Home to 795 rooms and suites, 17 restaurants and bars, 17 boutiques, a sprawling 32,300 square foot wellness space, and no fewer than 90 swimming pools – including Cloud 22 perched high on top of the sky bridge – this is where to stay if you want an all-out bling Dubai experience.

Allow yourself to give in to the sheer exuberance and vast scale of Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal, and you might find yourself falling for it. This is a place with fountains that burst into flames, a see-and-be-seen beach club run by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and mesmerizing views from the sky-high Cloud 22 infinity pool.

And the Royal’s abundance of impeccable restaurant offerings—a veritable Avengers line-up of fine-dining chefery, featuring Heston Blumenthal, Gaston Acurio, and Jose Andres—is practically unmatched anywhere else in the world.

The ultimate in over-the-top extravagance.

If bling’s your thing, Atlantis The Royal is for you. Don’t let the fire and fountain shows distract you from the fact that the staff here are exceptional. In spite of its sheer scale, the resort delivers some of the best service you’ll experience anywhere in the city.

The signature restaurant, Brasserie 1930 presents a portrait of excellent Australian dining sketched with local oysters, fish, beef, poultry, vegetables and wine while the central Aperture offers all-day dining and an Australian version of high tea (teas blended with bush ingredients) under an expansive skylight.

Delighting with Edwardian Baroque-style architecture, the lobby truly takes your breath away—think chic marble tiling, rich velvet armchairs, and vaulted steel entryway doors, original to the property. The inviting art deco design means stepping foot into this hotel instantly transports you away from the bustle of the city and back in time.

The Capella Sydney feels like an oasis amid the city’s vibrant harbor front, even though it’s just steps from the iconic Opera House.

It’s impressively localized, full of tributes to Australian Aboriginal culture and history. And beneath its modern interior design and indigenous-inspired art it’s a state-of-the-art luxury hotel, as professional as any big chain and as full of personality as many boutiques.

Hotel Maria: ice-cool Nordic luxury in Helsinki

Shy, retiring Helsinki has been given a confidence boost with a bold and elegant hotel set to transform the Finnish capital into a five-star city break.

The ivory-on-white lobby makes for an impressive welcome, and an understated aesthetic of creams with brass accents creates a relaxed ambience throughout the 117 rooms and suites (most about twice the size compared to other luxury hotels in Helsinki).

Entry-level guest rooms are spacious and well-appointed, and those seeking something more distinctive can choose from 38 suites, including the sprawling, kitchen-equipped Imperial Suite, which feels like the pied-à-terre of a minor royal.

Helsinki’s Hotel Maria combines four historic structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and joins them together into what is today one of the Finnish capital’s most impressive luxury boutique hotels.

The owners tapped designer Lorenzo Castillo to indulge his maximalist magic to its ultimate extent, lavishing the interior with layers of exquisite detailing: carved wooden ceilings, upholstered walls.

Classical Mediterranean gardens, pink-toned terracotta walls, and a serene setting on a hillock above Puigpunyent village: Mallorca’s Grand Hotel Son Net quickly sets the tone for a magical getaway.

At Son Net, it's all about the art of living well - surrounded by the hallmarks of superlative taste.

To stay in this freshly refurbished 31-room mansion is to time travel—through a baroque world of gold-flecked tapestries, stone archways, and portraits of royalty whose gazes contain lifetimes of intrigue, sex, and splendor.

This is a singular and elevated hotel, which already feels like it’s raising the game in Mallorca.

Following a magnificent renovation, Mallorca's Grand Hotel Son Net has become the most romantic destination in the Balearics.

The spa centerpiece is a show-topping Roman bath-style swimming pool with majestic columns, gold mosaics, and a fountain.

Opulent doesn’t even come close. The marble bathrooms. The plush linens. The floral-patterned breakfast china. Proudly occupying a corner of the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, it’s just steps from everywhere you’ll want to be.

The 114 rooms and suites have a contemporary design filled with light tones; the 16,000-square-foot spa is a modern vision of Roman baths; and the enormous rooftop terrace, with its couches and pergolas, is an ideal spot for watching the sun set over the city.

There’s an original statue of Emperor Augustus in the entry; stones, mosaics, and marble everywhere, the latter in shades ranging from off-white to green and even gold. The light in the rooms is golden, the pool magnificent.

