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Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards 2023

Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards 2023

2023 Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards

A sure thing is getting harder to come by. As travel steeply increased last year, we felt lottery-winner lucky if we didn’t have a delayed or cancelled flight, luckier still if our luggage managed to take the same trip we did. By extension, our appreciation for hotels that go above and beyond grew tenfold. Upon reaching one’s destination, there is no better feeling than being met with a warm smile and believing that when the front desk clerk says “Let us know if we can do anything to make your stay more comfortable” they mean it. Memorable too, in all the right ways, by delivering on tiny details and grand experiences alike. While it’s more challenging than ever to be in hospitality, the winners of our 2023 Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards make it look effortless.

WOW PICK OF THE YEAR

BEST NEW HOTEL

BEST SUSTAINABLE LUXURY

MOST ROMANTIC HOTEL

BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL

BEST POOL VIEW

BEST GOURMET GETAWAY

BEST BEACH HOTEL

BEST WELLNESS RETREAT

BEST ADVENTURE

BEST FAMILY HOTEL

BEST FAR-FLUNG ESCAPE

WOW PICK OF THE YEAR

FORESTIS

South Tyrol, Italy

Sweet waking dreams are made of this. Tucked in on a sun-touched slope of the South Tyrolean Alps, FORESTIS makes a convincing case that it is actual heaven on earth. Once a Vatican retreat, it rises to touch the sky nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, and just the sight of the Dolomites’ majestic massifs directly opposite is a spiritual experience. Four elements—water, air, sun and climate—guide every architectural choice and guest experience. The minimalist suite design of crystal-clear glass and warm wood maximizes the alpine awe beyond. Mother Nature is further honored at the restaurant—referred to as Forest Cuisine—and the spa, with treatments guided by the healing woods of mountain pine, stone pine, spruce and larch. Four, forest, for rest—what its name suggests is but a sliver of its splendors.

BEST NEW HOTEL

Susurros del Corazón

Punta de Mita, Mexico

Spanish for “whispers of the heart,” Susurros del Corazón remains a bit of a secret. Opened in November, the oceanfront property is Auberge Resort Collection’s impeccable contribution to all-luxury enclave Punta de Mita. Between jungle cliffs and soft sands, its 59 rooms, suites and villas are indoor-outdoor open concept, beckoning those balmy Pacific breezes in, and adorned in works crafted by local artisans. With a fleet of dining options helmed by Mexico City’s Tonatiuh Cuevas, coming-soon Onda spa featuring 11 treatment rooms and captivating list of activities—cacao ceremonies, sombrero studio, whale song excursions, to name a few—it won’t stay hush-hush for long.

BEST SUSTAINABLE LUXURY

Kisawa Sanctuary

Benguerra Island, Mozambique

There is more than one type of VIP at Mozambique’s Kisawa Sanctuary. People, naturally, but also a Very Important Population of dugongs, cousin to the manatee, and all the Bazaruto Archipelago’s other extra-special aquatic flora and fauna. Owner Nina Flohr calls her approach “resort-to-research,” with the barefoot-luxury property on Benguerra Island’s southern tip funding sister non-profit The Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies on the opposite end. Top to bottom, the Sanctuary’s modus operandi is tread lightly, ingeniously too. All 11 bungalows are made of wood and plaster—rather than CO2-emitting, water-guzzling cement—and without heavy machinery, while the textural soaking tub and other interior elements were created on-site through 3D printing with the same sand and seawater the guests frolic in. Well, not exactly—just as this Indian Ocean escape is one-of-a-kind, no two grains of its sands are the same.

MOST ROMANTIC HOTEL

La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel

Mallorca, Spain

In one of the many love poems he penned living in Deià, Briton Robert Graves wrote “Not there but here, / (He whispers) only here / As we are, here, together, now and here / Always you and I.” Said to be inspired by his wife Beryl Hodge, one can’t help but think the location also aided and abetted his ardor. The twin manors of La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel were already basking in the Mallorcan town’s romantic glow then and continue to nurture it, espousing days spent picnicking in fragrant citrus groves and stumbling upon hidden coves then, come evening, kissing under tangerine skies aboard a sunset cruise and candlelit dining al fresco at El Olivo. In suites, wood beam ceilings and terracotta tiles give way to old stone terraces, Serra de Tramuntana views and, in exclusive ones, private plunge pools. It all amounts to poetry in sensual slow motion.

BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The Twenty Two

London, United Kingdom

Kate Moss, Tom Cruise and a bevy of other boldface names have taken to The Twenty Two, all within its first nine months. At 22 Grosvenor Square, the 31-room Mayfair hotel may be boutique, but it’s no shrinking violet. Taking cues from opulent late 18th-century France à la Joséphine Bonaparte’s Château de Malmaison, designer Natalia Miyar dressed the former Edwardian mansion in a theatrical palette of immersive prints, sky-blue paint, red velvet beds and checkered Cabochon marble. Befitting an A-list clientele, its downstairs floors conceal a private members’ club, to which P Diddy brought a party last summer. Poppin’ Cristal there is also open to commoners, so long as there’s availability and one is booked to slumber beneath the Egyptian linens upstairs.

BEST POOL VIEW

Address Beach Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

There is a kind of contact high one gets from the first dip of a bare foot into cool water on a hot day. Address Beach Resort takes that high to a whole other level. Perched on the 77th floor, 964 feet up, the Downtown Dubai hotel’s pool is, as verified by the Guinness World Records on March 24, 2021, the world’s highest outdoor infinity pool. Nearly twice the length of an Olympic-sized pool, it’s not small either. From here, 9.a.m. to sunset, swimmers and sunbathers bask in bird’s-eye views of Ain Dubai, the world’s highest observation wheel, Jumeirah Beach and the sparkling skyline beyond. Seating options are almost as vast as the field of vision, with submerged loungers, circular sunken lounges and private cabanas up for grabs. ZETA Seventy Seven keeps the cold drinks and crispy prawns coming so guests don’t miss a beat working on their City of Gold glow.

BEST GOURMET GETAWAY

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

Any epicurean worth their salt has Tokyo atop their Eat Your Way Through list. The Japanese capital continues to be the most Michelin star-studded city in the world, with a total of 263 at last count. Floating high above the financial district, within the César Pelli-designed Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, the restaurants of Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo have claimed a few of those stars and scores of other accolades over the years. The most highly regarded of its dining dozen are Sense, serving authentic Cantonese and staggering Tokyo Skytree views; Signature, a modern homage to the classic French cuisine; and Tapas Molecular Bar, dishing out deconstructed visual feasts created by art major-turned-Chef de Cuisine Kento Ushikubo. Sushi too, an offshoot of Hokkaido’s famed Sushi Miyakawa. As if all that wasn't satisfying enough, even their casual Pizza Bar on 38th is a six-time Bib Gourmand.

BEST BEACH HOTEL

COMO Parrot Cay

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

What Balmoral Castle is to the British royal family, COMO Parrot Cay is to pop culture icons. For more than two decades, or a lifetime in Hollywood years, the 1,000-acre Caribbean private island resort has remained a destination of choice for celebs desperately seeking tropical seclusion. As one of COMO’s first properties, it became an unfaltering blueprint for the brand, with two signatures, COMO Beach Club and COMO Shambhala Retreat, typifying the balance of hedonism and health. Never one to rest on laurels or its four miles of impossibly white sand, the resort is continually refreshed, and expanded, including more butler-tended beach houses and an adults-only pool. One reviewer aptly summed it up as the “deep breath” of hotels. Between the lapping of turquoise waters and daily yoga and meditation classes, this spot serves up satisfied sighs all round.

BEST WELLNESS RETREAT

Les Sources de Caudalie

Bordeaux, France

To the uninitiated, vinotherapy could simply be a highfalutin term for an après-work glass of wine to wind down, but beauty aficionados know better. On her family’s estate, which happens to be the centuries-old winery Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux, Mathilde Thomas and her husband Bertrand conceived of Caudalie, a French skincare brand that harnesses the antioxidant powers of grape seed polyphenols. A few years later, her sister Alice Tourbier and husband Jérôme merged the place with the product to create Les Sources de Caudalie. The heart of which is the Spa Vinotherapie, featuring 20 treatment rooms, hammam and baths filled with water sourced from a hot spring discovered 540 meters directly below. Massage table to dinner table, it’s all Premier Cru, with Chef Nicolas Masses’ two Michelin star Le Grand’ Vigne highlighting the organic bounty of the local farm and broader Aquitaine region. Head Sommelier Aurélien Farrouil is there to talk through the right Pessac-Léognan prescription to pair with every plate.

