Travel + Leisure has this week unveiled the results of its annual World’s Best Awards 2021. The winners are judged based on the results of a reader survey, recognising the greatest hotels, cruise lines, cities, tour operators, airports, islands and this year, National Parks.
Interestingly it was African tented camps that took out the first two places in the Top 100 Hotels in the World category, with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition’s Mahali Mzuri (lead image) in Kenya’s Masai Mara the very best, with an amazing score of 99.73.
“This year’s World’s Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period,” Travel + Leisure said.
“We hope that this year’s honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world.”
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Among the multitude of lists were the following categories that LATTE has once again compressed to highlight the top five in each and their score out of 100. View the complete lists and extended coverage on Travel + Leisure‘s website here.
| Top 100 Hotels in the World | Score | Top 3 Resort Hotels in Australia and NZ | Score | |
| 1. Mahali Mzuri, Masai Mara, Kenya | 99.73 | 1. Matakauri Lodge | 95.47 | |
| 2. Nayara Tented Camp, Arenal Volcano NP, Costa Rica | 99.58 | 2. Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa | 83 | |
| 3. The Opposite House, Beijing | 99.47 | 3. Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas | 81.41 | |
| 4. Capella Bangkok | 99.38 | |||
| 5. Capella Ubud, Bali | 98.34 | |||
| Top 25 Hotel Brands in the World | Top 5 City Hotels in Australia and NZ | |||
| 1. The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts | 98.40 | 1. The Langham, Melbourne | 92 | |
| 2. Capella Hotels & Resorts | 97.82 | 2. Park Hyatt Melbourne | 91.53 | |
| 3. Red Carnation Hotel Collection | 97.54 | 3. Park Hyatt Sydney | 91.03 | |
| 4. Oetker Collection | 96.77 | 4. Shangri-La, Sydney | 90.76 | |
| 5. Oberoi Hotels & Resorts | 96.46 | 5. Grand Hyatt Melbourne | 88.40 | |
| Top 15 European City Hotels | Top 5 Resort Hotels in the South Pacific | |||
| 1. Mandarin Oriental, Milan, Italy | 98.67 | 1. InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa | 97.33 | |
| 2. La Reserve Paris, Hotel & Spa | 98.60 | 2. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort | 96.89 | |
| 3. Shangri-La the Shard, London | 98.57 | 3. The Brando | 95.29 | |
| 4. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet | 98.40 | 3. Conrad Bora Bora Nui | 95.29 | |
| 5. The St. Regis, Istanbul | 97.89 | 5. Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora | 93.69 | |
| Top 25 Cities in the World | Top 5 Cities in Australia, NZ, South Pacific | |||
| 1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | 93.54 | 1. Sydney | 86.70 | |
| 2. Udaipur, India | 91.63 | 2. Queenstown | 84.76 | |
| 3. Istanbul | 91.32 | 3. Melbourne | 83.71 | |
| 4. Ubud, Indonesia | 91.25 | 4. Hobart | 82.02 | |
| 5. Kyoto, Japan | 90.94 | 5. Brisbane | 81.77 | |
| Top 25 Islands in the World | ||||
| 1. Milos, Greece | 95.50 | 1. Fiji | 87.17 | |
| 2. Folegandros, Greece | 95.47 | 2. Kangaroo Island | 85.66 | |
| 3. St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 91.69 | 3. Moorea, French Polynesia | 85.48 | |
| 4. Madiera, Portugal | 91.56 | 4. Great Barrier Reef Islands | 85 | |
| 5. Andaman Islands, India | 91.24 | 5. Bora-Bora | 84.48 | |
| Top 10 River Cruise Lines | Top 10 Small-Ship Ocean Cruise Lines (249 pax or less) | |||
| 1. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection | 96.79 | 1. Quasar Expeditions | 97.99 | |
| 2. Tauck | 96.3 | 2. Ponant | 93.42 | |
| 3. Viking Cruises | 93.65 | 3. Crystal Cruises | 93.33 | |
| 4. Aqua Expeditions | 92.69 | 4. Lindblad Expeditions | 92.97 | |
| 5. American Queen Steamboat Co. | 92.68 | 5. Windstar Cruises | 92.90 | |
| Top 5 Midsize-Ship Ocean Cruise Lines | Top 10 Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Lines (600 – 2,199 pax) | |||
| 1. Windstar Cruises | 93.17 | 1. Seabourn | 94.74 | |
| 2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises | 92.68 | 2. Viking Cruises | 93.67 | |
| 3. Paul Gaugin Cruises | 92.32 | 3. Regent Seven Seas Cruises | 92.08 | |
| 4. Seabourn | 91.59 | 4. Crystal Cruises | 91.1 | |
| 5. Silversea | 90.8 | 5. Silversea | 89.27 | |
| Top 5 International Spas | Top 15 Tour Operators | |||
| 1. Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico | 95.17 | 1. Quasar Expeditions | 99.58 | |
| 2. Sha Wellness Clinic, El Abir, Spain | 94.63 | 2. Mountain Lodges of Peru | 98.93 | |
| 3. BodyHoliday, St. Lucia | 94.35 | 3. BCT Bicycling Vacations | 98.7 | |
| 4. Tabacon Termal Resort & Spa | 92.46 | 4. Classic Journeys | 98.6 | |
| 5. Chable Maroma, Punta Maroma, Mexico | 91.06 | 5. TCS World Travel | 97.55 |