Well-heeled travellers will be interested to see the list of the world's top hotels as chosen by the well-known online website www.luxurylink.com.
At the Luxury Link World's Best Hotels Awards, the hotels chosen by a panel of Luxury Link travel editors and VIP users were presented with their awards and were described as the creme de la creme in the luxury travel market by president Diane McDavitt.
Luxury Link will launch a new editorial feature entitled Luxury Link World's Best Hotels 2006 which will be accessible via multiple areas on the Luxury Link website.
In addition, these properties will also be featured by its editors on the Luxury Link home page.
South Africans will be pleased to note that we feature on this auspicious list. The Mala Mala Main Camp comes in at position 35, the Mount Nelson in Cape Town is in position 38 and Sabi Sabi, Saxonwold, is placed as Number 41. Aha. Since when did Sabi Sabi, that excellent private game reserve move to the Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold?
We're not sure. A call to Sabi Sabi reveals that it is still located in the Sabi Sands beside Kruger National Park. And yes, Saxonwold does have the Big Five, but they are in the Johannesburg Zoo. Sabi Sabi has no intention of taking over the zoo!
The Top 50
1. Amandari; Bali, Indonesia
2. Amankila; Bali, Indonesia
3. Ana Mandara Resort; Nha Trang, Vietnam
4. Arizona Inn; Tuscon, Arizona
5. Bellagio; Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Biras Creek; Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
7. Blackberry Farm; Walland Tennessee
8. Bora Bora Lagoon Resort; Bora Bora, French Polynesia
9. Burj Al Arab; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
10. Charleston Place; Charleston, South Carolina
11. Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul; Besiktas, Turkey
12. Cliveden, Berkshire, England
13. Fairmont Kea Lani; Maui, Hawaii
14. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai; Kona, Hawaii
15. Four Seasons Resort Nevis; Nevis; West Indies
16. Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris; Paris, France
17. Grace Bay Club; Turks & Caicos, British West Indies
18. Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat; Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, France
19. Halekulani; Honolulu, Hawaii
20. Hayman Island; Queensland, Australia
21. Hostellerie de Crillon le Brave; Crillon le Brave, France
22. Hotel Bel-Air; Los Angeles, California
23. Hotel Danieli; Venice, Italy
24. Hotel Gritti Palace; Venice, Italy
25. Hotel Monasterio; Cusco, Peru
26. Huka Lodge; Taupo, New Zealand
27. InterContinental Le Moana Resort Bora Bora; Bora Bora, French Polynesia
28. Keswick Hall; Keswick, Virginia
29. La Samanna; St. Martin, French West Indies
30. Las Mananitas; Cuernavaca, Mexico add a tilde over the first n
31. Las Ventanas al Paraiso; San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico
32. The Little Nell; Aspen, Colorado
33. Lizard Island; Queensland, Australia
34. The Lodge at Pebble Beach; Pebble Beach, California
35. Mala Mala Main Camp; South Africa
36. Mandarin Oriental, Miami; Florida
37. The Mansion on Turtle Creek; Dallas, Texas
38. Mount Nelson; Cape Town, South Africa
39. Oberoi Rajvilas; Jaipur, India
40. Peter Island; Peter Island, British Virgin Islands
41. Sabi Sabi; Saxonwold; South Africa
42. The Peninsula New York; New York, New York
43. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco; San Francisco, California
44. The Ritz London; London, England
45. The Dorchester; London, England
46. The Observatory; Sydney, Australia
47. The Oriental, Bangkok; Thailand, Bangkok
48. The Peninsula Hong Kong; Kowloon, Hong Kong
49. The Point; Saranac Lake; New York
50. Villa d'este; Cernobbio, Italy
- This article was originally published on page 18 of The Star on February 18, 2006