The World's Best Places To Stay

Whether it's a hotel in the center of Paris or a luxury camp ground on the Serengeti, there are numerous places to stay in style, but which ones are truly the best? In Conde Nast Traveler's 15th annual Gold List, a survey of 32,000 of the publication's readers was conducted to get a feel for which places could really be called the best in the world.

Conde Nast Traveler gave CNBC a look into the top of the top, the accommodations that have the highest overall rankings across 6 categories: Rooms, service, food, location, design and activities. All of the locations in the top 15 are priced at over $400 per night and offer their own unique amenities and experiences you probably wouldn’t get on any normal vacation.

So, where are the world's best places to stay? Click ahead to find out!

By Paul ToscanoPosted 4 Sept 2009

Overall Score: 96
Location: Okavango Delta, Botswana
Rooms: 9 Tents

"You enter via a timber walkway with hand-carved railings, and the adventure immediately begins." The thatched-roof tents are spread across an island with lagoons and Kalahari grassland, and game drives put you close to lechwe, lions, zebras, and hippos. Although each dwelling is uniquely decorated, all have canopied beds, a terrace for viewing the floodplain, and a palette of nature-inspired colors. Choose from a changing menu in the main dining hall, where "you eat at a long table with a candelabra." "Staff make you feel so at home." – Conde Nast Traveler

     * Rooms: 95.2
     * Service: 95.2
     * Food: 85.7
     * Location: 100
     * Design: 100
     * Activities: 100

Overall Score: 96
Location: Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Rooms: 380

Enjoy "sunset while lounging on the lanai with a drink," and views of "humpback whales spouting in the distance" at the top-scoring property in the United States. Designed in a U shape, the hotel is "tasteful contemporary, island tropical." Guest rooms have koa woods, bright fabrics, carved bedposts and Hawaiian rattan and bamboo. The food at Spago "is all that it is cracked up to be, and more." Snorkeling offshore at Molikini Crater "takes your breath away." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 95.3
    * Service: 95.6
    * Food: 95.9
    * Location: 98.1
    * Design: 95.3
    * Activities: 95.6

Overall Score: 96.1
Location: Hong Kong
Rooms: 300

This hotel, which combines a neoclassical building with a modern tower, impresses from the get-go: The entrance is "dramatic, with a doorman dressed all in white." Rooms are furnished in European style with subtle Asian influences and fabrics in deep blue, green, gold and ivory. Spring Moon dishes up Cantonese, including dim sum at lunch. "The service is beyond attentive—it makes you say wow every time." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 96.7
    * Service: 96.7
    * Food: 93.8
    * Location: 97.1
    * Design: 96

Overall Score: 96.3
Location: Capri Town, Capri, Italy
Rooms: 30

In an "extremely serene locale nestled in a pine grove," this Moorish-style "little gem" overlooking the Faraglioni Rocks receives a perfect score for service. "Staff fall all over themselves for you." Interiors with wood, iron, and stucco "exude romanticism." An informal restaurant by the pool serves breakfast all day and a Mediterranean lunch but no dinner. Order a Scalinatella cocktail made with vodka, grapefruit juice, triple sec, blue curaçao, and parfait amour. – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 93.9
    * Service: 100
    * Food: 96.9
    * Location: 93.8
    * Design: 96.9

Overall Score: 96.4
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Rooms: 179

"Who would not be impressed by the view of the Chain Bridge At night, we kept our blinds up to enjoy the sight." Beige-and-cream rooms fill this century-old Art Nouveau palace. On-site steam rooms, whirlpools, and rejuvenating therapies are inspired by the city's spa history. Páva Restaurant has "a sophisticated Italian menu," Hungarian wines and "discreet, polished service that doesn't resort to intimidating formality." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 96.7
    * Service: 94.3
    * Food: 94.3
    * Location: 99.2
    * Design: 97.5

Overall Score: 96.5
Location: Positano, Italy
Rooms: 61

"One of my favorite places in the world" is carved into the hillside above the Bay of Positano, hence the perfect location score. Rooms have bright curtains and "breathtaking views from terraces." During summer, guests can take a complimentary ride around the bay on the hotel's private boat. The restaurant specializes in "damn fine pan-Mediterranean dishes." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 94.6
    * Service: 94.6
    * Food: 95.9
    * Location: 100
    * Design: 97.3

Overall Score: 96.6
Location: Agra, India
Rooms: 102

"Short of staying in the Taj Mahal, you cannot do any better in terms of location." Gardens, terraced lawns, fountains, reflection pools, and pavilions complement the domes and arches inspired by Moorish and Mogul architecture. Every room has views of the mausoleum as well as hand-embroidered headboards. Some room categories allow guests to dine on their balcony or at a private poolside pavilion. "The quality of the service makes the impossible possible." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 98.2
    * Service: 96.4
    * Food: 91.7
    * Location: 98.8
    * Design: 97.6

