Our editors across four continents reveal the places they love returning to most.
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Once again, we’re sharing the hotels (and ships) that have truly stayed with us. Now in its 32nd year, the Gold List represents our editors’ most cherished places to stay—properties that have earned their place through unforgettable service, transporting design, and meals that linger in memory long after checkout.
These are hotels that made us feel cinematic, whether through architecture that evoked 1920s London or 18th-century Lake Como, or through dinners in Vietnam, Australia, and at sea that stirred something deeply emotional. What connects them all is longevity—these are experiences we’ll carry for years. As the saying goes, new friends are silver, but old friends are gold.
See the full Gold List here.
Castelfalfi—Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2021, 2022, 2023
Ease, elegance, and beauty define Castelfalfi, a whole-village resort spread across 2,700 acres with 146 rooms. A cobbled main street runs from the castle to a 13th-century church, passing boutiques, gelaterias, and pizzerias before reaching the two hotel buildings.
The older structure—a converted 19th-century tobacco factory—faces the low-slung main building from the 1980s, home to Bar Ecrù & Lounge, the spa, and indoor pool, all with sweeping valley views. Beyond the pools and Montessori kids’ club are woodland adventure zones, wine and olive oil tastings, and private villas set among the hills.
Guests can choose from 40+ experiences, including archery, beekeeping, truffle hunting, falconry, cooking, Pilates, and yoga. Redesigned by Caberon Caroppi, the rooms balance earthy tones with velvet, marble, leather, and sculptural Paolo Castelli furniture. Executive chef Davide De Simone champions a partially farm-to-table philosophy using ingredients grown onsite.
From $700. —Adrianne Pielou
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Coworth Park, Dorchester Collection—UK
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Just 17 minutes from Heathrow, yet worlds away in spirit, this 18th-century country estate offers a refined rural escape across 240 acres of parkland. Polo fields, tennis courts, lakes, wildflower meadows, and a newly refreshed spa set the scene.
Dining is a highlight, led by Michelin-starred Woven by Adam Smith, while summer days unfold in rose-filled meadows and winters invite lingering in the spa. A polished countryside reset with Dorchester precision.
From $736. —Lydia Bell
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Badrutt’s Palace—Switzerland
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2024, 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017–2024
With its unrivaled position in St. Moritz, Badrutt’s Palace delivers superlatives across the board—service, setting, and spectacle. Celebrating 130 years in 2026, the hotel has embraced the future with the opening of the Serlas Wing, seamlessly connected via underground passageways for winter ease.
Summer brings padel and ATP tennis courts, hiking, sailing, and sun-drenched lounging. A storybook grand hotel with true resort scale.
From $1,079. —Dennis Braatz
Book Now at Booking.com
Beaverbrook—UK
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2021–2024
Set on a 470-acre Surrey estate dating to 1866, Beaverbrook blends historic gravitas with contemporary polish. The spa—topped with a stained-glass ceiling—is a standout, while accommodations range from the stately main house to family-friendly rooms in the Village.
Dining spans from Japanese fine dining to a whimsical summer experience beneath hot-air balloons. A modern English country classic.
From $645.—Sarah Leigh Bannerman
Book Now at Hotels.com
Grand Hôtel—Sweden
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023–2025
Stockholm’s grande dame has welcomed royalty for over 150 years. With views of the Royal Palace and cuisine overseen by Mathias Dahlgren, including Michelin-starred Seafood Gastro, the hotel balances heritage with culinary ambition.
From alfresco lunches to thoughtful room service, every detail feels considered.
From $420. —Jesse Ashlock
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The Venice Venice Hotel—Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2026
Reborn after a six-year restoration, the 13th-century Ca’ Da Mosto on the Grand Canal has become one of Venice’s most atmospheric stays. Gothic windows, candlelit staircases, and water-lapped stone evoke the city’s seductive past.
Contemporary art from Arte Povera masters to sculptural installations defines the hotel’s soul.
From $700. —Stanley Smith
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Grand Hotel Son Net—Spain
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$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Hot List 2024
Set against Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana, this 1672 estate feels cinematic yet intimate, with 31 suites restored by Lorenzo Castillo.
A refined spa and restrained, Mallorcan-rooted cuisine reinforce the idea that luxury here is about calm, not excess.
