The Best Hotels and Resorts in Europe and the UK: The Gold List 2025
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For 31 years the editors of Condé Nast Traveler have been compiling this annual compendium of hotels and cruises we’ve discovered, or fallen in love with all over again. We highlight them not only for their beauty, comfort, or impeccable service, but also because we’ve developed deeply emotional relationships with them: These are the hotels and cruises we recommend to our friends, that we tell stories about later. Below are the best hotels in Europe and the United Kingdom to inspire your next trip.
See the full Gold List here.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Courtesy RaffleshotelLe Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris — France
$$$ |
Gold List 2025 
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024On a limestone avenue in the 8th arrondissement, a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe, the red glass lanterns and Art Deco–style awning at the entrance of Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris catch your eyes. Inside, the lobby leads to smaller, cozier spaces like the wood-paneled concierge and an art-focused bookshop, three restaurants, a 99-seat cinema, and a smoking lounge. A contemporary art gallery run by the hotel, Art District, has its own entrance next door. There’s a noticeable churn of locals on the round floor—shoppers having coffee in Le Bar Long, friends holding a baby shower over brunch—which makes the property feel like a neighborhood hangout. Le Royal Monceau was founded in 1928 by Pierre Bremond and André Junot, and Raffles assumed the management of the property in 2008. After overhauling the interiors with Phillippe Starck at the helm, it reopened as Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris in October 2010. The 149 bedrooms and suites, from the smallest “artist rooms” to the apartment-like presidential suites, are appointed with Starck’s energetic panache: Murano-glass chandeliers hang over midcentury-modern leather sofas, writing desks made by Philippe Hurel have illustrated maps of Paris on their top, and acoustic guitars stand upright in corners, ready to be strummed. The bathrooms are jaw-droppers, decked with mirrors and stainless steel on all sides. It feels, memorably, like you are having a bath inside of a disco ball. In addition to a morning-to-night, seven-days-a-week café, Le Bar Long (club sandwiches; thick hot chocolate served in its own special pot), this Paris hotel has two destination restaurants: Matsuhisa Paris, a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant run by chef Nobu Matsuhisa (his only outpost in France), and Il Carpaccio, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant opened in partnership with the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Da Vittorio, based in Brusaporto, Italy (do not miss Da Vittorio’s signature dish, which is served at Il Carpaccio: paccheri with three types of tomatoes and Parmesan). In the mornings only, the Matsuhisa Paris space becomes a restaurant called La Cuisine, which serves a Parisian buffet breakfast. For high-wattage contemporary glamour and a meaty collection of artwork (pieces by Lucien Hervé, Harry Gruyaert, and Thierry Dreyfus are on site for perusing), this is a playful, modern alternative to the many traditional Parisian hotels. From $1,063. —Jo Rodgers
Courtesy of Palazzo MargheritahotelPalazzo Margherita — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2025Simple yet refined, tiny but with big intentions to showcase Basilicata in an unpretentious way, Palazzo Margherita became the fifth hotel in the Family Coppola Hideaways’ dynamic portfolio in 2012. Francis Ford Coppola’s grandfather Agostino Coppola spent his childhood in this quiet town, which he referred to as Bernalda Bella. His stories stuck in his grandchild's mind, and Francis visited in his 20s. When it came on the market in 2004, he took action. Palazzo Margherita is clearly a passion project, six years in the making. It feels