Jumby Bay Island Antigua

Reopened in October 2017 as an Oetker Collection member (formally a Rosewood resort), Jumby Bay Island is accessible only by boat, with not a car in sight—but plenty of bikes to navigate this 300-acre island off the northern coast of Antigua.

With only 40 accommodations in total—rooms and villas— there’s no need to worry about feeling the need to ever get off the all-inclusive island (although if curious, there’s a complimentary ferry service that runs between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.).

You’ll be plenty busy on one of the resort’s three tennis courts, in three pools—the Veranda is family-friendly, and on more than four miles of beach, plus kids’ club, for when you want to be anything but busy.

The cheerful decor throughout is the work of Brazilian interior designer, Patricia Anastassiadis of Anastassiadis Arquitetos.

Best Resorts in the World – Vermejo Raton New Mexico

Ted Turner’s Vermejo is the closest thing to a private national park.

Roughly 550,000 acres draped across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Vermejo is the largest privately owned ranch in the U.S., spanning two states (New Mexico and Colorado) and encompassing several early 1900’s coal-mining and saw-mill towns, as well as Anasazi-era cliff dwellings.

The recently restored Casa Grande, a stone-walled, seven-bedroom mansion, is one of nine lodgings on the ranch, and its most storied.

Built in 1909 for a Chicago businessman, it was sold after his death to Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler in 1926, whose regular guests included Herbert Hoover, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

The grandeur of the mansion hearkens back to this era, from the marble-pillared great room’s dining room table outfitted in china and crystal to the grand piano.

The property languished between several owners, and it was Turner who had the vision to turn the sprawling property into a modern-day conservation-minded ranch.

Fly-fishing season is from May to September and the property offers endless amounts of hiking.

Staying at Casa Grande gives you a taste of what Fairbanks et al might have experienced back in the mansion’s heyday.

The rooms are impeccably done in European antiques and toiles, private dining room service is available if you don’t want to join the others at the main lodge (the bison burger, crispy buttermilk marinated quail, and fresh-caught trout are musts), and staff can bring you a G+T on the porch as you watch the wildlife creep out of the woods at sundown.

Silversands Grenada

Few places capture the Spice Isle’s understated magic like the Silversands Grenada resort, situated at the sleepy end of the two-mile Grand Anse Beach.

Enter its perimeter and the hubbub of local street life suddenly feels like a vague memory.

What catches your eye first is the breathtaking 330-foot infinity pool—said to be the longest in the Caribbean—which begins at the hotel’s entrance and stretches all the way to the sea.

You can while away your day beside it or gaze at the crystal water from the white-sand beach.

Have the legendary rum punch and a lobster roll, or feast at Asiatique, where dishes like crisply fried lobster in red coconut curry and dark-molasses ginger cake are assembled with fresh local ingredients, including a smattering of Grenadian spices.

Make sure you catch one of the planet’s most mesmerizing sunsets, a sight so sublime it alone would justify a stay.

Night after night, a sky filled with wispy clouds turns from fiery red to pink, then purple—an incredible show, even better for being nature’s very own.

Best Resorts in the World – Conrad Koh Samui Thailand

If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own private island, the villas here are everything you’ve imagined and more.

A modest-sized island off the Andaman archipelago, Koh Samui is home to a variety of options for R&R every type of traveler can appreciate—popular beaches for partiers, tucked away stretches of shoreline for those looking to truly get away, and even an elephant sanctuary for animal lovers.

The property itself is staggered across a hillside on the island’s southwestern tip, where villas fit with 33-foot infinity pools, private terraces, and spa bathrooms open up to 360 degree views of the Gulf of Thailand.

A stay at the resort is a choose-your-own-adventure of relaxation, whether that looks like tai chi on the beach, snorkeling through Koh Samui’s thriving reefs, or pampering yourself with personalized healing sessions at the spa.

The Breakers Palm Beach Florida

For a good part of a century, Palm Beach has been a winter magnet for those attracted to a luxurious oceanfront getaway.

And undoubtedly the most recognizable fixture within that pull is The Breakers, a 534-room beachside hotel that presents itself less as a resort and more like a palace—at least that’s what my children said on a recent stay.

The majestic narrative is in part due to the grand architecture that emulates 15th-century Italian villas, inclusive of gilded and fresco ceilings hand-painted by Florentine artisans.

But if you think The Breakers is stuck in the past, then just take in its annual $30 million reinvestment fund that has given way to contemporary additions like HMF, a vibey lounge named after the property’s founder, railroad and oil tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler, that serves sexy cocktails.

The Breakers leans into its Florida feels with a waterside area that’s home to four sparking pools, a private beach, and enough palm trees to populate a rainforest.

Guest rooms, marked by neutral shades that deliberately play second fiddle to the view of either turquoise blue ocean or verdant gardens, match the resort’s comfortable sophistication, with linens that feel as decadent as the legendary Sunday brunch.

Best Resorts in the World – The Four Seasons Resort at the Pearl Qatar

Opened in 2023, this resort is the latest from the Four Seasons to open in the Middle East.

With options for vacationing travelers and longer-term stays alike, visitors and residents, business and pleasure, citylife and getaway retreat, live as one here.

The most critical pillar of that community, the Four Seasons staff, go above and beyond to make the fantasy of Qatar’s Pearl Island come true—from leading private all-day tours of Doha, to revving up Jeeps for dune-bashing, to making sure accommodations are kept just how you like it.

The shimmering waters of the Arabian Gulf and panoramic views are on full display at the balcony of La Méditerranée Robuchon, the resort’s flagship restaurant serving French Mediterranean cuisine.

Guests can also book various pearl-inspired wellness treatments at Loulou (meaning pearl in Arabic) Spa, which also offers specialized men’s care and a sun-soaked indoor lap pool looking over the gulf.

