World's Top 25 Hotels 2011

Remote escapes, city hotels, and value properties are all winners in T+L’s list of the world’s top hotels.

You arrive at your palace-like hotel and walk past reflection pools to your room, which has Burmese teakwood floors and rich fabrics. But the “wow” moment really comes when you step out onto your private open-air terrace, and there, off in the distance, you see the Taj Mahal. This is the experience you can have at India’s Oberoi Amarvilas, one of the world’s top 25 hotels.

Travel + Leisure’s annual compendium of the best hotels around the globe features winning properties from New York to New Zealand. Honing in on these captivating places is no easy task. That’s why T+L looks to the ultimate critics—our readers—to rank their favorite hotels in our annual survey. The results are always surprising.

The top 25 hotels are just the beginning of a larger list that includes 500 hotels—218 of which are in the U.S.—and shows that readers are interested in all sorts of experiences. Hotels at the top of the list include Triple Creek Ranch, with western-style cabins in the Montana Rockies (No. 2); California’s San Ysidro Ranch and its 41 rooms in a string of clapboard cottages in Santa Barbara’s wine country (No. 4); and Chicago’s Trump International Hotel & Tower, set in the second-tallest building in the U.S. (No. 20). All three illustrate what travelers are looking for now: unique environments and stellar service.

Another hotel known for going above and beyond? Jade Mountain in St. Lucia (No. 11 overall, No. 2 in the Caribbean), where butlers are on call for all 28 rooms. Here, bridges lead to open-air suites with infinity plunge pools, and you can stargaze from the terrace while dining alfresco on calypso-marinated kingfish. It was enough to entice last year’s World’s Best Awards Sweepstakes winner, who chose this exclusive escape for his $10,000 grand prize.

If you’d rather stroll around Europe, you’ll find five European hotels among the top 25. The No. 1 hotel in France (and No. 9 overall) is a perennial showstopper: Domaine des Hauts de Loire in the Loire Valley, just two hours from Paris. The 32 rooms and suites at this former hunting lodge open onto a park and the property’s pond. It’s also the top-ranked hotel for less than $250 a night (rates start at $182). On your way there, try the 147-room Hôtel de Crillon in Paris’ Eighth Arrondissement, ranked No. 19 overall, and featuring Louis XV interiors and Carrera marble bathrooms.

So what property claimed the title of world’s best hotel? Read on for that and the other top 24 hotels. You can also download our first ever T+L 500 iPad edition, available January 1, 2011, at the App Store. Get inspired and then go traveling. There’s no need to have a bad experience when the world’s top hotels are just a click away.

25 luxe jungle tents, a fresco-painted haveli main lodge, and a 3-room spa on 20 acres next to Ranthambore National Park & Tiger Reserve.

Stats: 25 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: No. 100 is closest to the pool.

Insider Tip: Visit the crafts stores that sell block-print textiles in the nearby town—proceeds support local schools.

Cost: From $885

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Adults-only mountain retreat on thousands of acres with recently refreshed log cabins (wood-burning fireplaces; hot tubs).

Stats: 30 rooms; 3 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: The Baker and Boulder cabins are the least expensive, but still have a sitting area and fireplace and offer access to a hot tub.

Insider Tip: Take a free birding and nature tour in the Bitterroot Valley to look for peregrine falcons, hawks, and eagles, as well as elk, moose, and possibly even a bear or wolf.

Cost: $750, all-inclusive

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

50 renovated tents on a Mara River oxbow (prime for hippo-viewing) known for activities including balloon safaris.

Stats: 51 suites; 2 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: We love the four-poster beds, outdoor showers, and expansive private decks of the Riverfront Deluxe tents.

Insider Tip: Accompany a staff guide on a birding walk through camp—more than 70 species inhabit the area.

Cost: $429 (includes two game drives)

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

500 bucolic acres and clapboard cottages for only 90 guests; a renovation updated the rooms and restaurants and added a wine cellar.

Stats: 8 rooms; 13 suites; 20 cottages; 2 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: Junior suites have private decks with hot tubs and outdoor showers.

