Travel + Leisure releases top 100 hotels in the world, and the top 5 might surprise you

Now that Travel + Leisure has released its list of the world’s top 100 hotels, travelers have a bit more information to use when planning their next epic getaway. The magazine picks hotels from around the world for the list based on service, location, facilities, overall value and food.

The brand invites readers to participate as well in the research done in association with the firm M&RR.

Some of the hotels are associated with big names like the W Santiago in Chile, which is associated with Marriott, and the Shangri-La Singapore, which is a Shangri-La hotel. That one came in at 77 on the list.

At the very bottom of the prized list with a 95.73% score (which still shouldn’t turn away any traveler) is the Birkenhead House in Hermanus, South Africa. But, it’s the top five hotels on the list that, just by themselves, show how varied the rest of the list is.

No. 1 on the list is the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Montalcino, Italy. This Tuscan wonder comes with spacious rooms and is surrounded by vineyards and tall pine trees, which you can see in this recent Facebook post:

The Grace Hotel in Santorini, Greece made the list at No. 2 with a nearly perfect score, and this sunrise shot from the hotel makes it easy to see why the setting is picture perfect:

The Maldives made the top five on the list with a big name in hotels, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives in South Malé Atoll, Maldives. It takes 45 minutes by boat to get to the resort from Malé’s airport. And the One & Only resort made it in at No. 5 on the list, another luxurious accommodation located in the Maldives.

But it’s the hotel at No. 4 that really might surprise readers. The Pickering House Inn, located in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, appears modest at first glance.

In 2018 the owners completed a two-year renovation on the 10-room guest house, which was originally constructed in 1813. The inn has a lot of history and is not far from the beautiful shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.

With a score of 98.95%, a stay at the Pickering House Inn comes with what is described as a gourmet breakfast prepared by their executive chef.

By Douglas Jones, Scripps National.