BEST ADVENTURE GETAWAY

Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Space may be the final frontier, as every Star Trek series title sequence reiterated, but the Atacama Desert does a bang-up job of mimicking what the high life on Mars might look like—no future Virgin Galactic ticket required. Surrounded by the dusty pink and orange desert, Cordillera de Sal and legendary Licancabur Volcano, Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa is this otherworldly place’s oasis. Explorations range from laidback, such as spectating Chaxa Lagoon’s flamingos, to truly fortitude-testing, with an ascent of 18,385-foot stratovolcano Cerro Toco being the pinnacle. Volcanic-mud treatments and traditional north Chilean cuisine provide replenishment in between. While this isn’t outer space, thanks to the dry, high altitude and low light pollution, stargazers get one of the clearest views of it in the world—telescope and celestial expert provided.

BEST FAMILY HOTEL

Enchantment Resort

Sedona, United States

Like Enchanted, the musical rom-com starring Amy Adams, Enchantment Resort can be enjoyed by all ages. Set on 70 fantastical acres in Arizona, the Red Rock Country retreat makes leaving home and entering another world effortless. Hacienda Suites have all the comforts, including a full kitchen, outdoor grill, dining table, living room and beds for 6 to 8 bodies. The family that plays together can stay together doing mountain biking, pickleball, yoga, hot air ballooning and Jeep tours. Should the parental units want to ride off into the sunset together for a few hours, kids aged 4 to 12 can join Camp Coyote. Led by trained counselors, the program covers nature walks, scavenger hunts and arts and crafts. Approximately 100 resort activities are scheduled weekly, so leave the idea jar atop the fridge, or better yet, convert it into a memory jar.

BEST FAR-FLUNG ESCAPE

Six Senses Shaharut

Shaharut, Israel

A 3.5-hour drive from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, past the Dead Sea and up a snaking single-lane desert road brings you to the middle of nowhere—not just any nowhere, the heart of the Negev, a region with prehistoric, biblical, Nabatean and Bedouin history. The nomadic Nabatean, who went on to carve the city of Petra out of rock, inspired the architecture of Six Senses Shaharut. Emulating the topography, its 60 clifftop suites and pool villas are built into and out of the land, from limestone and flint excavated there, with the Panorama variety capturing the broadest views of the Arava Valley and Edom mountains. Along with the green shakshuka and tabun-oven flatbreads, jaws drop for the sunrises and sunsets served up at Midian restaurant. To embed oneself even further into the rugged landscape, camel trek, off-road along the old Incense Route, or cross into Jordan to see one of the aforementioned seven wonders of the world. Delightfully, staying put to enjoy the far-from-civilization silence is equally wonderful.

A sure thing is getting harder to come by. As travel steeply increased last year, we felt lottery-winner lucky if we didn’t have a delayed or cancelled flight, luckier still if our luggage managed to take the same trip we did. By extension, our appreciation for hotels that go above and beyond grew tenfold. Upon reaching one’s destination, there is no better feeling than being met with a warm smile and believing that when the front desk clerk says “Let us know if we can do anything to make your stay more comfortable” they mean it. Memorable too, in all the right ways, by delivering on tiny details and grand experiences alike. While it’s more challenging than ever to be in hospitality, the winners of our 2023 Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards make it look effortless.

WOW PICK OF THE YEAR

FORESTIS

South Tyrol, Italy

Sweet waking dreams are made of this. Tucked in on a sun-touched slope of the South Tyrolean Alps, FORESTIS makes a convincing case that it is actual heaven on earth. Once a Vatican retreat, it rises to touch the sky nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, and just the sight of the Dolomites’ majestic massifs directly opposite is a spiritual experience. Four elements—water, air, sun and climate—guide every architectural choice and guest experience. The minimalist suite design of crystal-clear glass and warm wood maximizes the alpine awe beyond. Mother Nature is further honored at the restaurant—referred to as Forest Cuisine—and the spa, with treatments guided by the healing woods of mountain pine, stone pine, spruce and larch. Four, forest, for rest—what its name suggests is but a sliver of its splendors.

BEST NEW HOTEL

Susurros del Corazón

Punta de Mita, Mexico

Spanish for “whispers of the heart,” Susurros del Corazón remains a bit of a secret. Opened in November, the oceanfront property is Auberge Resort Collection’s impeccable contribution to all-luxury enclave Punta de Mita. Between jungle cliffs and soft sands, its 59 rooms, suites and villas are indoor-outdoor open concept, beckoning those balmy Pacific breezes in, and adorned in works crafted by local artisans. With a fleet of dining options helmed by Mexico City’s Tonatiuh Cuevas, coming-soon Onda spa featuring 11 treatment rooms and captivating list of activities—cacao ceremonies, sombrero studio, whale song excursions, to name a few—it won’t stay hush-hush for long.

