The iBestTravel 500: Celebrating the World’s Best Hotels and Resorts

As the travel industry confronts unprecedented challenges, resorts, hotels, and safari lodges around the world are rising to meet the moment, acting as beacons of resilience and hospitality for both guests and their local communities. For this reason, we have decided to bring back the iconic iBestTravel 500 — an illustrious list that recognizes the 500 best properties in the world, as chosen by you, our discerning readers.

Overview of the iBestTravel 500

The results of this year’s iBestTravel 500 are derived from the results of the 2020 World’s Best Awards survey. The honorees are grouped into eight geographic regions:

• Africa and the Middle East
• Asia
• Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
• Canada
• The Caribbean
• Europe
• Mexico, Central America, and South America
• The United States

Diverse Properties Celebrated

The properties included in this distinguished list are incredibly varied. There are safari lodges like andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania, luxurious coastal escapes such as the Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina, and high-rises like the Langham, New York. Some time-honored favorites include Blackberry Farm, a gourmand paradise in the Great Smoky Mountains, and Eden Rock-St Barths, famed for its see-and-be-seen clientele. Yet certain qualities prove universal: each hotel demonstrates a commitment to excellence, embodies the best qualities of its community, and offers an unparalleled experience — from amenities to on-site activities.

Brands Leading the Pack

Several brands are particularly well-represented in the iBestTravel 500. Four Seasons hotels had the strongest showing, with 22 locations from the Four Seasons Kyoto to the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Not far behind was Belmond, which had 17 properties earn recognition. The Peninsula, Kimpton, Rosewood, Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Hyatt, Oberoi, Aman, Auberge, and JW Marriott all received more than five property mentions.

A Trusted Resource for Your Next Adventure

We hope that this list of dream hotels in the best destinations across the globe will serve as a trusted resource for your next adventure, wherever — and whenever — it may be.

Find the full list of winners in the March 2021 print magazine or digitally on Apple News+.