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NOVEMBER 2017

TRUTH IN TRAVEL

201 7

READERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CHOICE AWARDS

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ASIA Gorkhi-Terelj, Mongolia ............ 44 Central India ........................ 100

CARIBBEAN & MEXICO Cabo San Lucas, Mexico ........... 24 Punta Cana, D. R. ..................... 36 Isla Holbox, Mexico................ 132

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA Panama City, Panama .............. 24 Buenos Aires, Argentina ......... 114

EUROPE Amsterdam, Netherlands .......... 24 Lyon, France ............................ 32 Nesjavellir, Iceland ................... 40 Montalcino, Italy .................... 122 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy ......... 142

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Marrakech, Morocco ................ 30

NORTH AMERICA Big Sur, California .................... 32 Alta, Wyoming ......................... 38 Saranac Lake, New York ........... 46

READERS’ CHOICE AWA R D S 2 0 1 7

Our largest and most diverse survey ever: More than 300,000 people voted on 7,320 hotels and resorts, 610 cities, and 225 islands, page 51.

A traditional Rajput sword at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur.

Condé Nast Traveler

photograph by GENTL AND HYERS

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ASK AN EDITOR

What’s your secret to surviving a 12-hour flight?

David Jefferys, Service and Surveys Editor “Compression socks from Danish Endurance. Put them on just before you leave the house: They’ll feel awful at ﬁrst, comfortable in-ﬂight, and sublime when removed upon arrival.”

Phil Falino, Senior Video Producer “Books. I pack titles that fall into four categories: an old narrative/ escapist favorite; some newish nonﬁction; an ambitious bucket-list read for a challenge; and a short ﬁction in case my attention span is too start-and-stop.”

Andrea Whittle, Associate Editor “We wanted to capture this film-star fantasy of driving a vintage car through the Tuscan countryside,” says Creative Director Yolanda Edwards of this month’s cover, shot in Florence. Men’s Style Editor Matt Hranek photographed stylist Eva Fontanelli and designers Margherita Cardelli and Gerardo Cavaliere, who perfectly embody that Italian cinematic sprezzatura as they round the corner in a Mercedes-Benz 190SL. The car, one of a mint-condition fleet of five, is part of the Road Trip to La Dolce Vita package from the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, which, like so many of the top-ranking hotels on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards list (page 51), delivers on experience beyond the hotel walls. Of course, getting the shot was anything but a joyride: The numerous takes caused a bit of a traffic jam on the narrow road. “What you don’t see are the angry locals behind us,” says Edwards.

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Where are you going next? Email your photos and tips to letters@condenast traveler.com.

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From left: Hranek shooting outside Florence; in the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze garden.

“A tennis ball that I wedge between my shoulders and the backrest— it releases those knots you get from sitting for so long. And Kerstin Florian Neroli Water face mist.”

Lauren DeCarlo, Deputy Editor “Bingeing on podcasts like Pod Save America or Fresh Air. And I become my own personal assistant. I’ll fill my Moleskine agenda with to-do lists for stuff I always put off until it’s too late, like, order Christmas cards; buy my son a Halloween costume; get the car inspected.”

Katherine LaGrave, Senior Digital Editor Leave It to the Ombudsman Need an advocate for a travel mishap? Email ombudsman@ cntraveler.com.

“I swear by the Rain Rain Sleep Sounds app. It comes loaded with more than 70 soothing sounds to help you sleep. I’m a fan of Rain on a Tent, but you can’t go wrong with Beach Bonﬁre, Shih Tzu Snoring, or Harbor Storm.”

Photographs by Yolanda Edwards. On the cover, Margherita Cardelli, Gerardo Cavaliere, and Eva Fontanelli all wear clothing by Giuliva Heritage Collection, giulivaheritagecollection.com; Bottega Veneta bag, 800-845-6790

BEHIND THE COVER

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HAPPENING AROUND T H E WO R L D

The new Bamford Haybarn spa at the eco-chic 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge has Himalayan salt stone massages and a plunge pool with over-the-top views of Manhattan.

THE NEW APPEAL OF IRELAND’S ADARE MANOR It has always had an old-school aristocratic vibe—falconry lessons, afternoon tea—but the hotel has ﬁrmly planted itself in the 21st century after an 18-month reno that added 42 new rooms, a La Mer spa, and a completely redesigned golf course by the legendary golf architect Tom Fazio.

Along with a slew of new designer boutiques, a rotating sculpture program has popped up in the

MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT

Pari Dukovic The photographer captured the heat of Buenos Aires’s tango scene, p. 114. What dish would you travel for? The grilled octopus with olive oil at Albatros in Paros, Greece—it’s simple and delicious. What do you always take from a hotel room? The notepad and pen. Always useful and I rarely have them on me. Favorite place to eat when you’re at home? Antica Pesa in Brooklyn. The schiaffoni all’amatriciana is a must. Where are you going next? Shanghai. In my work, I focus a lot on color, so I think I’ll love it.

First up: two 20-foot-high concrete towers by conceptual artist Sol LeWitt at Jungle Plaza and on the corner of Biscayne and NE 38th.

In this medina-inspired, silver-domed complex designed by Jean Nouvel, Buddhist texts sit alongside Jenny Holzer–engraved stone walls.

AFTER A BLOCKBUSTER DEBUT AT THE GRAND PALAIS IN PARIS, LOUIS VUITTON’S “VOLEZ, VOGUEZ, VOYAGEZ” EXHIBITION OF ARCHIVAL LUGGAGE WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN NEW YORK AT THE FORMER AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING THROUGH JANUARY.

Biggest. Suites. Ever. Silversea Cruises’ Silver Cloud Expedition now has the largest suites in its category. See them ﬁrsthand on a transatlantic crossing from Tierra del Fuego to Cape Town in February.

Condé Nast Traveler

Alex Postman

LIVE OUR YOUR COZY FARMHOUSE FANTASY THIS THANKSGIVING AT TWIN FARMS IN VERMONT (7-MILE TURKEY BURN HIKE, OPTIONAL).

Traveler’s Features Director road-tripped through Italian wine country, p. 122. What is your favorite hotel on earth? The Connaught in Mayfair— it’s traditional without being stuffy, more intimate than grand, and it’s got one of the sexiest hotel bars ever. Where is your spiritual home? Ireland. I love it all—the rocky coast of Galway, the hills and lakes of Killarney; plus, I’m a sucker for the music and literature. I’m basically a Russian Jew who was Irish in a past life. What would your dream airplane come with? A SoulCycle.

From top: Courtesy of Pari Dukovic; John Dolan

THE LOUVRE ABU DHABI FINALLY OPENS

EDITOR’S LETTER

11.17

In Your Words For our annual Readers’ Choice Awards, I usually dedicate this page to explaining our methodology for tallying votes cast (more than 1.5 million this year) and our latest info-gathering tools (an improved online and mobile survey that allows you to start and stop, skip around, and return later)—and to you, our most trusted eyes and ears. But we also like to use this moment, while basking in the bounty of your feedback, both to synthesize trends in travel and to take the temperature of the world at large. This year, we found many more small hotel brands topping our lists, with winners in several unexpected cities in the U.S. (Milwaukee, Oklahoma City) and abroad (Valladolid, Spain; Wellington, Ontario). We marveled at how quickly new properties have become favorites, with a hotel like The Beekman, in New York, moving from the Hot List (our award for best new properties) to the RCA in just one year, versus the ﬁve or so it used to take. And strikingly, your travel patterns told us that despite the nativist tenor of this administration, you don’t think twice about a long weekend on, say, Fogo Island, Newfoundland (where you can sleep in an architectural wonder that has become synonymous with the island); nor will a somewhat perilous journey stop you from cruising the Arctic, because you feel a certain expediency, a need to pay attention to those ecosystems in deepest crisis, so that such trips of a lifetime won’t become relics of the past. We also came out of the yearlong data-gathering process feeling like the hospitality industry was ﬁnally responding to a growing refrain among travelers—that you want to feel a deep connection to place when you travel, no matter how many (or few) hours

Condé Nast Traveler

you spend in your hotel or on the ship, and that where you stay is the gateway to such immersion. Your desire for hotels that are as environmentally sensitive and community-minded as they are chic and transporting has inspired some of the larger industry players to follow suit. Lodges like those built by Singita and Wilderness Safaris throughout Africa, and new properties like the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, are raising standards and teaching us that experience is the new luxury. And, more to the point, that luxury and conscience are not mutually exclusive. Then, just as our list was going to press, hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria battered the Gulf states and the Caribbean—and two major earthquakes hit Mexico—devastating homes, schools, infrastructure, and businesses, including a combined 50-plus beloved stalwarts and new properties in the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. It will be a while before we have a grasp of the billions of dollars in damages to hotels and resorts across the area—to say nothing of the countless jobs and lost revenue in the months and years to come. Beyond continuing to report on the region, we’ll join our friends and colleagues in the travel industry and use our platform to raise awareness and funds. We know from your often poetic encomiums in this survey that you’ve celebrated many important milestones and memorable winter breaks in these devastated areas, and have been lastingly transformed by the their otherworldly turquoise waters and kind and welcoming people. It is the outpouring of stories about and love for these places, as you’ve so generously shared with us, that will keep the recovery top of mind.

Pilar Guzmán, Editor in Chief @pilar_guzman

Photograph by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Guests at the French Leave Hotel on Eleuthera, the Bahamas, 1960.

EDITORS’ PICKS

11.17

A Truly Peaceful Night’s Sleep at 36,000 Feet Where the Cool Kids Are

Before my parents dragged me there on a three-day family reunion last summer, my naive impression of Amsterdam was that it was rife with bachelor parties and backpackers roaming the canals in search of weed and novelty sex shops. Turns out that clichéd seediness is conﬁned entirely to the red-light district. I discovered, and fell in love with, the 9 Streets neighborhood, which felt like New York’s West Village or London’s Notting Hill: historic, polished yet hip, and packed with boutiques that tested the limits of my carry-on. On Reestraat alone, I picked up Spanish leather shoes at Terra Iberisch Aardewerk, a pile of printed silk tops at Bij Ons Vintage a few doors down, and an indigo throw and antique candleholders for my mother at De Weldaad on the corner. I met my cousins for drinks in the courtyard of the quirky-chic Pulitzer hotel (pictured) before dinner at Balthazar’s Keuken, a charming neighborhood spot where the tasting menu is served family style and everyone seems to know each other. A N D R E A W H I T T L E

Panama City’s Casco Viejo neighborhood just keeps getting better. It’s got the Ace’s American Trade Hotel and Donde José, arguably the country’s best restaurant, and now the Strangers Club, a low-key, tikiesque lounge opened by six bartenders from Manhattan’s O.G. cocktail bar Employees Only. P A U L B R A D Y

It’s All in the Details For my sister’s 40th, we spent a long weekend at the Resort at Pedregal in Cabo. The staff was incredibly attentive in the most subtle way: After I chose eucalyptus oil for a massage, the same scent was wafting through the air in my room later that day. Likewise, at the pool bar, my sister mentioned that she preferred mezcal to tequila, and that evening they set up a mezcal tasting on our patio. REBECCA MISNER

Condé Nast Traveler

Clockwise from top left: Courtesy of Pulitzer Amsterdam; Daniel Krieger; courtesy of the Resort at Pedregal

A QUIETER SIDE OF AMSTERDAM

“I’m a terrible sleeper, so the thought of an 8 A . M . arrival on a work trip to London sent me into a panic. I didn’t think I’d make it through a day of meetings in one piece. But on my 87-inch lie-flat bed in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class were a pair of fresh-pressed PJs and a dopp kit stocked with de Mamiel aromatherapy oils. I put on both and slept a full six hours. That’s almost better than what I get at home.” erin florio

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11.17

W H AT W E C A N ’ T S T O P TA L K I N G A B O U T

MAGIC HOUR A private casetta, with its own enclosed garden, at Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia is just where you want to be post-beach, pre-aperitivo.

Tote, gucci.com

Gucci Poppy tote...... $1,980

photograph by MATT HR ANEK

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CHECKING IN

Berber Lodge, opened last March by expat interior designer Romain Michel-Ménière 30 minutes from Marrakech, hits that high-end, unfussy, boho trifecta, which after a few days in the overly stimulating city is exactly the vibe travelers want. “Everyone else was building a Disney version of an Oriental dream,” Michel-Ménière says. “I wanted to create a comfortable place for those who don’t care about being seen.” At the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, surrounded by acres of olive and citrus trees, Berber Lodge is a pared-back (but no less glamorous) version of his earlier projects in Marrakech, like Riad de Tarabel, with its trompe l’oeil murals and patterned tile floors, as well as the achingly hip restaurant Nomad. Nine casitas elegantly but sparingly outfitted with vintage Moroccan textiles, rattan lampshades, and locally made replicas of French antiques were constructed using traditional Berber techniques and materials (clay bricks, eucalyptus beams) and arranged in Berber village tradition around a central house. A global mix of low-key arty types, many of whom found the lodge through From left: The Instagram, gather for fireside cocktails and flowering courtyard chicken tagine with quince and peaches from at Berber Lodge; the property’s organic garden, or stow away one of the guest rooms facing the courtyard. in reading nooks made cozy with hand-loomed

throws. Michel-Ménière’s longtime friends Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty of Studio KO— the Paris ﬁrm behind the just-opened Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech—conceived the original layout (“to look as if it has always been here,” says Michel-Ménière) and offered interior design tips along the way, adhering to their trademark less-is-more style. And in true it-takes-a-village fashion, Michel-Ménière’s godmother is on hand to mind the details, placing bouquets of jasmine in rooms and informing the chef when his semolina cake could use a bit more almond. While the lodge can arrange Berber market outings, shopping trips to Marrakech, and cooking classes, most guests, Michel-Ménière says, are happy to spend their time here doing little more than drinking mint tea by the pool, in the cool shade of a pistachio tree. A L Y S S A G I A C O B B E

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

ATLAS OBSCURA BERBER LODGE IS A HIP OASIS HIDDEN AMONG OLIVE AND CITRUS GROVES NEAR THE MOUNTAINS OUTSIDE MARR AKECH

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

CHECKING IN

Looking down at the Paciﬁc near McWay Falls in Big Sur.

Perhaps the only good to come from California’s biblical rains and the ensuing road closures that left Big Sur inaccessible for months earlier this year was that the area’s top resorts had a little downtime. The seven tree-house rooms at Post Ranch Inn now have reimagined interiors with artist-designed custom beds that you don’t have to leave to stargaze, thanks to the skylights above. And the beloved Ventana Big Sur reopened last month as America’s ﬁrst resort by Alila, the high-end brand known for its dreamy retreats in Bali. Now those Silicon Valley titans who make the 100-mile dash south will enjoy abalone with smoked potato alongside a crisp Yountville sauvignon blanc in Ventana’s just-added outdoor bar, possibly after a restorative quartz-bowl sound bath in the revamped spa. Plus, the resort’s 15 new safari-style canvas tents set among the redwoods have individual stone ﬁre pits from which to watch the fogs and mists that drift through the forest and cascade down to the ocean. J O H N W O G A N

Back to Big Sur

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Each fall, Lyon—once overlooked by travelers speeding through from Paris en route to the south—hosts a biennale that toggles between world-class art one year and modern dance the next. La Conﬂuence, a former industrial neighborhood, is now a starchitect’s playground with a massive Jean Nouvel project joining other mixed-use spaces, and young chefs are energizing the restaurant scene with lighter cooking that honors and advances the city’s gastronomic traditions. Now, with the opening of Villa Maïa, there’s a hotel that feels right in a reinvigorated Lyon. The designers—a French dream team that included architect JeanMichel Wilmotte (who updated the Louvre), interior designer Jacques Grange (he did Karl Lagerfeld’s home), and garden guru Louis Benech (he redesigned the Tuileries)—have created a sophisticated space that soothes rather than wows with hackneyed design trends. The minimalist spa with an arched arcade is modeled after ancient Roman baths. Its 37 guest rooms (which look out on meditation gardens or over the red-roofed city) have neutral textured walls, wood trim, and sliding panel doors leading to bathrooms done in Carrara marble and heavy nickel, creating a sort of ryokan–meets–Art Moderne feel. Design aside, the real key to understanding Villa Maïa may be, well, the room key. It’s an actual key attached to a heavy leather fob. It doesn’t demagnetize or remind you of a credit card. You leave it at the front desk when you head out and retrieve it when you return. It’s a welcome moment of hospitality in an increasingly automated world. H U G H G A R V E Y

Photograph by Kimberly Isley

ROARING LYON THE REVITALIZED CITY GETS A SAVV Y NEW DESIGN HOTEL

HOTEL REPORT

The redo of Oscar de la Renta’s Tortuga Bay honors his original vision for this 13-villa Dominican Republic retreat. Longtime de la Renta friend and designer Markham Roberts channeled the late fashion legend’s playful spin on traditional style, taking Tortuga Bay’s relaxed tropical scheme and turning up the opulence. Roberts found inspiration in the de la Renta family’s nearby home and borrowed its elevated colonial Caribbean aesthetic, commissioning local artisans to create carved-mahogany, wovenwicker, and inlaid-bone furniture. He arranged these in ivory-hued suites with hand-plastered walls and coral-stone-tile ﬂoors, and accented with Oscar-designed fabrics and the botanical watercolors he loved. “It’s the same but a bit fresher and subtly improved,” Roberts promises, “like someone who’s had a little work done.” A N D R E W S E S S A

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

What We’re Digging Into in Miami

The grain-bowl and pressed-juice frenzy that has spread from Sydney to L.A. continues east with the 1 Hotel South Beach opening of Plnthouse. Turns out acai bowls are exactly what you want when it’s a sticky 90 degrees out.

An Upstate Update

In Bangkok, Shop Where You Sleep

Four Favorite Cities Finally Have Hotel Game

Hudson Valley’s historic 34-room Troutbeck inn has been transformed into a stylish getaway by designer Alexandra Champalimaud. We love that it once hosted Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt and that its slate roof, stone chapel, and walled garden have been meticulously preserved. But it’s the bocce court, grilled Gruyère sandwiches, and classic cocktails that make it our new weekend escape.

“I was in Bangkok for the opening of the Park Hyatt hotel that occupies the top floors of the new Central Embassy shopping mall. I didn’t think I’d be spending my limited time at a mall, but with the city’s insane traffic and heat, it was an air-conditioned godsend. There’s an amazing bookstore from the architects who did Tokyo’s Daikanyama T-Site; indie clothing boutiques; and Eathai, a Thai take on Eataly, with the best souvenirs— brightly packaged local ingredients and sweets.” Yolanda Edwards

You could call them food meccas or design capitals, but you could never call them hotel towns. Until now.

THE ROOM TO BOOK Of the 32 thatched-roof glamping-style tents at the new Habitas Tulum, ask for one of the ﬁve that sit right above the beach.

Copenhagen Sanders hotel, with its oak doors, club chairs, and deep-soaking tubs, is a mid-century mod counterpoint to—and (finally!) competition for—the gilded Hotel d’Angleterre, open since 1755. San Francisco We’re not sure if we’re bigger fans of designer Kelly Wearstler’s textured interiors—brown and cream floral wallpaper, striped couches, marble tables atop raw-wood floors—or ex– Eleven Madison Park chef Jason Franey’s whole duck at the new 131-room Proper. Lisbon Considering everyone you know was just in Portugal, it’s hardly surprising that the capital had two big openings this summer: Verride Palácio Santa Catarina has 18 guest rooms inside an 18th-century town house, and the six elegant suites at Santa Clara 1728 all have Tagus River views. Seattle The tech town that’s fast losing its socks-with-Tevas rep gets two sophisticated hotels this month: The sexy 189room SLS (have a martini at the 16th-floor bar) and the locally sourced–everything Hotel Theodore a short walk from Pike Place Market.

Illustration by Jordan Higa, photograph by Adrian Gaut

A Beloved Dominican Hotel Gets a Refresh

W E L L T R AV E L E D

“My Shopping Tip: Only Buy Things You Can’t Find At Home.” Marlien Rentmeester, the L.A.–based founder of fashion blog Le Catch and designer of MAR, a line of beach-ready linen dresses, is a self-described unrepentant shopaholic. “Before every trip I’ll buy a few outﬁts and leave room in my suitcase for more,” she says. “I always score big at vintage stores and ﬂea markets, especially in European cities.”

BLOGGER AND DESIGNER MARLIEN RENTMEESTER

Travel uniform: I wear this Harvey Faircloth jacket all the time. It’s great for layering, and I love how the faux fur straddles fancy and casual. These Eve Denim jeans are super relaxed but feel polished enough for dinner. The Russian doll method: I pack bags within bags so I have options once I’m on the ground. I’ll slip a Clare V. purse into a Parker Thatch tote, and then use a Chanel clutch as a passport case.

