Our favorite hotels, Airbnbs, boats, and cabins of the year.
We are completely obsessed with hotels. From treehouses on remote islands to palaces fit for a royal, we’re always on the hunt for the coolest, coziest, and craziest places to spend the night. This year, Fodor’s Editors traveled far and wide—for work and for fun—and here are the best places we spent the night.
INSIDER TIPNeed more accommodation inspiration for your 2020 travels? Look no further than our Fodor’s Finest hotel awards.
Top Picks for You
An IRL Barbie Dreamhouse
At the end of May, I took a road trip along the California Coast with two friends. We drove a white Mustang convertible from Sonoma to Los Angeles, and along the way, we spent the night at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. I’d had my eye on this hotel for a while, having heard about the celebrity parties and excessively ornate guestrooms. My stay here was everything I could have dreamed: a spiral staircase led to a stained glass turret in the center of our room; we drank sugary, artificially colored cocktails in the hot tub; we danced to a brass band in the pink floral dining room; and we rode horses through the hills. I could’ve stayed in this Barbie Dreamhouse fantasyland for many more days.
A Boat on the Nile
I got to stay in some truly luxurious palaces this year, from a decadent room overlooking the courtyard at the Four Seasons in Mexico City to the gorgeous tented suites at Kenya’s Angama Mara. But two of my most memorable hotels were not luxurious and not really hotels. This summer, I spent the night at Camp Rockaway amidst the crumbling (yet hip and happening) Jacob Riis Beach in the rockaways, where a cluster of canvas tents surround a fire pit and hangout area. It’s one of the coolest and wildest places to stay in New York City and I promise you’ll come back with a good story (mine is probably only appropriate for my memoir and NOT for Fodors.com). On the other side of the world, one of the most unforgettable places I spent the night this year was aboard a traditional Egyptian Dahabiya on a four-night Nile cruise with Extraordinary Journeys. Nothing compares to sitting on the deck while watching the sunset and hearing the call to prayer.
—Teddy Minford, Editor, Fodors.com
A Minimalist Hotel in London
I was a pretty big fan of the hotel in which I stayed on a trip to London recently: The St Martin’s Lane London. Though the rooms are decidedly small, their minimalist, modern design helps them feel bigger than they are, as do the floor-to-ceiling windows (which provide an abundance of light). Speaking of light, there’s a mood light above the headboard that can change colors (pretty cool). The property’s location is also excellent—it sits in the heart of the theater district of London’s Convent Garden, so there’s no shortage of entertainment to tune into.
Another great establishment I had the pleasure of staying at this year is The Duniway Portland. A true treat, The Dunaway is rustic yet refined in its style; dark wood and leather litter the lobby and the rooms, and a massive (in-room) television made me feel right at home. Jackrabbit, the hotel’s bar/restaurant which puts an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients, is also worth checking out.
—Jesse Tabit, Social Media Manager
A Glamping Tent on the Bolivian Salt Flats
Not only was Kachi Lodge the best place I spent the night, it’s legitimately difficult for me to imagine what could compete with glamping on Bolivia’s famous salt flats. Luxury accommodations on the moon? Parking a time-traveling Airstream on the lawn of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Until that’s possible, it’ll be pretty difficult to top concluding a day of crossing the Salar de Uyuni sipping sparkling wine on a shallow stretch of water that mirrors sunset-pink hues of twilight, enjoying a beautifully prepared dinner, and then ending the evening under the most gorgeously clear night sky.