BEST SUSTAINABLE LUXURY

Kisawa Sanctuary

Benguerra Island, Mozambique

There is more than one type of VIP at Mozambique’s Kisawa Sanctuary. People, naturally, but also a Very Important Population of dugongs, cousin to the manatee, and all the Bazaruto Archipelago’s other extra-special aquatic flora and fauna. Owner Nina Flohr calls her approach “resort-to-research,” with the barefoot-luxury property on Benguerra Island’s southern tip funding sister non-profit The Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies on the opposite end. Top to bottom, the Sanctuary’s modus operandi is tread lightly, ingeniously too. All 11 bungalows are made of wood and plaster—rather than CO2-emitting, water-guzzling cement—and without heavy machinery, while the textural soaking tub and other interior elements were created on-site through 3D printing with the same sand and seawater the guests frolic in. Well, not exactly—just as this Indian Ocean escape is one-of-a-kind, no two grains of its sands are the same.

MOST ROMANTIC HOTEL

La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel

Mallorca, Spain

In one of the many love poems he penned living in Deià, Briton Robert Graves wrote “Not there but here, / (He whispers) only here / As we are, here, together, now and here / Always you and I.” Said to be inspired by his wife Beryl Hodge, one can’t help but think the location also aided and abetted his ardor. The twin manors of La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel were already basking in the Mallorcan town’s romantic glow then and continue to nurture it, espousing days spent picnicking in fragrant citrus groves and stumbling upon hidden coves then, come evening, kissing under tangerine skies aboard a sunset cruise and candlelit dining al fresco at El Olivo. In suites, wood beam ceilings and terracotta tiles give way to old stone terraces, Serra de Tramuntana views and, in exclusive ones, private plunge pools. It all amounts to poetry in sensual slow motion.

BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The Twenty Two

London, United Kingdom

Kate Moss, Tom Cruise and a bevy of other boldface names have taken to The Twenty Two, all within its first nine months. At 22 Grosvenor Square, the 31-room Mayfair hotel may be boutique, but it’s no shrinking violet. Taking cues from opulent late 18th-century France à la Joséphine Bonaparte’s Château de Malmaison, designer Natalia Miyar dressed the former Edwardian mansion in a theatrical palette of immersive prints, sky-blue paint, red velvet beds and checkered Cabochon marble. Befitting an A-list clientele, its downstairs floors conceal a private members’ club, to which P Diddy brought a party last summer. Poppin’ Cristal there is also open to commoners, so long as there’s availability and one is booked to slumber beneath the Egyptian linens upstairs.

BEST POOL VIEW

Address Beach Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

There is a kind of contact high one gets from the first dip of a bare foot into cool water on a hot day. Address Beach Resort takes that high to a whole other level. Perched on the 77th floor, 964 feet up, the Downtown Dubai hotel’s pool is, as verified by the Guinness World Records on March 24, 2021, the world’s highest outdoor infinity pool. Nearly twice the length of an Olympic-sized pool, it’s not small either. From here, 9.a.m. to sunset, swimmers and sunbathers bask in bird’s-eye views of Ain Dubai, the world’s highest observation wheel, Jumeirah Beach and the sparkling skyline beyond. Seating options are almost as vast as the field of vision, with submerged loungers, circular sunken lounges and private cabanas up for grabs. ZETA Seventy Seven keeps the cold drinks and crispy prawns coming so guests don’t miss a beat working on their City of Gold glow.

BEST GOURMET GETAWAY

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

Any epicurean worth their salt has Tokyo atop their Eat Your Way Through list. The Japanese capital continues to be the most Michelin star-studded city in the world, with a total of 263 at last count. Floating high above the financial district, within the César Pelli-designed Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, the restaurants of Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo have claimed a few of those stars and scores of other accolades over the years. The most highly regarded of its dining dozen are Sense, serving authentic Cantonese and staggering Tokyo Skytree views; Signature, a modern homage to the classic French cuisine; and Tapas Molecular Bar, dishing out deconstructed visual feasts created by art major-turned-Chef de Cuisine Kento Ushikubo. Sushi too, an offshoot of Hokkaido’s famed Sushi Miyakawa. As if all that wasn’t satisfying enough, even their casual Pizza Bar on 38th is a six-time Bib Gourmand.

