The Best New Resorts Around the World of 2025

Almare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Isla Mujeres, Adult All-inclusive, Mexico

Repurposed from a previous life as a mid-range all-inclusive into a Marriott Luxury Collection resort, the adults-only Almare offers a much-needed shot in the arm to sleepy Isla Mujeres, across a peaceful bay from the buzz of Cancun. Here, the vibes are more “summer camp” than seclusion—I joined my fellow guests at morning yoga, mezcal tastings, and even a jog to Punta Sur, the island’s southernmost point. The 109 rooms are spacious and bright; some travelers might find the Mexico-meets-modern vibes a bit too sparse, but I appreciated the Byredo toiletries, spacious soaking tubs, and sunset-facing balconies. The food was also a hit: all-day restaurant Boga focuses on local fare from the Yucatan, and The Breeze, a lunchtime pool bar, has tacos, ceviche, and an excellent burger. If you like the convenience of an all-inclusive (unlimited drinks!), the charm of a boutique hotel (staff who knows your coffee order!), and the reliability of a mega-brand (loyalty points!), Almare has a winning formula. Doubles from $1,025, all-inclusive. —Laura Ratliff

Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, Indonesia

It was pouring when I arrived at Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, but rain suits the place. The 85-room resort sits in a valley inside the Payangan rainforest, about a 30-minute drive north of Ubud. The primary building, a glassy hilltop structure, houses Kirana, an all-day Indonesian restaurant, and Amerta, which serves fire-roasted entrées. The resort also has a spa, two pools, a lounge, and a bar that serves cocktails made with arrack, a local cousin of rum. Looking out from my villa’s infinity pool after the rain had cleared, I saw nothing but slopes covered with bamboo, banana plants, and palms. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $600. —Hannah Walhout 

Arev St. Tropez, France

“Un rêve” means “a dream” in French. And indeed, a stay at the 50-room Arev—St. Tropez’s newest hideout, set on a leafy, quiet street, but only a 10-minute stroll from the bustle of Place des Lices—feels like a reverie you won’t want to wake from. Spanish designer Luis Bustamante took inspiration from the nearby Old Port, using a nautical, sophisticated, red, white, and blue palette throughout the property. I enjoyed a tasting in the outdoor Champagne Lounge (my bubbles were served from a chic vintage trolley cart) and spent my days lounging by the pool, or strolling the courtyards and gardens filled with magnolias, bougainvillea, and olive trees. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $643. —Robin Allison Davis

Atzaró Okavango, Botswana

Atzaró Okavango’s inception began as an unlikely collaboration between Beks Ndlovu, the Zimbabwe-born founder of African Bush Camps, and Philip Gonda and Victor Guasch, the co-owners of the very stylish, design-forward hospitality group Atzaró. The hotel’s lobby bar and connected lounge spaces are filled with an impressive collection of African art, from masks to textiles like mud cloth sourced from Benin, the Congo, Ethiopia, and the Tuareg people. The luxurious tents, ranging from 1,740 to 4,130 square feet, have bathtubs and both mid-century and antique African furniture. But it’s the safaris themselves, led by some of the region’s best guides (Ndlovu started his career as a guide, so he has managed to attract and train the best) that are the reason to choose Atzaró. The animal sightings are frequent and thrilling, and the resort has fantastic post-safari cocktails; the camp’s resident mixologist might even show up to mix you a sundowner in the bush. Doubles from $690 per person, all-inclusive. —Gisela Williams

Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

From the plunge pool outside my villa at Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe, I could almost reach out and touch the grapevines. Channeling a sense of place in Mexico’s preeminent wine region was a goal for architect Michel Rojkind, who made the valley’s natural beauty the star of this resort. Its 30 sand-colored villas, which blend into the hillside, have from one to three bedrooms; each has a fireplace and a wine bar, plus a shower that opens onto an outdoor deck. As serene as my quarters were, the common spaces are where the 16-acre property really shines. I loved stopping for a burrito or a sip of mezcal at Roka, a repurposed Airstream trailer; elsewhere, I found a yoga platform, a spa, a meditation labyrinth, and a temescal. Essential to any stay is a visit to Pictograma, the resort’s winery, which grows grenache grapes. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $599.​ —Nina Ruggiero

