As much as we love discovering something new, we also take great pleasure in returning to hotels that are already recommended. Sometimes we reassess a previously reviewed property because we’ve received unfavorable reports from members, and sometimes we go back because of new management or a major renovation. We always have various justifications, but let’s be frank. Foremost among our reasons for re-reviewing the hotels below was simply that we could. These three ranked among our favorite revisits of the previous year.

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, South Carolina

This storied Lowcountry hotel opened in 2004 as part of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and it’s been on our list of recommended hotels for almost as long. On our most recent visit to this private island, we found the 255-room property to be just as refined and genteel as we remembered. With its sweeping staircases and antique furnishings, The Sanctuary epitomizes Southern elegance. Adding to the ambience, live music welcomed us in nearly every venue: a pianist in the Lobby Bar, a concert on the Grand Lawn, a guitarist at the pool and a musician at Jasmine Porch, our favorite restaurant there. Guest rooms feel plush and timeless, with mint-green walls and classic Schumacher fabrics, while the oceanfront grounds are immaculately kept and the golf courses as inviting as ever. Time has passed, but The Sanctuary keeps pace.

Read our full review of The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort »

Ashford Castle
Cong, Ireland

Ashford Castle has been recommended for decades, but we hadn’t seen it ourselves since 2017, following a major renovation. Since our Scotland golf cruise ended in Dublin, it seemed the perfect chance to check in. We were immediately impressed by the front desk staff, and even more so by the view of Lough Corrib from our spacious suite. Dining on property remains delightful, whether at the formal George V Dining Room or the cozy Cullen’s at the Cottage. A short walk from the castle (in the hotel’s sister property) is a fabulous new wellness facility with an indoor pool. Most memorable was our hour walk through the woods while Harris hawks followed and, on the command of our private guide, landed on our outstretched arms. A stay at Ashford Castle is still a wonderful centerpiece of an Irish itinerary.

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The Oberoi Amarvilas
Agra, India

I can’t ever imagine not feeling a thrill checking into the 102-room Oberoi Amarvilas, an extravagant hotel that affords one of the great iconic views in the world: the Taj Mahal, its white domes and minarets rising above the misty treetops. The property could coast on this privileged location, but even if it were in the middle of nowhere, the Amarvilas would be extraordinary. Although they’re in a modern building, the public spaces feel palatial and opulent, not least the gleaming lobby, with coffered walls and a massive chandelier hanging from its dome. Sunken in terraced gardens punctuated by fountains and furnished pavilions, the lapis-hued swimming pool lacks the Taj Mahal view, but such is the pool’s beauty, I didn’t miss it. Throughout the hotel, the service lived up to the magnificent setting.

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