Overall Score: 96.6
Location: Paarl, South Africa
Rooms: 34

"One of the most romantic hotels in the world," this property secures a perfect location score for its mountain backdrop in the Western Cape wine region. The restored 18th century estate has perfect-scoring "stunningly appointed suites," which are decorated in Cape Dutch style. Housed in the T-shaped manor house, Bosman's serves seared foie gras and pan-fried white stumpnose—"the food is so good and so unique." Hot-air ballooning and horseback riding are available nearby. "Sunsets over the vineyards hypnotize your soul and demand that you return to this magical retreat." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 100
    * Service: 96
    * Food: 96
    * Location: 100
    * Design: 100
    * Activities: 87

Overall Score: 96.8
Location: Paris, France
Rooms: 245

The 1928 Art Deco landmark near the Champs-Élysées is "as close to heaven on earth as you can imagine." Rooms have rich fabrics and Renaissance art, and are "elegant without being over-the-top," although "the flower arrangements are unbelievable." At Le Cinq, try a "to-die-for breakfast omelet," and enjoy service "that simply boggles the mind." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 97.2
    * Service: 95.5
    * Food: 96
    * Location: 98
    * Design: 97.2

Overall Score: 97.1
Location: Porto Ercole, Italy
Rooms: 50

The top-scoring property in Europe is a Tuscan-style coastal complex tucked amid olive and cypress trees in "an extraordinary seaside setting." Rooms have neutral tones and wood floors, and guests can expect a "very homelike, friendly atmosphere." Sit by the saltwater pool and watch the sun set, or rally on a tree-lined tennis court. At the perfect-scoring restaurant, decorated with cast-iron fixtures, dishes like turbot with aged Parmesan are "beyond exceptional."  – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 90.5
    * Service: 95.2
    * Food: 100
    * Location: 100
    * Design: 100

Overall Score: 97.4
Location: Udaipur, India
Rooms: 87

The sprawling palace "with magnificent gardens, waterfalls, statues, and columns rambles elegantly up and down the lakeside hills." Its domes and arches are illuminated at night, and the white structure is reflected in the lake below. Traditional rooms have dark wooden furniture and "splashes of color that make the space light and open." The "spicy, aromatic, and delicious" Indian cuisine at the outdoor Chandni is sometimes accompanied by folk dance performances. – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 98.1
    * Service: 97.2
    * Food: 95.4
    * Location: 98.1
    * Design: 98.1

Overall Score: 97.4
Location: Princess Royal Island, British Columbia, Canada
Rooms: 17

"Everything is pure luxury and quality" at the top-scoring property in the Americas, an ecolodge on a floating former U.S. Navy barge off the Great Bear Rainforest, a perfect-scoring location. Its remoteness—the resort is accessible only by boat or floatplane—allows guests to "watch humpback whales feeding" from their bedroom window. Interiors have red cedar paneling, pine columns, and floor-to-ceiling windows; rooms, with driftwood furniture, are "luxurious but with a natural, rustic feel." Organic fare such as seaweed-crusted albacore tuna is "truly excellent." "Staff enhance the experience from check-in to checkout." The property offsets all its carbon emissions. – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 96.9
    * Service: 96.9
    * Food: 96.9
    * Location: 100
    * Design: 96.9
    * Activities: 96.9

Overall Score: 97.6
Location: Sawai Madhopur, India
Rooms: 25 tents

The 22-acre property has landscaped gardens, a pond and more than 1,000 fruit trees. Air-conditioned tents enlivened by subtle tiger motifs come with four-poster beds; outside, each has a private deck and a walled garden. Perfect scoring service means "staff have a genuine graciousness that comes naturally." On daily game drives, "tigers can be hard to spot." "Each evening we ate outdoors under the stars—it was enchanting." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 98.6
    * Service: 100
    * Food: 97.1
    * Location: 97.1
    * Design: 98.6
    * Activities: 94.2

Overall Score: 97.6
Location: Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Rooms: 12 Tents

Raised tents with wood beams, canopied beds, outdoor showers, and private verandas are the accommodations at this Okavango Delta camp, the top-scoring property in Africa and the Middle East. "The views all around are truly of pristine nature," with vistas of floodplains and bush from rooms or from the plunge pools at Little Mombo. Game drives at both properties scour Chief's Island in all-terrain vehicles, and guests view wildebeests, lions, leopards and a dense population of birds. Meals are served anywhere on the property, and the menu, customized to guests' preferences, consistently excels: "You don't expect food that good in the bush." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 98
    * Service: 95.8
    * Food: 95.8
    * Location: 100
    * Design: 97.9
    * Activities: 97.9

Overall Score: 98.5
Location: Chiang Rai, Thailand
Rooms: 15 Tents

A stay at this jungle all-inclusive, the highest-scoring property  on this year's Gold List, starts when a driver meets you at the airport "with cold water and moist lemongrass-scented towels—what an introduction." Guests stay in "tents that are a bit hard to call tents": Each has Internet access, a bar, and decor inspired by 19th century adventure travel, hence the mosquito netting and hammered-copper bathtubs. Nong Yao, where tables are enlivened by local stoneware and cutlery, serves regional cuisine that "makes you weep with happiness." Guests can feed and ride the resort's elephants. "It doesn't get any better than this." – Conde Nast Traveler

    * Rooms: 100
    * Service: 100
    * Food: 100
    * Location: 95.5
    * Design: 95.5
    * Activities: 100

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