The space represents Bulgari at its best, with a new-found warmth woven through its customary elegance.

It boats a killer location, overlooking the Mausoleum of Augustus, hundreds of square metres of outdoor and rooftop space and gorgeous design.

A hidden bar located in the underground interrogation rooms once used by MI6 and MI5 agents is worth seeking out for Vesper connoisseurs.

Get a drink at the Guards bar. Its liquid tasting menu (about $200) offers a sampler of eight mini cocktails, including the signature London Sling.

Why book? Because this is the most dazzling, patrician and talked-about hotel to have opened in London this century—with great bones, spirit, heritage, and style; not to mention sybaritic restaurants, bars, and wellness spaces.

Who would have thought an old war office would become one of the world’s most swoon-worthy hotels? Overflowing with history, grandeur, and unparalleled elegance, Raffles London at The OWO's nine restaurants and three bars fit like a white glove.

And thanks to several bars and restaurants—including three by Argentina-born superstar chef Mauro Colagreco—the OWO promises to turn the sleepy-at-night Whitehall area into a happening dining and drinking hub.

There may be stiff competition among high-end London hotels, but there can be few that deliver a more quintessentially British experience than this one.

No other London hotel can offer the combination of such grandeur and such genuine heritage.

Maroma offers a series of exclusive experiences rooted in the terroir of the hotel, from sound therapy with the hotels’ protected indigenous Melipona bee population to stargazing experiences paired with biodynamic wines and artisanal cooking classes that teach guests how to make tortillas by hand.

If there is such a thing as one perfect spot to relax in this world, my guess is that it’s right here at Maroma.

There’s a sea turtle sanctuary, a nursery dedicated to rescuing endemic plants, a conservation program for endangered bird species, and even a sustainable ocean golf experience. (The balls turn into fish food.) Guests get taken care of too: Accommodations come with sun hats, sandals, and cotton caftans for the beach—plus carafes of tequila and plates of fresh fruit.

The electric-white beach is still the main draw, but when you need a break from the sunshine, a small-batch tequila and raicilla tasting in the private cantina awaits.

This property, which has just gone through a major renovation, has managed to transform itself into something entirely fresh while still keeping its soul, thanks to the tremendous attention to detail put into its design, service, and food.

The resort's white stucco buildings with thatched-roof terraces were entirely handcrafted by one family of Mayan masons. Inside, white-walled rooms are decorated with hand-loomed bedding and rugs. Tubs are oversized with Mexican tiles.

Of the 332 rooms and suites, choose a sea-view option with French windows opening onto a wrought-iron balcony. Here, cream-colored love seats offer the perfect place to study the ever-changing Mediterranean light.

Few hotels on the French Riviera can compare to this grand 1913 confection, whose juliet-balconied rooms look out over the Croisette and the sea and whose public areas—columned, domed, soaring—are the prettiest in Cannes (and the place to be for cocktails).

And for this city of celluloid and glitz, restoring the true personality of the Carlton myth is a glowing achievement that will hopefully last another hundred years.

The gorgeously designed hotel fades into its lush surroundings, allowing the cliffs, jungle and lapping water to take the spotlight.

When creating the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, set within a 3,000-acre protected nature reserve in Jalisco on the Pacific coast, the Mexican owners left 98 percent of the biodiverse jungle landscape alone. Guests can explore it on guided hikes and bike tours, biologist-led night safaris, or boat excursions along six miles of shoreline.

Book one of three Cliffside Suites for jaw-dropping views and private infinity pools — a perfect front-row seat for those incendiary Pacific sunsets.

Often, it feels wrong to travel somewhere and never leave the hotel—but at this Four Seasons there’s no guilt.

The indoor pool, cocooned in frescos by Jacques Merle, is reason enough to make the trip.

With hundreds of hotels in Paris, Le Grand Mazarin still manages to stand out for its luxury and aesthetic.

Le Grand Mazarin is an ideal in-between, smack in the middle of the spectrum of indie boutique hotels and palatial luxury hotels, plus plenty of opportunities to rub elbows with locals who come to drink and dine.

Paris welcomed a gorgeous new hotel to its Marais district in September: Le Grand Mazarin.

This is a great option for design aficionados and food lovers keen on intimate bohemian spaces but not the usual Parisian grandeur.

