To kick off the New Year, we're spotlighting ten hotels from the hundreds discovered by our Inspectors and added to our selection in 2024. These hotels, spanning a range of styles, prices, colors, and designs, are located in destinations around the world. What ties them together is their exceptional quality and originality. With a full year ahead and a clear calendar, each hotel below is a compelling inspiration in and of itself to hit the road and travel.
Little Palm Island
Little Torch Key, FL, USAOne of only five Three Key hotels in the States outside of New York and California, Little Palm Island is the only private island resort in North America. Guests arrive at the Little Torch Key and transfer to a yacht named for Harry Truman for the final hop to an island that was one of the former president’s favorite haunts. Once there, they're on a four-acre, adults-only island to scuba, sail, cruise through the mangroves, or simply lounge on the terrace of a bungalow suite.
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon
Grindavík, IcelandIceland's Blue Lagoon is a destination in its own right. With the Retreat at Blue Lagoon, guests have an incredibly stylish and unmistakably high-end hotel with its own, guests-only thermal waters, which wrap around the hotel so you can skip the busy public pool and bathe in semi-privacy in front of your terrace or balcony. There is also a lavish day spa that makes the most of Iceland’s unique volcanic resources.
Book the Retreat with The MICHELIN Guide →
Six Senses Kyoto
Kyoto, JapanKyoto, as a destination, has an appeal we won't waste time describing. What the Six Senses does is provide the city with another hotel of similarly self-evident appeal. As a work of design, Six Senses Kyoto is an impressive one, as modern as can be and yet maximally respectful of Japanese tradition. Woven throughout are details inspired by the Tale of Genji and by ancient Japanese folklore. A first-rate Six Senses Spa is present as a matter of course, and may indeed be the primary motivation for many stays.
Casa Chablé
Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, MexicoThe Sian Ka’an Biosphere is a UNESCO World Heritage site dedicated to preserving the flora and fauna of the Yucatán coast. A boat ride away from the popular tourist city Tulum, the vibe couldn't be more different. Here is a desert-island atmosphere through and through, mixed with the white-glove elegance of a modern luxury hotel. The island home is so narrow, it's just a short walk from the beach where you'll watch the sunrise to the one where you'll watch the sunset.
Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Sydney, AustraliaThe idea of a zoo hotel is something of a novelty. It’s especially noteworthy when the zoo in question is considered one of the best in the world. The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is located inside the non-profit, conservation-minded Taronga Zoo Sydney, where you can wake up to a kangaroo hopping by or a koala clinging to a tree outside your window.
Caravan by Habitas Agafay
Marrakech, MoroccoIn the Agafay Desert, surrounded by rugged dunes, with the Atlas Mountains in the distance, you’ll find Caravan by Habitas Agafay, a collection of 20 upscale tented lodges inspired by Berber dwellings but containing as much luxury as an environmentally conscious hotel group can muster in a desert setting. A pair of swimming pools, a small spa, a yoga pavilion, and live musical performances are among the on-site diversions, though the real focus, naturally, is on getting out into the desert, whether on a bike, a horse, or a camel.
Naumi Wellington
Wellington, New ZealandThe Naumi hotel group is based in Singapore, but that doesn’t stop the colorful creations of hotelier Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala from fitting perfectly into the New Zealand hospitality scene. Naumi Wellington, in fact, leans on the local design firm Material Creative to create an experience that’s not just memorable but, ideally, transformative — its richly detailed spaces are as bold as they come, and the riot of floral prints at reception is immediate proof you’re in for something much more opinionated than standard-issue greige boutique-hotel minimalism.
AutoCamp Zion
Virgin, UT, USAA skip away from one of America's most iconic national parks, in addition to tents, cabins, and staggering views, AutoCamp Zion has 72 custom-built Airstream campers, neatly lined up in rows, trailer park-style. There’s a sense of humor and a fondness for vintage Americana behind the design, but the retro campers are elegant, and just steps away from the hotel’s modern clubhouse.
Souki Lodges
Cabrières, FranceTucked away amid forested hills at the end of a quiet country road, Souki Lodges & Spa feels a bit like a private discovery. In fact, despite its middle-of-nowhere location outside the village of Cabrières, about an hour from Montpellier, it’s one of the most exclusive and sought-after places to stay in the region.
Hunum
Gordona, ItalyHunum is anything but a typical Italian agriturismo. The name is a portmanteau of three words: humanus, humus, unicum — or human, earthly, and unique. While there’s plenty of theory behind the combo, it’s perhaps most easily understood via a look at Hunum’s site, its cabins, and the lifestyle experienced by its guests.
Book Hunum with The MICHELIN Guide →
Hero image: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland
