Every Hotel We Stayed at in 2025 — Ranked and Reviewed

"Some hotels are so special that you need to build a whole trip around them."

Anthony Rich Park · Corcoran ARP

Anthony Park

NYC Real Estate Agent · Corcoran

My team and I are residential real estate agents at Corcoran and luxury content creators sharing the full picture of luxury living.

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This year was a big travel year for us. We visited thirteen cities across four continents, stayed at ten four- and five-star hotels — including properties from Four Seasons, Rosewood, Hyatt, and boutique independents — and walked away with clear opinions on every single one. Some blew us away. Some were fine. A few were so special that I'd tell you to plan your entire vacation around the hotel itself.

I'm going to do something I've never done before: score every hotel we stayed at this year and give you my honest take on each one. I'll start with my top three — the properties that earned a dedicated trip — and then run through the full list. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen glimpses of these. Now here's the full story.

13Cities Visited 104 & 5-Star Hotels 3Must-Visit Properties Section 01

The Top Three — Hotels Worth Planning a Trip Around

There are some hotels that are so special, you have to visit at least once in your life. These are places where the property is the destination. You don't go to the area and happen to stay there — you go because of the hotel.

9.7 Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo Costalegre, Jalisco, México ★ Top 3 — Best for Romantic Getaway

Four Seasons Tamarindo — Cliffside Villa

If you want to be blown away by the most impressive views and the most dramatic architecture, this is a no-brainer. Four Seasons Tamarindo sits on a secluded peninsula along Mexico's Pacific Costalegre, tucked inside a 3,000-acre private nature reserve where only two percent of the land will ever be developed.

You have to stay in one of their cliffside villas, which embody modern coastal living. Floor-to-ceiling glass, 43-foot private infinity pools suspended over the ocean, outdoor showers, hammocks. The architecture sits so naturally into the cliffs that it feels like the landscape itself decided to create a room for you. The dining is great but not excellent as there wasn't as much variety in flavors. I highly recommend this for a romantic getaway. The only negative was unreliable and often late buggy service.

9.5 Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawai'i ★ Top 3 — Best for Families & Restoration

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort — Hawaiian Hale

Our first exposure to the Rosewood brand, and certainly not the last. Kona Village is a staple we'll be revisiting for years to come. It's a restorative five-star experience with the most calming design, where nature and amenity are gracefully combined. The 150 standalone hale bungalows span 81 acres along Kahuwai Bay. I love the spacing throughout the property and how they have bikes scattered throughout. I love early morning bike rides.

The breakfast is a ten out of ten. The gym is cool. And the Lava Rock and Asaya Spa is the best spa we've been to this year. We also loved Kahuwai Cookhouse and its paniolo-inspired kiawe wood-fired cooking. This is one of those spots you dream about coming back to with your own kids. Which is great because they don't have tvs.

💡 Why This Place Is Special

The original 1960s Kona Village was destroyed by the 2011 tsunami. The care Rosewood put into its reimagination is evident everywhere — it feels like a community, not just a resort. Generations of families have histories here, and now Irina and I are starting ours.

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Start a Conversation 9.0 Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort Guanacaste, Costa Rica ★ Top 3 — Best Value Luxury

Andaz Peninsula Papagayo — Culebra Bay

Luxury is expensive, but it doesn't always need to be insanely expensive. The Andaz Papagayo proves it by delivering the highest quality of service on a tastefully built resort that highlights the views and the nature of Papagayo. Open-air architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows, river stone rain showers, monkeys on the property. I especially like the reasonably priced villas for larger families. At 35,000–45,000 Hyatt points per night, it's one of the best redemption values out there for standard rooms. We visited Four Seasons, also on Papaygayo, and there's no reason to spend the extra thousands. I particularly liked how much closer you were to the waterso you could see it throughout the property.

Section 02

The Full 2025 List — Every Other Hotel, Scored

These weren't our "plan a dedicated trip" picks, but many were excellent and absolutely enhanced the cities we were visiting. Here's my honest take on each one.