The 2.0 version has reclaimed the same clifftop spot overlooking the endless blue of the Southern Ocean, affording incredible views from its 25 suites. More importantly, it also lies on a wildlife corridor, and the owners have secured the land around it to protect against future development. The result is a boon for guests.

This remote retreat, positioned magnificently on a clifftop overlooking the Southern Ocean – next stop Antarctica – still sets the ultimate standard for Australian luxury.

Suites manage to be cozy as well as part of the spectacular wilderness, with terraces and fireplaces to boot. The island’s wildlife is thriving once again, and everything that was much loved about the award-winning resort is back—including Sunshine, its kangaroo sculpture mascot.

The food is fantastic (as it needs to be, in a country with such a high per capita instance of world-beating restaurants).

Unlike the rest of the lodge, which is a blueprint of its former self, the Southern Spa has been completely transformed, relocated, and upgraded.

The food, drink and service are impeccable and the over-the-top surroundings a feast for the senses.

The experience is one of dreamlike intimacy—the feeling that at the end of an ornate, Alice in Wonderland hallway sits your own Flatiron pied-à-terre with 24-hour butler service and an on-demand martini cart in the evenings.

If you’re in the mood for a change from the big hotel brands that run up and down the spine of Manhattan, and want to nestle into something more intimate, the Fifth Avenue Hotel is for you.

This is New York, but you might not leave the hotel. There’s in-room martini service, and downstairs is one of the city’s best new restaurants, the old-school-luxe Café Carmellini, as well as the Portrait Bar, home to some of the town’s best martinis (outside of your room).

Café Carmellini is earning buzz thanks to beloved New York City chef Andrew Carmellini, but don’t miss the Portrait Bar, a wood-paneled boîte where the cocktail menu takes cues from the staff’s travels.

The Fifth, as those in the know call it, brought new life into Manhattan’s hospitality scene with 153 rooms and suites decorated in a maximalist style by the firm of designer du jour Martin Brudnizki.

Long gone, apparently, are the days when Manhattan luxury boutique hospitality was synonymous with minimalism. From the humblest queen room all the way up to the signature suites — one named for Baudelaire — the accommodations are rich with detail and full of high-end comfort.

Even in London’s thrilling food scene, the Pen’s dining and drinking options are in a league of their own.

The hotel excels in expansive views, too - especially from rooftop restaurant Brooklands, where London's Peter Pan skyline unfolds before you.

Why book The Peninsula London? Because there can’t be many more serenely frictionless bubbles in London. All the hallmarks of one of the world’s most iconic hotel brands are here – the pristine service, the all-encompassing tech, the Rolls-Royces in brand green, the tinkly underwater music in the pool; every lion statuette, marble surface and Japanese maple tree blessed by a hallowed feng shui master. And because London, with its heritage hotels and crisp Soho-standard boltholes, doesn’t have anywhere that feels quite like this.

The accommodations are stylish and more than a little bit luxurious, while the hotel’s social life is given equal emphasis, if not more — Bottega di Carna is the work of the Italian restaurateur and butcher Dario Cecchini, while the Jungle Ballroom and the rooftop Canyon Club are the hotel’s glamorous nightspots.

This smart newcomer taps into a side of the Lion City few hotels have explored. Instead of leaning into the city-state’s colonial heritage or status as a fast-paced business hub, Mondrian Singapore Duxton celebrates its creative undercurrent.

The infinity rooftop pool recalls Mondrian’s Sunset Strip origins, with its grapefruit-pink-striped cabana loungers and bikinied guests taking selfies over fancied-up Cuba Libres at its edge, an ideal vantage point as golden hour descends over Duxton.

There might be other luxurious heritage hotels set on the banks of the Bosphorus, but none of them have a view that can compete with The Peninsula's.

It's a modern Xanadu that sprawls across four lavish buildings - one a former nautical terminal that's now home to the most glamorous pool in Turkey, almost floating on the water - and gives amazing views across the Golden Horn.

Like any Peninsula it aims to join the ranks of the most luxurious hotels in town, and like just about any Peninsula, it succeeds; the rooms are ultra-luxe, and tastefully walk a fine line between contemporary international minimalism and classic Turkish ornament.

The views from the rooms and outdoor terraces are staggering: Grassland and red soil meet the low mountains that jut upward into a cerulean sky. The interiors are stunning, too, appointed with intricately carved wood-paneled walls, cork ceilings, and coffee-colored rounded bouclé couches that beg for a post-safari nap.

