Where's the most expensive place to go on vacation?

No single place wins, because most hotel pages show a rate only against dates. Private islands and safari camps tend to sit at the top, and our private island rental guide prices whole-island buyouts.

What is the best luxury resort in the world?

There is no single best resort, because lists such as the Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards, Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List and The World's 50 Best Hotels rank different things. Forbes alone names 343 Five-Star hotels for 2026. Start with our guide to the best hotels in the world, then match the resort to your trip type.

What are the best luxury vacation destinations for couples?

For couples, the Maldives and St Barts are the clearest island picks here, and Santorini is the European one, with Andronis Luxury Suites rated Forbes Five-Star for 2026. Pick by season first, because shoulder months give privacy and better rates.

When is the best time to book a luxury vacation?

Book peak weeks as early as the hotel allows, and shoulder months closer in. Rates move daily, so compare the hotel's own page against any partner before you pay, and check cancellation terms.

Luxury Vacation Destinations: 10 Places, Anchor Hotels and Seasons

The best luxury vacation destinations are the ones where one hotel anchors the trip: a Maldives atoll, a Tokyo tower suite, a Patagonian lodge, a villa above the bay at St Barts. This guide covers ten, grouped by trip type, and for each it names the anchor hotel, what Forbes Travel Guide or MICHELIN says about it, the season and the catch.

Forbes Travel Guide counts 343 Five-Star hotels in 50 countries in 2026, and the Maldives alone holds 14 of them (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). France remains the most visited country: about 102 million international visitors in 2025, according to the French Economy Ministry as reported by Euronews in February 2026. Most visited is not most luxurious, so the sections below follow the money, not the crowds.

How We Picked

One Anchor Hotel Per Place

Each destination gets one anchor property, chosen because a named guide backs it: a Forbes Five-Star rating for 2026, a MICHELIN Keys listing, or the hotel’s own page. MICHELIN’s October 2026 article on Three Key hotels counts 155 Three Key properties worldwide among nearly 3,000 Key hotels, and Forbes names 343 Five-Star hotels, so either badge is a short list.

Season and Access

Seasons come from a national meteorological service, a named climate source or the operator that runs the trip. Access means the airport, the last leg and, where it matters, a private arrival.

What We Left Out

This is a pillar, not a ranking of hotels. For hotel-by-hotel lists see the best hotels in the world, for Maldives resorts see the best resorts in Maldives, for safari camps see the luxury safari lodges guide and for the islands see the best luxury hotels in the Caribbean. All-inclusive resorts have their own guide.

Luxury Vacation Destinations by Trip Type

Beach and Islands: Maldives and St Barts

Maldives. The Maldives Meteorological Service says the northeast monsoon, the dry season, runs from January to March, and the southwest monsoon, the wet season, normally runs from mid-May to November, with December and April as transitional months. Soneva Secret is one of two Maldives hotels MICHELIN added at Three Keys in its 2026 selection, alongside JOALI BEING, and the country has 14 Forbes Five-Star hotels (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). A stay costs more than the room rate: a 10% service charge, a 17% tourism GST and a $12 green tax per person per night sit on top, per the sources in our Maldives resort guide. The catch is the transfer, usually a seaplane or boat that adds time and cost.

St Barts. The island has two Forbes Five-Star hotels in 2026, Cheval Blanc St-Barth and Eden Rock St Barths, out of ten in the Caribbean (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). The catch is the last leg: the island’s short runway takes only small aircraft, so most travelers connect through a larger neighboring airport. Our Caribbean hotel guide covers the other eight.

Cities: Tokyo, New York and Paris

Tokyo. Aman Tokyo sits on the top floors of Otemachi Tower in Chiyoda-ku, near the Imperial Palace Gardens and Tokyo Station, per Aman’s own page. It lists City Suites from 121 square meters and the 157-square-meter Aman Suite, and the page shows no rates, so you check availability on the reservation page. Aman puts Haneda Airport about a 40-minute drive away and Narita about 60 minutes. Tokyo has 10 Forbes Five-Star hotels in 2026 (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). The catch is a long flight from the West Coast and a full day lost to time zones. More in our Tokyo hotel guide.

New York. The Whitby Hotel in Midtown Manhattan is among the Three Key hotels MICHELIN named in its October 2026 article, and New York City has 7 Forbes Five-Star hotels in 2026 (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). The catch is that Manhattan hotels are priced by date and by room type, so compare the total with taxes for your own dates. More in our New York hotel guide.

Paris. Paris has 10 Forbes Five-Star hotels in 2026, the same count as Tokyo, and France has 17 in all (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). That depth is the point: in Paris you choose a neighborhood first and a Five-Star hotel second. The catch is the crowd, since France is also the most visited country in the world, so the quiet weeks are the ones to aim for.

Europe for Couples: Santorini

Andronis Luxury Suites in Oia is the only Santorini hotel with Forbes Five-Star status for 2026, and Greece has 3 Five-Star hotels in all (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). Forbes lists 39 suites and villas, each with a private infinity pool or jacuzzi, as our Santorini luxury hotels guide sets out. The catch is the cliff: caldera hotels mean steps between lobby, room and pool, and the meltemi, a northerly wind, often blows from May onward, per ClimatesToTravel.

Wild: Patagonia and Antarctica

Patagonia. Awasi Patagonia, inside Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, holds three MICHELIN Keys, per MICHELIN in October 2026, which says Chilean Patagonia has two Three Key hotels. The catch is distance: Torres del Paine is far from any major airport, so plan the last legs with the lodge.