9.2 Grand Hotel Victoria Concept & Spa Menaggio, Lake Como, Italy A renovated neoclassical villa right on the shores of Lake Como in the quiet town of Menaggio. Classical columns and chandeliers meet sleek contemporary furniture — the contrast is beautiful. The ERRE Spa is massive at 1,200 square meters, with a Himalayan salt room, Finnish saunas, and an incredible fire room. Views of Bellagio and Varenna across the water. Breakfast with that view is cinematic. Two Michelin Keys. I had no expectations going in but was wowed. Is it weird that my favorite ribeye of 2025 was also here?

Grand Hotel Victoria — Lake Como 8.8 Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon Lisbon, Portugal A grand 282-room landmark built in the 1950s, rising ten stories above Eduardo VII Park. The interiors blend Art Deco with Louis XVI elegance, and the hallways house one of the largest privately owned collections of mid-20th-century Portuguese art. The Michelin-starred CURA restaurant is excellent. Truly. It was the best meal we had in Lisbon and I don't imagine any breakfast will beat the one here. Classic Four Seasons service, though the property shows its age in spots. The location, the history, and the breakfast make it a strong Lisbon pick.

Four Seasons Ritz Lisbon — Eduardo VII Park 8.6 Le Narcisse Blanc Hôtel & Spa Paris, France A 37-room boutique gem on the Left Bank, tucked between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. It feels like your own private Parisian apartment — classic but modern. The counter-current indoor pool and spa are a perfect end to a sightseeing day. We used it every day. It's hard to find a newer hotel without breaking the bank, this hotel sits preciesely in that cross section.

Le Narcisse Blanc — Paris Left Bank 8.5 Park Hyatt Milano Milan, Italy Just steps from the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the location can't be beat. Fully renovated in 2022 with Carrara marble bathrooms, freestanding soaker tubs, and automatic blackout shades. Breakfast under the glass dome at La Cupola is one of the most beautiful dining setting. Rooms are smaller by American standards but beautifully designed — warm woods, travertine, understated elegance. Category 8 Hyatt, 35,000–45,000 points per night. The spa was effectie despite its size. A nice way to wind down a day of touring.

Park Hyatt Milano — La Cupola

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Subscribe 8.4 Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo Guanacaste, Costa Rica Yes, we stayed at both the Four Seasons and the Andaz on the same peninsula. The Four Seasons is the more polished, classic five-star experience. Slightly more formal than the Andaz and pricier, and I can't say that it was justified. Serivce, food, beach access, gym, all were great, but nothing was outstanding.

Four Seasons Papagayo — Hillside Villa 8.1 Grand Hyatt Seoul Seoul, South Korea An urban retreat perched on Mount Namsan with panoramic views of the Han River and Seoul's skyline. The view is epci. It feels elegant but slightly older, a place where executives might stay over celebrities. It does sit on a hill with no nearby subway station, so you're relying on taxis. But as a Hyatt Category 4 property at 12,000–18,000 points per night, the value is hard to beat for a five-star city hotel.

Grand Hyatt Seoul — Han River Views 8.0 Four Seasons Resort O'ahu at Ko Olina Ko Olina, O'ahu, Hawai'i A polished beach resort on Oahu's sunny western shore. Classic Hawaiian hospitality with spacious rooms, private lanais, and beautiful lagoon access. Although the rooms were a lot more dated than I expected. The Ko Olina area can feel a bit removed from "real" Oahu (it kind of is), but it's a solid property in its own right. I'll have to check out the Ritz or stay closer to the city next time.

Four Seasons O'ahu — Ko Olina Section 03

What's on the List for 2026

We're already planning for next year — Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and East Africa with a focus on the southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for a luxury safari. And I'm returning to at least one of this year's top three. (Hint: lava rock and breakfast that's a ten out of ten.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a DM on Instagram or email me at [email protected].

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