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THE BEST PLACES TO STAY G OThe L D L I S T 142 that change the way we see the world THE 142 HOTELS AROUND THE WORLD WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND— AND COME BACK TO AGAIN AND AGAIN

When you work at Condé Nast Traveler, the one question that’s always being THE LIST asked of you—by friends, your therapist, strangers you’ve only just met—isn’t Where should I go? More often than not it’s Where should I stay? As obsessives, we get it. A great hotel isn’t simply a place to spend the night. It’s about the super-secret perfect bar just off the lobby, or the wallpaper in your suite that makes you want to redecorate your entire home. And if you love a hotel enough, 2016 it can become a reason in itself to go. ¶ For our twenty-second annual Gold List, we offer you our global short list—the recommendations we give without even thinking about it.

For more on this year’s Gold List, check out cntraveler.com/​ ​gold-list.

TYPE BY JORDAN METCALF COND É NAST TRAVELE R 1 GOLD LIST

IF YOU LOVE THE GRAND-HÔTEL DU CAP-FERRAT IN PROVENCE, TRY THE IN BIARRITZ

LIVE OUT YOUR ITALIAN FANTASY (IF ONLY FOR A WEEK)

You know what we’re talking about: those terraced gardens, the lakeside villas, the Baroque palaces set high above the Mediterranean. These are the icons, the drop-dead-­gorgeous properties that take la dolce vita to a whole other level. Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo Taormina Belmond Hotel Splendido & Splendido Mare Portofino Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli Lake Garda (left) Hotel Il Pellicano Porto Ercole Hotel Santa Caterina Amalfi J.K. Place Capri Le Sirenuse Positano Palazzo Avino Ravello

THE HOTELS WE ALWAYS RETURN TO IN LONDON — THE BEAUMONT —  — CLARIDGE’S —  —  PHOTOGRAPH LUCAS BY ALLEN

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Fogo Island Inn Tierra Atacama ARCHITECTURAL Newfoundland, Hotel & Spa GO FARTHER— WONDERS IN Canada San Pedro de It’ll take at least two Atacama, Chile IT’S WORTH IT THE MIDDLE flights, a 60-mile drive, A dazzling fortress of Dunton Hot Springs OF NOWHERE and then a 45-minute stone, adobe bricks, Dolores, Colorado ferry ride to reach and rammed earth, with It’s a two-hour drive from this ultramodern glass walls to maximize already-remote Telluride, Alila Jabal Akhdar spaceship of a hotel views of the Licancabur winding through the San overlooking the volcano and the Juan Mountains, sometimes The minimalist wild Atlantic (right). vast Atacama Desert. resort is constructed on dirt roads. But the Longitude 131° Vigilius entirely of multicolored payoff is huge: a stay in one Yulara, Mountain Resort of 13 isolated, hand-hewn ophiolite rock and Ever wonder what a Monte San Vigilio, log cabins in a stunning alpine seems to hover luxury resort on Mars Accessible only by valley, with reviving soaks over a steep gorge in might look like? cable car (it’s nearly in mineral-rich hot springs at the Hajar Mountains. Probably not unlike 5,000 feet above the restored 1800s bathhouse. Amangiri these tented pavilions sea level), this resort Explora Canyon Point, Utah arrayed in front of the feels like the tree Patagonia, Chile Its gravity-defying magnificent sandstone house you always At the center of Torres del geometric slabs monolith of Uluru. wanted, with its Paine National Park (and blend seamlessly into dramatic wooden- five hours from the closest the austere desert. lattice facade. airport), Explora’s white- timber lodge has 49 spacious rooms—all with views of either the Paine ridge or Salto Chico Waterfall. Take your pick of more than 50 guided hikes and horse treks, then unwind IF YOU LOVE THE FOUR SEASONS PENINSULA over the best Chilean wines at the sleek Explorer’s Bar. Wickaninnish Inn PAPAGAYO IN , TRY MUKUL IN NICARAGUA Tofino, British Columbia At this secluded resort on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast, days are spent hiking through old-growth cedar forests, exploring tide pools, trying your hand at THE SPA WHERE TREATMENTS cold-water surfing, or simply ARE JUST THE HALF OF IT watching Pacific storms roll in beyond the big bay windows of your ocean-facing suite. Few spa retreats sandstone and telegraph place as well pinewood sourced from as the seventeenth-­ the nearby wilderness— century Bio-Hotel and even a lazy hour in Stanglwirt, in the the relaxation room, with Austrian Alps. The its floor-to-ceiling views THE HOTELS WE outdoor soaking pools, of Tyrolean peaks, is ALWAYS RETURN steam baths, and as rejuvenating as a turn TO IN PARIS saunas are crafted of on the massage table. — FOUR SEASONS HOTEL 6 OTHER SPA GETAWAYS TO BOOK RIGHT NOW — HÔTEL PLAZA Badrutt’s Palace One&Only Palmilla ATHÉNÉE St. Moritz, Los Cabos — LE MEURICE Clinique La Prairie Park Hyatt New York Clarens-Montreux, — THE PENINSULA Parrot Cay Switzerland by COMO PARIS Les Sources de Turks and Caicos — SHANGRI-LA Caudalie HOTEL, PARIS Bordeaux ILLUSTRATION CHRISTOPHER BY DELORENZO. PHOTOGRAPH IWAN BY BAAN