Borgo dei Conti Resort, Umbria, Italy

Once upon a time, in the Umbrian countryside, there was an enchanted 19th-century villa, built on the foundations of a 13th-century fortress. It was inhabited by Count Lemmo Rossi Scotti, who spent his days painting and tending to the garden. Fast-forward more than a hundred years, and now that enchanted villa is a luxury resort run by The Hospitality Experience, the hoteliers behind other Italian properties like The Place Firenze and Londra Palace in Venice. Naturally, the villa’s new owners worked to preserve its historic integrity, restoring the frescoes and wood-beamed ceilings, while still bringing it into the 21st century. Maybe it was all the lore surrounding the place, but I did feel a bit like a modern-day countess, whether I was savoring risotto with goat cheese and Mediterranean herbs or cozying up on the sofa in my spacious suite. Perugia, Umbria’s Medieval capital, is just a 30-minute drive away, but don’t be surprised if you feel an almost supernatural pull urging you to stay put and explore the 40-acre grounds instead, perhaps with a picnic in the woods. Surely, Count Rossi Scotti would have wanted it that way. Doubles from $600. —Laura Itkowitz

Clara Arte Resort, Inhotim, Brazil

After more than a decade of anticipation, art buffs can now stay in a hotel at the Inhotim Institute, one of the world’s largest open-air museums, about an hour and a half from the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Clara Arte opened in December 2024 at the edge of the museum’s botanical garden, which features 4,000 tropical plant species and 700 artworks across 24 stand-alone galleries, all designed by distinct architects. Clara Arte’s 46 stilted villas spill down a lush hill by the entrance; São Paulo-based designer Marina Linhares filled each one with stone and wood furnishings that gesture to the landscape. All stays include three meals and a lavish afternoon “tea” with surprisingly sharp Brazilian brut and the addictive cheese bread pão de queijo. As the sun sets, you listen to the chirps and croaks of the Atlantic Forest, or relax with a caipirinha at the piano bar, which hosts nightly bossa nova music. Of course, the main reason you come here is to browse contemporary art at the Inhotim Institute, a five-minute walk away. It takes repeated visits to fully immerse yourself in the towering installations, which include big names like Matthew Barney and Yayoi Kusama. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $410, all-inclusive. —Mark Johanson

Dunas de Formentera, Spain

Within an hour of arriving at Dunas de Formentera, a 45-room retreat on the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, I had ditched my shoes to walk the undulating dunes. Formentera, a craggy 12-mile spit of land, is a low-key refuge from the party scene in Ibiza, just a 30-minute ferry ride away. The hotel is made up of nine whitewashed bungalows a few steps from the beach with its soft sand and clear water. Its restaurant, Caliu, specializes in wood-fired dishes, like the artichokes with cured egg yolk and ham that became a favorite during my stay. Dunas puts the eco in eco-resort: There are hourglasses in the shower to keep track of the time, and even the bedside phones are made of wood. I spent my days parked by the saltwater infinity pool, where the cooling breezes were, in the parched Spanish summer, more than welcome. Doubles from $550. —Julia Chaplin

Gundari, Folegandros, Greece

Folegandros, an unspoiled island about eight miles long, is only a 50-minute ferry ride from busy Santorini, but it feels like another world. High on a deserted clifftop overlooking the Sea of Crete, Gundari would feel radical anywhere. But in this location, the hypermodern hotel feels almost revolutionary. After opening, the property’s 30 cliffside suites and villas quickly became Instagram-famous. But Gundari’s ambitions go far beyond the visual. The main restaurant, Orizon, is run by Lefteris Lazarou, who earned the Athens restaurant Varoulko a Michelin star. Lazarou’s moussaka, made with shrimp instead of the traditional lamb, was light and aromatic; a risotto of brown orzo with Greek cheese, chili pepper, and wine from the nearby island of Lemnos was somehow both wholesome and indulgent. There’s also a striking subterranean spa where an Australian therapist gave me a world-class massage using oils infused with Greek botanicals. Doubles from $654.​ —Flora Stubbs

Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nice, France

Hidden away in Nice’s Old Town, Hôtel du Couvent is the chic property this coastal city craved. The 17th-century convent—home to the Poor Clare and Salesian orders until the 1980s—got a $100-million renovation and is now a hotel with 88 guest rooms. Mine had Italian flea-market finds and custom furniture made from old ceiling beams. A terraced garden contains more than 300 plant species, many of which supply the three on-site restaurants. Underground is a contemporary interpretation of the Roman baths excavated in nearby Cimiez, with a warm tepidarium, a hot caldarium, and a frigidarium, or cold plunge. The latter was particularly restorative, as was the Negroni No. 2 at Le Bar, in the cloister, which adds beets and strawberries to the classic recipe. It was a subtle reinvention that, like the hotel itself, improved upon the original without losing its soul. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $545.​ —Paul Jebara

Jannah Lamu, Kenya

For decades, on Lamu, a tiny island off the coast of Kenya that has long been fashionable with a certain free-spirited European crowd, the Peponi has been the stylish hotel of choice. Now, thanks to the opening of Jannah Lamu (the word jannah means “paradise” in Arabic), there’s another extraordinary place to stay. This elegant and quirky B&B—with seven accommodations—in the village of Shela is owned and designed by Kenyan designer Anna Trzebinski. Some rooms have stained-glass windows, others have bespoke wood-carved furniture, and all have Trzebinski-designed fabrics. While there isn’t a restaurant on site, there is a decadent breakfast, including sliced avocados, fresh fruit, samosas, and fried donut-like treats called kaimati. The property also recommends several cafes that deliver delicious Swahili dishes so guests can dine on one of the property’s wind-swept terraces. While located on Shela’s main square rather than on the beach, the property offers guests the option to spend time on one of three beautifully crafted traditional boats. There’s nothing like sailing one of the elegant wooden dhows (with a canopied deck covered in pillows) through mangrove-lined channels, then diving into water, before a picnic of grilled lobster and fish curry back on deck. Doubles from $350. —Gisela Williams 

Kibale Lodge, Uganda

Kibale Forest in western Uganda, is known as the best place in the world to see chimpanzees, and there is no better base to explore this underrated part of Africa than Kibale Lodge, a short drive away. The lodge is Volcanoes Safaris’ fifth on their great ape safari circuits through Uganda and Rwanda. Perched high on a ridge, the estate boasts spectacular 360-degree views of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains and greenery of rural Uganda. It is an intimate affair, with just eight papyrus-thatched bandas, each solar-powered and handbuilt by talented local craftspeople. At the heart of the lodge, a welcoming common area encourages guests to gather for drinks and food, including Ugandan specialities and more familiar dishes using local or homegrown ingredients. I swapped safari stories with my fellow visitors over freshly caught tilapia, firinda (bean stew), and dodo (steamed greens), while treks were fueled by freshly squeezed passionfruit juice and on-the-go “rolex” (rolled omelettes). The main draw to Kibale Lodge is, of course, the chimpanzees, but it’s well worth taking the time to enjoy the 150 acres of rewilded grounds here, along with the pool, sauna, and complimentary massages to ease post-trek aches. It’s the perfect sanctuary to retreat to after searching for primates in the thick Ugandan jungle. Doubles from $990, all-inclusive. —Gisela Williams

La Roqqa, Porto Ercole, Italy

It was Giorgio Bonotto, La Roqqa’s simpatico general manager, who supplied the words I’d been searching for. I’d arranged to meet him for aperitivi on the hotel’s roof terrace, with its views over Tuscan rooftops and a harbor full of bobbing boats. The 16th-century fort that crowns the hill across the bay was soaking up the last rays of the setting sun as he said, “I like to describe La Roqqa as an urban resort in the middle of a fishing village.” I wish I’d thought of that. It’s the contrast between the chic interior design and the refreshing authenticity of Porto Ercole, the laid-back coastal town outside its doors, that makes the 55-room La Roqqa such an original arrival on the Tuscan scene. Walk 10 minutes to the port and you’re in a film about small-town Italy, in which grandparents and kids stroll along the quay, gelato in hand. Walk, or be driven in one of La Roqqa’s electric cars, 10 minutes in the other direction and you’re in a dolce vita romance set in a wild, rocky bay where beautiful, tanned people loll on loungers at the resort’s beach club. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $515. —Lee Marshall

