Conde Nast Traveler

It’s 5:21 a.m., and I am in my hotel room in Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica, listening to an absolute riot of birdsong, which was immediately preceded by a ferocious predawn downpour. The mosaic of sounds feels like the aural equivalent of the landscape of mountains and rain forest outside my room: It’s dense with jewel-like tones, many soft and round, some strong and spiky. Somewhere above the tree canopy, the volcano lurks behind the mist. I’ve been here just 12 hours, and already I’m falling in love with my hotel. This is Nayara Tented Camp, which appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List three years ago. (It and its neighboring sister properties, Nayara Gardens and Nayara Springs, are also regulars on the Readers’ Choice Awards.) The hotel’s location…

WHERE TO stay eat visit cruise go & NEXT Nothing makes us more excited to get up and go than putting together our annual Hot List, now in its 27th year. This curated collection of the world’s best new hotels, cruises, restaurants, cultural destinations, and transportation projects is a labor of love for our global team, which spends the year researching, visiting, and vetting the entries to bring you a definitive directory of places whose style, ethos, and service set new standards for hospitality. Think a family-run hotel making Lake Como even more sophisticated; a cruise ship that ups passengers’ access to places like Greenland; or a community-driven restaurant igniting Ecuador’s Indigenous dining scene. All that’s left is for you to decide where you’re going first. stay » DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Atlantis…

Mayfair House Hotel and Garden A Miami icon for nearly 40 years, it’s fresh off a $50 million facelift, which turned the dimly lit suites into spacious homestyle escapes with velvet couches. But the addition of Sipsip, a chic rum bar by the rooftop pool, may be what pulls the party away from South Beach and into Coconut Grove. Cambridge Beaches To celebrate the centennial of this Bermuda grande dame, new owners Dovetail + Co splurged on a total revamp. The 86 cottages now have a tropical-inspired coral-and-seafoam palette and boldly patterned textiles. A highlight is the Sunken Harbor Club, an outpost of the beloved Brooklyn bar, which is decorated with shipwreck treasures rescued by the late Bermudan diving legend Teddy Tucker. ← Hotel Chelsea If the walls of this Manhattan institution could talk, they’d…

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Evrima It’s no surprise that Ritz-Carlton’s foray into glamour cruising is already raising the bar for the rest of the industry. Evrima’s 149 staterooms have balconies to help passengers catch glimpses of Barbados or the Med. But the largest points of difference are its choice of lesser-explored villages like Èze, and an open-air spa terrace that lets guests have massages with views of the shores passing by. ← Seabourn Venture Launched last July, this expedition ship shows Seabourn’s new commitment to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Each of the 132 staterooms comes with a balcony, a walk-in closet, and a separate shower and tub. Even the 355-square-foot basic suites feel spacious. Viking Osiris Custom-built for the Nile, this petite ship has historical photography, Scandinavian accents, and designer spaces that give it…

Regent Phu Quoc Stunning beaches, quaint fishing villages, and a constellation of coral-fringed islets offshore: Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s answer to Thailand’s big-hitter islands like Koh Samui. This all-villas-and-suites property signals a new start for the Regent brand. With a fresh teak-and-marble aesthetic and an enviable spot on palm-studded Long Beach, it’s a comeback story in the making. ← Casa Chablé This latest outpost from Mexican-owned Chablé Hotels is the only high-end hotel inside the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated coastal wonderland of tropical birds, manatees, and jaguars. The 45-minute boat ride from Tulum takes guests through the Reserve’s vast lagoon, in the company of dolphins and egrets. With only 10 rooms, the stillness is astounding. The Sanubari Located on the southwestern coast of Sumba island, it’s the kind of toes-in-the-sand spot you dream…

← The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon This glossy newcomer has injected an overdue sense of playfulness into the city’s luxury-hotel scene. Spanish designer Jaime Hayon’s vision is a sensory delight: Elevators with infinity mirrors lead to a canary-yellow lobby and on to The Parlor, which at sundown transitions from digital-nomad hangout to a space for cocktails and DJ sets. Hôtel Dame Des Arts The 360-degree views of Paris from the rooftop bar alone are reason to book this Latin Quarter charmer. Its 109 rooms are at once spartan and spoiling, chic and subdued, with deft touches like the eau-de-nil tiles and the juxtaposition of straight and curved lines throughout. It’s all discreetly sensuous. The Madrid Edition The Spanish capital’s hotel scene has seen a flurry of top openings, but this Ian Schrager cocreation is the cream…