scorching chocolate (“French or Italian fashion, madam?”) and hard-boiled eggs that arrive in silver egg cups, already peeled. See metropole.com
Taj Mahal Resort, New Delhi, India Is it the lentil-stuffed masala dosa or finger millet-style ragi dosa or the medu vada (deep-fried lentil dumpling)? There isn’t any flawed reply on this deeply ambrosial institution. See tajhotels.com
Resort Chateau Monfort Milan, Italy Custard-filled croissants, hazelnut cake, sponges and biscuits induce a sugar coma although you’ll be able to have to-order scorching dishes too. Each ingredient is fine quality, from the best Parma ham to the espresso served in silver pots. See relaischateaux.com
THE WINNER: Resort Metropole, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Resort Metropole Monte Carlo.