like a home, not a product, entwined with the history, mythology, and affections of the family. Sofia Coppola married her French musician beau Thomas Mars under the Heritage Garden gazebo in 2011, and the Palazzo opened as a hotel the following year. The two main suites (by French designer Jacques Grange) have new, hand-painted frescoes on vaulted ceilings and handcrafted furniture. Some have working fireplaces; others checkerboard floors, suntrap balconies, and sylvan murals. The food is traditional and regional, made with local organic products and by local chefs. For breakfast, try the tangy marmalades and the zucchini frittata with a fig salad. For later, some standouts are the dried pepperoni and breadcrumb pasta, the pasta al branzino, the hyacinth bulb sides, and the grilled porchetta. This is the place to imbibe a genuine, familial version of southern Italy, unsullied by mass tourism and through the storyteller eyes of Francis Ford Coppola. From $535. —Lydia Bell
Benjamin Zibner/Severin's Resort & Spa, SylthotelSeverin's Resort & Spa — Germany
$$ | Gold List 2025The best thing about Severin’s is its orchard, filled with lots of old apple trees and, among them, tables that are set for meals. Traditional Strandkorb wicker chairs and chaise longues invite guests to relax and admire the white and pink blossoms in the spring and enjoy the shade that the trees and parasols provide in the summer. In the winter, when the temperatures drop, the trees look like they are frosted with sugar. Yes, there are many reasons to visit the northernmost of Germany’s islands even in the cold season. Another one of them is Severin’s spa, with its saunas, hammam, and swimming pool complete with a fireplace. The interior in pleasant neutral colors is bathed in warm light. You won’t find anywhere on Sylt more relaxing after a long walk on the beach. If you are looking for absolute privacy, Severin’s is a perfect choice with 23 studios and apartments as well as five houses and villas measuring up to 4,300 square feet. The emphasis is on spaciousness, not mere excess. The two-story thatchroof resort blends in harmoniously with the charming village of Keitum on the edge of the Wadden Sea. From $467. —Dennis Braatz
Courtesy Maybourne Hotel GrouphotelThe Connaught — United Kingdom
$$$ | Gold List 2020, 2022, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024The Connaught curves around Carlos Place in Mayfair Village, but it’s not just the address that makes this one of the smartest hotels in London. It started life in 1815 as the Prince of Saxe-Coburg Hotel, and since then has had facelifts as well as the additions of a wing, an Aman spa, and a 1930s-style ballroom—all without losing its original spirit. A gilded mahogany staircase twists heavenward in the reception area, where the energy crackles with a permanent sense of occasion. The private art collection bedazzles: a Graham Sutherland landscape here, a Barbara Hepworth lithograph there. Despite the grandeur, everyone is treated with trademark down-to-earth service. Blending heritage and creature comforts, rooms and suites by Guy Oliver promise style and a soft landing. Minibars are disguised as chinoiserie cabinets; bed heads are hand-embroidered. The 2024-renovated gray-green or storm-cloud-blue Coburg Suites, with painted paneling, delft-encrusted chimneypieces, and heavy draped curtains, are the newest. Megawatt options include The Apartment, designed by David Collins Studio, on the rooftop; The Mews, a light-filled private townhouse; and the King’s Lodge, inspired by Kabul’s 19th-century Peacock Palace. The Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Hélène Darroze flagship restaurants are the focus of a stay, but the watering holes are the most fun. If you start an affair at the Connaught Bar, with its jolly martini trolley and candlelight, you can cut a bon vivant’s business deal at The Coburg. And, for quiet loungers, the Red Room is a modern bar that has an after- or preparty feel. Part of the Maybourne Group, this landmark grande dame still feels utterly relevant.