Insider Tip: The hotel has been pet-friendly since the 1930’s, when the former owner’s dachshunds wandered freely. Now dogs receive food and water dishes, toys, and even in-room massages.

Cost: $650

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Moghul-themed palace mirroring the nearby Taj Mahal—all Moorish archways, intricate pavilions, and fountained courtyards.

Stats: 95 rooms; 7 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Premieres with private terraces have postcard-worthy views of the mausoleum.

Insider Tip: After a dip in the pool, have a gin and tonic in the hotel’s Verandah Lounge and watch the last of the day’s light illuminate the Taj Mahal.

Cost: $895

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

15 yellow cottages and an 18th-century great house; the Caribbean’s only historic plantation inn set on the beach.

Stats: 14 rooms; 22 suites; 3 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: The patios attached to the 6 Lower Deluxe Junior suites face the ocean.

Insider Tip: The hotel will be happy to put you in touch with Reggie Douglas, Nevis’s reigning cycling champ, for a 2-hour bike tour through the island’s sugar plantations and historic villages ($65 per person).

Cost: $656, includes breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

370 rooms, a 3-story spa, and top dining—all at the river’s edge.

Stats: 305 rooms; 65 suites; 5 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: Grand Deluxe rooms have a lounge area, oversize beds, and unique V-shaped windows providing amazing city views.

Insider Tip: Ask the concierge to map out a walking route of the narrow alleys of nearby Chinatown, lined with dumpling houses and boutiques.

Cost: $435

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

12th-century aristocratic Italian palazzo with 43 rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Stats: 32 rooms; 11 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: King sea-view rooms, for windows facing the water and updated bathrooms with Vietri tiles and Jacuzzi tubs.

Insider Tip: The Renaissance-style Villa Cimbrone—just a 20-minute walk away—has cloisters, endless gardens, and a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean.

Cost: $444, including breakfast.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Former hunting lodge with 32 rooms (some Empire style) on 178 forested acres between Blois and Amboise.

Stats: 21 rooms; 11 suites; 1 restaurant.

Rooms to Book: No. 27, for floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony; rooms with terraces overlook the park.

Insider Tip: Take a private tour of the region’s châteaux by hot-air balloon or helicopter.

Cost: $182

$ denotes Great Value (room rates of $250 or less)

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

A colonial-style hacienda with the city’s largest rooms and a fleet of chauffeured vehicles on a historic promenade near museums.

Stats: 200 rooms; 40 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Deluxe rooms overlook the courtyard fountain and offer extra space and quiet.

Insider Tip: Join a local art historian on a private tour to the house of Luis Barragán, one of Mexico’s most influential 20th-century architects, located approximately 2.5 miles away (from $33 per person).

Cost: $415

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

28 open-air suites with either infinity pools or private Jacuzzis.

Stats: 5 rooms; 23 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Splurge on one of 2 Galaxy Sanctuaries for sunset views, sun terraces, and huge private pools.

Insider Tip: Strap on your hiking boots for a 5-hour guided trek through the Piton mountains ($75 per person).

Cost: $1,200

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

A dignified 61-room hotel (the former 1951 summer residence of the Marchesi Sersale); 4 junior suites are on the horizon.

Stats: 59 rooms; 2 suites; 1 restaurant; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: No. 93 (one of the new junior suites) for its mosaic-inlaid floors, antique furnishings, and top-floor views.

Insider Tip: Spend a day aboard the Sant’Antonio, a wooden vessel built by the owner’s uncle. You’ll sail to the Galli Islands or along the Amalfi Coast.

Cost: $680, including breakfast.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Modern Rajasthani retreat that combines exacting standards with the romance of a bygone era.

Stats: 67 rooms; 4 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Royal tents have Burmese-teak floors and claw-foot bathtubs.

Insider Tip: Pay a visit to the nearby outpost of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, supported by the hotel.

Cost: $765

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

The city’s largest guest rooms, right in the bustling Orchard Road shopping district.

Stats: 215 rooms; 40 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: South-facing Premieres, for views of Singapore’s tree-lined boulevards.