Carry-on as insurance: I keep backup essentials—a bikini and a caftan for the tropics; a mink scarf and a thick sweater for the mountains—on me just in case my checked bag gets lost. In the dopp kit: Dew Cream from my fabulous dermatologist’s line, Dr. Jessica Wu Cosmeceuticals, and organic Sierra Sage bug repellent for my two kids. A S T O L D T O A N D R E A W H I T T L E

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

photograph by DEWEY NICKS

Hair and makeup by Jamie Greenberg at the Wall Group

Underrated ski spot: Grand Targhee Resort on the western side of the Tetons in Wyoming—it’s never too crowded, and it has excellent snow conditions.

BACK TO BASICS ICELAND AS IT’S MEANT TO BE SEEN

For the past decade, travel to Iceland has meant sleeping in an unremarkable Reykjavík hotel and day-tripping to the Golden Circle, that 186-mile circuit of waterfalls and geysers outside of town, and then capping your trip with a predeparture soak in the Blue Lagoon in Grindavík before heading back to the airport in Keﬂavík. All done alongside everyone else stopping over between the U.S. and Europe. But newly opened luxury-design lodges—ION Adventure Hotel, Deplar Farm, and the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon Iceland—are restoring the fantasy of an Icelandic lunar frontier worthy of exploration beyond a weekend. You could helicopter between properties, but consider going by car, driving from Reykjavík up to the Tröllaskagi peninsula in the more rugged north, then looping back down to the Blue Lagoon. If you spread out the 568-mile drive over four or ﬁve days, spending a night or two at each

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

hotel, you’ll have time to take in the haunting volcanic fields, fjords, and vast plains reminiscent of Scotland. Out here, you’ll see more feral horses than people. Once you land, you don’t have to drive too far to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. The concrete-and-glass ION Adventure Hotel in Nesjavellir is just 40 minutes from Reykjavík but seems a world away. Close to Thingvellir National Park, it has an outdoor hot tub that looks out onto moss-covered lava fields. There is no artificial light and no noise of any kind (you won’t even hear a bird chirp, since just a few trees grow in the volcanic soil). The only break from the silence is the gentle hiss of geothermal steam escaping the natural hot springs. It’s particularly spectacular during a soak at dusk, in the fading northern sunlight (and even more surreal when you consider you were at JFK a mere seven hours prior). From here, continue north to Fljot Valley’s Deplar Farm for two nights. Route 1 cuts through mile after mile of grassland, but the only traffic you’ll encounter is packs of wild Icelandic horses galloping next to your car. The drive to Deplar Farm is nearly five hours, so plan to stop at Reykholt, a two-steeple town about one hour in, for lunch at Fridheimar farm (they make a hearty tomato soup), and the mighty Hraunfossar, a series of turquoise waterfalls, big and small, streaming out of lava fields, just 15 minutes east of Reykholt. You’ll know you’ve hit the Tröllaskagi peninsula when the flat grasslands morph into jagged mountains and fjords cut into glacial valleys, the result of many millennia of tectonic grind. The 18-month-old Deplar Farm, from Colorado’s Eleven Experience, is nearly invisible in the landscape thanks to its low-slung grassy roof topping a converted sheep station. With its fireside dinners of local sous vide lamb; thermal baths where aperitifs are served as you soak; and saltwater flotation tanks for meditation, Deplar seems to trade in bragging rights. That it’s the only truly luxury property on the peninsula from which you can surf the thrashing, gray Arctic and heli-ski down cliffs that plunge into the sea makes it an ideal base camp for explorers. A nighttime dip at nearby Hofsós, an electric-blue thermal pool carved into a mountain above the Skagafjorður fjord, may be the real clincher, as the neon Northern Lights spill like laser-green ink across the eternal black skies. For the drive back south, take Route 1 toward Keflavík airport, past the mighty geyser of the Golden Circle, to the sleek Retreat at the Blue Lagoon Iceland, which opens in late winter on a private inlet of the Blue Lagoon (if you’re going sooner, the modern minimalist Silica Hotel is within walking distance and has a guests-only soaking pool). At this property, rooms have terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows, and those on the ground floor have direct access to the lagoon, which means you can spend your last night soaking up, and in, the silence. T O B Y S K I N N E R

Clockwise from top right: Mason Brown and Mimi Lam; courtesy of Eleven Experience; River Thompson (3)

ROA D TR I P

Winter days are short—expect about six hours of sunlight in November, four in December (remember too that the sun rises around 10:30 A.M.). Headlights should always be on. It’s the law.

A four-wheel-drive rented at Keflavík will handle those mountain roads and highways just fine, but note that off-roading is illegal.

Your GPS will work, but tuck an old-school paper map into the glove compartment, just in case. Cell service can get spotty as you head farther north to the Tröllaskagi peninsula.

map by PETER OUMANSK I

Clockwise from opposite: The bar at ION; Skogafoss waterfall off Route 1; lunch at Fridheimar’s; Deplar Farm on the Tröllaskagi peninsula; the Blue Lagoon.

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

UPGRADE

Lockit, Louis Vuitton boutiques; Cactus, Cartier boutiques; Rose des Vents, Dior boutiques; Sabbia, pomellato.com; Hardwear, tiffany.com; Alhambra, vancleefarpels.com

SWING LOW SEXY PENDANT NECKLACES YOU CAN WEAR AN Y WHERE, WITH ANYTHING (OR NOTHING AT ALL)

from left:

Louis Vuitton Lockit ......................... $6,850 Cartier Cactus de Cartier ..................... $19,800 Dior Fine Jewelry Rose des Vents .................. $4,050 Pomellato Sabbia pendant and chain ... $13,700 and $8,850 Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Hardwear ............... $13,500 Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra ................. $5,300

CondÃ© Nast Traveler / 11.17

photograph by MATT HR ANEK

JOUR NAL

IN HIS ELEMENT BRUNELLO CUCINELLI FINDS CASHMERE AND PEACE IN MONGOLIA

“I don’t like to travel too much. I would rather be at home, with the animals.” Not exactly what you’d expect to hear from an Italian fashion designer whose luxurious earth-toned knits and cashmere coats are the preferred (under)statement pieces worn by Hollywood power players like Angelina Jolie and Ryan Reynolds, but Brunello Cucinelli is unlike most in his industry. Rather than taking his cues from pop culture, Cucinelli ﬁnds inspiration in the writings of philosophers like Voltaire and Saint Augustine and “the silence and the stars” of his native Umbria. Though he sees little reason to leave Solomeo (population 450), 13 miles

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

from where he was born and where he runs his $1.4 billion company out of a renovated medieval hilltop castle, Mongolia is one place in the world that he finds “fascinating for the mind and soul,” he says. “When you go there, and you lift your eyes to the sky, life will feel a little different.” Cucinelli has been making the trip for almost 30 years, to source cashmere from nomadic goatherds in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. After landing in Ulaanbaatar, he helicopters to a ger, or yurt encampment, to inspect the bales of unspun fibers that come from the downy bellies and chins of the Capra hircus breed. The goats spend the winter grazing in high-altitude grasslands, developing a fleecy undercoat to insulate themselves from the rapidly shifting weather in the Mongolian mountains—“the country of wind,” as Cucinelli likes to say. Each animal produces three to four ounces of cashmere per season—enough for about a third of one of the fine-gauge sweaters for which he’s known. For the weeklong journey, Cucinelli always packs four books—Memoirs of Hadrian, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Michel de Montaigne’s essays, and Plato’s Republic are among his favorite reads—and a cherished regolo, or slide rule, that he’s had since he was a boy, to help with calculations on the fly. The trip always ends the same way, with the herders inviting Cucinelli to a meal of roasted goat and a few cups of arkhi, a fermented milk liquor. It’s a simple tradition that he looks forward to every visit. “Saint Augustine said that one of the keys to a good life is to ‘put your soul in order,’ ” Cucinelli says. “This, for me, is a place where I can reorganize my soul.” A N D R E A W H I T T L E

Clockwise from top: Panther Media GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo; David De Vleeschauwer; courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli

Clockwise from top: Turtle Rock in Gorkhi-Terelj; highaltitude grasslands; Cucinelli (fourth from left) having tea with nomadic herders.

PACKING FOR THE ADIRONDACKS BRING ON THE KNITS AND HOT TODDYS

Fendi hat ..................... $300 Tiffany & Co. Out of Retirement interlocking bangle ...................... $6,500 Burberry sweater and jodhpurs ... $975 and $850 Tod’s boots ................. $995 Versace sunglasses ... $290 Louis Vuitton Monogram Darling gloves ........................... $585

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

One of the ﬁrst things you’ll notice, pulling up to the Point Resort on Saranac Lake in Upstate New York, is how remarkably quiet it is—especially once the snow begins to fall and the lake succumbs to the cold. The estate was built in the thirties as a private retreat for a Rockefeller, and that “great camp” spirit is still very much alive there. Charmingly old-school activities, like curling and ice-skating on the lake, and snowshoeing on the resort’s private 75 acres, are followed by a traditional cocktail hour and, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a seven-course black-tie dinner. This season, the 1,200-square-foot Boathouse (pictured)—one of the property’s 11 rooms—will stay open through the winter, allowing guests to make good use of that cozy canopied bed and enormous stone ﬁreplace. L AU R E N DE C A R L O

Hat, fendi.com; bracelet, tiffany.com; sweater and jodhpurs, burberry.com; boots, tods.com; sunglasses, sunglasshut.com; gloves, louisvuitton.com. Bracelet: Tiffany & Co. All other still lifes by Tim Hout; styled by John Olson for Halley Resources. Point Resort: Courtesy of the Point Resort

WHERE AND WEAR

BEST 1,0 2 1

Hotels

Islands

Airlines

6 3 6 Resorts

2017

READERS’ CHOICE AWA R D S

Cruise Lines

WOR

Cities

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Long before likes and shares were the clearest indicators of popularity, Condé Nast Traveler launched the Readers’ Choice Awards survey, literally a ballot card stuffed into every subscriber’s issue and newsstand copy of the magazine. As our founding editor, Sir Harold Evans, put it, the RCAs were “not the ultimate, definitive truth on every hotel, airline, or destination, but a rough popularity poll.” This year, even though you tag, direct message, or email us on a daily basis about your favorite hotels around the world, we’re happy to report that you still took the time to weigh in. More than 300,000 of you voted on a recordbreaking 7,320 hotels and resorts, 610 cities, and 255 islands, making it our largest and most diverse list of winners ever. So what did we learn? With all of its hotel openings (and reopenings), as well as a frisson of excitement around its food scene, Chicago topped the chart for domestic cities, edging out New York and San Francisco; internationally, Tokyo retained its number one spot, with Kyoto coming in third (Vienna slipped in between). And while you always love the grande dame hotels in big cities, you’re crushing hard on newish boutique hotels—La Réserve in Paris, the High Line in New York City, and Ham Yard and Chiltern Firehouse in London were among their respective city’s top five. As travel obsessives, we honor the tried-and-true but live for the new kids on the block who leapfrog from our Hot List to RCA in less than a year—a journey that used to take at least five. Of course, as this process never really ends for us, we can’t wait to hear where you’re off to next. For more of your favorite hotels (and islands, airlines, and cruises), turn the page.

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

U NITED STATES

HOTELS n º . 1 Hotel in Africa: Royal Mansour, Marrakech, Morocco (page 72).

RCA

CHICAG O TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6

NEW YORK CITY TOP 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Langham Place, New York, Fifth Avenue 98.22 1 Hotel Central Park 97.08 The Surrey 96.35 Baccarat Hotel & Residences– New York 95.61 The High Line Hotel 95.40 Viceroy Central Park New York 95.19 The Bowery Hotel 94.90 The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park 94.62 Roxy Hotel 94.60 Trump International Hotel & Tower New York 94.52 The Kimberly Hotel 94.46 The Lowell 94.40 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn 94.17 The Iroquois 94.13 The Chatwal (Luxury Collection) 93.98 The Carlyle (Rosewood) 93.95 Hotel Hugo 93.34 The Mark 93.21 Archer Hotel New York 93.20 Gansevoort Park Avenue 93.13 Library Hotel 93.11 The Quin 92.75 Hotel on Rivington 92.61 The Knickerbocker Hotel 92.48 Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn 92.36 The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel 92.19 Trump SoHo New York 92.08 Soﬁtel New York 91.99 Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown 91.87 Andaz 5th Avenue 91.86 Crosby Street Hotel 91.61 Dream Downtown 91.58 Park Hyatt New York 91.17 The Michelangelo 91.10 Lotte New York Palace 90.74 Smyth, A Thompson Hotel 90.64 Mandarin Oriental, New York 90.31 Hotel Chandler 90.29 St. Regis New York 90.08 Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC Hotel 90.03 Gild Hall, A Thompson Hotel 89.22 Four Seasons Hotel New York 88.91 The Peninsula New York 88.13 The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park 87.81 The NoMad Hotel 87.01 Kimpton Ink48 Hotel 86.53 Gramercy Park Hotel 86.00 The Pierre (Taj) 85.29 The London NYC 83.90 Conrad New York 83.68

Photograph by MARTIEN MULDER

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

You’re as discerning as ever and don’t let properties rest on their laurels —not a single hotel on last year’s Top 10 in the U.S. made the same list this year.

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Virgin Hotels Chicago 95.73 The Langham, Chicago 95.69 The Godfrey Hotel Chicago 95.19 Acme Hotel Company 94.71 Kimpton Gray Hotel 94.49 Chicago Athletic Association Hotel 94.45 LondonHouse Chicago 94.35 Dana Hotel and Spa 93.81 Soﬁtel Chicago Magniﬁcent Mile 93.55 Thompson Chicago 93.43 The Peninsula Chicago 93.33 Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago 92.85 The Gwen (Luxury Collection) 92.55 Waldorf Astoria Chicago 92.37 Talbott Hotel 91.61 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago 90.85 Conrad Chicago 90.66 Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park 90.21 Four Seasons Hotel Chicago 90.20 The James Chicago 88.79 The Blackstone, Autograph Collection 88.17 Park Hyatt Chicago 86.76 The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago 85.71 Palmer House A Hilton Hotel 84.96 The Drake, A Hilton Hotel 84.13

BOSTON TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Mandarin Oriental, Boston 97.57 XV Beacon 97.33 InterContinental Boston 95.01 Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, Cambridge 94.91 Hotel Commonwealth 93.03 The Boxer 92.82 Boston Harbor Hotel 92.59 The Langham, Boston 91.83 Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel 91.67 Hyatt Regency Boston 90.76 The Ritz-Carlton, Boston 87.77 W Boston 87.59 Lenox Hotel 86.51 Four Seasons Hotel Boston 84.62 The Liberty (Luxury Collection) 83.14

WASHINGTON, D.C. TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5

The Hay-Adams 97.58 Melrose Georgetown Hotel 97.55 The Watergate Hotel 96.83 Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel 95.81 The Jeﬀerson 94.51

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

R C A H OT E L S

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

St. Regis Washington, D.C. 92.59 The Embassy Row Hotel 92.56 Soﬁtel Washington DC Lafayette Square 92.52 Capitol Hill Hotel 92.05 W Washington D.C. 92.03 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC 91.61 Park Hyatt Washington D.C. 91.27 Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. 89.67 InterContinental The Willard Washington D.C. 88.14 Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. 87.96

CHARLESTON, S.C. TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The Restoration 97.36 The Vendue 96.03 The Spectator Hotel 95.42 French Quarter Inn 94.90 John Rutledge House Inn 94.37 Wentworth Mansion 93.63 The Dewberry Charleston 92.92 Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston, Autograph Collection 92.90 9 HarbourView Inn 92.32 10 Zero George Street 91.92 11 Belmond Charleston Place 91.67 12 Planters Inn 86.93

MIAMI TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Faena Hotel Miami Beach 98.66 Kimpton Epic Hotel 97.68 1 Hotel South Beach 97.56 Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables 96.43 Mandarin Oriental, Miami 95.68 COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach 95.50 The Setai, Miami Beach 94.79 Washington Park Hotel 94.67 Delano South Beach 93.57 The Biltmore Hotel Miami– Coral Gables 93.50 The Conﬁdante Miami Beach (formerly Thompson) 92.86 The Plymouth 92.65 East, Miami 90.31 The Miami Beach Edition 88.33 JW Marriott Marquis Miami 87.86 Conrad Miami 87.55 Fontainebleau 86.99 Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel 86.31 W South Beach 85.93 The Betsy–South Beach 84.69 The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach 83.97 Four Seasons Hotel Miami 82.59 InterContinental Miami 81.70 Loews Miami Beach Hotel 81.22 Mondrian South Beach 80.71

NEW ORLEANS TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

LAS VEGAS TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Wynn Las Vegas & Encore 91.18 The Palazzo 91.08 Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas 90.54 The Venetian 90.43 Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas 90.24 The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 88.39 Trump International Hotel Las Vegas 87.59 8 Bellagio 87.27 9 Delano Las Vegas 86.67 10 Mandalay Bay 86.29 11 Aria 85.64 12 The Mirage, Las Vegas 83.31

LOS ANGELES TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery 95.63 Windsor Court Hotel 94.00 Pontchartrain Hotel 93.28 Hotel Mazarin 92.24 The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans 92.21 The Roosevelt New Orleans (Waldorf Astoria) 91.44 Hotel Le Marais 91.11 Bourbon Orleans Hotel 88.96 Royal Sonesta Hotel 87.46 Hotel Maison de Ville 86.61 InterContinental New Orleans 86.50 Hotel Monteleone 85.62 Le Pavillon Hotel 85.55 Ace Hotel New Orleans 85.42 W New Orleans French Quarter 85.34

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills 96.43 Shutters on the Beach 96.05 Petit Ermitage 95.92 Hotel Casa del Mar 95.09 Mr. C Beverly Hills 94.81 Montage Beverly Hills 94.64 Andaz West Hollywood 94.54 The Garland 94.47 Viceroy Santa Monica 94.17 SLS Hotel Beverly Hills (Luxury Collection) 93.68 The London West Hollywood 92.98 Hotel Bel-Air 92.41 Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows 91.82 The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey 91.23 The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, Los Angeles 90.91 Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills 90.18 W Los Angeles–West Beverly Hills 90.00

Photograph by MATT HR ANEK

Number of hotels that opened in 2017 and have already made it onto this year’s RCA.

18 JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live 89.70 19 Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel 88.69 20 The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles 86.42 21 The Beverly Hills Hotel 86.35 22 Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills 85.71 23 Kimpton Hotel Palomar Los Angeles–Beverly Hills 83.66 24 The Peninsula Beverly Hills 83.18 25 Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles 82.65

SAN FRANCISCO TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Inn at the Presidio 96.93 Omni San Francisco Hotel 93.95 Galleria Park Hotel 93.02 Hotel Del Sol 92.60 Hotel Zephyr 92.59 Hotel Carlton 92.59 The Marker 92.04 Hotel Nikko San Francisco 91.61 Hotel Vitale 90.43 St. Regis San Francisco 90.37 Stanford Court 90.19 Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco 89.29 13 Hotel Kabuki 88.40 14 The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco 87.19

n º . 1 Hotel in United States: In-room breakfast at Faena Hotel Miami Beach (page 53).

R C A H OT E L S

15 16 17 18 19

Argonaut Hotel 86.79 Palace Hotel (Luxury Collection) 84.66 W San Francisco 83.48 Fairmont San Francisco 82.98 InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco 80.46 20 The Scarlet Huntington 79.67

THE MIDWEST TOP 25

SEATTLE TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Kimpton Alexis Hotel 94.75 Kimpton Palladian Hotel 93.38 Thompson Seattle 93.19 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle 93.19 Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle 93.02 Motif Seattle 92.63 Hotel Max 92.62 The Edgewater Hotel 88.95 Pan Paciﬁc Seattle 87.33 Inn at the Market 86.39 Four Seasons Hotel Seattle 86.06 Fairmont Olympic Hotel 84.61

NEW ENGLAND TOP 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

76 Main, Nantucket, Mass. 96.90 The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, Nantucket, Mass. 96.52 Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Me. 96.43 Hotel Vermont, Burlington, Vt. 96.25 The Chanler at Cliﬀ Walk, Newport, R.I. 95.83 Chebeague Island Inn, Me. 95.74 The Press Hotel, Autograph Collection, Portland, Me. 95.66 The Break, Narragansett, R.I. 95.54 White Elephant, Nantucket, Mass. 95.45 Blantyre, Lenox, Mass. 95.44 Grace Mayﬂower Inn & Spa, Washington, Conn. 95.00 The Pitcher Inn, Warren, Vt. 94.64 Castle Hill Inn, Newport, R.I. 94.35 White Elephant Village, Nantucket, Mass. 94.08 Twin Farms, Barnard, Vt. 94.01 Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina, Bar Harbor, Me. 93.85 Windham Hill Inn, Townshend, Vt. 93.68 Kimpton Taconic Hotel, Manchester, Vt. 93.47 Forty 1° North Hotel Marina Resort, Newport, R.I. 93.30 The Boathouse Waterfront Hotel, Kennebunkport, Me. 93.15 21 Broad, Nantucket, Mass. 92.92 Delamar Greenwich Harbor, Conn. 92.68 Field Guide, Stowe, Vt. 92.41 Grand Hotel, Kennebunk, Me. 91.96 Whitehall, Camden, Me. 91.84 Watch Hill Inn, R.I. 91.24

30%

More than a third of the hotels and resorts we chose for this year’s Hot List made it onto these pages and are now among your favorites too—case in point, the perfectly on trend Roman and Williams–designed Greydon House on Nantucket.