Courtesy Accor HotelshotelFairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten — Germany
$$$ | Gold List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018I grew up on a farm in a small village near Hamburg, and the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, which sits on the Binnenalster Inner Alster Lake, long had a mythical aura for me. The cream of society in this northern German city—indeed, from all over the world— were known to dine and sleep at the hotel. I finally checked in for the first time last year. From the moment I stepped through the door, the service was of the highest standard, always courteous and sincere. The food and drinks are superb (its Jahreszeiten Bar also boasts that it’s the smallest in Hamburg), and you’ll soon notice that, from the Grill to Restaurant Haerlin, most diners are locals. Many of them don’t get to experience that an overnight stay is also wonderfully satisfying. A few fifth-floor rooms overlooking the Binnenalster have such generous balconies that you can sunbathe comfortably in the summer. Though I have now seen it up close, the Vier Jahreszeiten still remains mythical for me. Only now, I get to be a small part of the life of this legend from time to time. From $490. —Dennis Braatz
Courtesy Hotel Adlon Kempinski BerlinhotelHotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin — Germany
$$$ | Gold List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023Today there’s that sense that Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin—having withstood the vicissitudes of a tumultuous century—is armor-plated, unassailable as the bullet-proofed floor-to-ceiling windows of the presidential suites. Under the Kempinski aegis since the 1990s, it bottles that sense of timelessness and offers a feeling of security and tradition as something that is as precious as it is soothing. The past is present here, exuding patrician-style grandeur and elegance: the Art Deco floor gauges in the elevators, an old-fashioned bicycle that the bellboys use, the panels of walnut wood in the Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer restaurant, acres of marble for a grand staircase, and gold flakes even on the lobby lounge’s currywurst. Old-school perfectionism calls for the three types of caviar and Champagne at breakfast, as well as butler-ironed newspapers brought to the table. It all contributes to that illusion that you are in a cocoon, away from the travails of the world. From $400. —Catherine Fairweather
Courtesy Adare ManorhotelAdare Manor — Ireland
$$ | Gold List 2020, 2025 
Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Few country escapes can beat this 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Ireland’s County Limerick. First built for the Second Earl of Dunraven on an 842-acre estate, it features stained-glass windows, gold-leaf ceilings, and towering fireplaces, all restored to their original glory. The signature suite’s classic-contemporary bedroom and bathroom overlook the boundless sprawl of gardens and the Ryder Cup golf course. Guests can lord it in horse-and-buggy rides, go on clay-shooting and archery sessions, take padel tennis classes, eat Michelin-star suppers at the Oak Room, and afterward descend to the Tack Room cellar-lounge to sample its rare Irish whiskey collection. Rural breaks have never felt so ennobling. From $640. —Noo Saro-Wiwa
Canaves EnahotelCanaves Ena — Greece
$$ | Gold List 2025The Chaidemenos family caves were formed in the 17th century by a volcanic eruption, and they were turned into wine cellars in the 1980s. In 1985, Ioannis Chaidemenos and his wife, Anna, began to have other ideas. From there, Canaves Ena was born, and, 40 years on, in 2024, a dramatic renovation was unveiled. A Cycladic path now winds around 18 blistering white suites, a mirror-shiny pool, and an excellent Greek restaurant. It’s bijou and pin-drop quiet, all Santorinian marble and pale woods, with flashes of pink bougainvillea flowers creeping up stucco walls. Most rooms have glassy infinity pools or bubbling jacuzzis—and, from every angle, utterly glorious views over the glittering caldera below. From $711. —Charley Ward
Courtesy Cap RocathotelCap Rocat — Spain
