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How we choose hotels is simple to state and hard to do: only the best of the best, every fact checked against an official source, and no one can pay to be included.
Best of the best
We include five-star hotels and resorts and the very best four-stars, the ones whose service, setting or character earn their place beside them. Our top lists are shorter still: the finest resorts and The One finest hotel in each country name only the very finest. Where a place has nothing at that level, we may name a strong three-star and say so. Every hotel shows its star rating.
The same standard applies to everything else we name: airlines, private jet operators, yacht charter firms, restaurants, developers, agencies and schools.
Each hotel, airline or venue we name links to its own official website, not a booking site; we do not link to real estate agencies or developers. We check opening status, star ratings, routes, entry rules and residency thresholds against official sources, such as the hotel itself, the airline, the government portal or the tourism authority, and we record those sources for every page. Where we cannot confirm a detail, we leave it out or label it.
Prices are shown as indicative ranges in US dollars first, labeled approximately or from. Rules and prices change, so always confirm with the provider before you book or buy.
Every place that is not plainly open carries one of these labels.
Operating today, confirmed against an official source. Most pages show no badge for open places.
Announced by the owner or operator with a target year, for example Opening 2027. Targets can move; we update them when they do.
Announced, but without a firm public date. We show it so you know it is coming, never as a certainty.
No one pays to appear in our travel editorial, and no one can buy a better position in a hotel, restaurant or travel list. Founding Partners appear in our Luxury Real Estate lists and are identified as such. We may in future show clearly marked partner offers or advertising in separate spaces, and we may earn a commission from some links, but these never decide what we recommend. Hotels, developers and tourism boards who would like to work with us can read partner inquiries.
See something out of date? Please tell us; we correct errors promptly.
Checked October 2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.