Insider Tip: At One-Ninety, order breakfast off-menu as the power brokers do: chicken sautéed with garlic and then scrambled with eggs.

Cost: $429

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Opulent Mewari palace-style hotel spread across 30 acres next to Lake Pichola.

Stats: 82 rooms; 5 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Premiere Lake Views, for their private patios leading to a semiprivate pool.

Insider Tip: Wander through the on-site Bada Mahal, an 18th-century former palace with delicate frescoes.

Cost: $765

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

20-room bush camp with throwback activities (rides in antique biplanes; horseback safaris).

Stats: 9 suites; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: The Royal and Malewane suites are perfect for couples traveling together—each comes with a private chef and masseuse.

Insider Tip: The lodge’s springbok carpaccio and Mozambican prawns with red curry are two of the best dishes you’ll find in the bush.

Cost: $3,054, all-inclusive.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Pair of stunning lodges—Boulders is high-design rustic, Ebony has a vintage safari feel—along the Sand River.

Stats: 24 suites; 2 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: At Boulders, secluded No. 7 has a cathedral ceiling.

Insider Tip: Mix up your game drives with a mountain-bike ride through the bush with one of the staff rangers.

Cost: $3,340, all-inclusive.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Hilltop hotel surrounded by gardens in the embassy district built in 1870 as a private villa.

Stats: 97 rooms; 12 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: Newer Garden Wing rooms have balconies; those on the top 3 floors have views of the Tagus River.

Insider Tip: Don’t miss Lisbon’s best tram line for sightseeing, No. 28, which runs past the hotel and descends the twisting streets to the city center.

Cost: $499

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Louis XV-commissioned palace on the Place de la Concorde; Les Ambassadeurs restaurant recently reopened with a new head chef.

Stats: 103 rooms; 44 suites; 3 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: The 14 Superior suites are particularly quiet and spacious; they look out on the hotel’s courtyard or a seldom-trafficked street.

Insider Tip: Have a cup of tea or a drink in the Winter Garden; the crystal elephant centerpiece was inspired by one created by Baccarat for the 1878 Exposition.

Cost: $1,020

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Three wings plus 15 landscaped acres in the city’s shopping hub.

Stats: 716 rooms; 34 suites; 4 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: Deluxes in the Garden Wing, which have just been refreshed.

Insider Tip: Join the Friday morning tour of the hotel’s 15 acres of landscaped gardens, which contain 133,000 individual plants.

Cost: $653

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Two raised lodges with fashionable interiors by up-and-coming African designers.

Stats: 21 suites; 2 restaurants; 2 bars.

Rooms to Book: The glass-walled Lebombo Lodge, for its commanding vistas of the plains.

Insider Tip: Request a guided walk through the hills along the Mozambique border, with panoramic views of the veld below and frequent sightings of zebras, giraffes, and impalas.

Cost: $3,340

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Five distinct family-run camps (Pioneer was built in 2010) in an area known for leopard sightings.

Stats: 32 rooms; 12 suites; 5 restaurants; 5 bars.

Rooms to Book: For seclusion, Villa No. 1 in the newly built Pioneer Camp, set among 500-year-old ebony trees along the Sand River.

Insider Tip: Visit a local village, women’s cooperative, and school on the property’s Four Pillars of Hope tour ($125 per person).

Cost: $1,530, all-inclusive.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

The park’s only luxe property, facing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Stats: 18 rooms; 1 restaurant.

Rooms to Book: Of the 17 eco-friendly tents, No. 1 has the most privacy and the best vantage onto the watering hole.

Insider Tip: Visit the field-research headquarters of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Africa’s longest-running pachyderm study.

Cost: $970, all-inclusive.

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.

Neo-Georgian mansion from 1906 with touches of Tara; a bastion of Southern hospitality.

Stats: 18 suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Rooms to Book: The Honeymoon Suite is topped with a cupola, which provides the best views of the scenic property.

Insider Tip: Woodlands hosts many on-site culinary events that spotlight local farmers, chefs, and artisans, such as painting demonstrations by local artists that culminate with a champagne brunch.

Cost: $229

See the full list of the T+L 500 | 2011.