$$ | Gold List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2019Cap Rocat, in my opinion, is the jewel of Marugal, the Spanish hotel collection. It’s enormous in size—taking up 74 acres over a mile of protected coastline—but exclusive thanks to its mere 30 rooms and suites. The intimacy here is absolute; nothing stands between you and the immense sea. As a whole, the property is a celebration of its environment: The Sea Club, situated on the edge of Caló de la Reina, is a restaurant that serves rice dishes, a fish of the day, grilled meats, and vegetables. La Fortaleza, the hotel’s haute cuisine proposal, sings an ode to Mallorcan gastronomy in a magical space. And the hotel boutique includes its own collection of Mediterranean-inspired garments in linen and cashmere as well as a carefully selected range of handicrafts, candles, and cosmetics. But if you need total seclusion, the spa is dug 39 feet underground and capable of transmitting peace few places in the world can. Be warned: The saltwater pool will make you forget everything else outside Cap Rocat. There are so many details at this hotel that you won't see them all the first time. And that's why you'll come back. From $925. —David Moralejo
Ett HemhotelEtt Hem — Sweden
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2022Since taking over two neighboring townhouses in 2022, the world's most intimate luxury hotel, in my opinion, has grown up without sacrificing its philosophy of making guests feel truly at home. With the expansion, owner Jeanette Mix’s vision now feels complete. A former parking lot has been transformed into a lush English garden that connects the buildings. An eat-in kitchen serves top-class tasting menus. Plus there’s an in-house sourdough bakery, a wood paneled gym, and more social spaces packed with modern art and Scandinavian design classics. The upgraded Ett Hem is not just a great starting point for experiencing Stockholm. It's a destination in its own right. From $545. —Viola Gad
Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel FirenzehotelFour Seasons Hotel Firenze — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Housed in a pair of historic properties slathered in Renaissance sculptural friezes and Baroque frescoes, the Four Seasons would probably be open for guided tours today if it were not a hotel. But this 115-room grande dame, located a short walk from the Duomo in Florence’s quiet University district, wears its opulence lightly. The 11-acre landscaped park, whose current design dates back to the 19th century, separates the main Palazzo della Gherardesca building from the hotel’s Palazzo del Nero annex and is a leafy joy. An autumn 2024 makeover of Palazzo del Nero has raised the 36-room outlier from Cinderella to sassy princess, thanks also to Bar Berni, its cool new vermouth bar, and Onde seafood restaurant. From $1,084. —Lee Marshall
Courtesy Gran Hotel IngléshotelGran Hotel Inglés — Spain
$$ | Gold List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2022One of the city's icons and a pioneer in luxury hospitality when it opened in 1886, the Gran Hotel Inglés was the first hotel in Madrid to have a restaurant and electric lighting, as well as telephones and toilets with running water on each of its floors, an extravagance for the time. Its 48 rooms and suites, designed with a nod to the Art Deco style, have bathtubs that were flown in from Canada and are custom-made for each room, as well as showers; the beds, meanwhile, come with 500-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and an extensive pillow menu. In addition to its signature cocktail and gastronomic offerings at Lobbyto, which serves Madrid cuisine with an avant-garde twist (don’t miss the cocido madrileño!), the hotel has a brunch show with live music, an English tea service, and swing and rock-and-roll nights for the more lively. Le Max Club, the hotel's spa, includes a high-tech gym, spa cabins set up in collaboration with French brand Sisley (its botanical treatment menu is a delight, I promise), and a jacuzzi. From $760. —Clara Laguna
Courtesy Gstaad PalacehotelGstaad Palace — Switzerland
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Glamour is built into the Gstaad Palace’s DNA: Liz Taylor and Richard Burton were regulars, and Michael Jackson wanted to buy it. But for all that, this hotel is more about quiet elegance than the flash-your-cash glitz on show in St. Moritz. For more than a century, Europe’s aristocracy has made a beeline for the palace, which towers over the impossibly pretty village where the likes of Prada and Louis Vuitton have quaint chalet shops. With its turrets backed by the majestic mountain scenery, it looks like something conjured up by Disney. The real magic, though, is inside. Since the 1930s, the Scherz family, which owns the hotel, has created less a grand institution and more a relaxed second home in the mountains, albeit one with a dress code. Generations of the same family visit year after year, greeting the staff like long-lost friends and congregating in the capacious lobby bar after time on the slopes or by the pool. Bedrooms have the feel of a Swiss chalet about them, with nothing too startling to detract from the Alpine panoramas. In the restaurant, often visited by English singer Robbie Williams, chef Franz Faeh’s food is served with theatrical flair. You don’t even have to open your menu before ordering—it’s that kind of place. It's the kind of place, too, where you can imagine a guest turning up with 150 suitcases, demanding liters of Evian water to wash with, or insisting their cat be fed 50 grams of caviar a day. This is a hotel where the extraordinary feels like an everyday affair. From $980. —Jane Knight
