Top Hotels, Cities and Islands in Canada, the U.S.A. and The World

Travel + Leisure has released its awards for best destinations, hotels and more for 2025.

There are tons of categories – far too many to list here – so I’ll concentrate on some of the top awards for North America and a few world categories.

WORLD’S TWENTY BEST CITIES

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
3. Tokyo
4. Bangkok
5. Jaipur, India
6. Hoi An, Vietnam
7. Mexico City
8. Kyoto
9. Ubud, Bali
10. Cuzco, Peru
11. Florence
12. Seville
13. Granada
14. Istanbul
15. Siem Reap, Cambodia
16. Mumbai
17. Cape Town
18. Rome
19. Santa Fe
20. Agra, India

I was quite surprised to see Mumbai rated so highly, as I haven’t heard much about it over the years. I do love Kyoto, Chiang Mai, Florence, Istanbul and Cape Town, which might be the most striking city in the world in terms of physical attributes. I also have a give a nod to Rome, as what’s where I met my wife (and had a fabulous Vrbo stay last year). I note that only one U.S. city, Santa Fe, made the top 20. No Canadian city was ranked that highly. I quite like Santa Fe for its architecture and art galleries, not to mention the green chile cheeseburgers!

TOP TEN U.S.A. CITIES

1. Santa Fe
2. New Orleans
3. Charleston
4. Savannah
5. Alexandria, Virginia
6. Honolulu (agreed; amazing food, cultural diversity, beaches, waterfalls, galleries, hotels, history and more)
7. Greenville, South Carolina (never been but hear great things)
8. New York City
9. Asheville, North Carolina 
10. Chicago

TOP FIVE CANADIAN CITIES

1. Quebec City

2. Montreal

3. Vancouver

4. Halifax (agreed; a wonderful, welcoming city)

5. Victoria

WORLD’S TEN BEST ISLANDS

1. Paros, Greece (loved my visit way back in 1989)

2. Palawan, Philippines

3. Bali

4. Ischia, Italy

5. Fiji

6. Maldives

7. Galapagos

8. Hvar and Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

9. Madeira

10. Mallorca

BEST CANADIAN HOTELS

1. Fairmont Empress, Victoria (so lovely)
2. Ritz-Carlton, Montreal (ditto)
3. Four Seasons, Montreal (haven’t had the pleasure)
4. St. Regis, Toronto (home to the stunning Louix Louis restaurant)
5. Four Seasons, Toronto (never stayed, but love the Daniel Boulud restaurant)
6. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City (stunning, and laden with history)
7. Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver (sleek and sexy)
8. Ritz-Carlton, Toronto (lovely rooms and fabulous food)
9. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (I had a great stay at this stately, luxurious hotel in January of this year)
10. Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City (the most romantic hotel in Canada)

TOP U.S.A. HOTELS

1. Waldorf-Astoria, Las Vegas
2. The Jefferson, Washington D.C.
3. Wentworth Mansion, Charleston
4. Hay-Adams Washington D.C.
5. L’Ermitage, Beverly Hills
6. The Pendry, West Hollywood
7. Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston
8. Eliot Hotel, Boston
9. John Rutledge House Inn, Charleston
10. Hotel Maverick, Grand Junction, Colo

TOP FIVE CANADA RESORTS

1. Four Seasons, Whistler
2. Fairmont Chateau, Whistler
3. Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino (insanely beautiful)
4. Manoir Hovey, Quebec
5. Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

TOP TEN U.S.A. RESORTS

1. Primland Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection, Meadows of Dan, Virginia
2. The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Olivos, California (never been but love the town)
3. San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara (less than an hour from Los Olivos)
4. Quisisana Resort, Lovell, Maine
5. Triple Creek  Ranch, Darby, Montana
6. Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection, Gardiner, New York
7. The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection, John’s Island, South Carolina
8. Madeline Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, Telluride, Colorado
9. Solage Calistoga, Auberge Resorts Collection, California (beautiful town in the Napa Valley)
10. Hotel Hartness, Greensville, South Carolina

Note that a whopping six of the top ten, including numbers one and two, are part of the Auberge Resorts Collection. I have somehow never stayed at one anywhere in the world, and yet I call myself a travel writer. The Auberge Resorts Collection website says they have 25 properties in the States, six in Mexico/Caribbean/Central America and five in Europe. They also have six in the works, including Miami, Houston, Dallas, London and Puerto Rico.

Also, note there are two resorts in South Carolina in the top ten and three from California.

MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS

 

World’s Best Hotel: andBeyond Bateleur Camp, Maasai Mara Reserve, Kenya

World’s Best Luxury Train: The Rocky Mountaineer (I’ve done three trips with them, two between Vancouver and Banff and one from Denver to Moab, Utah. It’s a truly remarkable experience.)

World’s Best Cruise Line: Virgin Voyages

Best City Hotel in Europe:Raffles, Istanbul

Best Resort in the Caribbean: Baoase Luxury Resort, Curacao 

Best International Airline: Singapore Airlines

Best U.S. Airline: JSX (I think it’s like a private club but not entirely sure!)

Best Island in the Caribbean: Anguilla (amazing beaches and luxury resorts)

 

VIRGINIA BEACH COMES TO TORONTO

 

Virginia Beach tourism made an appearance in Toronto the other day.

It’s a tricky time for U.S. destinations to be selling themselves in Canada, but Erin Goldmeier, Director of Media Relations at the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, had a group of select media meet for lunch in downtown Toronto to talk about the city.

I’ve only passed through, but it’s got a fine beach and a reputation for excellent food. The biggest development n the city is Atlantic Park, a huge (10-acre) downtown development that will soon feature a massive wave pool with excellent surfing, a boutique hotel, restaurants, shops, offices, a music hall and more. The concert venue, The Dome, is especially noteworthy as Virginia Beach is the home of popular singer Pharrell Williams.

The city next year will host the Virginia Beach Surfer Girl competition with more than 1,000 of the best women athletes in the world. It runs Sept. 5-7, 2026.

 

Virginia Beach is about a three-hour drive from Washington D.C., or a 40-minute flight. Not only is it famous for its beach vibe, it’s also home to great food; including she crab soup (a form of crab bisque) and tremendous local oysters.

The city has staged the U.S. version of the Jackalope Festival for the last three years and will do so for the next three. The event began in Montreal but was held in Mississauga, Ontario on July 11, 12 and 13. Goldmeier said the event involves everything from skateboarding to base jumping.