155 Hotels So Special, They're the Destination.
55 unforgettable stays, plus 100 hotels I’m dying to check out (or rather, into) 🗝️
Before we get into the fun, this edition of The Sunday Series is too long for email, so I’d recommend clicking out to read in browser or even better, in the Substack app, where you can like and comment! Your engagement on Substack means the world to me.
Hello from midnight on Summer (!!) Solstice eve, friends!
What more poignant place to be writing to you than from my Park Hyatt Sydney balcony overlooking the Sydney Opera House? Spoiler alert: this hotel just made it onto my fifty-five best stays of all time list.
If the very existence of this list is news to you, let me provide some context. Last December, I published my first installment fresh off a frenzied week of work-meets-raucous-fun, also known as ILTM Cannes. This year, I’m checking in with you on a whole different kind of high—the one I get from checking off somewhere on my personal bucket list. I’ve just spent the last ten days in Australia, and what a whirlwind it’s been. Stay tuned to SmartFlyer’s channels for more, because from my flight there aboard United’s inaugural San Fran to Adelaide to my check-in at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, it’s been the trip of a lifetime—a phrase I certainly don’t use lightly.
In my role at SmartFlyer, I’m always in search of the next story—be it about the hottest new hotels set to open, bucket list trips that would make epic gifts for the person who has everything, or a local’s guide to Lower Manhattan, I’m constantly thinking in terms of what travelers are craving. And while I actively aim to keep my “work self” separate from The Sunday Series, the reality is, there’s no personal and professional separation between my deep appreciation for exceptional hospitality. So, here we are…talking about some of the experiences that have left their mark on me this past decade, plus a hundred more I’m dreaming about that I think you’d love too.
But, how did a girl from a rural upstate New York town wind up here with the chance to experience some of the world’s best hotels? During my last 10+ years working in the travel agency space, I’ve been fortunate enough to take research trips, attend events, and indulge in more than a few vacations across the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and now, Australia. I’m motivated by the act of constantly changing my environment and seeing how, in turn, it changes me.
So, as I look ahead to 2026 travel plans, I thought that this recap of fifty-five (sorry for the random number, but I really couldn’t narrow the list any further) of my most memorable hotel stays ever could help spark some inspo for your upcoming travels. Plus, for paid subscribers, I’m also rounding up 100 hotels around the world that I’m dying to check out. Of course, every single stay on this list would be enhanced by the perks that come with booking with a travel advisor. So if you ever find yourself needing one, I’m close with dozens of savvy agents and am constantly matching acquaintances and friends with different experts based on their personalities and destination interests. So, you know where to find me if you’d like an intro! xKD
For so many of us, travel planning starts with a place on the map: a country, a city, a coastline. But over time, I’ve found that the most memorable trips often unfold the other way around—beginning not with a destination, but with a hotel. The right property can shape the entire rhythm of a journey: how long you stay, how you move, what you prioritize, and most especially, how you connect with people and place while you’re there. These are the kinds of hotels that don’t simply anchor a trip; they define it.
When brainstorming which properties would make my list, I had a few stipulations in mind. For me, it’s not always about the buzziest hotel. In fact, I’ve stayed at several that garnered spots on the World’s 50 Best list, but that didn’t personally resonate, and in turn, won’t be listed below. Instead of award credentials, I’m seeking places that afford you the chance to sink into a sense of timelessness. I adore a property that feels like it’s always been there—wherever ‘there’ is. Exemplary service and impeccable design go without asking, but first and foremost, it’s a feeling of belonging I’m after when I check into a hotel.
After much deliberation, here are fifty-five check-ins that are near and dear to my heart. In no particular ranking order…
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (New York, New York)
Aman New York (New York, New York)
Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club (Surfside, Florida)
Rosewood Miramar Beach (Montecito, California)
The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Collection (Wanship, Utah)
Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel (Anguilla)
Malliouhana (Anguilla)
Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Collection (Santa Teresa de Cajón de Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica)
Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Hotel (Los Cabos, Mexico)
Esperanza, Auberge Collection (Los Cabos, Mexico)
Maroma, A Belmond Hotel (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
The Dorchester (London, England)
The Chancery Rosewood (London, England)
Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel (Cusco, Peru)
La Réserve Paris Hotel & Spa (Paris, France)
Four Seasons Hotel George V (Paris, France)
Hôtel Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)
Le Meurice (Paris, France)
BULGARI Hotel Paris (Paris, France)
Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel (Cannes, France)
Hotel de la Ville (Rome, Italy)
Portrait Firenze (Florence, Italy)
Villa Igiea (Sicily, Italy)
FORESTIS (The Dolomites, Italy)
Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel (Venice, Italy)
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid (Madrid, Spain)
Six Senses Ibiza (Ibiza, Spain)
La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel (Mallorca, Spain)
Grand Hotel Son Net (Mallorca, Spain)
Hotel Can Ferrereta (Mallorca, Spain)
Finca Cortesin (Costa del Sol, Spain)
Marbella Club (Marbella, Spain)
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens (Athens, Greece)
The Gleneagles Hotel (Auchterarder, Scotland)
Rosewood Schloss Fuschl (Lake Fuschl, Austria)
Hotel Sacher Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
Four Seasons Hotel Prague (Prague, Czech Republic)
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace (Budapest, Hungary)
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet (Istanbul, Turkey)
MAÇAKIZI (Bodrum, Turkey)
Babylonstoren (Cape Winelands, South Africa)
Ellerman House (Cape Town, South Africa)
The Silo Hotel (Cape Town, South Africa)
Singita Lebombo Lodge (Kruger National Park, South Africa)
Singita Sabora Tented Camp (Serengeti, Tanzania)
Singita Faru Faru (Serengeti, Tanzania)
Kwessi Dunes (NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia)
Shipwreck Lodge (Skeleton Coast, Namibia)
Zannier Omaanda (Windhoek, Namibia)
Kasbah Tamadot (The Atlas Mountains, Morocco)
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Danang Sun Peninsula, Vietnam)
Rosewood Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Southern Ocean Lodge (Kangaroo Island, Australia)
Saffire Freycinet (Coles Bay, Tasmania)
Park Hyatt Sydney (Sydney, Australia)
WOW! It was so fun for me tweak this list off last year’s edition…I’d say it’s changed about 20% in the past twelve months—a result of staying at a fair number of the places that were on my wishlist (it’s called MANIFESTING, and it’s actually the Winter/Summer Solstice today depending on where you’re reading this…) plus, taking new openings into account. Personally, I aspire to use the list sort of like I use my ‘Want to Read’ list on Goodreads. Meaning I try my best not to walk into a bookstore without at least consulting one of the hundreds of books I’ve already noted that I wanted to read. So, in the case of these 100 hotels, I’ll continue to refer to it as I plan future trips and try to work off the list versus always just flailing my way toward whatever hotel check-in comes next.
The Greenwich Hotel (New York, New York)
Hotel Jerome, Auberge Collection (Aspen, Colorado)
Amangiri (Canyon Point, Utah)
Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur, California)
San Ysidro Ranch (Santa Barbara, California)