Philip VilehotelHotel Castello di Reschio — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2025 Hot List 2022Reschio, an estate in Umbria not far from Perugia, comprises 3,700 quite outrageously beautiful acres of rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards, forest, farm buildings and, looming darkly over it all, a curtain-walled 11th-century castle. The most radical of the many changes Castello di Reschio has undergone in its long history is the most recent: its transformation from a place designed to keep people out to one redesigned to welcome them in. After a thousand or so years as a fortress, the castle opened, in 2021, as a 36-room hotel. The success of its reinvention has to do entirely with its owner-proprietors, Count Benedikt Bolza, an architect and designer, and his wife, Donna Nencia Corsini, an artist and environmentalist. The hotel is a lucid expression in three dimensions—in wood and stone and bronze, in silk and velvet and linen, in wildflowers and works of art and kooky knickknacks—of the couple’s shared enthusiasms, their style, their outlook on life. Castello di Reschio works brilliantly as a hotel and does all the things that a top hotel must do. (Is there a chicer palm-court bar, a more astonishing spa, or a lovelier swimming pool in rural Italy? Or anywhere?) More than that, the castle hotel is just one part of the much larger Reschio story, the point of entry into what has often—predictably, though not without reason—been characterized as a modern-day fairy tale. From $1,010. —Steve King
Courtesy Grand BretagnehotelHotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024, the GB (as locals fondly call it) is almost as much of an Athenian landmark as the Parthenon. The 5th-century-BC monument itself floats like a mirage just beyond the hotel’s lofty rooftop bar and restaurant, which overlooks the Parliament piazza where statuesque Evzones, members of the Presidential Guard, strut their stuff. If the location feels “only in Athens,” the interiors have all the glitzy trappings of a grand European hotel: gleaming marble inlay floors, flamboyant flower arrangements, giant gilded mirrors. Liveried doormen usher you through the revolving doors into what feels like a parallel universe, where the hubbub of downtown Athens gives way to the tinkling piano in the stained-glass-ceilinged winter garden, where afternoon tea is served by slinky waitresses who glide between the fluted columns. The lesser-known draw is not the fine dining or even the secret seventh-floor swimming pool but the subterranean spa. A profoundly therapeutic massage and plumping 111 Skin facial with one of the brilliantly intuitive therapists will leave you feeling at least 150 years younger. From $525. —Rachel Howard
Courtesy Santa CaterinahotelSanta Caterina — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021I vividly recall my first visit 12 years ago to Hotel Santa Caterina: dips in the sea and in the saltwater pool at the edge of the cliff, accessed by the most beautiful lift in the world. We had fresh mozzarella for breakfast, lemonade, and all the sfogliatelle we could eat. I was enamored with the ceramic floors, the breeze swaying the vaporous curtains, the ever-smiling staff serving delicious fresh pasta and fish. In short, I fell in love. On a recent return visit to Portofino, I saw how the hotel has grown. Two new villas have popped up, hidden among the terraced gardens that dot the cliffs. The hotel is now a sort of albergo diffuso, with an increased number of rooms and ever more privacy for guests who want it. Everything else remains perfect. The pool is still as salty and relaxing, the curtains dance the same waltz with the breeze, the floors still sparkle. Santa Caterina is—and always will be—a dream. From $490. —David Moralejo
Salva LopezhotelKalesma Mykonos — Greece
$$$ | Gold List 2025 Hot List 2022Since the 1960s, Mykonos has been known for a very singular brand of hedonism. One that revolves around dance-until-sunrise parties fueled by cocktails and thumping DJ beats. Kalesma is a pulse-slowing alternative that taps into the zeitgeist with yoga sessions, mocktails, a cold plunge, and views so spectacular that even device-addicted guests abandon their screens. Perched on a bougainvillea-draped hilltop overlooking Ornos Bay, this discreet retreat has no shortage of pleasures, from a sensational farm-to-fire restaurant to a dazzling new spa. Twenty-five one-bedroom suites and villas all have plunge pools as well as sunrise and sunset views. They’ve become so in demand the owners are adding 19 for next season. From $1,060. —Jen Murphy