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THE OVER-THE- TOP DESIGN HOTELS WE WANT TO MOVE INTO

Aman Canal Grande Venice, for its embossed leather wallpaper. Casa de Madrid for the murals, marble busts, and centuries-old oil paintings. 1 2 Das Stue Berlin, and its neoclassical facade and Danish minimalist interiors (2). Ett Hem Stockholm, for Ilse Crawford’s brilliant way with vintage pieces. The Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., for Dorothy Draper’s flurry of pinks and greens (4). Ham Yard London, and Kit Kemp’s fearless use of color (1). Hoshinoya Kyoto, and its lustrous century-old wood finishes. Il Convento di Santa Maria do Constantinopoli Puglia, Italy, for its treasure trove of masks, carvings, 3 4 and ceramics. J.K. Place Roma for its retro rosewood-paneled bar. Riad El Fenn Marrakech, for those jewel-colored plaster walls (5). San Giorgio Mykonos, and the way the traditional Greek textiles pop against whitewashed walls (6). Soho House Istanbul, for the fireplaces, frescoes, and soaring ceilings inside the 1870s palazzo. Soniat House New Orleans, and its wrought iron balconies and vibrant green shutters. Lenox, Mass., for its celadon accents, original stained glass—and 5 6 that elegant staircase (3). CLOCKWISE FROM TOP PHOTOGRAPHS LEFT: SIMON BY BROWN/COURTESY HAM HOTEL; YARD COURTESY STUE; DAS INGALLS PHOTO; COURTESY DESIGN HOTELS; JOANNA VESTEY/COURTESY RIAD EL FENN; RICHARD BRYANT

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THE MOUNTAIN RESORT When I was four years old and living in TRAVEL BACK THAT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE A THEME PARK a very Mormon suburb of Salt Lake City, IN TIME my very un-Mormon mom and dad Hotels with the packed up the Jeep Wagoneer and took alluring charm of a me skiing at Deer Valley Resort. They bygone era (and the didn’t ski themselves, but they were phe- amenities of 2016). nomenal at après, throwing back glasses of California chardonnay in their down jackets on the patio at Stein Eriksen Lodge while I conquered the bunny hill. At the end of the day, I too engaged in the ski-school version of high-altitude unwinding: I wrestled off my boots 1599 and sipped preposterously good hot Belmond Villa San chocolate while warming up near one of Michele Florence the lodge’s many stone fireplaces. I re- member thinking how Stein Eriksen felt magical and weirdly foreign, as if it didn’t belong in my home state. It looked like it was plucked from ’60s Switzerland and dropped among the most perfect alpine woods in the Wasatch Range. 1715 Makes sense. The Stein Eriksen, a Norwe- gian alpine skier who won Olympic Cong, gold for giant slalom in Oslo in 1952, drew heavily from the European ski hotels of his youth when he opened the lodge. And thankfully, not much has changed. It’s still the one I want to share with my four- year-old daughter (and my non-skiing husband, who will probably skip the char- 1901 donnay in favor of the locally made Legend whiskey). –CANDICE RAINEY Metropole Hanoi

IF YOU LOVE ALILA VILLAS ULUWATU IN BALI, TRY NIHIWATU IN SUMBA

THE ONE In oft-overwhelming Oberoi Amarvilas Agra 1927 PLACE WHERE , your hotel The Ahwahnee is both a conduit to Oberoi Udaivilas Yosemite National Park YOUR HOTEL your destination Udaipur MATTERS and a refuge from it. Taj Falaknuma Palace MORE THAN Ahilya Fort Hyderabad ANYTHING Madhya Pradesh Taj Lake Palace IS INDIA Alila Diwa Goa Udaipur Ananda in the Taj Mahal Palace Himalayas Mumbai Uttarakhand Umaid Bhawan 1963 The Imperial Palace Mandarin New Delhi Jodhpur (right) Oriental, Hong Kong

