Reviews of the world's best hotels and resorts

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La rosa vita
Ticino, Switzerland

One of the Giardino group’s five Swiss hotels, the Giardino Ascona in the sunny, Italian-speaking canton Ticino, Switzerland offers pioneering wellness packages based on the ancient Indian medicine system of Ayurveda. We checked in mind, body and soul for some...

Village people
Mykonos, Greece

The first thing you’ll notice stepping off a plane in Mykonos is a welcoming breeze. Along with the...

Deer in the wild, Western Cape, South Africa

Land of our ancestors
Western Cape, South Africa

The sheer scale of South Africa has a way of putting life in perspective – a trait we...

I will walk 500 miles
Glen Artney, Scotland

Gleneagles in Auchterarder may be best known for its golf, but it’s also within easy reach of the...

On home turf
Selfoss, Iceland

When Reykjavík’s rich fancy a bit of R&R, they make for their luxury cabin retreats in Selfoss. And...

The power of dreams
Sumba, Indonesia

On the lesser-visited Indonesian island of Sumba, Zack Cahill finds a perfect paradise at the Lelewatu Resort –...

Bequia Beach Hotel, Belmont, Bequia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Future perfect
Bequia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Bequia has been a favourite for years among cognoscenti of the Caribbean and it’s easy to see why...

Belmond Andean Explorer, Arequipa, Cusco, Peru

Beyond Paddington
Arequipa & Cusco, Peru

Brits have a love affair with deepest, darkest Peru thanks to an adventurous fictional bear that planted the...

Pattaya, take two
Na-Jomtien, Thailand

Few are the places we vow never to return to – Pattaya, turned tawdry, was one of them....

Villa Royale, Palm Springs, California, USA

Fifties and fabulous
Palm Springs, California, USA

For an entire generation of classic Hollywood movie stars, Palm Springs was a cheeky weekend getaway. We hole...

Fantasy Island
The Maldives

This corner of the Indian Ocean has long been touted as true paradise on earth – so it’s...

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Villa Mahabhirom
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Walking around the grounds of this soulful sanctuary at the foot of Mount Suthep, you’d be excused for...

The Standard Ibiza
Ibiza, Spain

The moment we stepped into The Standard Ibiza, all lights went off and the music stopped playing –...

Mandarin Oriental Ritz
Madrid, Spain

What a difference a few years make: the Mandarin Oriental Ritz has easily become one of Madrid’s most...

Hotel Colón Gran Meliá
Seville, Spain

Situated in the hustle and bustle of the city’s shopping district, the handsome place to stay that is...

Soneva Kiri
Koh Kood, Thailand

Making our fantasy island dreams come true is the not-so-best-kept secret that is Soneva Kiri, on stunning and...

The Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder, Scotland, United Kingdom

The reputation of the Gleneagles Hotel – the self-billed ‘Glorious Playground’ – precedes itself as the Scottish bastion...

Six Senses Yao Noi
Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

We don’t usually play favourites at OutThere, but this exceptional hideaway hugging a densely forested hill on the...

OKU Ibiza
Ibiza, Spain

Of all the hotels you could stay at on the White Isle, OKU Ibiza offers perhaps the greatest...

Kimpton St Honoré Paris
Paris, France

The international hospitality standards and cosmopolitan vibe of the Kimpton St Honoré Paris offer a unique escape from...

Grand House
Algarve, Portugal

The Belle Epoque exterior of the 30-room Relais & Château Grand House Hotel in Vila Real do Santo...

Gran Hotel Inglés
Madrid, Spain

Tucked away in a narrow side street in ‘Barrio de las Letras’, the city’s previous literary quarter with...

Kalesma
Mykonos, Greece

Just when we thought we knew Mykonos, a new hotel opened on the island that promised to turn...

Lindeth Fell Country House
Windermere, United Kingdom

From the outside, Lindeth Fell Country House may look like a quintessential English Lakeland country bed and breakfast,...

Savoy Palace
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

If size counts, the super-luxe, super-sized contemporary gem that is the Savoy Palace Hotel pushes the boundaries of...

Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort:
Castries, St. Lucia

When looking for an authentic, Caribbean island getaway, laid-back St. Lucia wins for many reasons. And on this...

Lesante Blu
Zakynthos, Greece

When Lesante Blu was named a Leading Hotels of the World member just months into operating back in...

Quinta da Serra
Madeira, Portugal

Located 800 meters above sea level in the Camara de Lobos area of Madeira, the pink-hued resort and...

Das Central
Sölden, Austria

Located at the very heart of Sölden, among Austria’s most coveted ski resorts, Das Central could hardly be...

The Squire restaurant at Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland

Fairmont St Andrews
St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

There aren’t many golf resorts where you’ll have the chance to spot dolphins being their playful selves in...

Cugo Gran Macina Grand Harbour
Senglea, Malta

If the old fortress walls of the rapidly up-and-coming Senglea neighbourhood of Malta could talk, they’d call out...

Thompson Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Though the twelve-story Thompson Hotel is part of the Hyatt chain, we felt this international brand has captured...

Double Standard bar, London, United Kingdom

The Standard
London, United Kingdom

Within moments of checking into The Standard, London, we were in the open-air bathroom of our ‘King’s Terrace’...

Socalco Nature Calheta
Madeira, Portugal

Reconnection is the theme at the characterful Madeira place to stay that is at one with nature in...

One&Only Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is not short of luxurious places to stay, from sophisticated heritage hotels to new-world, chic boutiques....

OutThere innkeepers
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Paolo Kastelec & Philip Robinson, Villa Fontelunga, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

Paolo Kastelec & Philip Robinson
Villa Fontelunga, Arezzo, Italy

Far from the tourist-trodden streets of Florence and Siena, Villa Fontelunga is a honeypot for guests from around...

Bruce Badrock and David Woodbine, Five Acre Barn, United Kingdom

Bruce Badrock & David Woodbine
Five Acre Barn, United Kingdom

Escaping from the big city to the peace and quiet of a rural setting can come at a...

Julian Cole and Jean Abreu, Cable Street Inn, London, United Kingdom

Julian Cole & Jean Abreu
Cable Street Inn, London, United Kingdom

Just a mile from the internationally recognised symbol for London that is Tower Bridge, in a quiet corner...