Our 2025 winners demonstrate the ongoing strength of classic leisure destinations like Switzerland, Italy and the French Riviera. But of course, great hotels aren’t confined to stops on the Grand Tour. Our favorite discoveries in the past year include a magnificently restored palace in the Indian countryside, a hilltop aerie in the Caribbean and — this year’s Hideaway of the Year — a luxury resort on the coast of Montenegro.

At all of these properties, we posed as Andrew Harper members, keeping our true identities secret, and we paid the regular rate. Few companies are still willing to incur such expenses, but we’re proud to carry on the tradition of undercover travel that dates to the Hideaway Report’s founding in 1979.

HIDEAWAY OF THE YEAR

One&Only Portonovi
Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Pint-size Montenegro packs in a gallon’s worth of attractions, and now, it also offers several luxury hotels. The best of them is One&Only Portonovi, set on the Bay of Kotor about halfway between Dubrovnik’s international airport and the formerly Venetian city of Kotor itself. With 111 rooms and 12 villas, this chic resort is larger than most Hideaway of the Year winners, but on our visit, it felt tranquil and far removed from the cares of the world.

Quite simply, One&Only Portonovi has it all. The location makes day trips convenient, but the resort also has numerous on-site amenities. On our first afternoon, to scrub away the jet lag, I indulged in a Moroccan-style hammam ritual in the spa, an expansive complex gleaming with marble and mosaics. A sunset Italian dinner on the patio of Sabia was a treat, as was relaxing by the adjacent infinity pool. It faced umbrella-shaded loungers on the beach, where attendants served us cocktails and iced fruit pops. And we sipped Champagne while reclining beside another infinity pool, this one in front of Tapasake, a fashionable Japanese restaurant.

A Hideaway of the Year must also have exceedingly comfortable accommodations. Our Panoramic Bayview Room lived up to its name, with direct vistas of the water, a view we enjoyed from the daybed on our terrace and from the stylish bath. Our wood-and-stone bedroom with burnt-orange accents felt both earthy and luxurious.

Service, too, is a key component of a winning hotel. The staff here proved friendly, attentive and well organized, responding quickly to in-person requests and WhatsApp messages.

Opened in 2021, One&Only Portonovi now ranks among Europe’s great coastal resorts.

Read our full review of One&Only Portonovi »

HOTELS OF THE YEAR

The Fifth Avenue Hotel
New York City, New York

No property in New York City has earned a Hotel of the Year award since 2018. The Fifth Avenue Hotel, a centerpiece of the increasingly fashionable NoMad neighborhood, has decisively broken that dry spell. Twenty-four of the 153 guest rooms occupy a converted Beaux-Arts former bank headquarters on the corner of 28th Street, and the rest rise above it in an adjacent 23-story tower. Our Mansion Suite displayed a lavish eclecticism. Persian-green walls bore elaborate moldings, and a Palladian window partition separated the bed from the colorful living area. A gracious butler pressed our outfits and kept the complimentary minibar stocked with our favorite things. Downstairs, the theatrical Café Carmellini and tucked-away Portrait Bar merit visits whether you’re a guest or not. Too many hotels are comfortable but bland; I love a property with a strong personality.

Read our full review of The Fifth Avenue Hotel »

Jade Mountain
St. Lucia

When designing Jade Mountain, the late architect Nick Troubetzkoy sought to seamlessly integrate the resort into its emerald rainforest surroundings. Most of the 29 accommodations at this otherworldly hillside retreat have just three walls, but it wasn’t until we stepped into our room that I understood the concept. With no barrier between us and the sea and sky, we felt as if we could almost touch St. Lucia’s iconic Pitons from the edge of our in-room infinity pool. The pared-back interiors gave the views center stage. We loved lounging on the dreamy stargazing deck after dinners at the sophisticated restaurant, where fine fusion cuisine is served against jaw-dropping panoramas. This is one of the most scenically stupendous resorts that I have ever visited, and its award-winning design is unlike that of any other luxury hotel I know.

Read our full review of Jade Mountain »

Villa Mabrouka
Tangier, Morocco

Home to some of the best properties in Africa, Morocco has a trove of stylish hotels. My favorite discovery there this year is Villa Mabrouka, an intimate 12-room hideaway steps from Tangier’s historic kasbah. The former home of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, the property is a completely private oasis. It’s the kind of hotel where you could happily spend a few days without ever leaving the grounds, indulging in morning swims in the heated pool, delicious lunches overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, spa treatments in the marble hammam, cocktails by the fireplace and romantic dinners in the glimmering Dining Room. The Moroccan-modern estate served as an oasis for Saint Laurent and Bergé, and now, Villa Mabrouka is ushering in a new era of glamour.

Read our full review of Villa Mabrouka »

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière
Saint-Tropez, France

Of the many hotels I review, a certain few make my “must go back” list. This 86-room resort on the French Riviera, set amid acres of fragrant gardens, is one of them. Wherever we went, we felt like VIPs. Many of the staff remembered our names, and we received a shower of gifts, ranging from sparkling wine and cake to pajamas and monogrammed leather luggage tags. Terraces of two fine restaurants afford views of the distant sea, and a short drive away, another venue serves Mediterranean cuisine right next to the chic beach club. Families can take advantage of a large outdoor pool and the Summer Camp (the expansive kids’ club). I gravitated to the striking adults-only pool and the tranquil spa. In an era of often-absurd hotel rates, this extravagant resort repeatedly justified its price.