27 Hotel Viking, Newport, R.I. 91.07 28 West Street Hotel, Bar Harbor, Me. 91.07 29 The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, Mass. 90.71 30 Grace Vanderbilt, Newport, R.I. 90.48 31 Greydon House, Nantucket, Mass. 90.28 32 The Dean, Providence, R.I. 90.18 33 The Hotel Portsmouth, N.H. 89.92 34 Portland Regency Hotel & Spa, Me. 89.76 35 Jared Coﬃn House, Nantucket, Mass. 89.45 36 Delamar Southport, Conn. 88.61 37 The Attwater, Newport, R.I. 87.74 38 Omni Bretton Arms Inn at Mount Washington, N.H. 85.71 39 Harbor View Hotel, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. 81.55 40 Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, Conn. 81.10

NEW YORK STATE & THE MID -ATLANTIC TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh 95.80 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia 95.79 The Historic Thayer Hotel at West Point, N.Y. 95.52 The Virginia Hotel, Cape May, N.J. 94.77 Baron’s Cove, Sag Harbor, N.Y. 94.54 Sagamore Pendry Baltimore 94.15 The Rittenhouse, Philadelphia 94.06 The Ivy Hotel, Baltimore 94.05 Congress Hall, Cape May, N.J. 93.72 The Independent Hotel, Philadelphia 93.58 The Reeds at Shelter Haven, Stone Harbor, N.J. 93.46 Hotel du Pont, Wilmington, Del. 93.36 The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia 93.14 Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia 92.86 Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, Hunter, N.Y. 91.61 The Franklin Hotel at Independence Park, Philadelphia 91.07 Sandpiper Beach Club, Cape May, N.J. 91.02 Bungalow Hotel, Long Branch, N.J. 90.94 Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, N.J. 90.82 Mill House Inn, East Hampton, N.Y. 90.60 Hyatt at The Bellevue, Philadelphia 89.81 Soﬁtel Philadelphia 89.70 Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore 89.36 Fairmont Pittsburgh 88.21 The Hotel Hershey, Pa. 85.81

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

JW Marriott Indianapolis 97.29 JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America 96.72 Conrad Indianapolis 96.46 The Pﬁster Hotel, Milwaukee 96.36 21c Museum Hotel, Cincinnati 94.88 The Edgewater, Madison, Wis. 94.66 Radisson Blu Mall of America, Minneapolis 94.05 W Minneapolis–The Foshay 93.89 The Townsend Hotel, Birmingham, Mich. 93.79 The Kimpton Schoﬁeld Hotel, Cleveland 93.17 Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch 93.15 Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, Milwaukee 92.62 The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis 92.35 Hotel Iroquois, Mackinac Island, Mich. 92.04 Hewing Hotel, Minneapolis 91.85 JW Marriott Hotel Grand Rapids, Mich. 91.79 The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City 91.57 Inn on Woodlake, Kohler, Wis. 90.85 Hotel Pattee, Perry, Iowa 90.72 Kimpton Grand Hotel Minneapolis 90.24 The Raphael Hotel, Autograph Collection, Kansas City, Mo. 89.68 The Saint Paul Hotel, Minn. 89.29 The Alexander, Indianapolis 89.29 Hotel Ivy (Luxury Collection), Minneapolis 88.31 21c Museum Hotel, Oklahoma City 87.66

THE SOUTH TOP 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary, N.C. 97.93 River Inn of Harbor Town, Memphis 97.02 Monmouth Historic Inn & Gardens, Natchez, Miss. 96.16 The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, McLean, Va. 95.59 The Willcox, Aiken, S.C. 95.58 21c Museum Hotel, Lexington, Ky. 95.54 Kimpton Brice Hotel, Savannah 95.44 Hotel Preston, Nashville 94.81 Thompson Nashville 94.79 The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. 94.48 The Ellis Hotel, Atlanta 94.39 Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Autograph Collection 93.96 Hotel Indigo Nashville 93.47 The Jeﬀerson Hotel, Richmond, Va. 93.23

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

R C A H OT E L S

15 21c Museum Hotel, Nashville 93.21 16 Old Edwards Inn and Spa, Highlands, N.C. 92.77 17 21c Museum Hotel, Louisville, Ky. 92.08 18 Craddock Terry Hotel, Lynchburg, Va. 91.48 19 Hutton Hotel, Nashville 91.36 20 The Westin Poinsett, Greenville, S.C. 91.08 21 Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn. 90.85 22 21c Museum Hotel, Durham, N.C. 90.84 23 Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta 90.71 24 The Ballantyne (Luxury Collection), Charlotte, N.C. 90.63 25 The Fearrington House Inn, Pittsboro, N.C. 90.56 26 River Street Inn, Savannah 89.76 27 The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C. 89.10 28 Mansion on Forsyth Park (Autograph Collection), Savannah 88.99 29 Hyatt Regency Greenville, S.C. 88.69 30 Andaz Savannah 88.69 31 The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta 88.58 32 The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, Arlington, Va. 88.33 33 The Peabody Memphis 87.79 34 Madison Hotel, Memphis 87.73 35 The Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C. 86.51 36 St. Regis Atlanta 86.36 37 21c Museum Hotel, Bentonville, Ark. 86.03 38 Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, Autograph Collection, N.C. 85.02 39 The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, Atlanta 84.61 40 The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va. 83.17

FLORIDA TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 n º . 4 Hotel in New York City: Baccarat Hotel & Residences-New York (page 53).

11 12 13 14 15

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

The Alfond Inn, Winter Park 96.70 Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa 96.43 The Chesterﬁeld Palm Beach 96.07 Epicurean Hotel, Tampa 93.86 The Brazilian Court Hotel, Palm Beach 93.61 W Fort Lauderdale 93.26 Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando, Autograph Collection, 92.35 The Pearl Hotel, Rosemary Beach 91.76 Edgewater Beach Hotel, Naples 91.65 Castle Hotel, Autograph Collection, Orlando 91.17 The Ritz-Carlton, Naples 89.74 Kimpton Hotel Zamora, St. Pete Beach 89.29 The Gates Hotel Key West 89.19 Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek 87.23 Hyatt Regency Orlando 86.61

photograph by PEDEN & MUNK

R C A H OT E L S

TEXAS TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt, Austin 97.02 Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, San Antonio 95.79 Hotel Granduca Houston 95.52 Hotel ZaZa, Dallas 95.35 Hotel Emma, San Antonio 95.31 Gage Hotel, Marathon 95.02 Mokara Hotel & Spa, San Antonio 94.69 Hotel Granduca Austin 94.51 Hotel ZaZa, Houston 94.34 Westin Austin Downtown 93.99 Hotel Sorella CityCentre, Houston 93.25 Omni La Mansión del Rio, San Antonio 92.94 Omni Dallas Hotel 92.60 Four Seasons Hotel Austin 92.56 JW Marriott Austin 91.48 The St. Anthony (Luxury Collection), San Antonio 90.48 The Driskill, Austin 90.46 Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas 90.45 The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas 89.35 The Highland Dallas 87.02

THE SOUTHWEST & WEST TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

The Hermosa Inn,

Paradise Valley, Ariz. 97.38 Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe 96.43 Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, N.M. 96.43 La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe 95.33 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City 95.24 Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix 93.72 Hotel Santa Fe 93.52 L’Auberge de Sedona, Ariz. 93.41 Inn and Spa at Loretto, Santa Fe 92.19 Arizona Inn, Tucson 92.06 Found:Re Phoenix 91.32 Sundial Lodge, Park City, Utah 90.87 Arizona Biltmore (Waldorf Astoria), Phoenix 89.12 Inn of the Five Graces, Santa Fe 88.84 Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Santa Fe 88.06 The Wort Hotel, Jackson, Wyo. 87.81 Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque 86.90 The Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City 84.69 La Posada Hotel, Winslow, Ariz. 84.44 Hyatt Regency Albuquerque 81.86

COLORADO TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOP 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

The Art, A Hotel, Denver 97.28 Halcyon, A Hotel in Cherry Creek, Denver 96.96 St. Julien Hotel & Spa, Boulder 96.36 The Little Nell, Aspen 95.80 The Sebastian–Vail 95.70 Madeline Hotel and Residences Telluride 94.91 The Oxford Hotel, Denver 94.76 The Arrabelle at Vail Square 94.72 Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel 94.44 The Crawford Hotel, Denver 94.35 The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, Denver 94.14 Hotel Jerome, Aspen 93.70 Hotel Boulderado, Boulder 92.70 Hotel Teatro, Denver 92.39 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver 91.89 The Inn at Lost Creek Telluride 91.07 JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek 90.73 Four Seasons Hotel Denver 89.88 The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park 86.73 The Ritz-Carlton, Denver 75.98

The Farmhouse Inn, Forestville 96.63 Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park 95.68 North Block Hotel, Yountville 95.58 Hotel Healdsburg 95.51 Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur 95.38 Bardessono, Yountville 95.24 Meadowood Napa Valley 95.20 Toll House Hotel Los Gatos 95.13 Pelican Inn, Muir Beach 95.09 Hotel Valencia Santana Row, San Jose 95.06 MacArthur Place, Sonoma 94.84 Westin Verasa Napa 94.64 The Inn Above Tide, Sausalito 94.57 La Playa Carmel 94.47 Bodega Bay Lodge 94.35 Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford 94.25 Wild Palms Hotel, Sunnyvale 94.18 h2hotel, Healdsburg 93.71 Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey 93.51 The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection, Sacramento 93.45 Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer, St. Helena 93.45 Cavallo Point, Sausalito 93.07 Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa 93.02 The Monterey Hotel 92.86 Cypress Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea 92.86

Colorado is so popular that it now has its own hotel and resort lists. The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, received 6,398 votes — the most of any of the 7,000plus properties you rated.

26 Brewery Gulch Inn, Mendocino 92.78 27 Hotel Yountville 91.91 28 Tickle Pink Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea 91.75 29 Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa 90.71 30 Château du Sureau, Oakhurst 90.60 31 L’Auberge Carmel 89.53 32 Vintage House, Yountville 89.29 33 Dream Inn, Santa Cruz 88.45 34 Andaz Napa 88.10 35 Spindrift Inn, Monterey 87.86 36 Waterfront Hotel, Oakland 87.51 37 Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa 86.95 38 InterContinental The Clement Monterey 86.54 39 Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa, Sausalito 85.71 40 The Fairmont San Jose 82.98

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California 97.31 The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, Riverside 96.00 The Kimpton Goodland, Santa Barbara 95.83 Scripps Inn, La Jolla 95.75 Kimpton Solamar Hotel, San Diego 95.64 L’Auberge Del Mar 95.58 Fairmont Grand Del Mar 95.54 Kimpton Hotel Palomar San Diego 94.29 Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel, Huntington Beach 93.56 Spanish Garden Inn, Santa Barbara 93.25 Pendry San Diego 92.86 Montage Laguna Beach 92.74 Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara 91.88 Colony Palms Hotel, Palm Springs 91.84 The Kimpton Canary, Santa Barbara 91.15 Malibu Beach Inn 91.07

METHODOLOGY The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards survey was made available through a secure Web site at cntraveler.com/vote. This year’s tabulation of results from more than 300,000 respondents submitted during the sweepstakes period of April 1 through June 30, 2017, was done by Condé Nast Co/Lab. The questionnaire contains lists of candidates in various categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.). Candidates must receive a required minimum number of responses and a minimum overall rating to be eligible for a Readers’ Choice Award. Candidates are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. The average of these ratings determines the final score published. For example, the score of 97.31 for the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California, No. 1 in Southern California (above), represents the average of ratings it received from respondents for all criteria relevant to hotels and resorts: rooms, service, food, design, location, activities/facilities, and value.

R C A H OT E L S

17 Laguna Beach House, Laguna Beach 90.13 18 Temecula Creek Inn 89.72 19 Westin San Diego 89.49 20 Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Anaheim 89.06 21 The Keating Hotel, San Diego 88.21 22 Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs 87.14 23 Casa Laguna Hotel & Spa, Laguna Beach 86.61 24 The US Grant (Luxury Collection), San Diego 85.71 25 Omni San Diego Hotel 81.55

EUROPE

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TOP 1 5

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Sentinel, Portland 96.23 Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Ore. 96.08 Hotel Lucia, Portland 95.79 Hotel deLuxe, Portland 95.66 Hotel Murano, Tacoma, Wash. 94.59 The Heathman Hotel Kirkland, Wash. 93.45 Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland 93.40 The Allison Inn & Spa, Newberg, Ore. 93.15 Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel, Portland 92.57 The Heathman Hotel, Portland 92.05 Kimpton Hotel Monaco Portland 90.15 Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside, Bellevue, Wash. 89.40 Dossier (formerly Westin), Portland 88.97 The Historic Davenport Hotel, Spokane, Wash. 86.79 The Nines (Luxury Collection), Portland 85.90

n º . 10 Hotel in Italy: Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole (page 67).

34 35 36 37 38

HAWAII TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

Hotel Wailea Maui 96.42 The Plantation Inn, Maui 93.66 Halekulani, Honolulu 92.05 Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, Maui 90.54 The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu 90.08 6 Trump International Hotel Waikiki, Honolulu 87.85 7 The Royal Hawaiian (Luxury Collection), Honolulu 86.34 8 The Modern Honolulu 85.20 9 Prince Waikiki, Honolulu 83.57 10 Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach, Honolulu 83.33 11 Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Honolulu 81.34 12 Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, Honolulu 80.43

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Number of years Claridge’s has been one of your favorite London hotels.

COMO Metropolitan London 84.90 The Ritz London 84.52 The Connaught 83.60 The London Edition 83.15 Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London 82.68 39 Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square 81.67 40 The Beaumont 81.63

UNITED KINGDOM

(not including London)

TOP 10 1

The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Somerset 99.40 2 Summer Lodge Country House Hotel and Spa, Dorset 99.21 3 Old Government House Hotel & Spa, Guernsey 96.43 4 Old Bank Hotel, Oxford 94.39 5 Coworth Park, Ascot 93.57 6 Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh— The Caledonian 92.14 7 The Acorn Inn, Dorset 88.81 8 Radisson Blu Hotel Edinburgh 87.62 9 The Principal Edinburgh (fomerly The George Hotel) 84.29 10 The Balmoral (Rocco Forte Hotels), Edinburgh 82.49

Photograph by Matt Hranek

1 2

R C A H OT E L S

IRELAND TOP 10 1 2

Ballyﬁn, Co. Laois 98.63 The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo 97.25 3 Lough Eske Castle, Co. Donegal 96.98 4 Waterford Castle, Co. Waterford 95.76 5 The Shelbourne Dublin 95.29 6 The Killarney Park Hotel 94.29 7 The Merrion, Dublin 93.54 8 Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin 90.71 9 The Westbury, Dublin 88.84 10 InterContinental Dublin (formerly Four Seasons) 87.86

PARIS TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6

La Réserve Paris-Hotel and Spa 99.60 Le Pavillon de la Reine 98.10 Le Royal Monceau, Raﬄes Paris 96.10 Hôtel Plaza Athénée 95.65 The Peninsula Paris 95.32 Mandarin Oriental, Paris 95.14

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

InterContinental Paris Le Grand 95.09 Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal 94.54 Le Bristol Paris 94.49 Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris 94.39 Le Meurice 93.14 Ritz Paris 91.76 Shangri-La Hotel, Paris 90.71 Prince de Galles (Luxury Collection) 89.18 Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme 88.41 Hôtel Lancaster 85.71 Hôtel du Louvre 84.18 L’Hotel du Collectionneur 83.33 Hôtel d’Aubusson 83.04 Renaissance Paris Vendôme Hotel 82.86 Westin Paris-Vendôme 82.84 Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel 82.74 Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel 82.29 Saint James Paris 81.97 Hôtel Bel Ami 81.45

FRANCE & MONACO

(not including Paris)

TOP 1 2 1

Number of tourists, in millions, who went to France in 2016, making it the most popular country in the world to visit.

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 98.51 2 Château La Chenevière, Port-en-Bessin 97.71 3 Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo 97.59 4 La Mirande, Avignon 94.84 5 Fairmont Monte Carlo 94.05 6 Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes 93.75 7 Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo 92.86 8 Trianon Palace Versailles (Waldorf Astoria) 87.05 9 Château de la Chèvre d’Or, Èze 85.71 10 Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée 82.14 11 Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz 80.95 12 Le Negresco, Nice 80.02 P.67

Courtesy of Soho House

n º . 3 Hotel in Istanbul: Soho House Istanbul (page 67).

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

R C A H OT E L S

36 37 38 39 40

ROME TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6

The First Luxury Art Hotel Roma 96.49 Hassler Roma 94.95 Fortyseven Hotel 94.16 J.K. Place Roma 94.05 Portrait Roma 93.37 Hotel de Russie (Rocco Forte Hotels) 92.82 7 St. Regis Rome 91.24 8 iQ Hotel Roma 90.00 9 Hotel Eden Rome 89.69 10 Rome Cavalieri (Waldorf Astoria) 88.41 11 Westin Excelsior Rome 88.24 12 Boscolo Exedra Roma 87.73

BARCELONA TOP 10 1 2 3 4

Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I 97.52 El Palace Hotel 93.93 H10 Cubik 91.67 Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection 90.38 5 Majestic Hotel & Spa 90.10 6 Alma Barcelona 89.76 7 Le Méridien Barcelona 89.14 8 Hotel Arts Barcelona 87.15 9 Hotel 1898 87.11 10 Renaissance Barcelona Hotel 85.01

ITALY

(not including Rome)

TOP 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice 98.47 Capri Tiberio Palace 98.21 Il Sereno, Lake Como 98.21 Gallery Hotel Art, Florence 97.62 Four Seasons Hotel Firenze 97.22 Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento 96.73 Palazzo Avino, Ravello 96.69 Caesar Augustus, Capri 96.59 Four Seasons Hotel Milano 96.43 Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole 96.33 Villa Cora, Florence 96.27 Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina 95.71 San Clemente Palace Kempinski, Venice 95.71 Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea, Taormina 95.69 J.K. Place Firenze 95.63 Portrait Firenze 95.56 Il San Pietro di Positano 95.49 Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalﬁ 95.36 Hotel Lungarno, Florence 95.36 Castello del Nero Hotel & Spa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa 95.00 Il Salviatino, Fiesole 95.00 Belmond Hotel Caruso, Ravello 94.86 Grand Hotel Quisisana, Capri 94.81 Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita 94.78 Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como 94.61 Belmond Villa San Michele, Fiesole 94.49 Grand Hotel Majestic “Già Baglioni,” Bologna 94.41 The Gritti Palace (Luxury Collection), Venice 94.26 Hotel Savoy (Rocco Forte Hotels), Florence 93.75 Belmond Hotel Splendido & Belmond Splendido Mare, Portoﬁno 93.75 Le Sirenuse, Positano 93.50 Bauer Palazzo, Venice 91.89 Hotel Danieli (Luxury Collection), Venice 91.52 Westin Excelsior Florence 91.11 St. Regis Florence 89.84

Aman Venice 89.54 Ca’Sagredo Hotel, Venice 89.48 Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan 88.69 Filario, Lake Como 88.27 Villa d’Este, Lake Como 87.41

The Parador de Santiago de Compostela — the oldest hotel on the list and one of the oldest in the world —first opened its doors to travelers at the end of the 15th century.