Le Château de Théoule, Théoule-sur-Mer, France

After more than a decade living in France, I’ve seen my fair share of castles, but Château de Théoule is different. Like a cat with nine lives, the building has undergone multiple renovations since its humble start as a savonnerie, or soap factory, in 1630. For this latest reinvention into a 44-room retreat, interior decorator and antique dealer Marie-Christine Mecoen paid tribute to the château’s former owners (which include a Scottish lord and wealthy French silk merchants) with subtle touches. Each room’s design is anchored around a hand-picked antique, so no two are alike. Some are outfitted with sumptuous, draped silk headboards and boudoir-style fringe lamps. My ochre-colored duplex room, dubbed La Valériane (after the flower used in perfume), channeled a 1960s South of France vibe, with floor-to-ceiling gauzy, eggshell-white custom linen curtains, violet velvet armchairs, and rattan palm tree light fixtures. I also appreciated the relaxed location—unlike nearby Cannes, with its international jet-setters, the town of Théoule-sur-Mer attracts in-the-know locals who come to hike trails in the surrounding Massif de l’Estérel mountains, and get away from it all. Doubles from $680. —Lane Nieset

Les Lumières, Versailles, France

It’s easy to feel like royalty at Les Lumières, a hotel across the street from the Château de Versailles. Everywhere, there are gestures to France’s most famous palace: The gold-plated bar at Le Bar des Philosophes pays homage to Louis XIV’s court outfits, and the hotel fragrance is by Trudon, a Versailles candlemaker that dates back to 1643. The 31 rooms and suites are also named after famed French writers and philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment, like Voltaire and Denis Diderot, and explorers, like Navy officer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. It all contributes to a feeling of learning, knowledge, and contemplation. (There was even a journal in my suite for me to write in and take home.) I also took advantage of the Dream Machine amenity, a light machine brought to my room for a self-hypnosis experience. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $428. —Robin Allison Davis 

Le Mas Candille, Mougins, France

Le Mas Candille, set in the hilltop village of Mougins in the French Riviera, seems to define the area’s storied glamour. With majestic views of the bay of Cannes and the Lérins Islands, it’s easy to be swept away by the scenery, but the interiors of this 46-room property—which originally opened in 2001 and has come back to life after a careful restoration by French-Mexican architect Hugo Toro—are just as compelling. Furniture and decor was sourced at Provençal flea markets, and I adored the green carpet and matching drapes in my suite (both custom-crafted by Toro). The Clarins spa was another revelation. After several laps in the indoor-outdoor heated swimming pool, I relaxed in the steam room and even braved the cold plunge pool, before an hour-long facial with plant extracts, almost all of which were grown on the property. Well-nourished by chef Romain Antoine’s Mediterranean-inspired feast of langoustine and scallops, I retired to the library to skim the collection of classics. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $532. —Kasia Dietz

Mara Toto Tree Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya

The safari started from the plane. I saw my first elephants while approaching the Ol Kiombo Airstrip, a 45-minute flight from Nairobi. After touchdown, I spied warthogs, Cape buffalo, and Grant’s gazelles—their coats glowing pale yellow in the East African sun—on the drive to Mara Toto Tree Camp, a Great Plains Conservation camp run by safari stars and legendary conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert. What they’ve created here is a feeling of total immersion and intimacy: Mara Toto Tree Camp has just four tented suites on the Ntiakitiak River. Each one, lifted nearly 10 feet off the ground and connected with snaking wooden walkways, feels a bit like a tree house, with all the adventure you could ask for. Of course, the accommodations are exceedingly comfortable, and the fireside dinners of blackened ribeye, herb salads, and creamy local cheeses are delicious. But you’re really here for the game drives, which are unmatched. Mara Toto has access to both Maasai Mara National Reserve and Mara North Conservancy, the latter a part of the same ecosystem, but with a fraction of the crowds. “Privacy counts,” says Dereck. “You have to be careful to avoid the abundance of tourism, but in Kenya, there are more than enough private corners in nature to explore.” I would say this corner is one of the best. Doubles from $1,445 per person per night, all-inclusive. —Nicole Trilivas

Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, Turkey

Last May, Türkiye’s Maxx Royal Resorts made a showstopping entrance into the luxury hotel scene on the Bodrum Peninsula with Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, a wildly chic paradise that seems to sprout organically from the dreamy Aegean landscape. Low-slung suites and villas, some of which flank the watery edge of a brilliantly conceived, almost labyrinthine pool, unfurl down to a secluded bay and beach. All have balconies or terraces, and many have private pools. The resort is constructed mostly of smooth stone and wood, giving it warmth and elegance. With seven restaurants and four bars, the gastronomy is uniformly superb, and eliminates the need to ever venture off property. Partnerships with Caviar Kaspia, lifestyle hospitality brand Scorpios, and Spago by Wolfgang Puck among others offer international cachet. The 62,000-square foot Maxx Wellbeing Centre is also a dizzying universe of wellness and an oasis of serenity. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $1,129. —Marcia DeSanctis

One&Only Kéa Island, Greece

The road that leads to Greece’s first One&Only resort is not for the faint of heart. The hairpin bends between precipitous valleys and parched hills appear to careen off the cliffs into the sea until you are finally ushered to the top and step into a vast, light-filled atrium. From this panoramic hilltop pinnacle, tiers of double-height, glass-fronted villas cascade down to a sheltered cove and beach club. Of course, you could skip the drive altogether and come by speedboat (a 45-minute, adrenaline-fueled ride from the Greek mainland), by helicopter (there’s no airport on Kéa), or even on foot (via a gorgeous coastal trail from Pisses beach). Better yet, charter Stavros, a handsome wooden kaiki moored at the private jetty, for gentle cruises around Kéa’s beach-fringed coastline. Here, it’s all too easy to simply hunker down at the resort and surrender to the blissful isolation and solicitous attention. I spent hours idly watching seagulls from my miniature infinity pool or contemplating the play of light on the hazy hills etched on the horizon from Kosmos bar. A dedicated host is on call 24/7 via WhatsApp to book spa treatments, tennis lessons, diving sessions, or dinner reservations. I found the enormous spa a bit sterile, but the sea-view yoga pavilion motivated me to get in a workout before a long, slow breakfast of kayianas (scrambled eggs with tomatoes, feta, and oregano) and a calming infusion of chamomile blossom. Doubles from $1,672. —Rachel Howard

The Potlatch Club, Eleuthera, Bahamas

In the 1960s, The Potlatch Club, on the island of Eleuthera, hosted VIP guests like Paul and Linda McCartney, who honeymooned at the hotel in 1969. Last summer, it reopened following a meticulous renovation, with 11 suites and cottages scattered across 12 lush beachside acres. Some accommodations are new, some are original, but all are enlivened with era-appropriate accents—cute wallpaper here, a vintage model ship there. Think of it as a Slim Aarons shoot recreated for the Instagram age. Over in the main house, I found McCartney’s lyrics to “Oh Darling” written on a Potlatch Club napkin, framed on the library wall. Doubles from $775. —Flora Stubbs

Princes’ Palace Resort, Büyükada, Turkey

Reachable by helicopter or boat, the 69-room Princes’ Palace is located on Büyükada, the largest of the nine Princes’ Islands off Istanbul, where Ottoman intellectuals retreated in the 1800s. The crescent-shaped hotel’s glass facade is visible solely by sea, making quite the first impression when you dock. The main building’s minimalist design revolves around sweeping views of the water and Istanbul’s skyline, which you’ll see everywhere from the terrace of seasonal, farm-to-table Ema’s Dining Room, where seafood is sourced off the coast and herbs are grown in the on-site garden. When I was one of the first to visit Princes’ Palace in mid-December, it was too brisk to take a dip in the swimmable beach below, but I had a prime view of the sunset from my balcony suspended over the Mediterranean-style beach club and the tiered infinity pools. In Turkey, a hammam is practically a given, but the slate-gray, marble-and-tile one here is an experience in itself, especially when paired with a dip in the sea-facing indoor pool. Doubles from  $675. —Lane Nieset

Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, Salzburg, Austria

In the 15th century, the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg built a grand lodge on Lake Fuschl, in Austria’s mountainous Salzkammergut region. Now, the schloss, or castle, has been reborn as the 98-room Rosewood Schloss Fuschl. Given the property’s lineage, I expected it to be thronged by European elites. But I was pleasantly surprised to find locals and backpack-toting travelers among the mix—one afternoon, I squeezed onto a communal picnic table beside a German family, where we all savored smoked trout and generous pours of grüner veltliner. Doubles from $650. —Siobhan Reid

​​The Store, Oxford, England

There’s a reason why the university city of Oxford has inspired so many generations of children’s authors. The place is a rabbit hole of intrigue. Alas, its tight medieval center doesn’t leave much space for 21st-century facilities, and for decades, it has lacked the hotel that equals its popularity as a destination. 

