THE 2023 hot list

Nothing makes us more excited to get up and go than putting together our annual Hot List, now in its 27th year. This curated collection of the world's best new hotels, cruises, restaurants, cultural destinations, and transportation projects is a labor of love for our global team, which spends the year researching, visiting, and vetting the entries to bring you a definitive directory of places whose style, ethos, and service set new standards for hospitality. Think a family-run hotel making Lake Como even more sophisticated; a cruise ship that ups passengers' access to places like Greenland; or a community-driven restaurant igniting Ecuador's Indigenous dining scene. All that's left is for you to decide where you're going first

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stay » DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Atlantis the Royal 

Any retreat that bills itself as "the most ultraluxury experiential resort in the world" is not going for subtlety, but here that's very much the point. Sitting alongside its famous sister, Atlantis the Palm, on Dubai's iconic Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis the Royal's eye-catching curves contain 795 rooms, suites, and penthouses, 17 restaurants and bars, a 1.2-mile beach, and more than 90 pools. Beyoncé performed at its opening celebration, and Tiësto wrote its theme song. (Yes, it has its own soundtrack.) Guests enter the lobby between walls of fire and water, conceived by Moshe Safdie, who created the Rain Vortex at Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport. The spaces are vast, with light bouncing off enormous swathes of marble and massive fish tanks; stately internal boulevards lined with luxury boutiques crisscross the property. Up in the rooms, the mood is calmer, with soothing palettes and surprisingly minimalist decor accentuating views, from the Palm-facing balconies especially. The suites and penthouses elevate the experience even further, with landscaped terraces and glass-walled pools. The daybeds at the sky-high infinity pool, Cloud 22, have already become legendary, as have the poolside recliners at Nobu by the Beach, where sunbathers can enjoy classic dishes like spicy tuna with crispy rice. The terrace of Estiatorio Milos is the spot for a front-row seat to the fountain show, accompanied by Greek meze and salt-baked fish. At Jaleo by José Andrés, the clanging of a cowbell indicates that a huge dish of paella is about to be cooked over a wood fire. Even in a city that does supersize better than anywhere else, this is an entirely new level. From about $579; atlantis.com