World's Best Beach Hotels
How to explain the difference a beachfront hotel makes? “More than unobstructed views, it’s about the freedom of not having to look both ways to cross the street before feeling sand between your toes,” says Matt Thomson, founder of Wavecation.com, a surfing-focused vacation rental company.
That’s the thrilling sense of liberation that comes with a stay at properties like Lizard Island Resort in Australia, where your suite’s private terrace overlooks the Great Barrier Reef, with only the occasional yacht breaking the kaleidoscope of blue and green waters.
Travel + Leisure readers were so taken that they voted Lizard Island Resort the No. 3 best beach hotel in the world, as part of our annual World’s Best survey. The top-scoring hotels and resorts all offer a captivating beach setting, yet they are also culturally and architecturally distinctive. They span 13 countries and islands on four different continents, and their interiors range from minimalist to cozy and traditional.
At the historic Ocean House in Rhode Island (No. 13), for example, formal Victorian rooms have fireplaces, upholstered chairs, and Doric-columned terraces overlooking the wild Atlantic bluffs. Guests in thatched-roofed bungalows at the Four Seasons Bora Bora (No. 8), on the other hand, have direct access to Pacific waves via private decks.
Modern Mexican craftsmanship—woven palapas, cool Saltillo tiles, and a saltwater pool filled by the sea—is on display at the romantic La Casa Que Canta (No. 12) on Zihuatanejo Bay. In contrast, rooms in the rock-facedLodge at Doonbeg (No. 10), located on Ireland’s windswept West Clare Coast, are snugly outfitted with argyle wool blankets and floral-printed curtains.
Keep in mind that not all beach hotel rooms are created equal. “Avoid partial view or ground-floor rooms that may have obscured lookouts due to vegetation or shrubbery,” reminds T+L A-List agent Manny Beauregard. Or simply go with the guarantee of the Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai in Hawaii: all 228 rooms overlook the Pacific.
Read on for more inspiring hotels, starting with the No. 1 beach vacation pick.
Lizard Island Resort, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
With 24 beaches fringing the Great Barrier Reef and accommodations for just 40 couples, Lizard Island is in a category all its own. Open-plan suites are done in royal blue, turquoise, and stark white to mimic the Coral Sea below, with hammocks and decks discreetly hidden from view. Count on sunset cruises, torchlit beach dinners, and complimentary gourmet picnic baskets. Book an Anchor Bay Suite for a direct pathway to the beach and daybed sunbathing from a personal veranda.
The Reefs Hotel & Club,Southampton, Bermuda
The cottages, condos, and suites at The Reefs are nestled among limestone cliffs with a private pink-sand beach below; request a west-facing room for dramatic views of Bermuda’s south shore and Atlantic sunsets. La Serena Spa offers an array of massage services, including Thai, Reiki, and Warm Bamboo. The family-friendly two- and three-bedroom condos come with an infinity-edge pool, fire pits, and a separate entrance to The Reefs’ secluded beach
Now in its fourth generation of Gambardella family management, this 1904 looker still reigns in Belle Époque splendor. Rooms are spread across the main building, two villas, and a triplet of honeymoon cottages and decorated with local antiques. An elevator descends to a private beach, saltwater pool, fitness center, and thatched-roof pizzeria and fish grill. As you stroll through the secluded terraced gardens and citrus orchards, it’s obvious why Liz Taylor and Richard Burton chose to hide out here.
For those seeking a calmer Cancún all-inclusive experience, Live Aqua delivers. An outdoor contemplation area uses eucalyptus and lavender aromatherapy to help you de-stress during the day, while mini–Japanese sand garden boxes are left in the room at turndown. All 371 rooms are done in neutral tones and natural materials, so your eyes are drawn straight to the hotel’s eight varying-temperature swimming pools. Book a corner suite for your own private Jacuzzi.
Located inside an 80-acre mangrove and jungle reserve, this all-inclusive resort spreads across a white-sand beach and has an exotic, faraway feel even though it’s within an easy drive of Playa del Carmen. The resort features both adult-only and family areas, and the 89,000-square-foot spa is one of Mexico’s largest, with 40 treatment rooms, some with hydromassage tubs. After a day of pampering, dine at one of eight restaurants, including Sen Lin for Asian fusion and Cocina de Autor for molecular Mexican Caribbean cuisine.
Although overwater bungalows are the most enticing lodgings at the Four Seasons, the hotel has 107 different rooms scattered along the beachside and lagoon of its private motu(small islet). Walls are made of volcanic stone, and thatched-roofed spaces are decorated with teak and merbau-timber furnishings. All have extraordinary views over the turquoise-blue, coral-filled South Pacific, and some offer a glimpse of the majestic black-rock peaks of Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia.
From the gym to the underwater window in the heated pool, sea views abound at this ornate 12th-century palazzo along the Amalfi Coast (formerly known as Palazzo Sasso). For the finest panoramas, head to the rooftop solarium with its twin Jacuzzis. The rooms are layered in 17th- through 19th-century antiques, Vietri tile floors, and Frette and Bulgari appointments. Chef Pino Lavarra’s eclectic/nouvelle-Italian cuisine has garnered two Michelin stars for Rossellinis Restaurant (open April–October).
Part of the appeal of this Mediterranean-inspired property on the Riviera Nayarit is its small scale: with just 120 rooms, the property always feels intimate. The 800-square-foot Ocean View Junior Suites have private terraces with a pair of lounge chairs, a sunbed, and an outdoor shower. Many of the amenities, including two Jack Nicklaus signature golf courses and the tennis center, are nestled out of sight—leaving just the view of the deep-blue Pacific and the nearby Marieta Islands, beyond.
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