SPAIN & PORTUGAL

10 Chromata Up-Style Hotel, Santorini 95.18 11 Hotel Grande Bretagne (Luxury Collection), Athens 94.82 12 Perivolas, Santorini 93.86 13 Bill & Coo Suites and Lounge, Mykonos 93.20 14 King George (Luxury Collection), Athens 87.93 15 Thalatta Seaside Hotel, Crete 87.16

ISTANBUL TOP 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

(not including Barcelona)

TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine, Valladolid, Spain 97.94 Finca Cortesin, Málaga, Spain 97.86 AVANI Avenida Liberdade Lisbon (formerly Tivoli Jardim) 96.38 Palácio Belmonte, Lisbon 96.03 The Yeatman Hotel, Porto, Portugal 95.54 Sant Francesc Hotel Singular, Mallorca, Spain 94.13 NH Collection Gran Hotel de Zaragoza, Spain 93.84 Hotel Maria Cristina (Luxury Collection), San Sebastián, Spain 92.72 Hotel Alfonso XIII (Luxury Collection), Seville, Spain 92.34 Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa 92.17 Hotel Único Madrid 92.14 Parador de Santiago de Compostela, Spain 91.96 Hotel Avenida Palace, Lisbon 91.87 Bairro Alto Hotel, Lisbon 91.34 The Westin Palace, Madrid 88.88 Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon 87.80 Hotel Ritz, Madrid 87.80 Gran Meliá Colón, Seville, Spain 87.50 InterContinental Porto-Palacio das Cardosas, Portugal 87.14 Olissippo Lapa Palace, Lisbon 87.02

GREECE TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Archipelagos Hotel, Mykonos 98.81 Mystique (Luxury Collection), Santorini 98.57 Sun Rocks, Santorini 98.41 Kos Aktis Art Hotel 98.31 Canaves Oia Santorini 98.29 Patmos Aktis Suites & Spa 97.54 Andronis Luxury Suites, Santorini 97.20 Kirini Suites & Spa, Santorini 96.94 Katikies Hotel, Santorini 96.62

The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul 96.96 Raﬄes Istanbul 96.77 Soho House Istanbul 92.86 Çirağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul 92.50 Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet 91.35 Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus 90.28

SWITZERLAND TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Hotel d’Angleterre, Geneva 98.47 Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva 96.90 Carlton Hotel, St. Mortiz 96.89 Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, St. Moritz 95.66 Palace Luzern, Lucerne 95.42 Gstaad Palace 94.61 The Chedi Andermatt 94.23 The Dolder Grand, Zurich 91.88 Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern, Lucerne 91.48 Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, Interlaken 90.48 Baur au Lac, Zurich 88.69 Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, Basel 88.50 Bellevue Palace, Bern 87.50 Fairmont Le Montreux Palace 86.43 Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne 83.77

CENTRAL EUROPE TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Hotel Bristol (Luxury Collection),

Vienna 97.96

Aria Hotel Budapest 96.91 Hotel Sacher Vienna 96.83 Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest 96.62 Boscolo Prague 96.45 Mandarin Oriental, Prague 95.00 Hotel Goldener Hirsch (Luxury Collection), Salzburg 94.91 The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest 94.20

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

R C A H OT E L S

9 Art Noveau Palace Hotel, Prague 94.20 10 Smetana Hotel, Prague 92.66 11 Buddha-Bar Hotel Budapest Klotild Palace 92.14 12 Four Seasons Hotel Prague 91.80 13 Boscolo Budapest 91.71 14 Soﬁtel Budapest Chain Bridge 91.12 15 The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna 91.00 16 Corinthia Hotel Budapest 90.78 17 Hotel Imperial (Luxury Collection), Vienna 90.18 18 InterContinental Budapest 90.17 19 Aria Hotel Prague 89.94 20 Kempinksi Hotel Corvinus, Budapest 88.99

MEXICO TOP 1 2

REST OF THE WORLD

VANCOUVER TOP 1 2

AMSTERDAM TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam 98.70 Conservatorium Hotel 96.43 NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky 96.43 Pulitzer Amsterdam 96.23 Swissôtel Amsterdam 96.06 Soﬁtel Legend The Grand Amsterdam 94.67 Hotel Esthérea 94.05 The Dylan 93.45 The Toren 92.62 InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam 91.96 De L’Europe 91.16 W Amsterdam 90.11 Hotel Okura Amsterdam 88.78 Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht 88.62 The Hoxton Amsterdam 87.33

NORTHERN EUROPE

(not including Amsterdam)

TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg 97.14 The Thief, Oslo 96.21 Hotel Amigo (Rocco Forte Hotels), Brussels 95.76 Hotel Dukes’ Palace, Bruges, Belgium 95.62 nhow Rotterdam 95.43 The Charles Hotel (Rocco Forte Hotels), Munich 95.08 Grand Hyatt Berlin 94.73 Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin 93.72 Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, Munich 92.86 Hotel d’Angleterre, Copenhagen 91.94 Platzl Hotel, Munich 91.67 nhow Berlin 89.84 The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin 85.47 Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Copenhagen 84.52 Grand Hôtel, Stockholm 82.14

Number of hours you’re willing to drive (after flights and ferry rides) to reach your favorite farflung Canadian destinations— Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Inn and Wickaninnish Inn on Vancouver Island.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fairmont Vancouver Airport 97.23 Opus Hotel 97.13 Loden Hotel 94.81 Fairmont Paciﬁc Rim 93.15 Rosewood Hotel Georgia 92.71 Pan Paciﬁc Vancouver 92.06 Wedgewood Hotel & Spa 91.04 Fairmont Waterfront 90.63 Westin Bayshore 89.58 The Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver 86.56 11 Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver 85.44 12 Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver 85.34

CANADA

(not including Vancouver)

TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland 98.29 Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City 97.96 The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto 97.14 The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Victoria 96.59 Ritz-Carlton Montreal 96.43 Le Germain Hotel Quebec, Quebec City 95.09 Prince of Wales Hotel, Ontario 94.97 Fairmont Le Château Montebello, Quebec 94.78 Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Ontario 94.29 Manoir Hovey, Quebec 94.24 The Adelaide Hotel Toronto (formerly Trump International Hotel & Tower) 93.63 Drake Devonshire, Ontario 92.96 Thompson Toronto 92.95 Le Place d’Armes Hôtel & Suites, Montreal 92.86 Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Quebec City 92.75 Hôtel William Gray, Montreal 91.85 Le Petit Hôtel, Montreal 91.38 Hôtel Nelligan, Montreal 90.82 Fairmont Empress, Victoria 90.56 Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal 90.18 Four Seasons Hotel Toronto 89.29 Soﬁtel Montreal Golden Mile 88.10 The Fairmont Royal York, Toronto 87.26 The Omni King Edward Hotel, Toronto 87.20 Fairmont Château Laurier, Ottawa 86.79

1 2 3

Hacienda de San Antonio,

Colima 98.53

Rosewood San Miguel de Allende 95.80 Hotel Matilda, San Miguel de Allende 95.46 4 Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, Mexico City 94.94 5 Thompson Beach House, Playa del Carmen 93.68 6 St. Regis Mexico City 92.86 7 Marquis Reforma Hotel & Spa, Mexico City 92.19 8 Dos Casas Hotel & Spa, San Miguel de Allende 91.74 9 Hotel Nena, San Miguel de Allende 91.61 10 Las Alcobas Mexico City (Luxury Collection) 90.93 11 Hotel NH Collection Mexico City Reforma 89.88 12 Hotel El Ganzo, San José del Cabo 89.18

THE CARIBBEAN & CENTRAL AMERICA TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Casa Palopó,

Lake Atitlán, Guatemala 96.79 Hotel Grano de Oro,

San José, Costa Rica 95.59 Trump International Hotel & Tower Panama, Panama City 95.48 American Trade Hotel, Panama City 95.34 El San Juan Hotel, Puerto Rico 95.24 Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico 94.94 Hotel Parque Central, Havana, Cuba 94.64 Porta Hotel Antigua, Guatemala 92.96 Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala 92.86 Tribal Hotel, Granada, Nicaragua 92.86 Little Arches Boutique Hotel Barbados 90.59 Hotel Capitán Suizo, Tamarindo, Costa Rica 90.57 Peace Lodge, Heredia Province, Costa Rica 90.48 Hotel El Convento, San Juan, Puerto Rico 87.73 The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan, Puerto Rico 83.57

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

R C A H OT E L S

SOUTH AMERICA TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Hotel Fasano São Paulo 98.81 Inkaterra La Casona, Cuzco, Peru 98.62 Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Peru 98.62 Soﬁtel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena, Colombia 98.28 Hotel Unique São Paulo 98.21 The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel 98.21 Hotel Emiliano Rio de Janeiro 97.56 Home Hotel, Buenos Aires 97.11 Country Club Lima Hotel 97.04 Belmond Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru 96.80 Hotel Fasano Boa Vista, Porto Feliz, Brazil 96.79 Palacio del Inka (Luxury Collection), Cuzco, Peru 94.94 Casa Gangotena, Quito, Ecuador 94.78 Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, Peru 94.71 CasaSur Recoleta, Buenos Aires 94.40 Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro 94.35 Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, Iguaçú Falls, Brazil 94.29 Belmond Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro 92.86 Hotel Emiliano São Paulo 92.32 JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, Peru 90.90 Belmond Miraﬂores Park, Lima 89.52 Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires 89.19 Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires 86.61 JW Marriott Hotel Lima 85.79 Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu, Peru 84.91

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 n º . 2 Hotel in India: Rambagh Palace (Taj), Jaipur (page 72).

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

17 18 19 20

Rosewood Beijing 96.43 The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing 96.37 Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai 96.24 The Peninsula Shanghai 95.92 The Temple House, Chengdu 95.83 Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong 95.71 The Peninsula Hong Kong 95.38 Grand Hyatt Hong Kong 95.09 The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong 94.73 Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong 94.64 The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street 94.05 Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund 93.85 Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai 93.71 InterContinental Hong Kong 91.80 Conrad Hong Kong 91.29 The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong 90.82 Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 90.64 Westin Bund Center, Shanghai 89.42 Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 88.39 The Upper House, Hong Kong 87.50

Photograph by Gentl & Hyers

CHINA TOP 20

R C A H OT E L S

6 7

InterContinental Sydney 92.60 The George, Christchurch, New Zealand 92.55 8 Park Hyatt Sydney 87.37 9 Four Seasons Hotel Sydney 86.87 10 Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney 85.71 11 Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay 84.90 12 The Langham, Auckland 80.10

INDIA TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

The Lodhi, New Delhi 99.43 Rambagh Palace (Taj), Jaipur 98.38 Taj Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi 97.86 Umaid Bhawan Palace (Taj), Jodhpur 97.83 Wildﬂower Hall, Shimla 97.62 The Oberoi, Bangalore 96.94 Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad 96.94 Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur 96.84 Taj Jai Mahal Palace, Jaipur 96.43 Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur 95.80 Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra 95.68 ITC Grand Chola (Luxury Collection), Chennai 94.49 The Leela Palace New Delhi 94.32 The Oberoi, Mumbai 94.00 The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi 93.89 The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata 93.83 Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur 91.40 The Imperial, New Delhi 91.07 The Leela Palace Udaipur 90.87 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai 90.85

JAPAN TOP 10 1 2 3 4 5

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto 97.86 Hoshinoya Tokyo 96.43 Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills 94.84 Aman Tokyo 94.29 Suiran (Luxury Collection), Kyoto 93.89 6 Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo 92.14 7 The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo 89.73 8 The Peninsula Tokyo 89.29 9 Park Hyatt Tokyo 86.76 10 Conrad Tokyo 85.12

BANGKOK TOP 10 1 2 3

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 96.14 Banyan Tree Bangkok 96.13 Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel (formerly Four Seasons) 96.01 4 St. Regis Bangkok 95.83 5 W Bangkok 95.00 6 The Sukhothai Bangkok 94.90 7 The Peninsula Bangkok 92.86 8 COMO Metropolitan Bangkok 92.26 9 Anantara Sathorn Bangkok Hotel 90.52 10 The Siam 88.84

SINGAPORE TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The Fullerton Hotel 98.57 St. Regis Singapore 97.79 The Fullerton Bay Hotel 96.43 Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 96.15 Raﬄes Singapore 95.05 InterContinental Singapore 93.89 Conrad Centennial Singapore 92.86 Regent Singapore, A Four Seasons Hotel 92.15 9 Capella Singapore 91.84 10 The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore 87.86 11 Marina Bay Sands 85.00 12 Swissôtel The Stamford 80.71

ASIA TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

The Reverie Saigon,

Ho Chi Minh City 99.23 Hotel Mulia Senayan, Jakarta 98.46 COMO Uma Punakha, Bhutan 97.86

Raffles Jakarta 97.72 Gangtey Lodge, Bhutan 97.39 Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra 97.38 Taj Tashi, Thimphu, Bhutan 97.14 La Résidence Hotel & Spa, Hue, Vietnam 96.95 Villa Maly, Luang Prabang, Laos 96.67 Mandarin Oriental, Taipei 96.54 Alila Jakarta 96.14 Zhiwa Ling Heritage, Bhutan 95.60 Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta 95.54 Four Seasons Hotel Seoul 93.75 Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur 93.35 COMO Uma Paro, Bhutan 93.21 Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia 92.86 Park Hyatt Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City 90.98 JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul 89.94 Park Hyatt Seoul 87.95 Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi 87.75 Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh 87.50 Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur 87.00 Edsa Shangri-La, Manila 86.31 The Peninsula Manila 85.71

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOP 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

COMO The Treasury, Perth, Australia 98.63 QT Sydney 94.39 The Langham, Melbourne 94.14 Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach, Australia 93.33 The Mayfair Hotel, Adelaide, Australia 93.09

AFRICA TOP 20

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, regarded as one of the happiest places on earth, has finally eased its travel restrictions. You liked five hotels there this year, and we eagerly anticipate the opening of five Six Senses lodges in 2018.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Royal Mansour, Marrakech 98.95 La Residence, Franschhoek, South Africa 98.81 Birkenhead House, Hermanus, South Africa 97.53 El Fenn, Marrakech 97.32 Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, Johannesburg 97.25 Ellerman House, Cape Town 97.22 One&Only Cape Town 97.06 The Oyster Box, Durban, South Africa 96.97 Giraﬀe Manor, Nairobi 96.43 The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Cape Town 96.26 Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliﬀ, Johannesburg 95.71 The Silo Hotel, Cape Town 95.62 The Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe 94.44 La Mamounia, Marrakech 93.92 Gibb’s Farm, Ngorongoro, Tanzania 93.79 Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town 90.99 Cape Grace, Cape Town 87.55 Essque Zalu Zanzibar, Tanzania 87.02 The Westin Cape Town 84.29 Taj Cape Town 82.14

THE MIDDLE EAST TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah 98.52 Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi 98.12 Taj Dubai 96.90 Four Seasons Hotel Doha 96.43 Rosewood Abu Dhabi 96.43 Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton, Muscat, Oman 94.39 Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem 94.39 W Doha Hotel 93.11 Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai 92.46 The Chedi Muscat, Oman 91.88 The Oberoi, Dubai 91.87 King David Jerusalem 89.71 JW Marriott Hotel Dubai 87.40 JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai 86.51 Park Hyatt Dubai 86.31

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

n º . 3 Cruise line in Medium Ships: Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Sky.

LARGE SHIPS

Number of Viking River Cruises ships you voted for—that’s every single one of their vessels—making them the leaders in European waterbased journeys.

SMALL SHIPS

(More than 2,500 passengers)

(Less than 500 passengers)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Disney Cruise Line 89.60 Cunard Line 89.26 Princess Cruises 87.88 MSC Cruises 85.73 Holland America Line 84.57 Celebrity Cruises 84.28 Royal Caribbean International 83.44 P&O Cruises 82.22 Costa Cruises 82.19 Norwegian Cruise Line 80.17

MEDIUM SHIPS

(500 to 2,500 passengers) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Crystal Cruises 92.20 Regent Seven Seas Cruises 88.92 Viking Ocean Cruises 88.47 Cunard Line 88.46 Oceania Cruises 87.61 Disney Cruise Line 86.86 Seabourn Cruise Line 85.87 Silversea 85.81 Princess Cruises 85.67 Holland America Line 85.48 Celebrity Cruises 80.87 P&O Cruises 80.77

9 10 11 12 13 14

Seabourn Cruise Line 92.61 Crystal Cruises 91.63 Windstar Cruises 90.04 Regent Seven Seas Cruises 89.77 Paul Gauguin Cruises 89.71 SeaDream Yacht Club 89.67 Celebrity Cruises 89.17 Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic 88.99 Compagnie du Ponant 88.26 Quark Expeditions 88.17 American Cruise Lines 87.39 Silversea 84.27 Azamara Club Cruises 84.08 Star Clippers 82.48

RIVER SHIPS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Viking River Cruises 96.28 Grand Circle Cruise Line 95.03 Uniworld Boutique River Cruises 94.72 Tauck 94.47 AmaWaterways 93.22 Aqua Expeditions 92.30 Crystal Cruises 91.63 Avalon Waterways 90.56 Vantage 89.66 French Country Waterways 84.46 American Queen Steamboat Company 84.10

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

Photograph by Charissa Fay

CRUISE LiNES

RCA

CITIeS REST OF THE WORLD TOP 20 LARGE CITIES

UNITED STATES TOP 1 5 LARGE CITIES

UNITED STATES TOP 1 5 SMALL CITIES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Chicago 88.57 New York 87.54 San Francisco 87.04 Honolulu 86.93 Boston 85.34 Washington, D.C. 85.03 New Orleans 84.92 San Diego 84.07 Seattle 83.24 San Antonio 82.73 Nashville 82.28 Minneapolis 82.28 Pittsburgh 81.76 Denver 81.57 Philadelphia 81.03

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Charleston, S.C. 90.15 Aspen, Colo. 89.77 Greenville, S.C. 89.76 Santa Fe, N.M. 89.40 Laguna Beach, Calif. 89.35 Savannah, Ga. 88.91 Telluride, Colo. 88.46 Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. 88.32 Park City, Utah 86.92 Santa Barbara, Calif. 84.37 Portland, Ore. 84.20 Sedona, Ariz. 84.12 Monterey, Calif. 83.91 Asheville, N.C. 83.73 Newport, R.I. 83.48

Tokyo 91.35 Vienna 89.19 Kyoto 88.98 Barcelona 88.26 Paris 87.86 Sydney 87.72 Madrid 87.55 Vancouver 87.43 Rome 87.15 Munich 87.05 Budapest 86.97 Amsterdam 86.88 Singapore 86.84 Melbourne 86.57 London 86.17 Istanbul 85.90 Bangkok 85.76 Hong Kong 85.76 Cape Town 85.01 Mexico City 84.97

TOP 20 SMALL CITIES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 92.67 Victoria, B.C., Canada 88.91 Florence, Italy 88.75 Bruges, Belgium 88.60 Lucerne, Switzerland 88.02 Salzburg, Austria 87.61 Nuremberg, Germany 87.54 Quebec City, Canada 87.38 Cologne, Germany 86.70 Lisbon, Portugal 86.45 Copenhagen, Denmark 86.39 Edinburgh, Scotland 86.15 Bergen, Norway 86.01 Stockholm, Sweden 85.93 Seville, Spain 85.84 Prague, Czech Republic 85.59 Venice, Italy 85.56 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 85.49 Dublin, Ireland 84.61 Jerusalem, Israel 84.49 P.80

Photograph by Andreas Jakwerth

n º . 2 Large City, Rest of the World: Vienna, Austria.

Barcelona and Lisbon remain wildly popular, but smaller Iberian Peninsula cities like Valladolid, Zaragoza, Málaga, and Porto are on the rise.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

RCA

U NITED STATES

n ยบ . 1 Resort in Mexico (Western): Cuixmala, Costalegre (page 88).