From $635. —David Moralejo
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Claridge’s—UK
$$$ | Gold List 2019, 2024, 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2018–2025
A living monument to Jazz Age glamour, Claridge’s continues to evolve. From its André Fu–Fu-designed spa to the forthcoming Claridge’s Bakery, the hotel honours its past while remaining thrillingly current.
As Spencer Tracy once said, “I don’t want to go to heaven. I want to go to Claridge’s.”
From $1,258. —Olivia Squire
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Akelarre—Spain
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Hot List 2018 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2024
Above San Sebastián, this cliffside retreat pairs a three-Michelin-starred restaurant with just 22 minimalist rooms, all with panoramic terraces.
Led by Oihana Subijana, Akelarre is a deeply personal expression of place, patience, and precision.
From $525. —María Casbas
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Forestis—Italy
$$ | Gold List 2026 | Hot List 2021 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2025
High in the Dolomites, this CO₂-neutral sanctuary centers on nature, light, and silence. The 62 suites frame the Odle massif, while Celtic wellness rituals and forest-driven cuisine anchor the experience.
Recent additions include a villa for 10 and Yera, a fire-lit concept restaurant.
From $992. —Lisa Johnson
Book Now at Booking.com
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens — Greece
$$ | Gold List 2020, 2026 | Hot List 2020 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Rising above pine-scented hills on the Athens Riviera, this modernist white resort gradually reveals itself as the city noise fades behind you. Clean-lined rooms continue the cool, pared-back palette, most opening onto terraces with sweeping views of the Aegean. Manicured olive trees frame multiple pools that sparkle in the Mediterranean sun.
Dinner favorites include salt-baked sea bass at casual Taverna 37, while Helios delivers daily tiradito just steps from the toy-filled kids club. The boutique spotlights Greek designers like Magoosh, Callista, and Zeus & Dione, while younger guests can take part in creative workshops—my daughter’s comic-drawing obsession began here with a local illustrator. With tennis lessons, polished crowds, luminous sea swims, and effortless glamour, it’s easy to see why this resort appeals across generations.
From $816. —Jemima Sissons
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Verina Astra — Greece
$$$ | Gold List 2026
When Verina Astra opened in 2015, it consisted of just seven rooms perched on the rugged eastern cliffs of Sifnos. There was no restaurant then, only beautifully assembled breakfasts—local cheeses, flaky pies, seasonal fruit—delivered in straw baskets and served on handmade ceramics. An infinity pool soon followed, blurring the line between water and horizon.
A decade later, the hotel has grown to 16 rooms and suites, each with expansive terraces and refined bathrooms, but its soul remains unchanged. Staff drift gently between the alfresco tapas bar and the Elemis spa’s thatched cabanas, while chefs harvest ingredients straight from the gardens for Bostani, the field-to-fork restaurant. Owners Isidora Chandeli and Miltos Salemis, now married, have watched their passion project mature gracefully—without losing its sense of place or ease.
From $348. —Rachel Howard
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Hotel Il Pellicano — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017–2023
Since opening in 1965 on the wild slopes of Monte Argentario, Il Pellicano has defined Italian coastal glamour. Founded by Michael and Patsy Graham and acquired in 1979 by Roberto Sciò, the hotel has always drawn an enviable crowd. Under the stewardship of Marie-Louise Sciò, its image has been refreshed for a new generation, helped by the cult book Hotel Il Pellicano, featuring photographs by Juergen Teller and Slim Aarons.
Far from the flash of Positano, this corner of Tuscany offers something subtler: impeccable service, a Michelin-starred restaurant, meticulous design, a new boat, and a boutique that perfectly distills the hotel’s effortless style. Guests come not for spectacle, but for atmosphere—and once here, rarely want to leave.
From $700. —Sara Magro
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Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021–2024
Built in the 1830s and hidden behind fragrant orange groves just off Piazza Tasso, this Amalfi Coast landmark occupies one of Sorrento’s most privileged positions. Now run by the fifth generation of the Fiorentino family, the hotel has been carefully restored to honor its grand-tour heritage.
Antique furnishings, draped curtains, and frescoed ceilings create a deep sense of history. Some rooms overlook the gardens, while the most coveted boast sunlit terraces and lists of famous former guests—Pavarotti, Caruso, Princess Margaret among them. Dining spans relaxed meals at Terrazza Vittoria to Michelin-starred evenings at Terrazza Bosquet. Whether lounging by the pool or gazing out over classical architecture, the Vittoria still carries an unmistakable sense of occasion.