Hong Kong ASHFORD COURTESY BELMOND; COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHS RIGHT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE DELORENZO. CHRISTOPHER BY ILLUSTRATION AMBRIDGE/DOMINO BRITTANY KONG; HONG ORIENTAL MANDARIN WONG; PEGGY METROPOLE; LEGEND SOFITEL COURTESY CASTLE;

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THE HOTELS WE ALWAYS RETURN TO IN LOS ANGELES — ACE HOTEL DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — CHATEAU WE FOUND MARMONT OUR FAVORITE — HOTEL BEL-AIR BOWL — SHUTTERS ON OF PASTA— THE BEACH AND IT’S — SUNSET TOWER NOT IN ITALY HOTEL

Reason enough to book a weekend at bucolic Lime Wood, MORE HOTELS WE’D TRAVEL TO in Hampshire, : the house- JUST FOR THESE DISHES made pastas from Babylonstoren Hidden Pond The NoMad Hotel GO FARTHER— acclaimed London Kennebunkport, Maine New York IT’S WORTH IT chef Angela Hartnett Orange tea cake with Spinney Creek oysters The absurdly decadent cream cheese frosting dressed with cucumber, roast chicken stuffed Hacienda de San Antonio and her kitchen and blueberries and serrano, and tarragon. with foie gras, brioche, Comala, Mexico partner Luke Holder— figs from the hotel’s Mandarin and black truffles. At the foot of an active including an ethereal farm (above). Oriental Tokyo Park Hyatt Saigon volcano, the colonial-style spaghetti with sweet Blackberry Farm Sora’s sky- A savory breakfast of estate is a 2½-hour drive tomatoes, chilies, Tennessee high omakase from pho noodle soup on the from Guadalajara airport (or use the hotel’s private landing and succulent lobster S’mores cooked over sushi masters. frangipani-lined terrace. a fire pit under a strip, if that’s how you roll). from the nearby Metropolitan by Rosewood Beijing star-filled Southern sky. Draped in tropical gardens, Isle of Wight. After COMO Bangkok The most luxurious the property is set in a 5,000- Conservatorium Hotel Chicken coconut soup Peking duck in town— lunch, grab a pair acre nature preserve that’s Amsterdam topped with crunchy flame-roasted and best explored on horseback. of Hunter wellies, step The breakfast spread of green mango. served in a rosewood box. right outside, and Dutch cheeses, cured The Thief Oslo Hótel Búðir Snæfellsnes walk off those carbs meats, and fish to lure us Luscious black-syrup- Peninsula, Iceland in the 900-year-old from our feather bed. and-fennel bread, Here, puffins are your only neighbors. This is unadulter- New Forest. still warm from the oven. ated natural goodness at its best: lava fields, volca- noes, and the roiling Atlantic, right at your doorstep. Guest rooms are simple and spare; book a deluxe so you can gaze out at Snæfellsjökull National Park IF YOU LOVE THE LODGE AT from your claw-foot tub. Taj Tashi Thimphu, Bhutan SEA ISLAND GOLF CLUB IN GEORGIA, Nestled among the monasteries and mountain passes of Bhutan’s remote Thimpu Valley, the 66 TRY TRUMP INTERNATIONAL thoughtfully designed rooms at this palatial retreat come with Buddhist murals and IN IRELAND GOLF LINKS & HOTEL staggering Himalaya views. BABYLONSTOREN © PHOTOGRAPH DELORENZO. CHRISTOPHER BY ILLUSTRATION

6 CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER THE AFRICAN SAFARI LODGES YOU HAVEN’T HEARD OF YET

Eight amazing prop- erties beyond the rightly loved big brands (&Beyond, Singita, Wilder- ness)—each tailor- made for a certain type of traveler.

Camp Nomade Chad, for next-level bragging rights. Dorobo Safaris , for families who don’t want to spend a fortune. Greystoke Mahale Tanzania, for beach- loving honeymooners. Jack’s Camp Botswana, for stylish adventurers. Mwiba Lodge Tanzania, for families looking for all-out luxury. Richard’s River Camp , for a big, splashy group party. Segera Retreat Kenya, for multi-gen trips (left). Sirikoi Kenya, for

PHOTOGRAPH BY SHARYN CAIRNS SHARYN BY PHOTOGRAPH unbeatable wildlife.

