As exciting as it is to make new discoveries, we also look forward to returning to previous recommendations. These revisits are vital to maintaining the accuracy of our hotel suggestions and descriptions. We prioritize rereviewing properties about which we’ve received a complaint and those that have undergone major renovations or management changes. But sometimes, we go back to old favorites just because we can. These were our most pleasurable returns during the past year.

Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel

Taormina, Sicily

When we first stayed at the Timeo and enjoyed its unforgettable vista of Mount Etna and the sea, the property was wonderfully atmospheric but slightly faded. Belmond has restored it to the first rank of European hotels. On this recent visit, our room was immaculate. Indeed, we felt like its first occupants, though of course we weren’t. Belmond added an extensive wellness center, plus a lovely outdoor pool, encircled by cypress trees and backdropped by a dramatic cliff face. But just as important, the Timeo retains a palpable sense of continuity with the golden age of 19th-century travel.