From $746. —Sarah James
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Maçakızı — Türkiye
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2021, 2026
While Bodrum has grown louder and flashier, Maçakızı remains serenely untouched. Bougainvillaea-draped white cottages cascade toward a yacht-filled bay, just 40 minutes from town yet entirely removed from its pace. Cats nap beneath tables, dogs wander between guests, and days unfold slowly on the wooden jetty—swimming, reading, backgammon, or doing nothing at all.
Service is intuitive and unhurried, and regulars—many returning since the 1970s—claim the same room, table, and sunbed year after year. Evenings stretch on with grilled octopus, caviar, and garden-fresh vegetables. Bodrum may have changed, but this original grande dame has not.
From $1,155. —Chloe Sachdev
Book Now at Michelin Guide
Passalacqua — Italy
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Hot List 2023 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2024
From a pale amber 12-suite villa perched above Lake Como, seven terraced acres descend toward the water, dotted with olive groves, fountains, roses, and magnolias. Opened in 2022 by the De Santis family—also behind Grand Hotel Tremezzo—Passalacqua has exceeded even the loftiest expectations.
Lavish details abound: Murano chandeliers, etched mirrors, Il Bronzetto light fixtures, and marble, including Breccia Pontificia, favoured by Bernini. Suites are spread between the original frescoed villa, converted stables with exposed beams, and Casa al Lago, a sleek 1970s lakeside residence. It’s lavish, intimate, and unmistakably Italian.
From $1,898. —Lydia Bell
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Lily of the Valley — France
$$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2020, 2023, 2025
Philip Starck’s rustic-modernist retreat crowns a sunlit hill on the French Riviera, delivering two bright blue pools, three Provençal restaurants, a high-tech spa, and access to a nearby beach club. Many guests arrive for one of four structured health retreats focused on movement, nutrition, and restoration.
Days flow from Pilates to TRX, followed by indulgent yet virtuous meals (yes, even caviar scrambled eggs qualify here). The result is as emotionally restorative as it is physical—a Riviera reset with real depth.
From $640. —Charley Ward
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Il Salviatino — Italy
$$ | Gold List 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017–2021
Purchased and reimagined by Alessandra Rovati Vitali, this 15th-century villa above Florence feels like a deeply personal expression of beauty and hospitality. Each room is unique, layered with fine fabrics, art, and carefully chosen objects.
Meals are served with views of Brunelleschi’s dome, framed by Italian gardens and 30 acres of private parkland. Six suites occupy former greenhouses, flooded with light and dressed in bohemian elegance. The intimate marble-and-wood spa can be booked privately—small, serene, and complete.
From $814. —Sara Magro
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Six Senses Douro Valley — Portugal
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017–2022, 2025
The first European outpost of Six Senses delivers multiple paths to pleasure. Wine lovers can explore vineyard tours and the famously generous help-yourself wine fridge. Nature seekers wander nine acres of forest, home to 500+ species, while wellness devotees immerse themselves in multi-day health programs.
The beauty lies in balance—the resort seamlessly offers indulgence, restoration, and connection to place, all at once.
From $1,155. —Erin Florio
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La Réserve Paris – Hotel and Spa — France
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2020, 2026 | Readers’ Choice Awards 2017–2023, 2025
Since opening in 2015, La Réserve Paris has lost none of its magic. With just 40 rooms, it remains the most intimate of the city’s palace-designated hotels, offering a residential feel wrapped in silk, velvet, and gilded detail.
Le Gabriel now holds three Michelin stars, while the serene courtyard and discreet spa continue to evolve quietly. Designed by Jacques Garcia and owned by Michel Reybier, La Réserve Paris stands as their masterpiece—timeless, restrained, and deeply luxurious.
From $1,988. —Steve King
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Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort — Germany
Gold List 2026
Set along Germany’s Baltic coast, this 185-acre estate—centered around a castle founded in 1607—offers rare stillness. Opened in 2014, the resort includes 54 rooms, one villa, and additional buildings scattered across the grounds, all within a short walk of the beach.
Idyllic corners abound: the pier on the pond, the Bootshaus restaurant’s sea-facing terrace, the tumbleweed sauna, and the classic Strandkorbs lining forest clearings. Whether curled up with a book or sipping tea brought by attentive staff, Weissenhaus delivers quiet luxury at its most restorative.
From $632. —Kalle Harberg
Book Now at Booking.com
