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For sand and sea

Best luxury beach hotels

A great beach hotel earns its place on more than a photogenic shoreline: sand and water you'd want to spend the day in, rooms that open onto it without a road or a building in the way, and service that feels relaxed rather than absent.

The top five of 33

  1. 1 Soneva Fushi Legend · 18/20
  2. 2 Nihi Sumba Legend · 18/20
  3. 3 Park Hyatt Maldives Legend · 18/20
  4. 4 Amanpuri Favorite · 17.5/20
  5. 5 Amanzoe Favorite · 17.5/20
  1. Soneva Fushi — Baa Atoll, Maldives Fat Legend, 18 out of 20. Baa Atoll, Maldives 1 Soneva Fushi A barefoot-luxury island resort on Kunfunadhoo Island in the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives.
  2. Nihi Sumba — Sumba, Indonesia Fat Legend, 18 out of 20. Sumba, Indonesia 2 Nihi Sumba A villa resort on a private stretch of coastline on Sumba island, Indonesia, built around a noted surf break.
  3. Park Hyatt Maldives — Hadahaa, Maldives Fat Legend, 18 out of 20. Hadahaa, Maldives 3 Park Hyatt Maldives A small-island Maldives resort reached by boat transfer, built around a 360-degree house reef and roughly 50 villas.
  4. Amanpuri — Phuket, Thailand Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. Phuket, Thailand 4 Amanpuri Aman’s original 1988 resort on Phuket’s Pansea Beach, built as Thai-style pavilions and villas above the Andaman Sea.
  5. Amanzoe — Porto Heli, Greece Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. Porto Heli, Greece 5 Amanzoe A hilltop Aman resort above the Argolic Gulf near Porto Heli, Greece, with a separate beach club reached by shuttle or boat.
  6. One&Only Reethi Rah — North Malé Atoll, Maldives Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. North Malé Atoll, Maldives 6 One&Only Reethi Rah A One&Only resort on a 109-acre private island in the North Malé Atoll, Maldives, with a dozen beaches, beach and overwater villas, and a dive centre.
  7. One&Only The Palm — Dubai, UAE Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. Dubai, UAE 7 One&Only The Palm A low-rise beachfront resort at the tip of a Palm Jumeirah frond in Dubai, with villas, three pools, and a Guerlain Spa.
  8. Amilla Maldives — Baa Atoll, Maldives Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20. Baa Atoll, Maldives 8 Amilla Maldives A large private-island resort in Baa Atoll, Maldives, with overwater and inland villas and a surrounding house reef.
  9. Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor — Mallorca, Spain Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20. Mallorca, Spain 9 Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor A beachfront Four Seasons resort on Mallorca’s Formentor peninsula, about an hour from Palma airport.
  10. Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 10 Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai A beachfront Mandarin Oriental in Dubai’s Jumeira area with a private beach, multiple pools, and 256 rooms.
  11. Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru — Baa Atoll, Maldives Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20. Baa Atoll, Maldives 11 Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru A 103-villa Four Seasons on a private island inside Baa Atoll’s UNESCO Marine Biosphere Reserve, reached by seaplane.
  12. Eden Rock St Barths — St Barthélemy, France Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20. St Barthélemy, France 12 Eden Rock St Barths A beachfront Oetker Collection hotel built into a rock outcrop over Saint-Jean Bay in St Barthélemy.
  13. Cheval Blanc St-Tropez — Saint-Tropez, France Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Saint-Tropez, France 13 Cheval Blanc St-Tropez A beachfront hotel on the site of the former Résidence de la Pinède, on the edge of Saint-Tropez, France.
  14. Belmond Copacabana Palace — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 14 Belmond Copacabana Palace An Art Deco hotel on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro dating to 1923, with 239 rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
  15. Bulgari Resort Dubai — Dubai, UAE Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Dubai, UAE 15 Bulgari Resort Dubai A beachfront resort in Dubai operated by Bulgari Hotels, offering rooms with beach-view options.
  16. Rosewood Miramar Beach — Montecito, USA Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Montecito, USA 16 Rosewood Miramar Beach An oceanfront resort on Montecito’s coast near Santa Barbara, with a private beach and Michelin-recognized dining.
  17. Six Senses Krabey Island — Krabey Island, Cambodia Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Krabey Island, Cambodia 17 Six Senses Krabey Island A private, hilly jungle island resort off Cambodia’s coast, reached by air and boat transfer, with pool villas and an on-site spa.