RESORTS

photograph by MATT HR ANEK

RCA

THE MIDWEST TOP 10 10 The Mansion at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, Cape Cod, Mass. 95.10 11 Cliff House Maine, Cape Neddick 94.54 12 Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vt. 94.42 13 Ocean House, Westerly, R.I. 94.41 14 Cape Arundel Inn & Resort, Kennebunkport, Me. 93.73 15 Chatham Bars Inn, Cape Cod, Mass. 93.36 16 Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa, Boothbay Harbor, Me. 92.91 17 Mirbeau Inn & Spa at The Pinehills, Plymouth, Mass. 92.86 18 The Villages at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, Cape Cod, Mass. 92.76 19 The Wauwinet, Nantucket, Mass. 92.56 20 Samoset Resort, Rockport, Me. 92.23 21 The Essex, Burlington, Vt. 92.10 22 Omni Mount Washington Resort, N.H. 91.57 23 Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass. 91.43 24 Woodstock Inn & Resort, Vt. 90.92 25 Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, Whitefield, N.H. 88.18 26 The Equinox (Luxury Collection), Manchester Village, Vt. 87.34 27 Winvian Farm, Litchfield Hills, Conn. 84.82 28 Wentworth by the Sea, New Castle, N.H. 84.67 29 Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn. 83.93 30 Migis Lodge, Sebago Lake, Me. 83.10

NEW YORK STATE & THE MID -ATLANTIC TOP 1 2 1

Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond, St. Michaels, Md. 97.14 2 Lake Placid Lodge, N.Y. 96.94 3 Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid, N.Y. 96.67 4 Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid, N.Y. 96.23 5 The Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley, Pa. 96.02 6 Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pa. 94.14 7 Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, N.Y. 93.43 8 Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort Spa & Marina, Cambridge, Md. 92.50 9 Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, N.Y. 92.11 10 The Sagamore Resort, Lake George, N.Y. 91.73 11 The Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, N.Y. 90.71 12 Omni Bedford Springs Resort, Pa. 89.10

1 2

The American Club, Kohler, Wis. 97.06 Grand View Lodge Golf Resort & Spa, Nisswa, Minn. 96.36 3 Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Mo. 95.58 4 Madden’s on Gull Lake, Brainerd, Minn. 94.32 5 Sundara Inn & Spa, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 94.29 6 West Baden Springs Hotel, Ind. 93.96 7 Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, Wis. 91.70 8 French Lick Springs Hotel, Ind. 91.43 9 Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Mich. 90.55 10 Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island, Mich. 89.66

THE SOUTH TOP 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island, Ga. 98.53 The Swag, Waynesville, N.C. 98.21 Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 97.64 Sanderling Resort, Duck, N.C. 96.84 Tides Inn, Irvington, Va. 96.43 Lansdowne Resort and Spa, Leesburg, Va. 96.11 Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, S.C. 96.01 The Inn & Club at Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 95.96 The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. 95.83 Primland, Meadows of Dan, Va. 95.76 Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, S.C. 95.56 Barnsley Resort, Adairsville, Ga. 94.16 Jekyll Island Club Resort, Ga. 94.09 The Cloister, Sea Island, Ga. 93.52 Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, S.C. 93.25 Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort, S.C. 93.21 Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg, Va. 93.02 Greyfield Inn, Cumberland Island, Ga. 92.86 Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, S.C. 91.76 Boar’s Head Resort, Charlottesville, Va. 91.36 The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. 90.06 Keswick Hall & Golf Club, Va. 89.29 Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, S.C. 87.86 The Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island, S.C. 87.75 The Lodge at Sea Island, Ga. 87.72

26 Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, S.C. 86.43 27 The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, Ga. 86.11 28 Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, Point Clear, Ala. 85.59 29 The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, Ga. 85.31 30 The Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, Va. 84.72

ORLANDO, FLA. TOP 1 5 1 2

Frank Mosley, 84, the official greeter at the storied Greenbrier in West Virginia, has been on the job for nearly 60 years and has taken only three sick days.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate 96.21 Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort 96.02 Loews Royal Paciﬁc Resort at Universal Orlando 95.80 Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 93.35 Waldorf Astoria Orlando 92.11 Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort 90.44 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge 90.24 Reunion Resort & Spa 89.29 Disney’s Beach Club Resort 88.72 Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort 87.97 The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes 87.27 Disney’s Yacht Club Resort 86.93 Disney’s Wilderness Lodge 85.80 Disney’s Contemporary Resort 83.51 JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes 82.23

FLORIDA KEYS TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Playa Largo Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection, Key Largo 96.61 Ocean Key Resort & Spa, Key West 94.80 Pier House Resort & Spa, Key West 94.16 Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key 93.95 The Moorings Village, Islamorada 93.92 Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina, Islamorada 93.62 Parrot Key Hotel & Resort, Key West 93.00 Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key 92.57 Amara Cay Resort, Islamorada 92.20 Sunset Key Cottages, Key West 91.96 Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina 89.89 The Marker Waterfront Resort, Key West 87.50 Cheeca Lodge & Spa, Islamorada 87.45 Southernmost Beach Resort, Key West 83.30 Casa Marina (Waldorf Astoria), Key West 78.53

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

RCA RESORTS

FLORIDA TOP 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Carillon Miami Wellness Resort 97.48 Turnberry Isle Miami 97.06 The Gasparilla Inn & Club, Boca Grande 97.02 Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa 96.49 The Resort at Longboat Key Club 95.96 Lago Mar Beach Resort & Club, Fort Lauderdale 95.83 Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach 95.65 Opal Sands Resort, Clearwater Beach 95.58 One Ocean Resort & Spa, Atlantic Beach 95.58 Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort 95.50 Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach, Sunny Isles Beach 95.37 Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, Amelia Island 95.24 Pelican Grand Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale 94.78 Trump National Doral Miami 94.78 Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa 94.42 LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, Naples 94.34 Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa 94.29 Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina, Fort Myers 94.24 The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami 93.75 JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort 93.21 Boca Beach Club (Waldorf Astoria), Boca Raton 93.13 The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island 92.52 Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort 92.30 Naples Grande Beach Resort 91.96 WaterColor Inn & Resort, Santa Rosa Beach 91.29 Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, Bonita Springs 90.36 The Breakers Palm Beach 90.15 Hammock Beach Resort, Palm Coast 88.64 The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota 88.21 The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood 87.07 The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples 86.09 Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Ponte Vedra Beach 85.71 Boca Raton Resort & Club (Waldorf Astoria) 85.52 The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club 85.45 Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach 81.55

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

n º . 1 Resort in Southern California: L’Horizon Resort & Spa, Palm Springs (page 84).

photograph by DAVE LAUR IDSEN

RCA RESORTS

10 Bernardus Lodge & Spa, Carmel Valley 92.57 11 The Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach 92.41 12 Carneros Resort and Spa, Napa 91.87 13 Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp 90.38 14 The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay 89.47 15 The Lodge at Pebble Beach 83.24

TEXAS & THE SOUTHWEST TOP 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Mii Amo, Sedona, Ariz. 96.43 Fairmont Scottsdale Princess 96.06 Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa 95.60 Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, Paradise Valley, Ariz. 95.52 Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson 95.37 Lake Austin Spa Resort 94.86 Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North 94.23 Vermejo Park Ranch, Raton, N.M. 93.88 Travaasa Austin 93.43 Horseshoe Bay Resort, Texas 93.40 Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, Tucson 93.30 JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa 93.15 Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Ariz. 93.08 Lakeway Resort and Spa, Austin 92.71 The Wigwam, Litchﬁeld Park, Ariz. 92.68 JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa 92.35 Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa, N.M. 92.32 Canyon Ranch in Tucson 92.26 Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. 91.96 Kimpton Amara Resort & Spa, Sedona, Ariz. 91.77 La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio 91.71 Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas 88.89 The Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale 88.79 JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa 88.33 Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia 88.27 Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix 88.17 The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tucson 87.24 JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa 86.68 Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas 86.07 The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, Marana, Ariz. 84.69

COLORADO TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5

The Ranch at Emerald Valley, Colorado Springs 98.57 The Pines Lodge, Beaver Creek 98.14 Dunton Hot Springs, Dolores 97.86 The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Avon 97.14 The Osprey at Beaver Creek 97.14

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Gateway Canyons Resort 96.75 Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge, Telluride 96.75 The Home Ranch, Clark 96.43 The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs 95.42 St. Regis Aspen Resort 95.13 Four Seasons Resort Vail 94.99 Sonnenalp Hotel, Vail 94.81 Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa 91.88 The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain 90.71 The Peaks Resort & Spa, Telluride 89.82

THE WEST TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga, Wyo. 99.44 The Ranch at Rock Creek, Philipsburg, Mont. 99.35 Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, Mont. 98.88 Amangani, Jackson, Wyo. 98.21 The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, Mont. 97.62 Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah 96.10 The Coeur d’Alene Resort, Idaho 95.71 Shore Lodge, McCall, Idaho 95.69 Waldorf Astoria Park City, Utah 95.46 St. Regis Deer Valley, Utah 95.15 Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Wyo. 95.09 Montage Deer Valley, Utah 94.33 Amangiri, Canyon Point, Utah 93.53 Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley, Utah 92.53 Red Mountain Resort, Ivins, Utah 88.27

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Rosewood CordeValle,

San Martin 98.70

Timber Cove Resort, Jenner 97.11 Carmel Valley Ranch 95.93 Solage, An Auberge Resort, Calistoga 95.11 Calistoga Ranch, An Auberge Resort 94.22 Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paso Robles 94.16 Ventana Big Sur, An Alila Resort 93.83 The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe 92.96 Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel, Berkeley 92.80

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOP 25 1 2 3

Your favorite property for food in the U.S.? Would you be surprised if it was in Wyoming? We were. Far from chuckwagon fare, the Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch serves Rocky Mountain lamb and whole, roasted suckling pig.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

L’Horizon Resort & Spa,

Palm Springs 99.42 Cal-a-Vie, Vista 99.23 Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa,

Rancho Santa Fe 98.31 The Lodge at Torrey Pines,

La Jolla 96.90

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa 96.12 Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa, Carlsbad 95.89 San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara 95.76 The Ranch Malibu 95.38 Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa 94.86 The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach 94.53 La Valencia Hotel, La Jolla 94.18 Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes 93.42 Surf & Sand Resort, Laguna Beach 93.27 Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara 92.09 Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego 91.92 Two Bunch Palms, Desert Hot Springs 91.72 Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa 91.20 Parker Palm Springs 90.34 The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage 89.58 The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel 89.13 Paradise Point Resort & Spa, San Diego 88.75 The Oaks at Ojai 88.69 Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad 88.43 Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point 88.07 Hotel del Coronado, San Diego 85.27

ALASKA & THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TOP 10 1 2 3 4 5

Skamania Lodge,

Stevenson, Wash. 95.98 Woodmark Hotel & Still Spa, Kirkland, Wash. 95.60 Salishan Spa & Golf Resort, Gleneden Beach, Ore. 95.46 Brasada Ranch, Powell Butte, Ore. 95.38 Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Ore. 94.58

RCA RESORTS

REST OF THE WORLD

Suncadia Resort,

Cle Elum, Wash. 92.93

Salish Lodge & Spa,

Alyeska Resort,

Snoqualmie, Wash. 92.03

Girdwood, Alaska 91.18 Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, Alaska 84.69 10 Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, Denali State Park, Alaska 84.54

MEXICO (EASTERN) TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5

HAWAII TOP 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island 95.64 Wailea Beach Villas, Maui 95.51 Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina 95.09 Ko’a Kea Hotel & Resort at Po’ipu Beach, Kauai 95.00 Ho’olei at Grand Wailea, Maui 94.64 Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort 94.52 Four Seasons Resort Lanai 93.04 Travaasa Hana, Maui 92.73 The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui 92.69 Honua Kai Resort & Spa, Maui 92.64 Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui 92.29 Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa 91.67 Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Big Island 91.67 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Oahu 91.64 Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele 91.61 Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea 91.32 Grand Wailea (Waldorf Astoria), Maui 90.95 Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa 90.59 Montage Kapalua Bay, Maui 90.42 Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu 89.79 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Big Island 89.60 Kaua’i Marriott Resort 89.43 St. Regis Princeville Resort, Kauai 87.56 Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa, Oahu 87.01 Fairmont Orchid, Big Island 86.10 Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott Maui 86.06 Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Oahu 84.88 Hilton Waikoloa Village, Big Island 84.87 Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa 84.83 Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, Oahu 84.82

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

CANADA TOP 1 2 1

The popularity of spa resorts is on the up, especially those that tap into their local surroundings, like Chablé in Mexico, with its Mayaninflected treatments, and Mountain Trek’s hot springs, which were once enjoyed by Canada’s First Nations peoples.

Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat & Health Spa, Ainsworth Hot Springs, B.C. 96.55 2 Nita Lake Lodge, Whistler, B.C. 96.43 3 Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler, B.C. 95.60 4 Moraine Lake Lodge, Banff, Alberta 92.86 5 Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta 92.71 6 Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, B.C. 92.67 7 Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa, B.C. 92.39 8 Fairmont Chateau Whistler, B.C. 91.29 9 Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside, B.C. 90.67 10 Wickaninnish Inn, Vancouver Island, B.C. 90.36 11 Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta 90.05 12 Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta 89.54

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Chablé Resort & Spa, Yucatán 98.74 Unico 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya 98.39 Nizuc Resort & Spa, Cancún 97.62 Viceroy Riviera Maya 97.20 Azul Beach Resort Sensatori Mexico, Puerto Morelos 96.03 Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya 94.90 Grand Velas Riviera Maya 94.84 Banyan Tree Mayakoba 94.77 Thompson Playa del Carmen 94.52 Rosewood Mayakoba 94.18 Mahekal Beach Resort, Playa del Carmen 93.95 Le Blanc Spa Resort, Cancún 92.35 CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort 91.58 Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraíso, Playa del Carmen 91.29 Iberostar Paraíso Beach, Playa del Carmen 90.60 Beloved Playa Mujeres 90.36 Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya 89.80 Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa 89.29 Fairmont Mayakoba 89.25 The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun 87.57 Moon Palace Cancun 87.50 The Royal Playa del Carmen 87.50 El Dorado Maroma 86.48 Live Aqua Cancun 86.31 Playacar Palace 85.85

n º . 1 Resort in Atlantic Islands: Kamalame Cay, Bahamas (page 88).

Photograph by Danilo Scarpati

RCA RESORTS

MEXICO (WESTERN) TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Cuixmala, Costalegre 99.36 Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués, Acapulco 98.93 Las Alamandas, Costalegre 98.35 Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, An Auberge Resort, Cabo San Lucas 98.21 The Resort at Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas 97.82 Las Ventanas al Paraíso (Rosewood), San José del Cabo 97.77 The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, Cabo San Lucas 97.13 Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita 96.24 Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa, Los Cabos 96.20 Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa, Riviera Nayarit 96.16 Iberostar Playa Mita, Punta de Mita 96.14 Rancho La Puerta, Tecate 96.01 W Punta de Mita 95.78 Esperanza, An Auberge Resort, Cabo San Lucas 95.63 One&Only Palmilla, San José del Cabo 94.57 Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit 94.40 Pueblo Bonito Paciﬁca Golf & Spa Resort, Cabo San Lucas 94.37 Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa, Cabo San Lucas 93.82 Viceroy Zihuatanejo 93.37 Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Resort & Spa, Mazatlán 91.53 Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos Beach Resort 91.47 Las Brisas Acapulco 91.33 St. Regis Punta Mita Resort 91.27 Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort, Cabo San Lucas 91.22 Mar Adentro, San José del Cabo 80.36

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS TOP 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Jumby Bay Island, Antigua 99.49 The Reef by CuisinArt, Anguilla 98.81 Guana Island, British Virgin Islands 98.81 Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa, St. Barts 97.96 Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France 97.86 Kimpton Seaﬁre Resort & Spa, Cayman Islands 97.74 Le Sereno, St. Barts 97.68 Secret Bay, Dominica 97.52 Jade Mountain, St. Lucia 97.45 The BodyHoliday, St. Lucia 97.45 Sanctuary Cap Cana, Dominican Republic 97.43 Cap Maison, St. Lucia 97.32 Rosalie Bay Resort, Dominica 97.14 Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina, British Virgin Islands 96.43 Rockhouse, Jamaica 96.38

16 Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis 96.25 17 Zemi Beach House Hotel & Spa, Anguilla 96.08 18 Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, Dominican Republic 95.98 19 Ladera Resort, St. Lucia 95.76 20 Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Jamaica 95.68 21 Le Guanahani, St. Barts 95.68 22 Malliouhana, Au Auberge Resort, Anguilla 95.39 23 Sugar Beach (A Viceroy Resort), St. Lucia 95.18 24 Jamaica Inn 95.10 25 Palm Island Resort, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 95.09 26 Anse Chastanet Resort, St. Lucia 94.85 27 Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro, Dominican Republic 94.74 28 The Crane, Barbados 94.68 29 St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico 94.42 30 Baoase Luxury Resort, Curaçao 94.30 31 CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa, Anguilla 94.23 32 Sandals LaSource Grenada 93.88 33 Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba 93.87 34 Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico 93.36 35 Curtain Bluﬀ, Antigua 93.27 36 Rosewood Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands 93.15 37 Caneel Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands 93.08 38 Four Seasons Resort Nevis 93.07 39 Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla (formerly Viceroy) 93.03 40 Couples Swept Away, Jamaica 92.62 41 Barceló Bávaro Palace, Dominican Republic 92.52 42 Ti Kaye Resort & Spa, St. Lucia 92.17 43 Round Hill Hotel and Villas, Jamaica 92.15 44 Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis 91.96 45 Galley Bay Resort & Spa, Antigua 91.90 46 Young Island Resort, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 91.75 47 Hôtel Le Toiny, St. Barts 90.99 48 The House, Barbados 89.61 49 Belmond La Samanna, St. Martin 89.29 50 Tortuga Bay at Puntacana Resort & Club, Dominican Republic 89.19 51 The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman 88.52 52 Couples Sans Souci Resort, Jamaica 88.49 53 Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino 88.02 54 The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas 87.88 55 Belle Mont Farm on Kittitian Hill, St. Kitts 87.21

56 W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 87.05 57 Eden Rock—St. Barths 85.71 58 Belmond Cap Juluca, Anguilla 83.93 59 GoldenEye, Jamaica 83.63 60 Peter Island Resort & Spa, British Virgin Islands 82.97

ATLANTIC ISLANDS TOP 20 1 2

It’s encouraging to see old-guard party islands like Mykonos and St. Barts growing up —with chic new hotels opening yearly. We predict that Ibiza will ascend next year in a similarly fabulous fashion.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Kamalame Cay, Bahamas 98.15 French Leave Resort, Autograph Collection, Eleuthera, Bahamas 96.02 The Cove, Eleuthera, Bahamas 95.60 COMO Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos 95.54 One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas 95.12 The Reefs Resort & Club, Bermuda 94.62 West Bay Club, Turks and Caicos 94.35 Gansevoort Turks + Caicos 94.08 The Cove Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas 93.61 Rosewood Tucker’s Point, Bermuda 93.57 Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos 93.37 The Palms Turks and Caicos 92.15 Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas 91.70 The Reef Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas 90.17 Seven Stars Resort & Spa, Turks and Caicos 89.36 Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda 89.29 Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Bermuda 88.24 Amanyara, Turks and Caicos 88.10 The Other Side, Harbour Island, Bahamas 85.00 Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, Bermuda 81.63

CENTRAL AMERICA TOP 1 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Hacienda AltaGracia, An Auberge Resort, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica 97.70 El Silencio Lodge & Spa, Bajos del Toro, Costa Rica 97.62 Westin Playa Bonita Panama 97.39 Nayara Springs, Arenal, Costa Rica 96.90 Nekupe Sporting Resort and Retreat, Nandaime, Nicaragua 96.69 Nayara Resort, Spa & Gardens, Arenal, Costa Rica 96.67 Hotel Punta Islita, Autograph Collection, Guanacaste, Costa Rica 96.43 Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort, Arenal, Costa Rica 96.24 Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa, Guacalito de la Isla, Nicaragua 96.03 P.90

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

RCA RESORTS

10 Matachica Resort & Spa, Ambergris Caye, Belize 95.41 11 Alma del Paciﬁco Beach Hotel & Spa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica 94.86 12 Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica 94.70 13 Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo 91.74 14 Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort, Hopkins Village, Belize 90.71 15 Turtle Inn, Placencia, Belize 88.84

SOUTH AMERICA TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6

Bahia Vik José Ignacio & Playa Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay 99.61 Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa, Easter Island, Chile 98.95 Unique Garden Hotel & Spa, Mairiporã, Brazil 98.76 Viña Vik, Millahue, Chile 98.35 Mashpi Lodge, Pinchincha, Ecuador 98.35 Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica,

Tambopata National Reserve, Peru 98.21

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción,

Tambopata National Reserve, Peru 98.21 Pikaia Lodge, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 97.86

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

The Singular Patagonia, Puerto Bories, Chile 97.86 Awasi, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 97.86 Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, Sacred Valley, Peru 97.86 EcoCamp Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile 97.62 Explora Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile 97.29 Finch Bay Eco Hotel, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 96.99 Explora Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile 96.79 Estancia Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay 96.30 Explora Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 95.54 Explora Valle Sagrado, Sacred Valley, Peru 95.29 Tierra Chiloé Hotel & Spa, Chile 93.45 Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 90.70

EUROPE TOP 30 1 2 3 4 5

Caresse Resort & Spa (Luxury Collection), Bodrum, Turkey 98.81 Santa Marina (Luxury Collection), Mykonos, Greece 98.39 Vedema Resort (Luxury Collection), Santorini, Greece 98.31 The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino, Greece 98.21 Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort, Portugal 98.21

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

n º . 1 Resort in South America: Bahia Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay.

photograph by MATTHIEU SALVAING

RCA RESORTS

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Castello di Casole, Tuscany, Italy 97.86 Blue Palace Resort and Spa (Luxury Collection), Crete, Greece 97.53 Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa, Italy 97.53 Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, Ireland 97.46 Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Going am Wilden Kaiser, Austria 97.38 Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Italy 97.14 Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal 97.09 Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Tuscany, Italy 96.94 Dromoland Castle Hotel & Country Estate, Co. Clare, Ireland 96.82 The Romanos (Luxury Collection), Messinia, Greece 96.73 Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Hampshire, United Kingdom 96.43 Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany 96.43 Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg, Co. Clare, Ireland 96.32 The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, United Kingdom 95.83 Castello Banﬁ—Il Borgo, Tuscany, Italy 95.72 Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, Tuscany, Italy 94.13 Terre Blanche Hôtel Spa Golf Resort, Provence, France 94.05 Schloss Elmau, Krün, Germany 93.69 JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, Italy 93.41 Adare Manor, Co. Limerick, Ireland 92.50 Borgo Egnazia, Puglia, Italy 91.67 Vila Vita Parc, Alporchinhos, Portugal 89.88 Mykonos Blu, Greece 89.29 San Giorgio Mykonos, Greece 89.29 Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, Co. Wicklow, Ireland 88.93

ASIA TOP 50 1

Anantara Hua Hin Resort, Thailand 99.38 2 Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand 99.18 3 Viceroy Bali, Indonesia 99.07 4 Chiva-Som, Hua Hin, Thailand 99.00 5 St. Regis Bali Resort, Indonesia 98.71 6 Banyan Tree Lang Co, Vietnam 98.50 7 The Sarojin, Khao Lak, Thailand 98.39 8 InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Vietnam 98.19 9 El Nido Resorts Pangulasian Island, Philippines 98.07 10 ITC Grand Bharat (Luxury Collection), Gurgaon, India 98.06 11 Angsana Lang Co, Vietnam 98.02 12 Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, Thailand 97.94

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Number of steamy, muddy jungle safari lodges in Uganda and Rwanda that appeared on this list. Seems like gorillas might just be the new Big Five.