La Posta VecchiahotelLa Posta Vecchia — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2018In an era when more and more international brands are staking their claim on the generic sale of la dolce vita, Pellicano hotel’s La Posta Vecchia has always offered its own authentic universe. The imposing Renaissance palace with Italianate gardens is only a 30-minute train ride from Rome’s Trastevere. Reinforced only by the echo of waves and footsteps on stairs, a silence reigns in its 21 grand rooms and suites that have the feel of a friend’s private castle. The former customs house for the Papal States was built in 1640 as a hunting lodge by the five-pope-strong Orsini family, once owners of the adjacent castle. In 1960, American oil tycoon Paul Getty purchased the place. He also hired art historian Federico Zeri to furnish his home with papal velvets and ecclesiastical antiques like church prie-dieux and sacristy furniture. Marble busts, regal beds, and thronelike chairs speak to Getty’s deep respect for history—a respect shared by the Sciò family, who bought and preserved the place first as a home in the 1980s. Last year saw painstaking renovations of both the Roman mosaics and the exterior, and this year there's been the addition of a gym and a new focus on ancient Roman recipes. What's more, next year the hotel will unveil a second private beach. Meanwhile, tastemaker Marie-Louise Sciò’s spry touches can be seen in the chalice vases by Ettore Sotsass, bathroom products sold on Issimo, the Frette sheets collaboration, and the Villeroy & Boch crockery on which breakfast is served on the glorious sea-facing terrace dotted with umbrellas the hue of Italian custard. La Posta Vecchia is also a gateway to the lesser known Lazio Alto region with its Etruscan necropolises far from the crowds. From $480. —Stephanie Rafanelli
Marianne Majerus/Le Bristol ParishotelLe Bristol Paris — France
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024In a city that inspires millions, what makes a hotel stand out? For me it’s a property that will transport me into a new world, to live out a fantasy of a different life in a different location—a “main character moment,” as the TikTok generation might say. Le Bristol sets the scene for a stay that’s a world away from daily monotony and embraces what most hope and dream a trip to Paris will be: grand, storied, and luxurious, with Michelin-starred restaurants, top-class service, and a courtyard garden so peaceful you’ll forget you’re in one of the world’s busiest cities. Next year Le Bristol will celebrate its 100th anniversary with parties, but there’s no doubt its Parisian allure is timeless. From $2,000. —Abigail Malbon
Courtesy Design Hotels/Photo by Benoît LinerohotelLes Roches Rouges — France
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2023When Les Roches Rouges opened back in 2017, on a sleepy stretch of the French Riviera in Saint-Raphaël, it succeeded where so many have failed. It’s an instant classic without being stuffy and zhuzh-y without trying too hard. Attracting a steady stream of well-dressed guests looking to disconnect from the high jinks of the Côte d'Azur scene, this bright-white 1950s modernist building is tickled by the raw blue ripples of the ocean. The interiors are perfectly balanced with polished concrete floors, white walls, and simple but striking furniture and art—a chunky chair here, a vintage lamp there—compiled by the hotel’s creative partners of antiques dealers, painters, and sculptors. The large stone-paved terrace contains a bar, a restaurant, and a sun deck, and is dotted with canvas butterfly chairs, tables, and plenty of neatly lined white sun beds. Many guests spend the days flitting between the lap pool and the spectacular 30-meter saltwater pool carved out of the rocks, while some meander over to a ladder that goes directly into the sea for paddleboarding. A steady stream of waiters in white polos deliver pale pink rosé and cocktails spiked with lavender and thyme. By evening, swimsuits are replaced with slinky dresses as guests dine in either of two restaurants: the book-ahead Michelin-starred Récif, which has a tasting menu, or La Plage, a more relaxed spot with perfectly plated Provençal dishes. As the bright-hot days trickle into soft-focus nights, it’s hard to imagine a lovelier spot. From $500. —Chloe Sachdev
Helen Cathcart/Lime WoodhotelLime Wood — United Kingdom