The Brando French Polynesia

Marlon Brando first came across the 18-isle atoll of Tetiaroa while scouting locations for his 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty. Now, more than 60 years later, the late actor’s beloved island hideaway is maintained by his family as a singularly unique resort, where stays feel like they’re once-in-a-lifetime.

The wild South Pacific feel is intact, with just 35 luxe thatch-roof villas scattered across the main island—each has a private plunge pool and access to the sea.

As you hike past ancient open-air temples or snorkel among schools of colorful fish, you’ll be able to appreciate wildlife conservation efforts so remarkable that researchers regularly fly in to study. From $4,900. —Megan Spurrell

Best Resorts in the World – Southern Ocean Lodge Kangaroo Island Australia

When the catastrophic “black summer” bushfires of 2020 burnt down Southern Ocean Lodge, many thought it was the end of the story for one of Australia’s greatest luxury lodges.

A fixture on Kangaroo Island’s sensational stretch of wild southwest coast, the resort was originally opened in 2008 by husband-and-wife duo James and Hayley Baillie, and it quickly became the soft-landing of choice to explore the “Australian Galápagos.”

This story received a much-welcomed plot twist in December 2023, when the resort reopened as a near replica of its former sci-fi self, shaped like a low-flying saucer hovering above the Southern Ocean, with uninterrupted last-stop-before-Antarctica views across the sea.

The resort now comprises 25 glass-fronted suites that extend across the limestone cliffs, each with midcentury-modern curves, sunken living rooms, fireplaces, and sliding doors that open to private patios and the fresh Antarctic breeze.

On the western edge of the lodge, the four-bedroom Baillie Pavilion suite is a new addition—it sits like an amphitheater with an infinity pool, a plunge pool/spa, and views across the coastal cliffs.

Another tweak is the now north-facing spa, complete with a chill-out lounge, small gym, sauna, three treatment rooms, and hot and cold plunge pools.

The reoriented spa turns its back to the sea to give guests a glimpse of the 250 acres of nature reserve surrounding the resort, all while they’re being massaged and scrubbed with the island’s bounty of lavender, eucalyptus, and pure Ligurian honey.

Waldorf Astoria Los Caos Pedregal Mexico

 Enveloped by short, craggy hills on 24 pristine acres of Baja California beachfront, the upscale spot is practically floating in open waters, and in fact, it’s tricky to distinguish the hotel’s infinity pool from the brilliant blue body of water behind it.

This Mediterranean village–inspired enclave gives off a rustic beach vibe that makes you feel like you just stumbled upon the place, and luckily so.

Suites are outfitted with hand-carved wood, locally made ceramic tiles, and plunge pools hanging off private ocean view-terraces.

Best Resorts in the World – Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf St. Barts

Those who knew and loved Le Carl Gustaf the first time around will have even more reason to fall for it now that the Barriere group has taken over.

The hotelier company—known for reviving particularly beloved but withering properties—has made sure to keep the spirit of Le Carl chic and easy.

The raw wood and petite terraces still make it feel like the beach house of a fabulous French friend, yet the hotel’s reimagined approach to the environment gives it a 21st-century edge.

Paris design firm Gilles and Boissier gussied up the 21 rooms with creams, stone, and linen, as well as a profusion of palms separating various spaces with a curtain of greenery.

Suites have been reconfigured to catch sea breezes, providing natural air conditioning.

And a fleet of electric bikes brings guests down the hill upon which the hotel stands like a lookout, over the town and coastline, to nearby Shell Beach, the perfect place for a picnic prepared by the hotel’s staff that feels, appropriately simple and chic—much like Le Carl itself.

Best Resorts in the World – The Romanos a Luxury Collection Resort Costa Navarino

Messinia is a ravishingly remote corner of the southwest Peloponnese that’s a four-hour drive from Athens (or one hour from tiny Kalamata airport).

The Romanos, A Luxury Collection Resort, a 321-room polished-marble flagship, is exclusive, with low-slung buildings wrapped around a series of seductively lit lagoons.

It’s deeply rooted in the local culture with mmersive experiences that include philosophy walks in centuries-old olive groves and grape harvesting in the organic vineyard.

The property is aimed squarely at couples, with poolside cabanas and plunge pools in nearly all its ground-floor rooms and gorgeous views of the sapphire Ionian Sea upstairs.

Dark wood and polished marble interiors are quietly understated relative to the glitzy clientele.

Best Resorts in the World – JOALI Maldives

Joali’s strongpoint is simple: an island hotel in the relatively undeveloped Raa Atoll that’s sensible and unselfconscious, its Maldivian natural wonder combined with a Mediterranean feel (the owner is Turkish).

This mood sets it apart from other Maldivian hotels, many of which scrabble about trying to reinvent the country’s Paradise Found with some trumped-up USP.

The laid-back Med luxe is epitomized in the sunset-facing Mura Bar, the sky-blue shutters, wicker globe lamps, and chic cane sofas making it the hotspot for a sundowner and a suck on a shisha pipe.

Every last detail is simple and delicious, down to the coconut croissants.

And there’s been no scrimping when it comes to design: Istanbul-based architects Autoban, known for the extraordinary Baku airport international terminal and London’s Duck + Rice, have created 49 overwater and 24 beach villas that are both smart and vast, with palm roofs and rose-gold taps resembling giant pebbles.

Slinky silk gowns hang in the wardrobe—a one-off print by Ardmore, which designs for Hermès—while the island is peppered with unexpected sculptures including a manta-ray tree house by artist Porky Hefer and an underwater coral garden by Misha Kahn.

Japanese Saoke, one of three restaurants, serves 50 different sakes. But the highlight is lying back in a hammock and watching soft-bellied fruit bats swoop down while nursing a cocktail.