13 Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Malaysia 97.92 14 Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, Sri Lanka 97.69 15 The Legian Bali, Indonesia 97.66 16 Alila Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia 97.10 17 Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Thailand 97.05 18 The Sanchaya, Bintan Island, Indonesia 97.00 19 Nihi Sumba Island (formerly Nihiwatu), Indonesia 96.88 20 COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali, Indonesia 96.75 21 Amanpulo, Pamalican Island, Philippines 96.43 22 Phum Baitang, Siem Reap, Cambodia 96.43 23 Alila Ubud, Bali, Indonesia 96.43 24 Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang, Malaysia 96.43 25 Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Nepal 96.43 26 Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia 96.07 27 The Mulia & Mulia Villas, Bali, Indonesia 96.01 28 Katamama, Bali, Indonesia 95.80 29 Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, Chiang Rai, Thailand 95.78 30 COMO Uma Ubud, Bali, Indonesia 95.76 31 COMO Point Yamu, Phuket, Thailand 95.36 32 Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Krabi, Thailand 95.28 33 Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Indonesia 95.09 34 JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Thailand 95.00 35 Amandari, Bali, Indonesia 94.97 36 Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali, Indonesia 94.84 37 Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam 93.96 38 Soﬁtel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia 93.95 39 Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand 93.35 40 Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa, Philippines 93.11 41 Sanctum Inle Resort, Myanmar 92.04 42 Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu, Philippines 91.84 43 Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, Indonesia 90.58 44 Ananda in the Himalayas, Narendra Nagar, India 89.88 45 Alila Diwa Goa, India 89.29 46 Mulia Resort, Bali, Indonesia 89.12 47 Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia 88.84 48 Iniala Beach House, Phuket, Thailand 83.33 49 Amanpuri, Phuket, Thailand 83.21 50 The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia 82.14

INDIAN OCEAN TOP 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Naladhu Private Island Maldives 99.74 Niyama Private Islands Maldives 99.50 One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives 99.29 Four Seasons Resort Seychelles 99.17 Soneva Fushi, Maldives 99.11 Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives 98.81 Velaa Private Island, Maldives 98.38 Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Maldives 97.86 Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa 97.73 COMO Maalifushi, Maldives 97.22 St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort 96.78 Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas 96.72 Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru 96.68 COMO Cocoa Island, The Maldives 96.43 Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives 96.43 Soneva Jani, Maldives 95.76 Anantara Veli Maldives Resort 94.73 Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort 94.20 Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita 93.57 Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 87.14

AFRICA TOP 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Sanctuary Olonana, Masai Mara, Kenya 99.70 andBeyond Matetsi River Lodge,

Matetsi Private Game Reserve, Zimbabwe 99.45 Ulusaba Private Game Reserve,

Sabi Sand, South Africa 99.35 Sanctuary Chief’s Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana 99.29 Shambala Private Game Reserve, Vaalwater, South Africa 99.29 andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas, Tanzania 99.17 Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa 99.11 Bwindi Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda 98.98 andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa 98.94 Royal Malewane, Kruger National Park, South Africa 98.90 andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana 98.81 Royal Chundu Luxury Lodges, Zambezi River, Zambia 98.81 Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda 98.81 andBeyond Benguerra Island, Mozambique 98.69 Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Bushenyi, Uganda 98.57 Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, Clanwilliam, South Africa 98.41 Singita Kruger National Park, South Africa 98.38 Sirikoi Lodge, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya 98.21 Londolozi, Sabi Sand, South Africa 98.19

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

RCA RESORTS

20 Richard’s River Camp, Mara North Conservancy, Kenya 98.18 21 Makanyi Private Game Lodge,

Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa 97.92

22 andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, Tanzania 97.90 23 andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya 97.86 24 Cottar’s 1920’s Safari Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya 97.56 25 Angama Mara, Great Rift Valley, Kenya 97.45 26 Chinzombo, Luangwa Valley, Zambia 97.01 27 Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda 96.70 28 Lion Sands Game Reserve, Sabi Sand, South Africa 96.43 29 Governors’ Camp Collection, Masai Mara, Kenya 96.07 30 Virunga Lodge, Lake Bulera, Rwanda 95.98 31 andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania 95.71 32 Mombo Camp and Little Mombo, Moremi, Botswana 95.00 33 Madikwe Safari Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa 93.57 34 Four Seasons Resort Marrakech, Morocco 93.57 35 The Royal Livingstone Hotel, Zambia 92.70 36 AVANI Victoria Falls Resort, Zambia 91.56 37 Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort, Mozambique 91.33 38 Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech, Morocco 90.26 39 The Palace of the Lost City, Sun City, South Africa 86.43 40 Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma, Mosi-OaTunya National Park, Zambia 84.82

MIDDLE EAST TOP 1 2 1 2

One&Only Royal Mirage,

Dubai, U.A.E. 97.92

Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Liwa Desert, U.A.E. 97.56 3 Alila Jabal Akhdar, Nizwa, Oman 96.64 4 Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman 96.57 5 One&Only The Palm, Dubai, U.A.E. 95.95 6 Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, Nizwa, Oman 95.35 7 Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara, Oman 94.73 8 Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 93.40 9 Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, U.A.E. 91.14 10 Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Resorts, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 90.13 11 Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E. 89.50 12 Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, U.A.E. 86.86

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Resorts in Fiji are gaining ground on the competition in neighboring French Polynesia. Four appear on the list this year—a sign this tiny island nation is prospering following 2016’s Cyclone Winston.

n º . 3 Resort in Middle East: Alila Jabal Akhdar, Nizwa, Oman.

AUSTRALIA & THE SOUTH PACIFIC TOP 20 1 2 3

Malolo Island Resort-Fiji 98.39 Likuliku Lagoon Resort, Fiji 97.77 The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 97.62 4 Namale Resort & Spa, Fiji 97.62 5 Wharekauhau Country Estate, Palliser Bay, New Zealand 97.45 6 The Brando, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia 97.30 7 Qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia 97.14 8 Conrad Bora Bora Nui (formerly Hilton), French Polynesia 97.08 9 Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia 96.77 10 Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia 96.59

Longitude 131°, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia 96.43

12 InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, French Polynesia 95.94 13 St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, French Polynesia 95.13 14 InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa, French Polynesia 94.94 15 Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, French Polynesia 92.86 16 Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji 92.86 17 One&Only Hayman Island, Australia 88.69 18 Soﬁtel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort, French Polynesia 88.10 19 InterContinental Resort Tahiti, French Polynesia 85.94 20 InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort, French Polynesia 85.12

photograph by PAOLA & MUR R AY

RCA

UNITED STATES TOP 10 1 2 3 4 5 6

Hilton Head Island, S.C. 95.01 Maui, Hawaii 88.59 Amelia Island, Fla. 87.44 Nantucket, Mass. 86.85 Oahu, Hawaii 86.77 St. Simons & Little St. Simons Island, Ga. 86.44 7 Kauai, Hawaii 84.89 8 Big Island, Hawaii 84.58 9 Lanai, Hawaii 83.89 10 Mackinac Island, Mich. 82.83

REST OF THE WORLD TOP 30

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

n º . 8 Island in United States: Big Island, Hawaii, and its Kauna’oa (Mauna Kea) Beach.

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Boracay, Philippines 92.47 Cebu & Visayan Islands, Philippines 90.66 Palawan, Philippines 89.89 Mallorca, Spain 87.57 Mykonos, Greece 87.48 Bermuda 87.15 St. Barts 85.81 Turks and Caicos 85.57 Bali, Indonesia 85.36 Cayman Islands 85.04 St. Lucia 84.96 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands 84.85 Crete, Greece 84.67 Sardinia, Italy 84.39 Ibiza, Spain 84.37 Antigua 84.27 Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada 84.22 Isla Mujeres, Mexico 83.96 Barbados 83.83 Capri, Italy 83.73 Fiji 83.69 Moorea, French Polynesia 83.60 Bora Bora, French Polynesia 83.54 British Virgin Islands 83.53 Santorini, Greece 83.51 Mauritius 83.48 Anguilla 83.47 Hvar, Croatia 83.41 Madeira, Portugal 83.38 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 83.17

ISLANDS

Photograph by Caleb Bennett

1 2

RCA

AIR

LiNES PORTS

n º . 1 Airport in Rest of the World: Singapore Changi Airport.

AND

DOMESTIC TOP 5 AIRLINES 1 2 3 4 5

Virgin America 84.60 JetBlue Airways 82.78 Alaska Airlines 82.21 Hawaiian Airlines 80.95 Sun Country Airlines 78.13

REST OF THE WORLD TOP 20 AIRLINES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Air New Zealand 91.51 Qatar Airways 90.21 Singapore Airlines 90.11 Emirates 89.39 Swiss 88.96 Virgin Australia 88.87 Virgin Atlantic 88.84 Asiana Airlines 88.21 Aegean Airlines 87.85 Cathay Paciﬁc 87.21 Korean Air 86.68 Qantas 86.50 ANA (All Nippon Airways) 86.23 Finnair 86.15 Turkish Airlines 86.11 Etihad Airways 84.74 JAL (Japan Airlines) 84.69 EVA Air 83.31 Lufthansa 83.24 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 82.03

DOMESTIC TOP 10 AIRP ORTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Indianapolis (IND) 88.27 Portland (PDX), Ore. 86.97 Long Beach (LGB), Calif. 86.50 Tampa (TPA) 83.58 Hartford (BDL), Conn. 82.35 Savannah/Hilton Head (SAV) 81.58 Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) 81.09 Dallas Love Field (DAL) 78.98 Providence (PVD), R.I. 78.96 Portland (PWM), Me. 78.55

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

Singapore (SIN) 93.06 Seoul Incheon (ICN) 89.31 Dubai (DXB) 89.06 Hong Kong (HKG) 89.04 Doha (DOH) 88.90 Toronto, Billy Bishop (YTZ) 88.23 Zurich (ZRH) 87.36 Helsinki (HEL) 86.33 Mumbai (BOM) 85.60 Tokyo, Haneda (HND) 85.08

For more on this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, check out cntraveler.com/rca.

Photograph by Randy Oktavinus Tawawie

REST OF THE WORLD TOP 10 AIRP ORTS

TEN INTREPID FOODIES EXPLORED THIS MEGAWATT COUNTRY AND FOUND CHOREOGRAPHY IN ITS CHAOTIC CITIES, SERENITY IN ITS RURAL TOWNS, AND BRILLIANTLY SPICED BIRYANIS IN THE UNLIKELIEST PLACES

100

by Skye

McAlpine

photographs by Gentl

and Hyers

India

Full-On

a bustling Mumbai street corner, knee-deep in tiffin boxes, I stand with Alice Waters, owner of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, and photographer Andrea Gentl, mesmerized by a flurry of men in white cotton caps who are stacking the tin boxes onto bikes with military precision. We sidestep awkwardly, trying not to get in their way as they work in busy silence to ensure that each box is delivered to its rightful owner. These are the dabbawalas, the couriers who each day ferry some 200,000 hot lunches to workers across the city from kitchens in the countryside where wives and mothers make food each morning for their loved ones. The scene is arguably not as Instagrammable as many other moments on our trip, with little of the color of the intricately painted murals at the Jaipur City Palace, or the yellow marigolds spilling from hot-pink silk sacks at the flower market. Yet each humble tiffin box (a typical one might include spicy vegetables, dal, rice, yogurt, bread, chutney, and dessert) is, in its way, a deeply moving celebration of culture and tradition—a defiant triumph of the freshly cooked over the fast or convenient. Like the hectic fish market we’ve just come from, hidden away in Mumbai’s naval base, a visit to the dabbawalas is not a standard stop on the itinerary of the naive tourist in India. But we’re traversing the country with David Prior, an anything-but-naive explorer (and contributor to this magazine), who’s test-launching a series of custom-designed trips drawing on his

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unrivaled little black book of contacts and an uncanny instinct for sussing out unique experiences in any locale. He has led us off the well-worn tourist path and brought us to places from Mumbai to Maheshwar in search of something different—a taste of modern-day Indian food culture in all its rich, complex, and enigmatic glory. David gathered an eclectic group of friends for this trip, many of them alums of Chez Panisse (where he worked with Alice for a few years), including winemaker Cristina Salas-Porras Hudson and food writer Fritz Streiff, along with chefs Seen Lippert and Gilbert Pilgram, now of San Francisco’s Zuni Café. Australian environmentalist Judy Stewart and New York photography duo Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers also joined. For all of us, food is a lifelong passion—and for many of us, it is our first experience of India. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that our days played out as a sequence of meals. Or rather, it is the meals that monopolize my recollection of our trip. From the dabbawalas we proceed to Kyani & Co., one of a handful of cafés opened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Parsi settlers—Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran. Improbably little has changed since the restaurant first opened its doors in 1904. The intimate interior is all dusty, faded grandeur, the walls lined with shelves of glass biscuit jars, each labeled in neat cursive with flavors that read like something out of an Enid Blyton children’s book: milk biscuits, banana cheese wafers, badam or coconut jam biscuits. The smell of freshly baked bread that permeates the café is not only sweet relief from the polluted bustle of the city’s streets but intoxicatingly wistful. Huddled around a few wooden tables, we indulge in mugs of milky sweet

Previous spread: Women offering prayers on the ghats of the River Ganges in Varanasi. Opposite: A room in the City Palace of Udaipur.

Boats on the Narmada River in Maheshwar.

“THE BEAUTIFUL INFORMALITY AND CONVIVIALITY OF THE COOKING HERE GOES A LONG WAY TOWARD EXPLAINING THE EXCELLENCE OF OUR MEAL.”

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

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chai tea, biscuits, and soft buttered white bread, and delight in the eccentricity of the vintage signage that adorns the restaurant’s walls: NO LAPTOPS and NO FLATULENCE ALLOWED. It was, however, an unexpectedly good lunch at a working-class thali café that proved the highlight of our time in Mumbai. We would never have found the no-frills spot on the second floor of a cinder-block building—nor thought to eat there—had it not been for our guide that day, the celebrated Mumbai restaurateur and chef Rahul Akerkar. “McDonald’s clean” is how David describes the restaurant as we clamber apprehensively upstairs to a sterile room with Formica tables and strip lighting. At first glance, it certainly has the soullessness of a McDonald’s. But we eat so much and so well (Gujarati thali platters laden with creamy lentils, saffron-scented basmati rice, and bhakri—flatbreads made with sorghum flour and laced with ghee) that when we are done, Alice asks to see the kitchen. There, behind closed doors, we discover a culinary whirlwind: pans of steaming-hot dal and rice; baskets of fresh coriander and red chilies; the overwhelming, deliciously foreign scent of spice; and a gaggle of women clad in saris, sitting on the floor, chatting away and deftly making naan on the boards at their feet. It is unlike restaurant kitchens any of us have ever seen, and the beautiful informality and conviviality of the cooking here goes a long way toward explaining the excellence of our meal.

I had joined the group late, along with Suzanne Goin (chef-owner of the Los Angeles restaurant Lucques) and her husband, David Lentz (chef-owner of the Hungry Cat in Hollywood), at Ahilya Fort, an 18th-century palace set in the 4,000-year-old town of Maheshwar, in Madhya Pradesh. Formerly a private home, Ahilya has operated as a boutique hotel since 2000, a bohemian oasis in a part of India otherwise untouched by tourism. With no other guests staying there, it feels like a relaxed house party. On arrival, we are

whisked off onto the Narmada River in wooden boats by Prince Richard Holkar, the son of the last Maharaja of Indore, who now runs the hotel. As the sun sets, a thousand flickering candles float peacefully on the water. We each place a votive nestled in a leaf holder into the current, adding our wishes to the cluster of glimmering flames. We spend our days at Maheshwar lounging by the secluded pool, strolling through the fort’s shady organic gardens, and exploring the majestic ruins of the nearby abandoned 13th-century city of Mandu. If we travel to escape the mundanity of our own worlds, to experience that elusive magic of elsewhere, then in Maheshwar we find a fairy tale. On our last night at Ahilya, we dress for a banquet—the men in red turbans and women in rainbow-hued silk saris, each beautifully woven by women in a nearby cooperative we visited that morning. Standing in the palace’s turret at sunset, Judy, Cristina, and I, in blushing pink, deepest black, and ice blue, are princesses in a tower, if only for a night. Dinner is served at a long, lantern-lit table in the fort’s garden, the hum of cicadas trilling in the background. Our guide, Sameer, talks us through the plentiful and unfamiliar flavors on the thali plates in front of us, and he regales us with stories of his own family’s kitchen. His mother, he insists, makes an even better curry—in fact, she makes the best curry. We observe that the kitchen at Ahilya, like the one at the lunch joint in Mumbai, is

From left: Overlooking the blue city of Jodhpur from the Amber Fort; a village girl in Mandu; a thali at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, a Gujarati vegetarian restaurant in Mumbai; the author exploring the ruins of Mandu.

utterly basic. And yet out of it comes dish upon dish of exquisite beauty: duck in pomegranate sauce, jackfruit biryani, banana in smoked yogurt, tomato curry, many varieties of naan and chapati, still warm to the touch. Our various meals in India have excited us with the possibilities of new spices and preparations. At the same time, the food tradition’s emphasis on family and history, as well as its seeming contradictions—deriving complex ﬂavors from elemental ingredients, eating with your hands in even the ﬁnest settings—is a useful reminder to us all of what we have long believed in: the value of simplicity and humility in cooking.

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Precious stones at the Gem Palace, Jaipur. Opposite: Lakshmi, a rescued elephant at Dera Amer, outside Jaipur.

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“IN INDIA, DEATH, LIFE, AND THE NEXT MEAL GO HAND IN HAND.”

Varanasi, where we fly next, is another ancient river town, on the banks of the Ganges in the north of India. But whereas Maheshwar is dreamy, Varanasi electrifies. Open pyres burn along the waterside, their bright flames dancing in the air with all the drama of a scene from Game of Thrones. It is here, the holiest place in India, that the Hindus burn their dead; and, as tradition dictates, it is here that many come to die, believing that death on the Ganges will free their souls from the bonds of reincarnation. Yet life—vibrant and raw—is what most defines Varanasi: the children playing cricket along the ghats; the boisterous monkeys who unashamedly steal into your bedroom should you leave the window open; the cows and the stray dogs that amble through the streets; the heaving crowds; the busy shopkeepers; and the saffron-robed priests who congregate along the water’s edge, washing, praying, and selling their blessings under the shade of faded umbrellas.

From left: Early morning bathing off the ghats in Varanasi; dyeing threads in Jodhpur; antique spice tins in the kitchen at the Ahilya Fort, Maheshwar.

On our last afternoon, a small group of us take a boat to the burning ghats. We moor a few feet away from the pyres—no cameras, no iPhones, just us and the ﬁre. As we watch, a gaggle of men carry a body, laid out on a bamboo stretcher and bound in ceremonial yards of brightly colored silks, and set it onto the ﬂames. I’ve never been so physically close to death. “At the end of the day,” our guide tells us, “the locals take the embers from the pyre and use them to cook their chapatis.” In India, death, life, and the next meal go hand in hand.

Condé Nast Traveler / 11.17

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HOW THEY DID IT

The group traveled with David Prior, who has just started rolling out a series of bespoke Indian travel experiences for the wider public under the banner of Prior (priorknowledgetravel.com). Next year, there will be trips to India, Spain, Ireland, and Japan, as well as a membership component that, besides giving members first dibs on trips, will get them entrée to hard-to-book hotels and restaurants. At a time when access and experience have become the new luxuries, David’s instinct for finding what’s truly special in a place (he’s given us tips on everything from the best nightclub in Berlin to the most private cove in which to moor a boat in Sydney Harbor) and his vast network of contacts that includes princes and fishermen make him exactly who you want to be traveling with. Here are a few highlights from his inaugural tour. T H E E D I T O R S

AGRA Easing into India Most visits to this tourist hub begin and end with the Taj Mahal, but before joining the crowds there, David took the group to see Itmad-udDaulah, a 17th-century white-marble mausoleum known as the “Baby Taj.” That evening there was a visit to the 16th-century Mehtab Bagh (Farsi for “moonlight garden”), where the group’s ﬁrst glimpse of the Taj was at sunset from across the Yamuna River.

JODHPUR The Cultural Deep Dive After a private tour of the Mehrangarh Fort, the travelers exited through the lesser-known back gate and went on a walking tour of the oldest part of the city, winding their way through its warren of markets. They stopped for chai and picked up hard-toﬁnd spices like black cardamom. On another day, they saw the twirling Rajasthani sword dancers perform at the World Sacred Spirit Festival,

Opposite: The Amber Fort, Jaipur.

the leading Suﬁ cultural event, then a private concert from the Mirasi boy singers, the keepers of the region’s oral-storytelling tradition.