BEST BEACH HOTEL

COMO Parrot Cay

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

What Balmoral Castle is to the British royal family, COMO Parrot Cay is to pop culture icons. For more than two decades, or a lifetime in Hollywood years, the 1,000-acre Caribbean private island resort has remained a destination of choice for celebs desperately seeking tropical seclusion. As one of COMO’s first properties, it became an unfaltering blueprint for the brand, with two signatures, COMO Beach Club and COMO Shambhala Retreat, typifying the balance of hedonism and health. Never one to rest on laurels or its four miles of impossibly white sand, the resort is continually refreshed, and expanded, including more butler-tended beach houses and an adults-only pool. One reviewer aptly summed it up as the “deep breath” of hotels. Between the lapping of turquoise waters and daily yoga and meditation classes, this spot serves up satisfied sighs all round.

BEST WELLNESS RETREAT

Les Sources de Caudalie

Bordeaux, France

To the uninitiated, vinotherapy could simply be a highfalutin term for an après-work glass of wine to wind down, but beauty aficionados know better. On her family’s estate, which happens to be the centuries-old winery Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux, Mathilde Thomas and her husband Bertrand conceived of Caudalie, a French skincare brand that harnesses the antioxidant powers of grape seed polyphenols. A few years later, her sister Alice Tourbier and husband Jérôme merged the place with the product to create Les Sources de Caudalie. The heart of which is the Spa Vinotherapie, featuring 20 treatment rooms, hammam and baths filled with water sourced from a hot spring discovered 540 meters directly below. Massage table to dinner table, it’s all Premier Cru, with Chef Nicolas Masses’ two Michelin star Le Grand’ Vigne highlighting the organic bounty of the local farm and broader Aquitaine region. Head Sommelier Aurélien Farrouil is there to talk through the right Pessac-Léognan prescription to pair with every plate.

BEST ADVENTURE GETAWAY

Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Space may be the final frontier, as every Star Trek series title sequence reiterated, but the Atacama Desert does a bang-up job of mimicking what the high life on Mars might look like—no future Virgin Galactic ticket required. Surrounded by the dusty pink and orange desert, Cordillera de Sal and legendary Licancabur Volcano, Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa is this otherworldly place’s oasis. Explorations range from laidback, such as spectating Chaxa Lagoon’s flamingos, to truly fortitude-testing, with an ascent of 18,385-foot stratovolcano Cerro Toco being the pinnacle. Volcanic-mud treatments and traditional north Chilean cuisine provide replenishment in between. While this isn’t outer space, thanks to the dry, high altitude and low light pollution, stargazers get one of the clearest views of it in the world—telescope and celestial expert provided.

BEST FAMILY HOTEL

Enchantment Resort

Sedona, United States

Like Enchanted, the musical rom-com starring Amy Adams, Enchantment Resort can be enjoyed by all ages. Set on 70 fantastical acres in Arizona, the Red Rock Country retreat makes leaving home and entering another world effortless. Hacienda Suites have all the comforts, including a full kitchen, outdoor grill, dining table, living room and beds for 6 to 8 bodies. The family that plays together can stay together doing mountain biking, pickleball, yoga, hot air ballooning and Jeep tours. Should the parental units want to ride off into the sunset together for a few hours, kids aged 4 to 12 can join Camp Coyote. Led by trained counselors, the program covers nature walks, scavenger hunts and arts and crafts. Approximately 100 resort activities are scheduled weekly, so leave the idea jar atop the fridge, or better yet, convert it into a memory jar.

BEST FAR-FLUNG ESCAPE

Six Senses Shaharut

Shaharut, Israel

A 3.5-hour drive from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, past the Dead Sea and up a snaking single-lane desert road brings you to the middle of nowhere—not just any nowhere, the heart of the Negev, a region with prehistoric, biblical, Nabatean and Bedouin history. The nomadic Nabatean, who went on to carve the city of Petra out of rock, inspired the architecture of Six Senses Shaharut. Emulating the topography, its 60 clifftop suites and pool villas are built into and out of the land, from limestone and flint excavated there, with the Panorama variety capturing the broadest views of the Arava Valley and Edom mountains. Along with the green shakshuka and tabun-oven flatbreads, jaws drop for the sunrises and sunsets served up at Midian restaurant. To embed oneself even further into the rugged landscape, camel trek, off-road along the old Incense Route, or cross into Jordan to see one of the aforementioned seven wonders of the world. Delightfully, staying put to enjoy the far-from-civilization silence is equally wonderful.