Sure, backpacking and crashing in a sociable little hostel, or booking a last-minute city break and stumbling across a cute apartment for the weekend can be lovely little touches to your holiday – but really, nothing beats a lavish, blowout hotel.
The editors at Condé Nast Traveller clearly agree, as they’ve just compiled a ‘Gold List’ for 2024 of what are truly the most dazzling hotels in the world. The list covers everything from the elegant glamour of Claridge’s in London to the beautiful beaches of the Bawah Reserve in Indonesia.
The Cashel Palace in Tipperary, Ireland, is one of the entries, housed in an eighteenth-century manor. It’s hosted the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Lady Di and Elizabeth Taylor. Across the other side of the world is the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, another gorgeous hotel overlooking the golden sands of this iconic seafront.
Looking for a blowout destination for a special occasion, or just fancy perusing all these glorious places to stay? The full list is right here.
Here is Condé Nast Traveller’s Gold List of hotels for 2024
Ahilya Fort, Maheshwar, India
Amanpuri, Thailand
Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa, Dubai, UAE
Badrutt's Palace, St. Moritz, Switzerland
Bawah Reserve, Bawah, Indonesia
Casa Cipriani New York, New York City, USA
Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel, San Miguel de Allende, México
The Cashel Palace, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, USA
Çırağan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul, Türkiye
Cirqa, Arequipa, Peru
Claridge’s, London, England
Como Uma Punakha, Punakha, Bhutan
Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dar Ahlam, Ouarzazate, Morocco
Domaine Des Etangs, Auberge Resorts Collection, Massignac, France
The Dorchester, London, England
Eden Rock, St Barths
El Fenn, Marrakech, Morocco
Explora Lodge Patagonia National Park, Chile
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Finca Cortesin, Málaga, Spain
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary
Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, Surfside, Florida, USA
Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland
The Greenwich Hotel, New York City, USA
The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, Italy
Hacienda de San Rafael, Seville, Spain
Heckfield Place, Hampshire, England
Hotel d’Inghilterra, Rome, Italy
Hotel de L’Europe, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, Hawaii, USA
Hotel Imperial, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Vienna, Austria
Hotel The Mitsui, Kyoto, Japan
Il Sereno, Lake Como, Italy
Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam, South Korea
Kokomo Private Island, Fiji
The Leela Palace Chennai, India
Lolebezi, Zambia
Londolozi, South Africa
Lucknam Park, Wiltshire, England
Lundies House, Lairg, Scotland
Lunuganga, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, Spain
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Japan
Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali, Indonesia
Meadowood Napa Valley, California, USA
Palácio Príncipe Real, Lisbon, Portugal
Palazzo Avino, Ravello, Italy
Peninsula Shanghai, China
Porto Zante Villas & Spa, Zakynthos, Greece
Poseidonion Grand Hotel, Spetses, Greece
Regina Isabella, Lacco Ameno, Italy
Ritz Paris, France
Rosewood Hong Kong, China
Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Schloss Elmau Krün, Germany
The Siam Bangkok, Thailand
Silky Oaks Lodge, Daintree National Park, Australia
Singita Sasakwa Lodge, Serengeti, Tanzania
Soneva Jani, Manadhoo, Maldives
Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia
Sublime Comporta, Grandola, Portugal
Taj Madikeri Resort & Spa, Coorg, India
Time + Tide Miavana, Madagascar
Union Øye, Norangsfjorden, Norway
White Elephant Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
Planning your travels for 2024? Check out our guide to the best things to do around the world next year.
Did you see that these have been the most popular holiday destinations of 2023?
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