Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Laurence S. Rockefeller may have founded the original Dorado Beach, but Ritz-Carlton turned it into the singular destination that it is today. The resort has been a bastion of luxury on Puerto Rico since opening with its José Andrés restaurant and modern white-cube estates in 2012. But this year, Dorado proved it had substance as well as style, leading the march toward recovery by turning its post-hurricane renovation into a chance to emerge better than ever. It wasn’t just a matter of optics— though the resort does have a fresh sheen, not to mention a new signature restaurant and the spectacularly redesigned Su Casa villa by Alexandra Champalimaud—it was a matter of building momentum in the aftermath of disaster. With 500 employees, the reopening of this icon proved more than a boost for tourism; it represented a return to normalcy for an entire community. doradobeach.com