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2022, 2023This country house hotel in the heart of the New Forest National Park is a byword for holistic excellence, utilizing its surroundings to put nature, relaxation, and nourishment front and center. The 33 keys include 16 rooms in the main house, a gorgeous lakeside cabin, and woodland-chic forest cottages, while the award-winning Herb House spa offers bespoke Ayurvedic treatments, a hydropool overlooking the forest, and a log-lined sauna. At its destination restaurant, Hartnett Holder & Co, chefs Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder oversee an Italian-inspired menu. But the real star of the show is the New Forest, the venue for bike rides and guided forages among trees, heathland, and wild horses. This is the definition of well-being. From $647. —Noo Saro-Wiwa
Courtesy Marbella Club Hotel, Golf Resort & SpahotelMarbella Club — Spain
$$ | Gold List 2023, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2022In the 1950s, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe acquired a small fishing village nestled between the sea and the mountains and decided to transform it into an estate. Since it opened in 1954, the Marbella Club has become a sanctuary for aristocrats, actors, musicians, artists, heads of state, athletes, and celebrities seeking something more than just a vacation destination. Over the years the Marbella Club has managed to keep its original spirit alive as it has gracefully expanded to become one of the most iconic luxury resorts in the Mediterranean. Today it boasts 115 rooms and suites as well as 15 villas, where traditional Andalusian architecture blends with splendid gardens and pathways leading to the sea. Two heated outdoor pools, a beach club, a Thalasso wellness center, a golf course, 10 tennis courts, an equestrian center, a kids club, and eight dining concepts complete this paradise, located just five minutes from Marbella’s old town and Puerto Banús. From $800. —María Casbas
Mattia Aquila/BelmondhotelSplendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2022, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024It takes a hotel of a particularly high caliber to salve the sting of a lifelong travel dream’s finale. For me, that sting was the gutting experience of disembarking from the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Portofino, Italy, this past summer. But my goodness, does Splendido offer such reprieve. This princely albergo on the Ligurian coast was built as a Benedictine monastery and is now adorned with pink azaleas on almost every balcony from which guests can take in postcard views of Portofino Bay, glimmering and viridian. The landscape looks just as it did in the 1960s, when the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner first checked in to this seaside hideaway. But the hotel has been updated since then; for the 2025 season, Splendido will reopen with the main building completely renovated, after a multi-year floor-by-floor update led by designer Martin Brudnizki, whose signature maximalism takes on a gentler, subtler play—more perfume than syrup—by using lavenders, celadons, and Alice blues to paint the interiors with a pleasingly soft handsomeness. Outside, the redone saltwater pool shimmers with new tiles color-matched to the sea, and the open-air restaurant La Terazza is as perfect a spot as ever, serving trofie al pesto and spritzes on its perch high on the hill. All told, Splendido’s sensibility is elegantly understated, allowing its people and environment to shine. The staff is composed of charismatic good-time ragazzi, and nature seeps so easily into the rooms that sunrise and birdsong became my morning alarms. To catch the local scene, walk 15 minutes downhill to Portofino’s piazzetta (or take the hotel’s complimentary shuttle), where nonnos invite any and all challengers to a game of backgammon. I did one evening and felt yet again the sting of loss. Then I hiked up the hill to Splendido, my beloved balm, with its windows aglow after sundown and music floating through its gardens. It’s not Olympus, but it’s close enough. From $2,050. —Matt Ortile
Courtesy The Fife ArmshotelThe Fife Arms — United Kingdom
$$ | Gold List 2020, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Reasons to love the Fife Arms? Yes, the 16,000-odd works of art—including a pair of Picassos, Richard Jackson’s neon chandelier, a taxidermy haggis, and watercolors by Queen Victoria and King Charles III. Add in the fact that no one in Braemar seems to have a bad word to say about the Swiss art dealers Ivan and Manuela Wirth, relative outsiders when they took over this tired Victorian coaching inn in Cairngorms National Park. But the real joy of the Fife Arms is that it’s great fun: You’ll find everyone here, from out-of-towners to locals with their dogs—not to mention a team of wry, wise-cracking staff ready to make an event out of everything from whisky tastings at Bertie’s Bar to bracing wild-river swims followed by horse box sauna sessions. From $608. —Toby Skinner
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