Read our full review of Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière »

The Woodward, Auberge Collection
Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva has no shortage of luxury hotels, but The Woodward now stands out as the city’s best. The property commands attention thanks to its 1901 Belle Epoque façade. The sumptuous interiors by Pierre-Yves Rochon masterfully balance traditional neoclassical style with modern design, all while maintaining a warm, inviting atmosphere. Our suite had both the welcoming quality of a private home and the polish of a luxury hotel. The Woodward’s prime lakeside location made exploring the city effortless, and we spent an entire afternoon enjoying the full suite of hydrotherapy amenities at the magnificent Guerlain spa. Dining options are equally compelling: a Michelin two-star restaurant and the more casual Le Jardinier with its lake-facing veranda. In Geneva, where sophistication often comes with a sense of formality, I appreciated The Woodward’s easy elegance.

Read our full review of The Woodward, Auberge Collection »

Palazzo Portinari Salviati
Florence, Italy

Set within a sumptuously decorated grand palace, Palazzo Portinari Salviati stands apart as one of Florence’s most glamorous hotels, located a sculpture’s throw from the Duomo. Entering the soaring glass-roofed courtyard, anchored by a statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici, felt like stepping into a living piece of Florence’s history. I loved lingering in the courtyard restaurant among the predominantly Italian guests (it’s currently one of the city’s most quietly beloved eateries). The 14 guest quarters echo the opulence of the public spaces, with gilded mirrors, rich draperies and museum-quality furnishings, as does the Michelin-starred restaurant, which features intricate frescoes and busts of Roman emperors. But one of my favorite things to do here was simply wander at my leisure, envisioning life in an era when beauty and art reigned supreme.

Read our full review of Palazzo Portinari Salviati »

Palazzo Petrvs
Orvieto, Italy

Occupying a renovated 15th-century palace in Orvieto, one of Umbria’s (and Italy’s) most majestic hill towns, Palazzo Petrvs is a designer’s dream. Original carved-stone doorways and elaborate coffered ceilings radiate historic charm, while the black and white stripes on textiles and furnishings echo the striking exterior of Orvieto’s resplendent cathedral, enhancing the interiors’ sense of place. Though the nine-room hotel has few amenities aside from a convivial bar-lounge and a romantic vaulted restaurant, it provides a polished base for exploring medieval Orvieto and the excellent wineries nearby. Still somewhat a secret, the property offers a sense of exclusivity with an atmosphere that feels both timeless and aristocratic. Add in staff who go above and beyond at every turn, and Palazzo Petrvs ranks as one of the most exceptional properties in Umbria.

Read our full review of Palazzo Petrvs »

Six Senses Fort Barwara
Rajasthan, India

India has more than its fair share of opulent palace hotels, and one of my new favorites is this 48-suite resort, set on a hill above the Rajasthani town of Chauth Ka Barwara. The architect sensitively integrated new buildings within a restored 14th-century citadel. We lunched under umbrellas on a patio by the main pool, which is flanked by colonnades and domed pavilions. The sprawling spa incorporates a temple and part of the former women’s palace, decorated with fountains and frescoes. And each evening, we had aperitifs in the Cortile restaurant’s courtyard, where half-ruined fortifications flickered in the light of fire pits and oil lamps. It was utterly transporting. Spacious suites offer every modern convenience, and outside the resort, guests can go on tiger safaris, take hikes and visit the charming and memorably welcoming town below.

Read our full review of Six Senses Fort Barwara »

Capella Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand

With well over 11 million people, the Thai capital can occasionally be overwhelming, which is why it’s important that your hotel feel like a haven. Set on 3 acres between the Chao Phraya River and historic Charoen Krung Road, this urban hideaway is close to the action yet cocoons guests in a temple of tranquility. All 101 accommodations face the river. Our hushed, clean-lined suite embodied refined elegance, and from our veranda, we were endlessly captivated by the rhythmic procession of longtail boats and barges gliding past. The spa felt like an oasis within an oasis, and we loved the Michelin two-star restaurant and the glitzy cocktail lounge. Add in gracious hospitality, exhibited in gestures both small and large, and Capella Bangkok stands as one of the best hotels in Asia — if not the world.

Read our full review of Capella Bangkok »

Flockhill
Lake Pearson, New Zealand

Our two-week journey through New Zealand culminated in a glorious stay at Flockhill, a newly expanded South Island retreat set on a working sheep station nestled in a valley near Arthur’s Pass. It offered everything we loved about the other lodges we’d visited — breathtaking scenery chief among them — but none of the drawbacks. Days unfolded effortlessly. We toured the farm with a shepherd whose dogs masterfully corralled the animals. We rode horses high into the Southern Alps, with our guide’s canines rambling beside us. And we unwound in our comfortable villa, one of just seven, sitting by the fireplace while gazing at the mountains. During farm-to-table meals and at cocktail hour, the chef and the French mixologist doted on us. By the time we left, we felt like part of the family that runs this special place.

Read our full review of Flockhill »

---