Gold List 2020 hotels
The best hotels in 2020, as reviewed by our editors and contributors. We've stayed at some of the finest properties around the world, and these made the top of our list.
128 Hotels in Gold List 2020
Sunset Tower Hotel
$$ | 8358 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069
Step into a Hollywood institution where you're still likely to spot a celeb or two.
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The Surfrider
$$ | 23033 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, California 90265
Your own Malibu beach house.
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The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice
$$$ | Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, Venice 30124
This grande dame is the ultimate in traditional luxury: a rich-hued marvel of a place that defines classic Venetian hospitality.
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Ritz Paris
$$$ | 15 Place Vendôme, Paris, Ile-de-France 75001
As long as you're prepared for the sticker shock, this Place Vendôme palace is a must-stay for history buffs and hotel junkies.
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Hacienda de San Rafael
$$ | N-4, Km.594, Seville 41730
An elegant Andalusían finca with a hedonist, bohemian soul.
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Song Saa Private Island
Koh Ouen Private Island, Koh Rong Archipelago, Near Sihanoukville
Out on the Cambodian archipelago of Koh Rong, this escapist paradise brags conservation credentials, locally sourced food, and high design.
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The Greenwich Hotel
$$$ | 377 Greenwich St., New York, New York 10013
This masterfully designed hotel is a home-away-from-home in New York’s quiet-luxe Tribeca neighborhood.
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Domaine des Etangs, Auberge Resorts Collection
$$ | Domaine des Etangs, Massignac, Charente 16310
A home turned hotel offers more than a playful take on French hospitality.
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Finca Cortesin
$$$ | Caretera Casares, s/n, Casares, Málaga 29690
A palatial Andalusian finca, with golf on the side.
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Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace
$$$ | Széchenyi Istaván tér 5-6, Budapest 1051
The grande dame of Budapest hotels, on the Danube river.
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Farmhouse Inn
$$$ | 7871 River Rd., Sonoma, California 95436
Shepherded by fifth-gen Sonomans (and siblings), Farmhouse Inn looks and feels like a classic New England country charmer—with California wine county street cred
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Schloss Elmau
$$$ | In Elmau 2, Krün 82493
A grand Bavarian icon on a hill amid forests and greenery.
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Porto Zante Villas & Spa
$$$ | Tragaki, Zakynthos 291 00
Porto Zante in the Greek island of Zakynthos brings spoiling villa living to another level.
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Soneva Jani
$$$ | Medhufar Island, Noonu Atoll
On the fringe of a lagoon in Noonu Atoll, blanketed in racing-green jungle and ringed with neon-white beach, Soneva Jani is the second Maldivian island home of the visionary brand. It’s an unreal world, where children and adults alike trail about the jungly interior on bikes, hang in hammocks on Robinson Crusoe beaches, throw themselves down slides, splash about on technicolor reefs and watch dolphins race through iridescent baby-blue waters. The overwater villas have glass-bottom floors and pool decks with corkscrew slides, and the fantastical Den, just a year and a half old, is the largest kids’ club in South Asia. But it’s not just about embracing your inner child. Adult treats include The Gathering, on the north side, an overwater barn of restaurants, a library and wine cellar. Eating is taken seriously—from a meat-free outpost by Bocuse d’Or-winning Swedish chef Mathias Dahlgren to the garden-set idyll So Local, as well a rotation of visiting chefs (2024’s include Tom Aikens and Jane Alty, co-owner of London Thai street-food hero The Begging Bowl). A treehouse-like Island Spa has egg-shaped rooms linked by walkways floating towards a yoga shala. Soneva Soul is the brand’s new, more ambitious approach to health. This year, it has launched three-, seven- and 14-day wellness journeys around foundational health, sleep, detoxing and anti-aging, using its magic blend of naturopathy, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine alongside high-tech treatments such as platelet-rich plasma therapy and ozone therapy. Feeling well is at Soneva’s core—way beyond ditching one’s shoes on arrival. From $2,397. —Lydia Bell
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Cliveden House
$$$ | Cliveden Rd., Taplow SL6 0JA
A handsome (not to mention, massive) 17th-century estate with plenty of royal appeal.
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The Langham, London
$$$ | 1C Portland Pl., London W1B 1JA
Five-star hotels don’t come more luxurious—or better located—than this.
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Royal Mansour Marrakech
$$$ | Rue Abou Abbas el sebti , Marrakech 40000
Founded by King Mohammed VI, this private, palatial resort took 1,200 master craftsmen over three years to construct.
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Ellerman House
$$ | 180 Kloof Rd, Cape Town 8005
This adults-only property in Bantry Bay houses a private modern art collection.
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The Temple House
$$$ | No.81 Bitieshi St., Chengdu
Still the top spot in Chengdu, and the place to be seen.
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Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
$$$ | 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, California 90212
As close to a European grand dame as you'll find in Los Angeles—with impeccable service to match.
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