The camp ensures a highly personalized experience, making it ideal for families and multigenerational groups looking to shape their own trips.

The landscapes are staggering, the comforts total (a restaurant by a Michelin-starred chef, private butlers and trackers), and the experiences extraordinary: Loapi Tented Camp gives you the bush at its rawest, rock art, rhinos, and, if you’re lucky, the elusive, entrancing pangolins.

The Ayurvedic therapies, beautiful rooms, pools, and delicious, yet somehow healthy, cuisine, are all exceptional.

If you want an ayurveda-lite experience in India, one that’s nicely steeped in spirituality but with the chaos dialled down and the comfort cranked up, this is the place.

Nods to the island’s landscape and heritage are woven throughout its design, particularly in the lobby’s traditional hanok-style construction, while nature walks offer a great way to explore the grounds and beyond.

The April 2023 opening of JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa, a design-centric beach resort from the international luxury hotel, chain has put the destination on the international traveler’s radar.

Take a seat and listen closely enough, and you can overhear guests reminiscing about stays here as long ago as the ’60s. It’s proof that even with modern upgrades, the place can still transport you to the Hawaii of another era.

Many places on the island are ultimately big buildings from big brands that have Hawaiian touches here and there. Hawaii-themed, if you will. But Kona Village is the kind of place where ancient sites and trails and ponds are preserved and feel incorporated into this land’s legacy in a more intrinsic way.

The luxury factor has definitely skyrocketed—butlers, private pools, a gorgeous fitness center—but the vibe is still exquisitely rustic, the kind of place you go to be pampered, but more importantly, untethered.

One of the most storied Hawaiian resorts has reopened on a pristine stretch of Big Island shoreline with just the right amount of old and new.

The hotel is emerging as an understatedly elegant grande dame that solidly hits its marks: The design is lovely, the staff is excellent, the food is delicious, and the behind-the-scenes mission is commendable.

Staying true to its history with French flair and uplifting design, this is a dazzling way to stay in Panama City’s most fabulous waterfront pocket.

the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern is the perfect base for living out your SoCal wine-country dreams. The ranch-style property, which dates back to the 1800s, has recently become an Auberge Resorts Collection hotel, meaning it is now an impeccably designed retro fever dream with a gorgeous pool and a bar, a coffee shop, and a restaurant to indulge in.

Set in a 19th-century stagecoach stop and tavern in Los Olivos surrounded by oak-studded hills, cattle ranches, and vineyards, its 67 guest rooms and four historic cottages are meticulously designed. The architecture, interiors, and culinary offerings are attuned to the location, from the poolside platter of seasonal produce to the antique horseshoes on the walls.

The delightful 1880s property is pristine and enchantingly symmetrical, with guest houses coated in a gleaming layer of white paint and a red-shingled water tower sitting in the middle of an idyllic, greenhouse-flanked lawn.

Nestled just outside the charming town of Los Olivos, this place simultaneously reeks of history while feeling decidedly modern.

The Inn at Mattei's Tavern Is a Leisurely, Luxurious Ode to California Days of Yore.

Athens finally has a resort that can give the buzzy Greek isles a run for their money.

The One&Only Aesthesis is a 51-acre beachfront retreat just steps from the bars and boutiques of the swanky Athens Riviera neighborhood Glyfada, a half hour south of the city. But once inside the serene resort, all thoughts of urban life melt away.

Spacious “residences,” designed for families and groups of friends, unfold onto private stretches of beach, and waterfront bungalows have wooden docks and ladders that descend to the water.

For a sure-fire hit of coastal glamour, with none of the hassle of Greek ferries or domestic airports. The gated peninsula is a bubble of extreme attentiveness, where you can be as subdued or as sociable as you like.

Surrounded by otherworldly red-rock landscapes in a serene desert setting, ULUM Moab takes glamping to a whole new level thanks to upscale accommodations and amenities.

The main lodge is beautiful, with a chandelier made of quartzite rocks gathered on-site and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the ocher desertscape, famed for its hiking, biking, and canyoneering. Outside, guests can use hot and cold dipping pools, a yoga deck, firepits, and a sprawling patio where local musicians play acoustic sets under the stars most nights.

The glamping resort, which sits on 200 acres of desert with views of 100-foot cliffs and the Looking Glass Arch, has 50 tents, hot and cold dipping pools, and a lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the stunning views.