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IF YOU LOVE LA MAMOUNIA IN MARRAKECH,

TRY DAR AHLAM IN OUARZAZATE

TWO VERY GOOD ARGUMENTS TO TAKE A CRUISE RIGHT NOW THE HOTELS TO CHECK OUT EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT CHECKING IN

Auberge du Soleil Napa Valley Have one more cabernet on the terrace at sunset. The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel New York After all these years, it’s (still) all about Bemelmans, baby. Chiltern Firehouse London Marylebone’s hottest night out. Wait, is that the Beckhams? Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai Ogle the soaring and impeccably preserved WITH THE KIDS ...... OR WITHOUT Art Deco lobby. Not long ago, I was enjoying a blissfully adult dinner— Paddling a sea kayak through a desolately beautiful Gravetye Manor a potée champenoise with a champagne cocktail—at Norwegian fjord, touring the Taj Mahal at dawn when Sussex, England Remy, the best restaurant on the Disney Dream. the light is best for taking pictures, exploring the Literally wrote the book on English gardens. Before the trip, I knew Disney’s magic would charm sixteenth-century colonial churches of Olinda, : my kids. How could it not, with Elsa and Anna wander- Forget everything you thought you knew about Honolulu Dress up a bit and knock ing the decks or the Jedi Training Academy inside stodgy cruise-ship shore excursions. Seabourn, among back a mai tai at L’Aperitif. the ship’s very own Millennium Falcon? What I wasn’t other smartened-up cruise lines, is partnering with Hotel Fasano São Paulo expecting was for the alchemy to work on me. UNESCO to offer intimate group day-trips that don’t Have you been to That had a lot to do with our calming and surprisingly feel like you’re eating your vegetables, with experts the sexy jazz club quiet deluxe oceanview stateroom, which had its demystifying iconic sites like Petra, Jordan, and Austra- off the lobby? own private veranda. It’s where my wife and I had our lia’s Kakadu National Park. Also trending: itins that Hotel Grande vacation, sipping sparkling wine while the kids are designed to let passengers spend a night away from Bretagne Athens whooped it up with Rex and Slinky Dog in a replica the ship, making inland destinations such as Angkor For a rooftop lunch with of Andy’s room from Toy Story. And though the Dream Wat or Mandalay suddenly accessible by sea. And while views of the Acropolis. sails admittedly predictable Caribbean itineraries—a these decadent vessels have lavish spas and large state- Sofitel Legend Santa major stop is the private Castaway Cay—other Disney rooms reminiscent of whitewashed Mediterranean Clara Cartagena ships are bound for more exotic ports like Bergen, hotels, it’s those transporting, land-bound moments that Take a wander in the jungly courtyard gardens. Cartagena, Lisbon, and even St. Petersburg. For us, will make you rethink how you’ll get to see that next des- there’s always next year. –ZACH EVERSON tination on your wish list. –CAROLYN SPENCER BROWN The Upper House Hong Kong Drink up Asia’s greatest skyline from

4 OTHER CRUISES TO BOOK: Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Windstar Cruises the 49th-floor bar. DELORENZO CHRISTOPHER BY ILLUSTRATIONS

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IF YOU LOVE BARNSLEY HOUSE IN THE COTSWOLDS, TRY SUMMER LODGE COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL IN DORSET

THE RENO DIDN’T RUIN THEM When a landmark hotel undergoes a makeover, you can only hope it’ll emerge with its soul intact. Fortunately, these recent renovations didn’t mess up a good thing. Arizona Biltmore 1 2 Phoenix Hotel d’Angleterre Copenhagen The Jefferson Washington, D.C. La Bastide de Marie Ménerbes, London Raffles Hotel Rajmahal Palace Jaipur Singita Boulders Lodge Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

3 4 THE HOTELS WE ALWAYS RETURN TO IN NEW YORK CITY — BACCARAT OUR WINTER SURVIVAL GUIDE: 9 OTHER BEACH RESORTS TO VISIT THIS YEAR HOTEL & GET YOURSELF TO ONE OF THESE BEACHES RESIDENCES Cheval Blanc Hilton Bora Bora Less than an hour by private plane from Fiji’s main Randheli (1) Hui Resort & Spa — CROSBY STREET airport—and a world away from everything else—lies Dorado Beach, A HOTEL Laucala Island (2), a seven-mile-long atoll with an Ritz-Carlton Reserve One&Only — FOUR SEASONS almost unbelievable 16 staff for each of the resort’s 25 Puerto Rico Hayman Island HOTEL NEW YORK villas. Even when Laucala is “full,” there’s a good chance Australia you won’t see another guest, whether you’re snoozing El Nido Pangulasian — THE GREENWICH Philippines on a secluded beach, horseback riding through coconut Island Ponta dos Ganchos Brazil HOTEL groves, or exploring reefs in the resort’s two-passenger Four Seasons Resort Resort — ST. REGIS submarine. Yep, you read that right: submarine. Langkawi Trisara (4) NEW YORK Guana Island British

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER DELORENZO. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPHS LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE DELORENZO. CHRISTOPHER BY ILLUSTRATION COURTESY CHEVAL BLANC; COURTESY LAUCALA ISLAND; COURTESY TRISARA; HRANEK MATT Virgin Islands (3)

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