The 101-room Store, which opened last summer, presents a brilliant solution to this problem. It’s a breezy, modern hotel, complete with a spa (with Oskia products) and rooftop cocktail bar (usually you have to sneak onto a college roof for such a good view). And yet, it still has a bit of Oxford charm, being located in an iconic old building: the venerable Boswells department store, which was open for nearly three centuries before shuttering in 2020. The lobby presents a serene refuge from the tourist hubbub outside, and I found that the Treadwell restaurant offers inventive spins on British classics, like curried chicken pie. Doubles from $373. —Richard Godwin

Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Turks & Caicos

This Marriott Luxury Collection resort, just 10 minutes from South Caicos Airport, welcomes guests with coral stone walkways leading up to the property. Menus at the six restaurants incorporate local ingredients like conch and Bambarra Rum—I’m still thinking about the platters of smoky grilled lobster at Cobo Bar & Grill and Key lime tart piled with marshmallow-soft brûléed meringue at Sisal, the lobby bar and restaurant. The 100 ocean-facing guest rooms have hand-carved furniture, textured wall hangings, and prints from a February 2024 study of the islands’ flamingo population. Individual and couples treatment rooms, an aqua thermal facility with a steam room, a dry sauna, and a salt room join a serene hammam in the spa. Here, a massage therapist eased my sore muscles after days spent bonefishing, snorkeling, hiking, and scuba diving. Across the property, the kids’ club offers daily activities, including guided kayaking, paddleboarding, beach discovery walks, and trips to the School for Field Studies’ Center for Marine Resource Studies, which helps restore Turks and Caicos’ coral reefs. I explored the underwater coral plantings as part of the Snorkel for a Cause program at the resort, which was my favorite part of the trip. Doubles from $726. —Carrie Honaker

Valldemossa, Mallorca

A little-known secret about Mallorca is that you can find more history (and incredible luxury) if you leave the beach and head into the mountains. Enter Valldemossa, one of the newest properties to grace the peaks of the Tramuntana mountain range. Built on the former site of Royal Charterhouse Palace, which once housed guests visiting the village of Valldemossa’s 14th-century monastery, the hotel has preserved that antique feeling. A stone staircase framed by olive trees leads to the main terrace, from which a meandering path will bring you to one of the 12 rooms. The pool is a prime spot to enjoy the views of citrus orchards, and the village below—but a table at De Tokio a Lima, the second location of Palma’s hit Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant—offers an even better perch. Aesthetics aside, the heart of the hotel is the Sanctuary, where guests can receive full-body spa rituals tailored to their individual needs. After arriving for my appointment in the morning, I emerged from the treatment room hours later having completely lost track of time, imbued with a newfound lightness and feeling fresh to explore the village down the street. Doubles from $365. —Jamie Ditaranto

The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa

When one thinks of Bora Bora, the first image that comes to mind is likely an overwater bungalow positioned over crystal-clear waters. The newest resort to the French Polynesian island since 2017, The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa, is no exception. One of its main draws is its location at the base of Mount Otemanu, offering an unobstructed view. The design, which is the result of an extensive renovation and rebrand (Le Méridien used to sit on this plot of the atoll), also brings the outdoors in. There are 14 beach bungalows, as well as 128 overwater bungalows—the largest collection in Bora Bora—connected by a winding boardwalk. The vibe is laid-back, but I found the staff’s anticipatory service to be a subtle and welcome part of the stay. For example, on the second day, a server at Tipanier, one of the hotel’s six restaurants, brought our coffee orders as soon as we were seated at breakfast. Snorkeling gear was left outside the door of our bungalow following an offhand comment I made to a waiter about seeing stingrays from our plunge pool. At the spa, the masseuse added a local soothing serum to aid in the healing of the sunburn I’d gotten on my back. And at Maere, the resort’s signature restaurant, the chef cooked all the courses on seafood night for my mother, who does not eat raw shellfish—a shame, in my book, but one the restaurant handled perfectly. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $1,000. —Jess Feldman