Hotel reviews by people who have been there

Luxury hotels, visited in person and scored out of 10.

Every hotel here has been visited by one of our advisors. We score each one on five things that decide whether a stay is worth the rate, and we say plainly who it suits and who should book elsewhere.

Read the reviews How the Heart Score works

Five things we score

  1. Service

    How well the hotel looks after you, from booking to checkout.

  2. Rooms

    Comfort, design, quiet and upkeep of the rooms we saw.

  3. Food and drink

    Breakfast, restaurants and bars, judged on what we ate and drank.

  4. Setting

    Location, views, grounds, and how much the hotel feels like its place.

  5. Value

    What you get for the rate, compared with other hotels at this level.

Read the full method

Latest Heart Scores

9.1Heart Score

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Chao Phraya riverside, Bangkok, Thailand

If I could send you to one city hotel in Asia, it would be this one. The staff are the best I know anywhere, the river setting beats every newer rival, and it costs half what a hotel like this would in London or Paris. Just don't book the smallest room.

8.7Heart Score

Park Hyatt Kyoto

Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

This is where I'd stay in Kyoto, and I wouldn't think long about it. The address on the old lanes of Higashiyama, with the Yasaka Pagoda in the window, beats every pool and spa the rivals can offer. Book a room without the view, though, and you've wasted your money.

8.5Heart Score

Argos in Cappadocia

Uchisar, Cappadocia, Turkey

The most atmospheric hotel in Cappadocia by a distance: a whole restored village under Uchisar Castle, with the best views in the region and a wine cellar worth the trip. It is also a lottery. Get a bright valley room and you'll love it. Get a windowless cave and you'll wonder what you paid for.

8.4Heart Score

Rosewood Hong Kong

Victoria Dockside, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

The best hotel rooms in Hong Kong, with the best view, and a club lounge I'd happily move into. But I don't think it's the best hotel in the world, whatever the lists say. In a standard room the service is patchy and breakfast is a scrum. Book the club or book somewhere else.

8.3Heart Score

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

8th arrondissement, Paris, France

The best service and the best eating of any hotel in Paris, and I don't think either is close. But at $3,000 a night it has become very hard to defend, and the lobby is full of people who came to be seen. I'd go once, for an occasion, and stay at Le Bristol the rest of the time.

7.8Heart Score

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita

Punta Mita, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

The easiest family beach holiday in Mexico, with staff I'd rank above almost any resort I know. The rooms are overdue a rebuild and the prices are pure American resort, so I'd send families without hesitating and couples somewhere newer.

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