Upscale tented camps are one thing, but ULUM Moab is on another level — this is unmistakably a full-on resort experience.

The surrounding powder-dusted peaks are perfectly framed in each bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the yak-fur-lined bar serves local apple brandy, and the restaurant’s nine-course momo tasting menu schools guests in the region’s staple steamed dumplings.

The idea was to leverage the property’s remote and pristine location, astounding views, access to a unique Nepali-Tibetan highland culture, and sustainable design principles to raise the bar for luxury trekking and experiential travel in Nepal – and the resulting refurbishment certainly delivers.

Most notably, the lodge is a base camp for expeditions around Mustang, a Himalayan kingdom that only fully opened to international tourists in 1992. Day trips include drives to ancient mud villages, tours to Buddhist and Hindu sites, and hikes to glacier lakes that end with picnic lunches.

Each of the 29 rooms has a spacious bathroom — many with deep tubs — as well as woven tiger rugs on the polished black wood floors, and felt blankets from a Nepal-based workshop that supplies Hermes. But none of it can begin to compete with the view of Mount Nilgiri through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Johannesburg-based safari and tour company andBeyond has been guiding travelers around Bhutan for years, but with the opening of its Punakha River Lodge, it finally has a base to call home.

Gorgeous design that has a sense of place, paired with relaxed service and locally-inspired food.

A striking monument to modern Scandi design, this hotel is a luxurious, cosy sanctuary amid the steaming fumaroles and black deserts of the Icelandic Highlands.

A three-hour drive (at least) northeast from Reykjavík, half on gravel roads, it’s for adventurous travelers who want to ski the region’s backcountry or hike to natural hot springs, but prefer creature comforts such as rain showers and spiked hot chocolate.

The journey here typically takes four hours from Reykjavík, but mine took six due to unpredictable weather — and the destination was worth every minute of the journey.

Think of this 32-room hotel, which opened in November, as a contrast to the bombastic names that dominate the hotel scene here—one powered by a generosity that only family-run properties can offer.

Set along a canal near Piazza San Marco in Venice, Violino d’Oro (from the family-owned Florentine luxury brand Collezione EM) celebrates the city’s artisan legacy in every fabric, furnishing, and piece of glass.

Housed in three adjoining 17th-century buildings a five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco, it is 100% percent made in Italy. Every fabric, piece of furniture, plate, or glass—whether traditional or contemporary—has been hand-crafted in the country, most by Venetian or Florentine artisans.

If you can’t buy your own palazzo a five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco and fill it with an eclectic collection of antiques, mid-century design pieces and contemporary art, this is the next best thing. Actually, it’s better – because it comes fully staffed by a cohort of charming men and women ready to make you feel at home, with remarkable ease.

Setting up residence in a land of giants, a bold new camp with big ideas promises intimate encounters with some of Africa’s last super tuskers.

The camp’s aesthetic complements the environment: The round infinity pool sits above a lowered trench so that resident elephants can take a drink; elephant dung is used to add texture to exterior walls; and a semicircle chartreuse sofa is inspired by the leaves of the ubiquitous acacia trees.

With an infinity pool, excellent farm-to-fork cuisine, and a bar lounge, Angama Amboseli makes for a plush home base for forays into Amboseli National Park.

The result feels part art deco, part midcentury modern, and fully Marrakech, like staying in the home of fun-loving friends who have exceptional taste.

Hidden behind a hand-carved cedar door, Rosemary is the latest example of the creative energy sizzling through this ancient city.

This Newly Revived Moroccan Riad Is One of Marrakesh's Chicest Stays

Impressive elements abound, from the skyline views on poolside sunbeds to the 4,807 pearl-shaped lights that cascade through the atrium.

For the satisfaction of knowing that with Fairmont, you pretty much know what you’re getting. For the delightful surprise of arriving and discovering that with Fairmont Doha, you really don’t know. And you’re in for something really special.

Private rooftops are outfitted with a firepit and chaises for epic stargazing. (Sedona is a certified Dark Sky Community.) The hotel also has direct access to the region’s Adobe Jack Trail, a well-marked path that connects to more difficult hikes.

And though the property is divine, one of the best things guests can do is leave — at least for a little while — to explore the 300 miles of hiking and biking trails just outside the property boundary.