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Written by Rebecca Ellwood
Some hotels offer a room for the night. These offer something closer to a parallel life: one where the champagne is vintage, the architecture stops you mid-sentence and the staff seem to anticipate what you want before you’ve thought to ask.
They span continents and climates – cliffside eco-sanctuaries, sail-shaped icons, intimate lodges tucked into national parks – but what they share is the kind of considered, unhurried excellence that’s genuinely rare. The sense that every detail, from the thread count to the transfer, has been thought about by someone who cares deeply about getting it right.
The most luxurious hotels in Bali
The Mulia, Bali
There are not many places in the world that embody five-star elegance quite like The Mulia, a gem on Nusa Dua’s sun-kissed beachfront. Consistently ranked one of the best resorts in the world, it’s immediately clear why this sanctuary of exotic luxury receives A-list acclaim. With multiple glittering pools, nine restaurants and bars serving a smorgasbord of cuisines, an ultra-luxurious spa and enchanting, butler-serviced pool villas – among the largest on the island – it’s easy to forget that some of Bali’s finest beaches also await on the doorstep.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali
Perched on a clifftop above Nusa Dua’s protected coastline, The Apurva Kempinski is one of Bali’s most architecturally captivating hotels. This terraced resort cascades down toward the Indian Ocean in a series of pools, gardens and open-air pavilions inspired by traditional Indonesian palace design. The 475 rooms, suites and villas are substantial, many with private pools and ocean views that make leaving feel like a genuine effort. Dining is a serious affair: Koral, Bali’s first aquarium restaurant, serves coastal dishes from across the Indonesian archipelago in a room where the walls are the reef; while the Japanese Izakaya by OKU brings the precision of its award-winning Jakarta original to the Nusa Dua shoreline. The Apurva Spa draws on traditional Lulur and Jamu techniques – indigenous treatments that feel rooted in place rather than imported from a wellness trend.
The most luxurious hotels in the Maldives
Soneva Jani, Maldives
If you’re not yet familiar with Soneva, you’ll certainly want to be. The ultimate destinations to embark on a wellness and relaxation journey, Soneva resorts are, quite simply, exquisite, and designed to create those once-in-a-lifetime moments of luxury travellers’ dreams. Book into Soneva Jani’s private overwater villa with a slide into the impossibly turquoise lagoon, and spend evenings stargazing at the observatory and feasting on sashimi and champagne. There’s simply no finer way to experience the Maldives.
The most luxurious hotels in Dubai
Raffles the Palm, Dubai
Luxury finds its home at Raffles the Palm in Dubai. This is a five-star resort that knows how to command your attention – and make your jaw drop. Located on Palm Jumeirah, one of the city’s most coveted stretches of real estate, Raffles the Palm is grand on every scale, from the wings of suites that stretch out across private beachfront to a lobby chandelier dripping with 40,000 Swarovski crystals.
Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai
Hands down the most iconic structure on the Dubai skyline, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is a pinnacle of luxury renowned the world over. In fact, it’s widely regarded as the most luxurious hotel in the world – and it’s not hard to see why. Aside from its extraordinary, genre-defying architecture and prime real estate on the Palm Jumeirah, touches such as a fleet of Rolls-Royce cars for chauffeuring guests, a rooftop helipad and an onsite Michelin-starred restaurant cement its status as one of – if not the – most extraordinary hotels of all time.
The most luxurious hotels in Thailand
Capella Bangkok
Voted one of the world’s three best hotels in 2025, Capella Bangkok earns that distinction through something harder to manufacture than marble lobbies or river views: genuine restraint. The hotel sits low on the east bank of the Chao Phraya – just 101 suites and villas, every one of them facing the river – in a city where luxury hotels typically compete on scale. Here the competition is precision. Each suite has floor-to-ceiling windows, a private balcony and the kind of unhurried service that makes Bangkok’s traffic feel a world away. Dining pivots between two poles: the two-Michelin-starred Côte, where chef Mauro Colagreco applies French Riviera technique to the Thai pantry, and Phra Nakhon, a sun-washed conservatory serving the kind of Thai family recipes that feel genuinely handed down rather than reverse-engineered for tourists. The hotel’s greenhouse supplies both kitchens with herbs and edible flowers – a small detail that tells you exactly how seriously they take this.
The Shore at Katathani, Phuket
Powder-soft white sands and stunning Andaman Sea sunsets from private infinity pools: it is no wonder The Shore at Katathani is consistently ranked one of Phuket’s best hotels. Situated in a hidden cove on Kata Noi Beach – one of the region’s most desirable stretches of beachfront – this five-star haven promises villas with panoramic ocean vistas, sundowner cocktails at The Nest Beach Club and romantic candlelight dinners by the water. Dial up the luxury at Serenity Spa with bespoke treatments.
The Naka Phuket
Escape to where the world can’t find you – tucked away amid lush vegetation on the western coast of Phuket, Thailand. The Naka Phuket boasts a prime hillside position above the porcelain shores of NAKA Bay, with direct, unspoiled access to a coral reef. Wake each morning to panoramic views of the sparkling Andaman Sea from your villa, indulge in exquisite cuisine at the resort’s signature restaurants and swim in the longest beachfront infinity pool in the region. For the ultimate relaxation, pamper yourself with a rejuvenating spa treatment or partake in onsite yoga sessions.
The most luxurious hotels in Australia
Intercontinental Hayman Island, Queensland
A catamaran transfer, complete with a glass of sparkling wine, from Hamilton Island sets the perfect tone for a five-star stay on this postcard-perfect private island. For those keen to take luxury up a notch, a helicopter or private yacht can be arranged. The world-class Hayman Spa beckons guests after pampering, with signature treatments encompassing all manner of scrubs, massages and facials.
Plunge into the impossibly turquoise Coral Sea, take a dip in one of Australia’s largest swimming pools, dive below the surface to spot kaleidoscopic corals and spend evenings stargazing on beach picnics and feasting on oysters and champagne at this exquisite island haven.
The most luxurious hotels in Europe
Mandarin Oriental, Paris
You can’t have a conversation about the world’s most luxurious hotels without name-dropping this most elegant of brands: with origins dating back to the Victorian era, Mandarin Oriental has a rich and storied history in luxury hospitality. Its Paris outpost is exemplary of the Mandarin Oriental ethos, showcasing timeless elegance and thoughtful service. Expect the best of the best with dining at the two-Michelin-starred Sur Mesure, and treatments at Spa by Mandarin Oriental, Paris, named Best Luxury Hotel Spa at the World Luxury Spa Awards.
COMO The Halkin, London
Looking for top-tier luxury in the big city? The COMO boutique hotel brand specialises in understated, ‘home-away-from-home’ luxe, resulting in the feel of staying in a (very exclusive) private home. Nestled in a Georgian townhouse near Hyde Park, in exclusive Belgravia, COMO The Halkin welcomes those with impeccable taste. Its rooms and suites are each a haven from the frenetic energy of the city, with whitewashed walls accented with walnut panelling. A spa offering holistic treatments centred on COMO’s signature Shambhala approach eases you further into a sense of serenity.
Further afield: extraordinary hotels worth the journey
Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection
Mexico’s Los Cabos attracts the well-heeled with good reason, thanks to its dreamy beaches, out-of-this-world diving and exceptional luxury resorts. One of its finest is Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection: home to the only private beach in Los Cabos. Here, indulge in the one-of-a-kind luxury one can expect from the prestigious Auberge Resorts Collection. Wake in an ocean-view villa, dine cliffside on succulent seafood and explore the beach on horseback for a truly unforgettable experience.