Antarctica. Antarctica is a ship trip, not a hotel stay, and we cover the ships in our Antarctica cruise guide. IAATO’s 2023-24 season opened on September 30, when the first vessel of its fleet visited the subantarctic region, and its whale-protection areas around the South Shetland Islands run from November 1 to May 30. The catch is the Drake Passage and a season that runs only in the southern summer. For safari, see the luxury safari lodges guide.

Mountains: Aspen and the Swiss Alps

Aspen. Aspen Snowmass lists season passes for the 2026-2027 winter, lift tickets valid across all four mountains and lodging through the Stay Aspen Snowmass reservation service, per its own site in November 2026. It marks its 80th anniversary this season. American flies nonstop from Los Angeles from December 17, 2026 to April 4, 2027, and Delta and United fly daily through April 4, 2027, per the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. The same page lists no nonstop service from New York. The catch is timing: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport closes from April 4 to November 19, 2027 for runway reconstruction, so this winter is the last clean window until then.

Swiss Alps. Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is one of two Swiss hotels MICHELIN added at Three Keys in 2026, alongside Beau-Rivage Palace. Forbes counts 9 Five-Star hotels in Switzerland in 2026, 5 of them in the Alps (Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Star Awards, November 2026). The catch is the last leg: the airport is not the resort, and the transfer by road or rail adds hours.

The Most Expensive Places to Vacation

There is no honest single answer, because “most expensive” needs a figure and a source for each place, and hotel pages show a rate only against dates. The table below lists what each anchor is recognized for and how deep the Five-Star bench is around it. For the hotels themselves, see the most expensive hotels in the world.

Destination	Anchor	Recognition	Forbes Five-Star hotels there, 2026	Source
Maldives	Soneva Secret	Three MICHELIN Keys, new in 2026	14	MICHELIN, October 2026; Forbes, November 2026
St Barts	Cheval Blanc St-Barth	Forbes Five-Star	2	Forbes, November 2026
Tokyo	Aman Tokyo	City Suites from 121 sq m	10	Aman and Forbes, November 2026
New York	The Whitby Hotel	Three MICHELIN Keys	7	MICHELIN, October 2026; Forbes, November 2026
Paris	Any of the city’s Five-Star hotels	Forbes Five-Star	10	Forbes, November 2026
Santorini	Andronis Luxury Suites	Forbes Five-Star	1	Forbes, November 2026
Patagonia	Awasi Patagonia	Three MICHELIN Keys	Not counted here	MICHELIN, October 2026
Antarctica	Expedition ship	Per voyage, see Antarctica guide	Not applicable	IAATO, 2023-24 season
Aspen	Via Stay Aspen Snowmass	Lodging booked through a reservation service	Not counted here	Aspen Snowmass, November 2026
Swiss Alps	Kulm Hotel St. Moritz	Three MICHELIN Keys, new in 2026	5 in the Alps	MICHELIN, October 2026; Forbes, November 2026

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Getting There Privately

A private jet can land closer to the hotel than an airline can, and it removes the connection, which matters most for the Alps, the islands and remote lodges. Aman puts Haneda about 40 minutes by road from Aman Tokyo, so a jet into Haneda keeps the last leg short. Aspen is the exception to plan around: with the airport closed from April 4 to November 19, 2027, spring and summer 2027 trips need another airport. For prices, read our private jet charter guide, and for cheaper repositioning flights see empty leg flights.

Pricing Notes

Book early for peak weeks, and compare the total with taxes, not the headline rate. Our travel hub routes to every guide above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where's the most expensive place to go on vacation?: No single place wins, because most hotel pages show a rate only against dates. Private islands and safari camps tend to sit at the top, and our private island rental guide prices whole-island buyouts.
What is the best luxury resort in the world?: There is no single best resort, because lists such as the Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards, Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List and The World's 50 Best Hotels rank different things. Forbes alone names 343 Five-Star hotels for 2026. Start with our guide to the best hotels in the world, then match the resort to your trip type.
What is the #1 travel destination in the world?: By international arrivals, France, which welcomed about 102 million visitors in 2025 according to the French Economy Ministry, as reported by Euronews. Arrivals measure volume, not luxury, so the most visited country is not the most exclusive.
What are the best luxury vacation destinations for couples?: For couples, the Maldives and St Barts are the clearest island picks here, and Santorini is the European one, with Andronis Luxury Suites rated Forbes Five-Star for 2026. Pick by season first, because shoulder months give privacy and better rates.
When is the best time to book a luxury vacation?: Book peak weeks as early as the hotel allows, and shoulder months closer in. Rates move daily, so compare the hotel's own page against any partner before you pay, and check cancellation terms.

Sources

Forbes Travel Guide, 2026 Star Awards, award winners, forbestravelguide.com/award-winners, read November 2026
Aman Tokyo, aman.com, November 2026
Aspen Snowmass, aspensnowmass.com, November 2026
Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Aspen flight info, aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/get-here/by-air/aspen-flight-info/, 2026
MICHELIN Guide, “Every Three MICHELIN Key hotel,” guide.michelin.com, October 1, 2026
IAATO, “Set to Begin 2023-24 Antarctic Season,” iaato.org
Maldives Meteorological Service, meteorology.gov.mv/climate
ClimatesToTravel, Santorini climate, climatestotravel.com
Euronews, “France welcomed record visitor numbers in 2025,” February 20, 2026
Wijet, Best Resorts in Maldives, for service charge, GST and green tax sources

Luxury Vacation Destinations by Trip Type: 10 Places, Each With an Award-Backed Anchor Hotel

At a glance