I’m not really into spending money on fancy hotels; I’d much rather spend my money on meals and entertainment. However, if you’re planning your Trip Of A Lifetime, and you’ve got some dollars to discard, you should check out Travel & Leisure’s list of the 500 greatest hotels. Sorted by region, the list is a veritable who’s who of the hotel-igentsia.
In addition to providing fast facts on each hotel, the list tips you off on which rooms are best and and which activities you’ve just got to add to your To-Do list. Moreover, the folks at T&L took the time to place all the hotels on Google Earth, meaning you can see exactly where your hotel is in relation to, say, Ngorgoro Crater or the Taj Mahal.
Though I haven’t slept at even one of the hotels on the list, I’ve eaten dinner at one of them; enjoyed high tea at another; walked the grounds of a third; and swam past a fourth. [Very, very important update: I’ve eaten dinner inside the Bellagio, too.] That means I’ve enjoyed exactly 0.08% 0.1% of the world’s finest hotels. Top that!