The Best Resorts in the World

On the coast

Nine resorts on the list are in Mexico, on the Pacific at Los Cabos and Nayarit and on the Caribbean along the Riviera Maya. In Bora Bora the Four Seasons and the St. Regis have villas over the lagoon, and Siyam World in the Maldives is reached by seaplane from Malé. Cayo Levantado Resort is on its own island off Samaná and is reached by boat.

In rainforest

Nayara Gardens and Nayara Springs sit in rainforest near Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, with sloths and toucans on the grounds. The Datai Langkawi is built into old forest above a bay, and Mandapa in Ubud stands above the Ayung River among rice fields. Rayavadee in Krabi lies inside a national park between limestone cliffs and three beaches.

In mountains and desert

Forestis is in the Dolomites above Bressanone, Das Edelweiss at the edge of Grossarl in Salzburger Land, and Kempinski Berchtesgaden on the Obersalzberg. Alila Jabal Akhdar is built from local rock about 2,000 metres up in Oman's Al Hajar range. Qasr Al Sarab stands among the dunes of Liwa in the west of Abu Dhabi.