2008 World's Best Awards | Travel + Leisure

In Travel + Leisure’s 13th annual poll, our readers once again select their favorite hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, outfitters, cities, and islands around the globe. Browse around for complete list of winners and a closer look at who’s on top.

Edited by John Newton, with additional research and reporting by Adam Bisno and Jennifer Flowers.


Top 100 Hotels Overall

Rank 2007 Name Score
World's Best 2008 Top 15 Slideshow
16 24Kichwa Tembo , Masai Mara, Kenya91.59
17 12The Peninsula, Bangkok, Thailand91.51
18 82Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India91.43
19 19Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand91.25
20 45The Peninsula, Beverly Hills, California91.15
21 92Hotel Hassler, Rome, Italy91.10
22 20Cape Grace, Cape Town, South Africa91.05
23 37The Peninsula, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China91.04
24-Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia90.94
25-Treetops Lodge & Wilderness Experience, Rotorua, New Zealand90.77
26 50Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea90.64
27 9Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Kaupulehu-kona, Hawaii90.63
27-Wickaninnish Inn, Vancouver Island, Canada90.63
29 85Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China90.37
30-Hotel Amigo, Brussels, Belgium90.20
31-Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru90.16
32 72Il San Pietro, Positano, Italy90.13
33 29Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, France90.08
34 15Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary90.00
35-Four Seasons Hotel, New York City89.94
36-The Peninsula, Beijing, China89.92
37-Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford, California89.89
38-Four Seasons Hotel Mexico D.F., Mexico City, Mexico89.82
39-Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya89.71
40-Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California89.65
41 4Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey89.57
42-Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, California89.55
43 28Four Seasons Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic89.47
44 38Halekulani, Honolulu89.45
45 86The Peninsula, Chicago89.38
46 55Four Seasons Resort, Jackson Hole, Wyoming89.36
47-Grace in Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa89.32
48-One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas89.29
49 87Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley, California89.27
50 98Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago, Illinois89.24
51-San Clemente Palace Hotel & Resort, Venice, Italy89.17
52 40Raffles Hotel, Singapore89.03
53-Grand Hotel Baglioni, Bologna, Italy89.00
54-Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, Beverly Hills, California88.99
55-Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Whistler, British Columbia88.94
56-Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Santa Barbara, California88.82
57-Le Méridien Bristol, Warsaw, Poland88.81
58-Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek, Colorado88.78
59 23La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo, Mexico88.75
60-St. Regis, Shanghai, China88.70
61 26Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania88.67
62-Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel, Interlaken, Switzerland88.65
63-Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia88.58
64 97Four Seasons Hotel, Shanghai, China88.51
65-Hotel Goldener Hirsch, Salzburg, Austria88.50
65-Tides Zihuatanejo, Zihuatanejo, Mexico
*Formerly Hotel Villa del Sol
88.50
67-Çiragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul, Turkey88.41
68-Hotel Hana-Maui & Honua Spa, Hana, Hawaii88.40
69-Villa d'Este, Cernobbio, Italy88.39
70-Stein Eriksen Lodge, Park City, Utah88.38
71-Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Niguel, California88.35
72-Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, China88.28
73 32Post Hotel & Spa, Lake Louise, Alberta88.26
74-Little Nell, Aspen, Colorado88.23
75-Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia88.16
76-Royal Palms Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Arizona88.15
77-Park Hyatt Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan88.09
78 96Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis88.05
79-Occidental Royal Hideaway Playacar, Playa del Carmen, Mexico88.04
80-Hotel Bristol, Vienna, Austria87.93
81-The Dorchester, London, Great Britain87.88
82-Ritz Paris, France87.86
83-Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa, Cancún, Mexico87.84
84-Hotel Healdsburg, Healdsburg, California87.77
85 84Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City87.72
85-Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea, Maui87.72
87-Grand Hotel Quisisana, Capri, Italy87.67
87 75The Westcliff, Johannesburg, South Africa87.67
89 42Four Seasons Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina87.66
90-Baur au Lac, Zürich, Switzerland87.63
91 25Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy87.60
92-Calistoga Ranch, Calistoga, California87.58
93-InterContinental, Hong Kong, China87.57
94-Hotel Punta Islita, Guanacaste, Costa Rica87.50
94-Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa, Jackson Hole, Wyoming87.50
94-Westin Sydney, Australia87.50
97-The Cloister at Sea Island, Sea Island, Georgia87.38
98-Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, Cuzco, Peru87.24
99 68Ritz-Carlton, Santiago, Chile87.16
100-St. Regis, Beijing, China87.08

* "-" means that the property was not among the top-ranked in this category last year.

Press Release | Methodology

Throughout the World’s Best Awards, scores are rounded to the nearest hundredth of a point; in the event of an exact tie, properties, companies, or destinations share the same ranking.