The Best Hotels in Asia

Bali and Sumba

Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, sits above the Ayung River in Ubud, with villas that have private pools and a butler for each guest. The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay has Balinese-style villas among tropical gardens, and the resort has bay views and buffet breakfasts. Alila Villas Uluwatu sits on a cliff above the Indian Ocean. The property has upkeep problems and noise from weddings. NIHI Sumba, on the island of Sumba, has villas across hillsides, personal butlers called Guest Kaptens, and horses on the sand.

Thailand and Phu Quoc

Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Krabi, has large pool villas above the Andaman Sea with limestone cliffs behind. Rayavadee lies on the Railay Peninsula in Krabi, among jungle and three beaches inside a national park, and its monkeys and lizards roam the grounds. Pimalai is built into a steep jungle hillside on Koh Lanta. Regent Phu Quoc sits on Bai Truong Beach, where the sunset views and the breakfast buffet are available.

Hotels in cities

The Okura Tokyo stands on the wooded rise of Toranomon, and the Park Hyatt Tokyo occupies the upper floors of Shinjuku Park Tower. The Park Hyatt Kyoto is on a hill in Higashiyama, beside the Yasaka Pagoda. In Bangkok, the Mandarin Oriental dates to 1876 and runs a shuttle across the Chao Phraya River. Signiel Seoul fills the upper floors of Lotte World Tower, and the St. Regis Macao is on the Cotai Strip. Capella Hanoi is styled as a 1920s opera house, and the Oberoi Amarvilas looks out on the Taj Mahal from Agra.