National Geographic Traveller (UK) Hotel Awards 2023

04.10.2023 - 08:31 / nationalgeographic.com

Whether you want unique interior design, world-beating food, incredible value or simply a chance to escape the world for a day or two, you’re guaranteed a memorable stay at every one of our 42 winners and runners-up.

Fully immerse yourself in urban life at these three stylish spots.

Winner:  Capella Sydney, Australia

A painstaking labour of love brought Capella Sydney into being: it was formed from the city’s heritage-listed Department of Education building, a striking sandstone monolith in the financial district dating from 1912. Period features are complemented throughout with works by First Nations artists and tasteful design touches like vintage cocktail sets. Respite from the clamour of Sydney is promised at guest-only spa Auriga, which features locally inspired spa treatments. Visitors are actively encouraged to explore the wider city, too. The hotel team enthusiastically curates itineraries that range from private Champagne cruises along the harbour to foraging for endemic foods with Aboriginal Australian guides. From A$690 (£358), B&B. 

Runners-up

Palihouse West Hollywood, US: The kitschy-cool decor here spans the public spaces and 95 guest rooms, but the star of the show is the rooftop pool, with views of Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills. From $225 (£173), room only.  

Palazzo Vilòn, Italy: This hotel in Rome is an exercise in good taste. Vintage design touches complement magnificent period features, with mid-century modern furniture beneath gold-frescoed ceilings. From €820 (£707), B&B. 

Get away from it all at properties that offer a true escape from the world.

Winner:  Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, US

Those yearning to get far, far away from it all should venture to the fiery red rocks of southwest Utah. Set on a plateau surrounded by 3,000m-high mountains are the 50 luxurious safari tents of Under Canvas Bryce Canyon. These come with king-sized beds, equipped with the kind of sumptuous mattresses usually found in five-star hotels. As close to nature as it gets, the camp’s surroundings offer an outdoor playground on an epic scale, with potential for hiking and biking and the option to climb the nearby slot canyons. Back at base, there’s a restaurant serving bison burgers and an unlimited supply of s’mores to toast by the fire as evening falls, before you drift off to sleep in your tent. The hot ticket is the stargazer suite — with a window above the bed, it allows you to sleep under a blanket of stars. The only thing that Under Canvas Bryce Canyon lacks? Wi-fi — but that’s to help you truly unplug from the outside world. $309 (£250), tent only. 

Runners-up

Caravan Agafay, Morocco: In a landscape of ochre sands, home here is a safari tent or an adobe-walled ‘desert lodge’, all with