MUMBAI A Crash Course in City Life Day one started at dawn at the historic Crawford Market as wriggling ﬁshnets from the Indian Ocean were hauled onto the stone dock, followed by traditional Iranian sweets at Kyani & Co., a 1904 café and a rare window onto old Bombay. Next, they headed to Churchgate Station to see dabbawalas deliver thousands of tiffin boxes of homemade lunches— a frenetic scene that epitomizes the organized chaos of India. Lunch was at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, a working man’s canteen deep in Mumbai’s labyrinthine backstreets where barefoot waiters served brilliantly nuanced curries (lunch—at $2 per person—was unanimously voted the meal of the trip, and, for some, their best in years). The day concluded on the balcony of the Peacock Suite at the Taj Jai Mahal Palace hotel, as they watched boats bobbing in the harbor, margaritas in hand (no small feat to drum up tequila during a religious festival–mandated dry period).

MAHESHWAR Low-Key and Local David rented out the entire Ahilya Fort, a centuries-old citadel turned hotel overlooking the holy Narmada River. The stay in this temple town in the rural state of Madhya Pradesh (it’s not uncommon to see caravans of camels and shepherds in bright-red turbans herding sheep) took on the feel of a four-day retreat. Meals were prepared using organic produce from the fort’s garden. One evening, guests took a boat to the Baneshwar temple; they left at sunset to discover that David had arranged for 1,000 candles to be ﬂoated down the river. Another day, the women in the group visited Rehwa Society, a nonproﬁt that helps locals earn an income weaving and selling exquisite Maheshwari gossamer saris—each guest had a bespoke one made. The next day, they checked out Mandu, an immense Mughal city abandoned 400 years ago, a sort of Indian Angkor Wat.

JAIPUR Artisanal and Over-the-Top The entire group toured the Royal Family’s quarters in the city palace, then some went on targeted shopping expeditions (vintage copper utensils, Rajasthani miniature art), while others had appointments with tailors or Siddharth Kasliwal, scion of Gem Palace. There was a candlelit dinner in a palepink tent at the Suján Rajmahal Palace as peacocks strutted along the lawn; a private lunch hosted by Barbara Miolini of the beloved Bar Palladio Jaipur; a sunrise visit to the ﬂower market with its endless bundles of marigolds, roses, and tuberoses; and a stop at the milk market, where dairy farmers sell their yield in giant pails. Another dinner was arranged in the wilderness outside of the city, at Dera Amer, where rescued elephants roamed and guests like Gilbert Pilgram and Alice Waters (who pioneered wood-ﬁre oven cooking in the States) worked the tandoor.

VARANASI Spiritual Immersion David timed the February visit to India’s holiest city—where Hindu pilgrims come to wash away their sins in the Ganges and cremate their dead—to coincide with Maha Shivratri, the festival of Shiva. The guests arrived and walked through the city as wrapped bodies were being carried through the streets. They then boarded a boat and were transported to the Brijrama Palace, a maharaja’s home recently converted into a hotel. Over the next few days, faculty members from the local university led the travelers around the city, explaining Varanasi’s deep relationship with life and death by taking them to observe different pilgrim rituals and to view the burning pyres. One night, a special Sattvic dinner was arranged, each dish meticulously prepared according to Ayurvedic principles.

UDAIPUR A Calm Retreat The travelers based themselves at the Taj Lake Palace on the tiny island of Jag Niwas, in Lake Pichola. (Built from white marble, it looks like a floating castle.) They visited less-touristed Hindu temples Sas-Bahu in Nagda and Eklingji, and, the next morning, toured the wildly ornate City Palace before stopping to see a performance of Jal Sanjhvi, a religious ritual in which artists paint on water, layering colored powder to create fleeting images. There was an afternoon cooking class taught by a local woman, who went deep into the principles and flavors of Indian cuisine before this illustrious culinary team cooked a meal together.

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it takes

photographs by

PA R I DUKOV IC

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it’s midnight in Buenos Aires when the couple climb the dark stairs, she in a dress that flares like a flower, he in jeans and a white shirt. They find themselves in a dim, vaulted room, a former silo turned milonga, or tango club, known as La Catedral. They kiss and set off in opposite directions. A new song begins: voluptuous bandoneon, melancholy violin. Couples glide across the parquet floor, the women swiveling on the balls of their feet in strappy tango heels, ankles flicking around their partners’ legs. Sipping her wine at one of the small tables, the wife sees her husband make eye contact with a woman in a red sequin dress. She waits until she herself gets a look, returns it, and soon she and her husband are crossing each other on the dance floor, their temples pressed against a stranger’s. Meanwhile, a young blond woman sits at another table, alone. She’s an agile dancer, she gets plenty of invitations, but she waits patiently for the man she deems the best tango dancer in the city to arrive. Tango is all about flirting with the forbidden. Born in the late 1880s among urbanized gauchos in houses of ill repute at the edges of Buenos Aires, tango, like jazz, is a fusion of elements: the jerky, athletic contortions of the candombe, a dance developed by enslaved Africans; European imports such as the polka and mazurka; and the Cuban-Spanish rhythm habanera. Once considered an oversexualized, low-life dance, tango was initially rejected by Argentinian society, until the rich kids, who also frequented the casas malas, brought it to Paris, Vienna, and St. Petersburg, where it became all the rage before World War I, provoking the Argentinian elite to reclaim it. Led by Carlos Gardel, the singer “with the tear in his throat,” its popularity peaked in mid-century, only to be revived more recently with innovations like electronic tango and queer tango, inspiring young people to flood back to the dance. At one recent tango matinee, two women with their hands on each other’s sacrum floated across the room, the younger one, in jean shorts and tango shoes, with a tattoo of a butterfly on her back, taking the lead; the other, in black high-tops, striding swiftly backward. But the music is not only played at the 30-plus balls that thrum into the early morning on any given day. It permeates the city’s cafés and bars and any taxi you step into. A tango, it is said, is a Greek tragedy in three minutes. The lyrics tell stories of nostalgia, sweet and bitter. A man has been wounded by a woman, once a simple girl who lived in a boarding house but has gone on to embrace a life of luxury in the arms of many suitors. The Argentine exiled in Paris longs for his beloved Buenos Aires—the street corner, the general store. “To study tango is to study the vicissitudes of the Argentine soul,” Jorge Luis Borges wrote. With their Italian roots, Argentines have inherited a taste for intensity and drama, though standing outside the European tradition has given them a playfully transgressive edge. According to the tango dancer and choreographer known as El Pulpo, “Tango is not just about sadness, it’s about the pleasure of being sad.” Finally, at three in the morning, the dancer whom the pretty blond has

waited for all night makes his entrance at La Catedral. He’s 70 years old, short, balding, a bit portly, but none of that makes any difference in tango. The more experienced two dancers become, the more they can say to each other, as with a foreign language. You start with stock phrases, you understand the literal meanings of the words, then the more you know, the subtler the communication gets. The music begins: “First you learn to suffer / Then to love, then to leave, / And ﬁnally to walk without thinking.” The so-called tango face that professional dancers don for performances is all ﬁery gazes and brooding mouths. But as the blond woman is spun around the room, her eyes remain closed above a serene smile. M A X I N E S WA N N

Previous spread: A couple at the annual Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango competition. Above: An orchestra playing at Esquina Homero Manzi tango venue.

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Opposite: The Art Deco entrance of Tango PorteĂąo, which used to be an MGM theater. This page: Shoes of a male dancer, photographed backstage at the club.

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The original score for “Adiós Nonino” (Farewell, Granddad), by Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla, written in 1959. Opposite: Dancers getting ready at El Viejo Almacén, one of the oldest clubs still operating in Buenos Aires.

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DOWN SHIFTING

Alex Postman Morrell

photographs by Martin

LEARNING TO LEAN IN TO THE CURVES AND, YES, CLICHÃ&#x2030;S OF A WINEFUELED ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE

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‘PREGO’ An aproned waiter stands over your shoulder, impatience tightening his smile. You are sitting with your friend Kara on the terrace of the Osteria del Teatro, in Cortona, Tuscany, a yellow stucco house on a curved cobblestoned street. Now and then, map-toting tourists emerge in pairs or small groups, sometimes arguing over their location. The waiter explains that cipolla dorata al cartoccio is an onion cooked at a low temperature in a “cartouche.” You look at Kara, who shrugs and nods. You also order zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and the duck with fennel tagliolini, though not the full Italian coursing. You need to get to the next town by mid-afternoon. In planning your six-day journey from Tuscany to Piedmont, you knew there’d be echoes of that well-worn genre, the buddy road trip. The fact that you’d be stopping in vineyards along the way brought expected jokes from friends about reprising Sideways, though your route owes more to The Trip to Italy. On top of which, you’re sitting in the exact medieval hill town that Frances Mayes put on the map with Under the Tuscan Sun (and where the Diane Lane movie was filmed), ushering in herds of middle-aged women seeking romantically crumbling villas and self-fulfillment. Now that you’re here, you feel a bit embarrassed that your crash course on the Italian

Previous spread, from left: The road along the Ligurian coast; a view from Montalcino, Tuscany. Opposite: The beach at Punta Ala, in Maremma.

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countryside relies on so many cultural clichés and beaten paths. You’re a travel editor; any pretense of discovery has vanished with the crowd of sweat-suited Americans entering the church you were going to visit after lunch. How on earth will you blink away so many familiar images to see this place with fresh eyes? Italy, you acknowledge, can sometimes feel like a chord of music you hear resolving four beats before it actually does. And yet you wrestle with the voice of the novelty-chasing snob for only so long before the honeyed, terra-cotta glow of the buildings in the piazza stirs an urge to sit and watch the early September sunlight melt down their facades. The sound of church bells and the clatter of feet on cobblestones, even the foreign purr of a diesel engine, calm your synapses. At the table, your dish arrives, a large onion encased in cellophane cinched with a red string. A waitress, not the man who took your order but a woman who meets your surprised look with a laugh, unties it and folds back the plastic so the sweet juices can run out, then nods at you as you peel back the skin with a knife and slice the tender layers. Right, you think. The journey is the point. Kara is your friend from a previous publishing job—you were “work wives”—and now that you’re at different companies on opposite coasts, you miss the easy camaraderie. She is also, flat out, one of the most capable people you know, time and again taking charge when projects threatened to go off the rails. In that peculiar dynamic of the office, you each revealed intimate details of your lives without ever once setting foot in the other’s home. Aside from the fact that Kara knows a lot about wine (she once dated an importer), you had a feeling she’d make an ideal travel companion, which bore out on the very first day, after you took the wheel of the tiny black Lancia rental and nearly fried the gears shifting up the Tuscan switchbacks, prompting Kara to gently (but firmly) relieve you of driving duty. “This thing corners like it’s on rails!” she shouted, banking around another turn. You’ve hit enough of these Tuscan hill towns in two days that you find yourself making snap judgments about their appeal. Montalcino feels museumlike, with polished storefronts hawking Brunellos and neat rows of pecorino, whereas Pienza has an ineffable charm—maybe it’s the shop selling modern versions of the linen tablecloths you see everywhere, or the two young Italian mothers sipping wine over a long lunch while dandling their toddlers on their knees. Similarly, the sheer number of churches in these towns is overwhelming, and you wander in and out of them—some decked out with Renaissance oil paintings and stained glass, others containing little more than humble wood ceilings and a cross—in a Goldilocks search for the just-right vibe. The things that grab you also surprise you. After visiting

Clockwise from top left: A ﬁshmonger in Portoﬁno; a house in Barolo; a bar at Punta Ala; one of the tiny Fiat cars that zip around the Tuscan hills.

the Basilica of Santa Margherita in Cortona, in which the body of the 13thcentury saint is laid out on a red satin pillow, you walk downhill past the tiny 15th-century church of San Niccolò, behind a grassy courtyard. Intending to skip it, you are practically pulled inside by a brown mutt that runs over to greet you. The room is a dusky blue box with a squat side door bored through with wormholes and sized for a child. On the cloth-covered altar sit two cloudy crystal holy water pitchers hand-painted in gold trim, beside which lies a crumpled linen napkin, looking as if it had been dropped by a priest called away in a hurry. You find you can’t take your eyes off it. You are staying down the hill at the Villa Loggio, a peach-hued estate where statues of classically draped women bake in the sun and a gleaming oval pool overlooks a valley of vineyards. It is run by Sara Ensing and Fidelis Süttmann, young German siblings living the Tuscany Plan B fantasy— or, rather, expanding on the fantasy of Sara’s ex-husband, with whom she originally acquired the property and vineyards. Sara, a tall blond whose heels and dress convey a resolute professionalism in spite of her rustic surroundings, runs the inn with the help of her housekeeper, who now works in the kitchen turning out hearty regional home cooking. You sit outside for a dinner of figs, pecorino, and prosciutto, with a glass of their fruity viognier blend, then pasta with wild boar sauce and bistecca from the region’s white Chianina cows, washed down with a meaty syrah. The siblings talk about winemaking. It’s been a hot and dry summer; now it’s harvest time, and three of their workers have quit. “Wine is all about expectation,” Sara says, and while you know she’s referring to how its quality is judged, the larger implication hangs in the air. To find the legendary Super Tuscans, those Bordeaux-like blends that put the region on the global wine map in the 1980s, you have to drive west to coastal Tuscany, or Maremma. Though you have traveled only an hour from Montalcino, it feels like you have entered another country as the landscape changes from dusty red hills to lush fields with bursts of palmettos. You stop for a swim and a grilled seafood lunch at Punta Ala, a beach resort town empty but for a few Italian families with little kids; summer’s end is evident in the dozens of empty chaises lined up like soldiers at attention. You reluctantly press on another hour to the Bolgheri region, home to the great wine houses of Sassicaia and Ornellaia. The day’s driving is starting to wear on you, so you stop again for a coffee, in the hill town of Castagneto Carducci. In its small piazza, which you approach via ascending circles like an Escher drawing, the town seems to be holding its breath. Out of sight, a car door slams; an orange cat slinks behind a pot of geraniums. You are grateful for these moments of vivid singularity. Next to the small café, a window display with a half-stitched men’s suit catches your eye. You enter and a stocky man at a sewing machine offers greetings in a cluttered room lined with vintage cabinetry, bolts of fabric, and yellowed tailoring patterns. He introduces himself as Florin Cristea and explains that the shop opened in 1911. A Romanian immigrant, he trained in Florence and worked for the original owner’s nephew, who left him the business. Cristea proudly shows off a dark-green moleskin hunting jacket he’d sewn, with a pouch on the back to carry a rabbit or pheasant. “But don’t use anymore for this, it’s just for fashion now,” he says. A student comes to help him, he says, but there’s a law that requires paying apprentices. “In Italy it’s so difficult,” he says, shaking his head. “These kinds of traditions are dying out because they don’t give them the right medicine to keep it. Which is freedom.”

Down the hill at Ornellaia, you ﬁnd that tradition is thriving. Founded in 1981, the 100-odd hectares are owned by a noble Florentine family, the Frescobaldis, who’ve been making wine since the 14th century. The rules to attain a Bolgheri DOC label are strict, as the grapes must be mainly a mix of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, or merlot, with no more than 30 percent coming from other native vines. Every year, Ornellaia’s winemakers play with the formula to arrive at their new vintage, which they release after three years. All of this is relayed with polished authority during a tour of the property’s glass-walled production center and then in a villa-style tasting room by Irene, a young guide in black pencil pants and blouse. You taste three 2014 vintages, from an entry-level wine to a reserve, the three of you swirling and sniffing and sipping and warming your throats with the full-bodied ﬂavor of sun-ripened fruit. You are sated and sleepy, and now face a 20-minute drive to the B&B. You pull over in the next town to rub your temples, cursing the distances that seemed so close on the map.

A After three days in the Lancia—which Kara dubs “the Nugget”—you have found your rhythm and your roles: driver and navigator; shouter at reckless speeders and placatory. Also, your back and legs ache, like you’ve been on bed rest. As Kara negotiates the terrifyingly twisty roads of the Ligurian coast, you both consider the unlikelihood of your friendship: You are married with three kids, Kara is single. Given the tribal cliquishness of demographics, some friendships don’t deepen. Yet workplaces can be equalizers, stripping the usual signiﬁers from our identities; a road trip—which requires a division of labor, organization, and patience— turns out to be oddly similar.

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For days, you were outrunning the shadow of cinematic cliché on your adventure; in Portofino, you pretty much surrender, as you step into a Rock Hudson/Gina Lollobrigida fantasia. Pink and yellow villas surrounded by bushy palms dot the steep hillside and overlook a small harbor filled with luxury boutiques and superyachts. The Belmond Hotel Splendido, the clifftop former monastery where you’re staying, feeds the effect with its old-world reception area and a white-haired bartender of 47 years named Antonio, who mixes bellinis for men in gold-buttoned jackets and sockless loafers, with women in bandage dresses carrying glossy shopping bags. At the base of the ascent to the Splendido, a tiny, comma-shaped man with corn-silk white hair beckons to you both. He’s dressed in white, down to the suspenders and Crocs. He invites you into his home, and because you are on a road trip and open to serendipity, you go. The walls are hung with watercolors of two-masted schooners, yachts, and seascapes, many of them painted on maps. Tables are piled with framed and loose artworks; a vintage Louis Vuitton case stands open so visitors can rifle through the paintings. The artist’s name is Corrado Cohen Luria; he was an exporter in Milan but retired to Portofino 20 years ago to sail and paint. The maps are old nautical charts on which you can still see pencil marks. Cohen Luria’s studio looks out onto the harbor, which he’s sketching with a chunk of charcoal. He still sails, he says, but only with his sons. One shelf holds a cluster of trophies from regattas “and also some waterskiing from when I was a boy.” Looking to get away from the crowds and Ferraris, the next morning you hire a water taxi to visit a nearby beach. As the boat pulls out of the harbor, the captain, cigarette in hand, points out Dolce and Gabbana’s blue-shuttered stone house. The small cove of San Fruttuoso’s five restaurants can be reached only by water— the best, the captain says, is Da Giorgio, but it’s “closed because the daddy died yesterday— infarcto,” at which he pounds his chest with his fist. You eat at Da Giovanni, overlooking the beach. There is grilled scampi and steamed mussels and a caprese with pillowy slices of mozzarella, and you wash it all down with a local vermentino. It tastes entirely of its place: crisp and light as it scrubs the salty seafood from your lips.

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Y You are grateful, as the Nugget chugs into Piedmont, for the scenery change. Compared to Tuscany, the weather is gloomier and the hills have an austere geometry, each one topped by a stone castle above ribbons of vineyards. Langhe, about an hour south of Turin, is the land of Barolo, that grandest of Italian reds made from nebbiolo grapes, which droop from their hangman scaffolding. The castle at Serralunga d’Alba sets the tone—the 14th-century fortress once fended off invaders with a drawbridge over a pit of sharp lances and windows through which boiling urine was poured onto enemies. The hill towns are empty, with narrow streets of béarnaise-colored buildings and Alpine-style clock towers. You visit Poderi Gianni Gagliardo in La Morra, one of the region’s older winemakers. Gagliardo himself, an avuncular man in a Polo shirt, tours you through his spartan cellars. He explains that because of the way land is divided among heirs, the wineries in this region tend to be a patchwork of smallish plots. This is long-game winemaking—aged 18 months in the barrel, then in bottles for a total of 36 months, it is designed to be drunk at least a decade later. In a small tasting room, you try nebbiolos and young Barolos; the dark and spicy flavors and sharp tannins conjure cool weather and braised meat. You wonder about the taste of a mature Barolo, the way it’s meant to be drunk. Without entirely meaning to, you pipe up. Kara shoots you a look that says, That’s a $250 bottle of wine. Gagliardo considers your challenge, then softens and sends his sommelier to fetch a bottle. She returns with a 2005 Reserve, which smells like freshly cut wood and tastes faintly of blackberries. If wine is about expectation, this exceeds it. Kara, at least, looks happy. In Piedmont you have, finally, the first truly epic meal of the trip, at Trattoria della Posta. If the homey yet elegant farmhouse restaurant—with its terra-cotta floors and white tablecloths with crocheted doilies—looks familiar, it should: It has appeared in film. But as you and Kara have established, avoiding the expected isn’t always the smart move. When you arrive, a heavyset nonna in a navy dress is sitting in the front hall. You have a chopped veal tartare, thinly ribboned tajarin pasta with veal ragout, and braised rabbit—along with a bottle of young nebbiolo from a couple of towns over. “Is it good?” the waiter asks each time he comes over. You notice the shoulders on his wiry frame pulled back in a dancer’s posture. The elderly Italian couple next to you is celebrating a birthday. You don’t say much, and neither does Kara, which feels comfortable now after six days, the way the best friendships cross a line at some point into wordless ease. You think about how this is what you’d come for—and how you might have missed it if you’d been more clever in your planning. So what if it’s just the way you imagined it?

The castle-topped hill town of Serralunga d’Alba, in Piedmont.

