My favorite hotels in 2023
And why they were worth the price
If we thought 2023 would be a year of normal travel after a prolonged period of disruption and uncertainty, boy, were we wrong. Still, amid all of the year’s natural disasters, social unrest and geopolitical conflicts, hotels reclaimed their ability to serve as beacons of pure comfort: They largely overcame the labor and supply chain crises and returned to full-service operations.
They again became capable of making us feel pampered and truly cared for during challenging times. And in fact, with 2023 also seeing the firstever editions of the World’s 50 Best hotels list and a similar ranking by La Liste – each recognizing the industry’s global hospitality standard bearers – discussions about hotels in 2023 were often celebratory.
We certainly paid a pretty penny for that service, as nightly rates continued to soar to previously unthinkable heights.
As for my own travels, the year threw some wrenches my way. I learned to travel with two kids after having a second baby. It wasn’t easy and certainly wasn’t restful, but it was doable – and in many cases, quite fun. I also learned to leave them both at home for my work – not easy, either, but it was somewhat more restful and highly productive.
Here are the top five places I stayed in 2023 – and the details that made them worth the (sometimes eye-popping) price tags. I think it’s no surprise that my top two were the ones I got to share with both of my kids: Family always makes a place that much sweeter.
5. ASHFORD CASTLE, COUNTRY MAYO, IRELAND
Great hotels must transmit a clear sense of place. This 350-acre, 13th century Irish castle, owned for generations by the Guinness family, has not only a sense of place but a sense of time. Arriving at its front entrance means passing an ancient-looking stone gate with the castle’s crest on it, being greeted by kind doormen who could double as royal guards and passing through a grand mudroom of sorts where Barbour boots and jackets can be hung up after horseback riding, falconry, fishing or shooting excursions. The food is refined and modern and it beautifully celebrates the local bounty – I was there in the spring, so that meant lots of smoked salmon and mushrooms, my favorites. A small provisions store in a quaint cottage on the grounds stocks homemade jams and chutneys that make excellent souvenirs. Never mind the pure fantasy of my room: a duplex suite seemingly wrapped in green velvet, with views over the gardens and sparkling Lough Corrib. Rooms from $805.
4. LE BRISTOL, PARIS
Especially in Paris, it’s common for five-star hotels to smack you in the face with luxury, often with grand entrances and lavish common rooms that lead to quieter (and much smaller) private spaces. Le Bristol certainly makes a very fine first impression, but it’s the rare place where points of distinction reveal themselves slowly. Its enormous garden courtyard, threeMichelin-starred restaurant and yachtlike pool all need to be discovered; they’re tucked off corridors that aren’t visible from reception or from the stately, wrought iron elevator. You have to be invited to see its basement “atelier,” though many guests are asked if they’d like to see the pristine and expansive workshops where staff members produce single-grain breads and pasta and all manner of chocolate treats. And you have to stick around in the evening to see a small, library-like room transform into the super-cool Le