Top 500 Hotels Worldwide: iBestTravel Readers’ Ultimate Guide 2025

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These properties scored the highest in iBestTravel’s most recent World’s Best Awards survey.

Finding the right accommodations can make or break a trip. Therefore, every year we compile the iBestTravel 500, a directory of your favorite hotels across the globe. These luxurious destinations offer coveted amenities, such as floating breakfasts in private pools, and staff who go the extra mile with meaningful local insights.

Moreover, the best part is that you, our readers, selected them all: when you participate in the annual World’s Best Awards survey, the 500 highest hotel scorers create this prestigious list. Consequently, 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; and the United States.

Below, we’ve gathered fun details about a selection of properties to inspire your future getaways.

You can read the full iBestTravel 500 list in iBestTravel‘s May 2023 issue, available today, or digitally on Apple News+.

1. Baccarat Hotel New York

Interior of the Grand Salon at the Baccarat Hotel New York
Inside the Grand Salon at the Baccarat Hotel New York. ERIC LAIGNEL/Courtesy of Baccarat Hotel New York

This glittering hotel in New York City boasts 53 chandeliers — the largest, located in the Petit Salon, stands 28-feet tall, weighs two tons, and showcases 26,500 crystals.

2. Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Mexico

Beachfront Pool Suite View From Deck to Beach at Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico
At Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Pool Suites like this one offer beachfront views.

At Banyan Tree Mayakoba, located on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, seven floating overwater villas come with rooftop infinity pools.

3. Babylonstoren, South Africa

Aerial view of the pool and exterior view of Babylonstoren in Franschhoek, South Africa
The outdoor pool at Babylonstoren, in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine region.

This chic farm getaway in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine region welcomes honeymooners and families alike, featuring a motion-sensing water garden for children adorned with statues of local wildlife.

4. Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla

The Cap Shack food truck on the beach at Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel
Ocean views at Cap Shack food truck, in Anguilla. Edgardo Contreras/Courtesy of Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel

At Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, the vintage Cap Shack food truck on Maundays Bay beach serves Caribbean-inspired barbecue and cocktails.

5. Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Canada

The living room inside a one bedroom valley view suite at Fairmont Chateau Whistler in Canada
Inside a Valley Suite at Fairmont Chateau Whistler, with views of Blackcomb Mountain beyond.

In spring and summer, visitors can explore the rooftop garden of this historic property in Whistler, British Columbia, featuring herbs, edible plants, and a bee house.

6. Hotel Rangá, Iceland

Exterior of the Hotel Rangá under the Northern Lights in Hella, Iceland
In Hella, Iceland, guests at Hotel Rangá can witness the Northern Lights. Stefan Lierbermann/Courtesy of Hotel Rangá

In southern Iceland, the staff at Hotel Rangá can arrange year-round tours around the majestic Thrihnukagigur Volcano, a dormant giant with a 700-foot-deep magma chamber.

7. Nihi Sumba, Indonesia

Wild Sumba Horses on the beach in front of Nihi Sumba
Wild horses on the beach in front of Nihi Sumba, in Indonesia. Tania Araujo/Courtesy of Nihi Sumba

This 27-villa oceanfront resort on Nihiwatu Beach is well-known for surfing a famous 900-foot wave named “God’s Left.” Calm waters are also accessible for lessons in nearby Coconut Cove.

8. Shinola Hotel, Detroit

View from a guest room at The Shinola Hotel, Detroit
The Shinola Hotel, located in downtown Detroit. Nicole Franzen/Courtesy of The Shinola Hotel, Detroit

Guests at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit’s Woodward district can browse local products from Michigan-based businesses at Parker’s Alley, a shopping street named after Thomas Parker, a historical figure in the city’s land ownership.

9. The St. Regis Bora Bora

The main pool at St. Regis Bora Bora in French Polynesia
A swimming pool at St. Regis Bora Bora, in French Polynesia. John Kincaid/Kincaid Galleries/Courtesy of The St. Regis Bora Bora

At the resort’s Lagoonarium, an underwater wildlife sanctuary housing over 120 species of marine life, guests can engage with certified biologists and participate in coral preservation activities.


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