Map by Peter Oumanski

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE DESTINATION

area has many small 3- and 4-star hotels. This is your base for visiting the wine house of Ornellaia for lush Super Tuscans, by appointment Monday to Friday.

Liguria

Planning Your Route We ﬂew into Rome and out of Turin, but you could just as easily (if more expensively) ﬂy into Florence or Pisa and rent a car at the airport. Along the way, we decided to skip the cities (Siena, Pisa, Genoa) in favor of hopping—perhaps too ambitiously— between small towns. Tuscany and Liguria can get extremely crowded in July and August, so spring and fall are your best bets.

Southern Tuscany Many of the medieval hill towns in the Val di Chiana (Cortona) and Val d’Orcia (Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino) are 20 to 40 minutes apart by car. While that may not seem like much, negotiating the narrow, winding roads and aggressive Italian drivers, especially at night and after some wine, can be stressful. We started outside Cortona at Villa Loggio, the nine-room, Germanowned vineyard-hotel in a Tuscan estate with minimalist, white-slipcovered interiors (they also run a small tasting room). Then we moved west to La Bandita Townhouse, a chic boutique property in the perfectly preserved Renaissance town of Pienza (between Montalcino and Montepulciano), with an openkitchen restaurant and a convivial common room ﬁlled with vinyl records, books, and an honor bar. While in the area, detour to the hot springs at Bagno Vignoni; an unmarked dirt road one kilometer outside of town takes you to a cluster of mineral pools where you can steep while overlooking a

lush valley. Around Montepulciano there are several producers serving the region’s namesake wine; we stopped at Icario, a loftlike, art-ﬁlled space, to taste its sangiovesebased reds. Any number of local trattorias serve Tuscan classics like bistecca ﬁorentina and pici with wild boar sauce, but you’ll be well fed at the nostalgically rustic Osteria del Teatro in Cortona, or Locanda al Pozzo Antico, off the plaza, for tasty home-style cooking. Sette di Vino in Pienza (try the spectacular whitebean soup) has tables in a tiny piazza; in Montalcino, Drogheria Franci does a delicious risotto with pumpkin or local white truffles, and Locanda Demetra is an old cowshed turned cooking school/ restaurant that uses produce grown on property.

Coastal Tuscany/Maremma Driving from Montalcino, you’ll know you’re near the sea when the landscape turns quasi-tropical. At the tip of a peninsula, Punta Ala has a boat-dotted harbor and several largely indistinguishable beach clubs that, for 30 to 60 euros, will let you rent a chair and towel for the day. From there, head north an hour to the medieval hamlet of Bolgheri, approached via the stately cypresslined avenue that runs right into the fairy-tale-turreted Bolgheri Castle. Inside the town’s walls you’ll ﬁnd cafés and chic shops like Acqua di Bolgheri, also a fragrance made from regional botanicals, and Villa Toscana, which carries a smart selection of cashmere and handicrafts, like olive-wood cutting boards. The store owner runs the charming antiques-and-toile-ﬁlled B&B where we stayed in nearby Bibbona, La Locanda di Villa Toscana, though the

Portoﬁno is nearly three hours from Bolgheri, so we broke up the drive with a stop in Lucca, a gorgeously and historically layered, walled city with a pedestrian-only center ideal for exploring the old Roman amphitheater (now a café-lined piazza) and a multitude of churches and shops, as well as the house museum of Giacomo Puccini, whose Steinway is on display. The coastal drive into Portoﬁno is hair-raising, with narrow, twisting roads that require skillful coordination with oncoming traffic. The dreamy Belmond Hotel Splendido is on a steep hill overlooking the harbor—the outdoor dining room has a staggeringly good view. Once there, you can ditch your car for the hotel’s shuttle. We had excellent fritto misto at Ö Magazín by the harbor; Puny is ideal for people (and boat) watching. Don’t miss the nightly show back up at the Splendido, when Vladimiro the pianist (and sometimes Antonio the bartender) gets the crowds singing and dancing past midnight. For the 30-minute trip to San Fruttuoso for lunch and a swim, we rented a water taxi from Giorgio Mussini for 150 euros an hour.

Piedmont To manage the nearly three-hour trip north to the Langhe region of Barolos and barbarescos, consider a pit stop in Ovada, whose old center is a model of colorful Genoa-republic architecture, and Acqui Terme, a sulfur hot springs town with a Gothic cathedral. Or, if you’re pressed for time, take the autostrade directly to Serralunga d’Alba, a mountain town topped by a 14th-century unfurnished castle with a chilling “well of torture” (at one time, a pit ﬁlled with swords) and a stunning view overlooking valleys of vineyards. From the summit you can see the nearby hill town of Castiglione Falletto; a little farther out is Grinzane Cavour, with an engaging castle museum of winemaking plus an in-demand enoteca. There are a number of small properties and B&Bs in the area, but the 18th-century Hotel Villa Beccaris in Monforte d’Alba stands out for its pool and private park. We had our most memorable meal at the familyowned Trattoria della Posta (you’ll need to book a reservation, through info@trattoriadellaposta.it); as an aperitivo, try the pink sparkling wine from Parusso, made from nebbiolo grapes. Also worthwhile is La Cantinetta in Barolo, which serves an excellent panna cotta. Poderi Gianni Gagliardo in La Morra runs a one-table dining room in a converted farmhouse that can be booked for simple or multicourse meals, accompanied by tastings of the producer’s elegant nebbiolos and Barolos.

For Help Getting It Done

Opposite, clockwise from top left: A wine shop in Lucca; a courtyard in Castagneto Carducci; an entryway in Portoﬁno.

We traveled with an assist from Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours, a 31year-old, Salisbury, England–based company that maintains a deep network of wine producers and unique properties throughout Italy (and beyond); they’ll arrange cellar visits and activities that include truffle hunting and cooking classes. A . P.

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ON ISLA HOLBOX, ONDINE COHANE FINDS A BEACH SO PERFECT IT MAY NOT STAY THAT WAY FOR LONG

photographs by Adrian

Morris

B Before I get into what makes this sleepy, lost-in-time island off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula so special, I should acknowledge what a certain set of Instagrammers, wannabe marketers, and editors on the hunt for a headline have been saying: Holbox is the Next Tulum. There’s a seductive ease to the comparison, particularly for a travel writer like me looking to quickly telegraph the vibe of this place, where silver-gray pelicans sit on weathered wooden poles poking up from aqua-blue water, a faded-red fishing boat slowly hums through the gentle waves, and a Mexican yogi returns from her daily asana class with a bicycle basket full of tropical blooms. But the parallels for Tulum pretty much end there: The island doesn’t have Mayan ruins a short drive away. It’s not overrun by boho-chic fashion types from New York and Los Angeles. It hasn’t had a Noma pop-up, a hotel pop-up, a celebrity boot camp pop-up, or any kind of pop-up, really. There’s basically nothing to do. And that’s exactly what I like about it. Less than three hours from the insanity of Cancún—its all-inclusives, its two-for-one margs, its traffic, and its golf courses—Holbox is about as sleepy a spot as one can find nowadays, just a nature preserve, a stretch of beach, and a single small town, also called Holbox, that feels completely out of time. The question on everyone’s lips, though, is whether the island can hold on to what makes it unlike anything else. Centuries ago, the area was a hideaway for pirates in search of fresh water. It later became an island of fishermen, whose multigenerational families put down deep roots. More recently, Holbox became an idyll for people

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Previous spread, from left: A stop in front of one of the island’s many colorful homes; on the way to Punta Cocos, at Holbox’s southwestern tip. Above: Lunch at Viva Zapata Grill. Opposite: The view out to sea at Punta Cocos.

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who wanted to disappear, where nothing much happened and expats and Mexicans alike would come to drop out and unplug. Word of the place was quietly passed among friends and close-knit travel tribes, the way people used to talk about Comporta or José Ignacio or Los Roques. Even the name itself, Mayan for “black hole” and pronounced hol-BOSH, was (and remains) enchanting. When the hotels arrived, they tended to look like Casa Sandra, a thoughtfully designed 18-room guesthouse opened in 2003 by Cuban artist Sandra Pérez Lozano, who’s since become an unofficial spokeswoman for the island’s burgeoning focus on preservation. “It will be a challenge to keep Holbox from becoming another Cancún or Riviera Maya,” she said. “But it’s deﬁnitely achievable. We all want this exceptional place to remain so.” It is exceptional—and yet unassuming. Cheery shops like Hecho Con Amor selling homespun textiles alongside embroidered clothing and bags concentrate around the main plaza. Openair bars and restaurants like Básico Cocina de Playa and cafés like Tierra Mia serving fresh-pressed juice and coffee spill out onto sandy streets from behind pastel storefronts and hand-painted signs. Locals do their daily shopping at the fruit-andvegetable market and at the family-run tortilleria, where tasty corn masa is carefully pressed into perfect little disks. There’s a whitewashed church that has Mass on Sundays and feast days, and little Virgin Mary shrines turn up along the beach. But if you walk just 10 minutes away from town, you are remarkably alone, occasionally passing the fuchsia pink ﬂamingos that live here or, like I did, a local teenage couple canoodling in quiet isolation. Of course, developers are scheming to capitalize on this raw stretch of Mexican beach,

despite its protected status as part of the Yum Balam Reserve, a federal designation that should keep it from being built up. Ambitious plans for a new megaresort called La Ensenada—with as many as 900 villas, plus multiple hotels and restaurants—are seemingly on hold after the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources said they didn’t pass muster; other, smaller hotels have also had their proposals rejected by the agency. Meanwhile, hoteliers like Pérez Lozano and locals not directly involved in the tourism industry have organized a grassroots movement to preserve the island’s natural beauty. Officially, buildings can’t be taller than 40 feet, gray water is treated for reuse, and recycling rules are strictly enforced. “Business owners and townspeople can unite and create projects that consider both the aesthetics and the infrastructure,” says Pérez Lozano,

Clockwise from top left: Casa Sandra; Casa Las Tortugas; riding toward Punta Mosquito, northeast of the town; a colorful spot on a Holbox side street.

Getting There

Stay

Eat and Drink

Drive two hours from Cancún to the port of Chiquilá, park your car, then take the 15-minute ferry ride to the town of Holbox; boats go every half hour during the day. Once on island, it’s easy to get around by golf cart taxi (fares are cheap) or bike (your hotel can set you up); nothing is farther than a few miles.

Casa Las Tortugas has 24 simple but welldone rooms, plus a courtyard pool, yoga studio, restaurant, and bar, and its own stretch of beach. Its restaurant, Mandarina Beach Club, which serves chilaquiles verdes and enchiladas, is one of the best on the island. Beachfront Casa Sandra has spacious suites, many with stand-alone tubs.

Rosa Mexicano—no relation to the chain—is a rollicking restaurant that serves coconut shrimp and octopus with blackbean relish. Luuma, a hip but unstudied sandyﬂoor spot lit by tea candles, does blended tequila cocktails and fresh seafood tapas platters. Viva Zapata Grill is a must for mezcal cocktails and live music. O.C.

contrasting what’s happening here with the build-it-fast, comewhat-may development seen elsewhere in the country. At stake are both the future of the island’s fragile ecosystem and its slowly growing profile among travelers perpetually scouting for the next it destination. One night this past January, I stopped in at the Casa Las Tortugas, the attitude-free hotel that in many ways put Holbox on the map for intrepid travelers looking for the sweet spot between low-key and design conscious. Opened by transplanted Italian Francesca Golinelli and her husband, Patrick Wiering, a former pro kite surfer, the property has a yoga studio behind a Buddha head statue, arrows printed on floorboards pointing the way to the bar, traditional Mexican tiles, and dining tables made from old doors. The hotel is, I have to admit, the sort of place you’d be thrilled to find in Tulum. Out on the beach, simple palapa-like umbrellas provide shade from the blazing sun, fairy lights hang between palm trees, and double day beds swing between recycled wood poles. The rhythm is incredibly soporific: Guests slowly make their way to the sea, long lunches turn into shaded siestas under slowly moving fans in whitewashed rooms, and watching the sunset with a margarita before dressing for dinner becomes the day’s main event. The restaurant here is a destination in its own right, serving ceviche with perfectly tangy purple onions and rare mezcals from small producers. With the sun already below the horizon, I’m thinking back to my conversation with Pérez Lozano. “This is a place without the contaminations of city life,” she said, “where mass-market brands and fast food don’t exist, where children can run around town, just as children used to. Everyone is really connected to nature. They go watch the sunset every night, like a ritual.” Whether it will endure is an open question—but I’m now one of the converts who pray it will.

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Intel

O U R T R AV E L TIPS, TRICKS, AND MISCELLANY

GOOD NEWS Paris is bouncing back. After a series of high-profile terrorist attacks, the city is reporting a near-record number of visitors—more than 16.4 million in the first half of 2017, officials say— who aren’t letting fear get in the way of seeing one of the greatest cities in the world. The trend is a positive sign for Europe as a whole; it also helps that much of the continent remains a great deal, with one euro worth about $1.20.

UNBELIEVABLE NEWS Norwegian Air just introduced some insanely cheap ﬂights: London to Singapore—that’s 13 hours in the air—for less than $250. Fares also include free movies on your own personal seat-back TV and entirely passable food; and you’ll ﬂy on one of their cutting-edge Boeing 787 planes. How could this be? you ask. They’re hoping to build market share. The catch? Flights are out of Gatwick, which, come on, isn’t that bad.

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CALLING ALL AMAN JUNKIES… A new nine-country trip from the Asia travel specialist Remote Lands will hit 10 of Aman Resorts’ best properties over 21 days, with ﬂights between each aboard a chartered Airbus ACJ319 that holds just 16 passengers. It starts on April 15, in Tokyo. The only hitch: It’ll set you back $114,888.

DON’T GO OVERSEAS WITHOUT THIS

BAD NEWS Air Berlin declared bankruptcy in August, but we’re now just starting to feel the pain. They’ve ended nonstop service from Berlin to Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco; they’ve also trimmed long-haul ﬂights from Düsseldorf, cutting Boston and Orlando. Of course, you can still get to Berlin with a layover in Paris or London, but those ﬂights are sure to get pricier with less competition.

A GUIDE T O T R AV E L I N G B E T T E R THIS MONTH

Why You Shouldn’t Skip the Duty-Free Shop Savvy spirits makers are selling some of their most collectible bottles at the airport. Bartenders and liquorindustry insiders used to be the only ones obsessed with hunting exclusive bottles of booze. Now it’s your average cocktail geeks who are ﬂying hours out of their way to get their hands on something special. That’s exactly what Erno Zovanyi, a whiskey lover from Switzerland, did: He added a stopover at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 instead of going nonstop from Zurich to Glasgow, just to pick up a bottle of Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 4. Other brands, like Patrón and Hennessy, have created new products speciﬁcally for duty-free, both to test their wider market appeal and to capture some of the roughly $74

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billion travelers spend shopping at airports every year. Below, a boozy cheat sheet of what to score, and where. COPENHAGEN AND MILAN

Baileys XC Cognac Hybrid This richer version of the classic Irish cream liqueur is spiked with Cognac. L O N D O N H E AT H R O W AND SINGAPORE

The Balvenie Peated Triple Cask 14 Year Matured in bourbon and sherry casks, it’s a single malt with plenty of smoke, an atypical ﬂavor for this Speyside distillery. L O N D O N G AT W I C K A N D H E AT H R O W

Greenall’s Extra Reserve England’s oldest gin maker added a hint of sweetness to this bottling with extra citrus, including Moroccan orange, Turkish grapefruit, and Spanish lemon.

H O N G KO N G , LO S A N G E L E S , AND SAN FRANCISCO

Hennessy X.X.O. Master blender Yann Fillioux revived an 1870 recipe highlighting bitter orange, spice, and a smooth, lasting ﬁnish.

The ﬁrst-gen Skyroam was a game-changing mobile hotspot that our editors have used to stay connected everywhere from Japan to Peru. Version 2.0, the Skyroam Solis, has fasterthan-ever data speeds and a massive, 16-hour battery life that you can even tap to recharge your phone. Service costs a totally reasonable $9 per day after you buy the hockey puck–size gizmo ($150).

AMSTERDAM AND FRANKFURT

Jägermeister Manifest Unlike the original, this barrel-aged digestif has an oaky, vanilla-tinged ﬁnish. A M ST E R DA M A N D B A N G KO K

Laphroaig the 1815 Legacy Edition It’s aged in both oversized hogsheads and bourbon barrels, lending fruit notes to a Scotch already potent with smoke aromas. DUBAI AND MEXICO CITY

Patrón Cask Collection Sherry Añejo This medium-bodied tequila is aged for at least two years in Spanish oloroso barrels to bring out pecan and caramel ﬂavors.

Correction In our September issue, we described the restaurant MilkWood as being in Indianapolis. It’s actually in Louisville.

illustrations by VALERO DOVAL

WHAT TO ORDER AT THE NEW AVIARY IN N.Y.C. Six years ago, chef Grant Achatz opened the Aviary, applying the molecular techniques he was using in the kitchen at Chicago’s Alinea to cocktails. This fall the bar’s ﬁrst-ever oﬀshoot lands at the Mandarin Oriental in New York, which means those famously complex drinks now come with ridiculous Central Park views. Here, our favorite three.

Levels This shareable, margaritalike mezcal punch comes in a porcelain pineapple ﬁlled with allspice smoke.

La Paloma It means “the dove,” so this concoction of tequila and house-made corn soda gets a bird-shaped glass.

Polynesian Feast Sounds impressive—and it is: Liquid nitrogen–cooled mai tais and other riﬀs on South Paciﬁc–inspired drinks arrive stacked six high in kitschy tumblers sourced on Etsy.

THREE WAYS TO GET BETTER HOTEL DEALS

“Tenuta Vannulo makes the most delicious mozzarella on the planet, but you can only get it at their farm, a 90-minute drive southeast of Naples. Leave early, since they often sell out by 11 a.m. I’d honestly fly across the Atlantic for just one bite.” Katie Parla, co-author of Tasting Rome, on Italy’s most worthwhile detour.

Portrait by Denise Nestor

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT © 2017 CONDÉ NAST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 52, NO. 10, CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER (ISSN 08939683) is published monthly (except for a combined issue in June/July) by Condé Nast, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: Condé Nast, One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman Emeritus; Charles H. Townsend, Chairman; Robert A. Sauerberg, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer; David E. Geithner, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, New York, and at additional mailing offices. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 123242885-RT0001.

Use Upside: Priceline founder Jay Walker created this new package-deal site that gives you discounted rates— and cash back in the form of gift cards for Amazon and other retailers—when you combine ﬂight reservations, hotel stays, and even Uber rides. Book Through Virtuoso: Better known as a collective of travel specialists, Virtuoso also has an online tool that works just like Expedia—except your booking comes with bonuses, including free breakfasts, free Wi-Fi, room upgrades, and restaurant and bar credits. Don’t Forget HotelTonight: The app made its name with last-minute deals, but you can plan as far as 100 days out and even score baller rooms like the Hakone Suite at the Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for way less.

20,000 Nautical Miles Logged in the Last Year Gordon Ho, head of marketing for Princess Cruises, loves a good loafer and is always thinking about his next meal.

I ALWAYS TRY TO eat local food, whether it’s from a street market or at a fine dining restaurant. My wife and I just went to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong. They do the absolute best char siu bao, or pork buns, I’ve ever had. And I’ve told everyone about the awesome okonomiyaki savory pancakes at Botejyu in Osaka.

I DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT my pillbox: Lunesta and melatonin to help me sleep; zinc for immunity; and Advil for whatever.

MY FAVORITE PORT IS Sydney. There’s nothing like cruising under the Harbour Bridge and having that gorgeous view of the opera house from the water.

PERCENT THAT’S HOW MANY ICELANDERS THINK THEIR COUNTRY SEES TOO MANY WINTER VISITORS. TO BE FAIR, IN 2014, THE COUNTRY SAW 279,798 TOURISTS. LAST YEAR THE TOTAL JUMPED TO 550,612.

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THE BEST WAY TO BEAT JET LAG IS to get some sunlight the moment you land and take a hot shower before bed.

YOU’D NEVER FIND ME at a baggage claim. And I tell people, “If you travel with me, you’re not checking a bag either!”

I ALWAYS RECOMMEND Global Entry. It’s such a time-saver. That, and a solid pair of loafers that slip on and off at security. Mine are Clarks.

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ROOM WITH A VIEW

11.17

Room 310 Cristallo Resort & Spa CORTINA D ’A M P E Z Z O , I TA LY

This view of the Dolomites overlooking the Valle d’Ampezzo drew me onto my balcony for long stretches each day—I’d order up scrambled eggs and berries for breakfast and prosecco before dinner and gaze out over the valley. Sitting in the summer breeze, I started imagining what the mountains look like in winter—I’m sure they’re even more magical dusted with snow. A N D R E A

Submit your #roomwithaview photo and DM @cntraveler.

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Photograph by Andrea Tamburrini

TA M BU R R I N I