  18. Aman Villas at Nusa Dua — Nusa Dua, Indonesia Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Nusa Dua, Indonesia 18 Aman Villas at Nusa Dua A private villa resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, with pool villas, in-villa dining and a beach area near the airport.
  19. Rosewood Phuket — Phuket, Thailand Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Phuket, Thailand 19 Rosewood Phuket A villa resort on a quiet beach south of Patong, Phuket, with private pools, three restaurants and the Asaya Spa.
  20. Four Seasons Surf Club — Miami, USA Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Miami, USA 20 Four Seasons Surf Club An under-80-room Four Seasons on a restored prohibition-era club site in Surfside, north of Miami Beach.
  21. Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino — Costa Navarino, Greece Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Costa Navarino, Greece 21 Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino A low-rise resort on Greece’s Messinian coast with stone-and-wood villas, a golf-course setting, and a private beach near Pylos.
  22. Mandarin Oriental Bodrum — Bodrum, Turkey Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Bodrum, Turkey 22 Mandarin Oriental Bodrum A hillside resort above Paradise Bay in Bodrum with 109 sea-facing rooms, private-pool suites, and two private beaches.
  23. COMO Point Yamu — Phuket, Thailand Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Phuket, Thailand 23 COMO Point Yamu A secluded villa resort on Phuket’s Cape Yamu headland, built around private pools and sea views.
  24. Soneva Jani — Noonu Atoll, Maldives Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Noonu Atoll, Maldives 24 Soneva Jani A large overwater and beach villa resort on the edge of Noonu Atoll, Maldives.
  25. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal — Los Cabos, Mexico Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Los Cabos, Mexico 25 Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal A cliffside Waldorf Astoria in Cabo San Lucas with plunge-pool rooms, reached through a tunnel from the marina.
  26. One&Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Los Cabos, Mexico 26 One&Only Palmilla A hacienda-style One&Only resort on the Los Cabos coast with one of the area’s few swimmable beaches.
  27. Six Senses Ibiza — Ibiza, Spain Fat Favorite, 16 out of 20. Ibiza, Spain 27 Six Senses Ibiza A clifftop Six Senses property in Ibiza’s northern hills above Cala Xarraca Bay, with direct sea access.
  28. One&Only Mandarina — Riviera Nayarit, Mexico Fat Approved, 15.5 out of 20. Riviera Nayarit, Mexico 28 One&Only Mandarina A cliffside jungle resort of private treehouse villas above the Pacific in Riviera Nayarit, an hour from Puerto Vallarta.
  29. Cap Rocat — Mallorca, Spain Fat Approved, 15 out of 20. Mallorca, Spain 29 Cap Rocat A former fortress on its own peninsula in Mallorca, converted into a roughly 30-room hotel with a seaside restaurant and spa.
  30. Four Seasons Resort Nevis — Charlestown, St Kitts & Nevis Fat Approved, 15 out of 20. Charlestown, St Kitts & Nevis 30 Four Seasons Resort Nevis A low-rise, casita-style Four Seasons beachfront resort on the island of Nevis, reached by boat transfer from St Kitts.
  31. Six Senses Fiji — Malolo Island, Fiji Fat Approved, 15 out of 20. Malolo Island, Fiji 31 Six Senses Fiji A secluded beachfront resort on Fiji’s Malolo Island, reachable by boat or helicopter from Nadi.
  32. Four Seasons Bora Bora — Bora Bora, French Polynesia Fat Approved, 15 out of 20. Bora Bora, French Polynesia 32 Four Seasons Bora Bora Overwater bungalows framed by Mount Otemanu, where the Pacific meets unparalleled luxury.
  33. Amanyara — Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Fat Approved, 14.5 out of 20. Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 33 Amanyara An Aman resort on an 18,000-acre nature reserve in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, with villas set along the beach and a private waterway.

What fat travellers ask about beach hotels

What makes a luxury beach hotel worth booking?

The shoreline does the heavy lifting, but it isn’t everything. The places that hold up have genuinely swimmable water and real sand, rooms with a true sea outlook rather than a partial angle, and easy, unhurried service. The barefoot feel should be deliberate, not an excuse for things being half-finished.

How many beach hotels does Fat Voyage cover?

Right now, 33 hotels in the collection carry the beach tag, led by Soneva Fushi with a Fat Score of 18/20.