The Gold List 2025: Best Hotels and Resorts in Mexico, Central, and South America
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Consider the Gold List the answer to the question our editors get asked more than any other: What are your favorite places to stay? Our 31st list of the world’s greatest hotels and cruises captures nearly a year’s worth of work. This collection represents hundreds of hours of researching, scouting, and impassioned debating by our team of editors in seven cities across the globe. But more than that, it reflects our ongoing love affair with the places where we stay, which often become our gateways to entire destinations. Read on for the best hotels in Mexico and Central and South America to inspire your next trip.
See the full Gold List here.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
James FloriohotelTierra Patagonia — Chile
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Gold List 2023, 2025 
Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024Tinged red at dawn, the granite towers of Torres del Paine are a blazing centerpiece in Chile’s premier national park. But no view compares with the scene greeting guests from their bed at this exquisitely crafted lodge. Barely visible along the skyline, the lakeside building sinks comfortably into the landscape, giving all rooms a vista onto the soaring peaks. Light pours through walls of glass to illuminate a panoramic restaurant and spa with an indoor infinity pool, perfect spots to watch clouds dance across big skies. Far from the crowd-clogged trails, the coolly unassuming property invites endless possibilities at the bottom of the world. From $2,094. —Sarah Marshall
Oliver PilcherhotelHacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection — Costa Rica
$$ | Gold List 2025 
Hot List 2016, 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Upon my landing at Hacienda AltaGracia’s airstrip, my compa, or personal butler, is waiting with a sea-bean necklace and a refreshing drink—the first hint at the exceptional attention I would receive throughout. The 180-acre jungle resort has 50 casitas featuring a safari-meets-boho design accented by locally made pottery and patterned textiles. Outside is where the real beauty is, though: stunning jungle views, a private plunge pool, and a swinging daybed. Strolling the property, I spot colorful birds, frogs, and, one night, an armadillo. I sign up for a tree climb, which brings me to the top of the rainforest canopy for endless views. But mainly I just want to sip coffee at the excellent Mercado café and spend time at the excellent 20,000-square-foot spa. From $1,980. —Devorah Lev-Tov
Caiman, PantanalhotelCaiman, Pantanal — Brazil
$$$ | Gold List 2025More than 35 years ago, when conservationist and entrepreneur Roberto Klabin transformed part of his family’s farm into a high-end lodge, the Pantanal was widely dismissed for being full of flies—but that’s no longer the case. Things are changing in the world’s largest tropical wetland. By habituating jaguars to the sound of vehicle engines, NGO Onçafari has increased sightings of the threatened predators on the property. Go on a game drive, shadow conservation teams, and horse-ride through gallery forests in the (largely) fence-free grounds, while experiencing life on a working cattle ranch. South America’s answer to the Okavango Delta without any of the hype or the crowds. From $1,419. —Sarah Marshall
Courtesy Turtle Inn/Photo by Gundolf PfotenhauerhotelTurtle Inn — Belize
$$$ | Gold List 2020, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2020, 2021Turtle Inn, much like Blancaneaux Lodge, its older sibling in the Belizean jungle, bears the cinematic imprint of owner Francis Ford Coppola. From the tropical exuberance of its entryway and its thatch-roof cottages with hand-carved doors and Japanese baths to the garden pizzeria with its twinkling lights, this is one part Gilligan’s Island, one part barefoot-chic Bali beach club. You wouldn’t be blamed for not wanting to leave this idyllic refuge, but Turtle Inn’s location makes it the perfect jumping off point for riverine adventures and treks into jaguar territory. You’ll always be glad to return, though: to its pools, the beachside bar, and lobster feasts best enjoyed with toes in the sand. But perhaps there is no luxury greater than the warmhearted service extended by staff who treat you just as they would the Coppolas—like returning family. From $419. —Arati Menon
Karyn MillethotelChablé Yucatán — Mexico
$$ | Gold List 2019, 2025 Hot List 2017 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022Because it’s located in the jungle between the colonial city of Mérida and the Maya site of Uxmal, Chablé Yucatán has two distinct personalities, making it unique among luxury resorts in Mexico. The buildings that form the historic two-centuries-old hacienda now house common areas and the gourmet Ixi’im restaurant, and guests sleep in 38 contemporary glass boxes masterfully situated throughout the lush grounds so that each feels remarkably private—your views are of the jungle foliage, not your neighbor. Each casita has its own pool, but there’s also a larger common one for when you’re feeling social. The resort is home to countless iguanas and diminutive Yucatecan deer, and an astounding variety of birdlife. You’ll feel like you have escaped to a unique Eden, only with gracious service. From $1,019. —John Newton
Courtesy of Mashpi LodgehotelMashpi Lodge — Ecuador
$$ | Gold List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024This glass-walled building is a bubble of understated luxury in Ecuador’s Chocó-Andean Cloud Forest, the densest spot of biodiversity on Earth. Your own personal guide will take you on hikes through the forest to find butterflies the size of your hand and hummingbirds that will feed from your fingers. In your downtime you can wallow in hot tubs that look over the valley or listen to the sounds of the forest from your room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows that make you feel as if you’re in a tree house. Mashpi leads the world in inspirational conservation, leaving you full of passion and wonder. From $1,595. —Ash Bhardwaj
Courtesy One&Only MandarinahotelOne&Only Mandarina — Mexico
$$$ | Gold List 2025 Hot List 2021 Readers' Choice Awards 2022, 2023Just when you think all beach resorts are made alike, One&Only Mandarina begs to differ. Nestled in the lush hills of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit—where jaguars skulk in the shadows, colorful birds fly overhead, and the gentle sound of the Pacific urges bone-deep relaxation—One & Only makes it easy to find the big red reset button you’ve been looking for. There’s a traditional temazcal sweat lodge experience at the spa, surfing on a private beach, and even a restaurant that has an Enrique Olvera–designed menu that would draw major crowds in a big city: Carao. Ultimately, though, it’s forgetting about the outside world that is the draw—and promise—of spending a few days here. From $1,290. —Megan Spurrell
Rock House JamaicahotelRockhouse Hotel & Spa — Negril
$ | Gold List 2018, 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Images of the Rockhouse’s thatch-roof stone villas and bright red ladders dropping into the sea have come to represent a certain brand of Jamaican cool. The property, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, isn’t shy about honoring its place in pop culture history: Bob Marley and the Rolling Stones once jumped off its iconic cliffs, and reggae and dancehall ephemera line the walls. Rooms are simple but still retain an essence of the sleepy 1970s Negril that originally defined the property: Four-poster beds are draped with mosquito nets and decorated with locally sourced quilts; in the villa rooms, palm-fringed outdoor showers mean morning routines are accompanied by birdsong; and the cool, simple stone floors keep you feeling in tune with island life. Meanwhile, food here is a primer in Jamaican classics, especially at jerk spot Pushcart, where DJs take over the sound systems for regular dance parties. The Rockhouse crowd knows how to have a good time. From $175. —Lale Arikoglu
