Oceania's High-End Luxury Hotels, Resorts and Spas
"The great advantage of a hotel is that it's a great refuge from home life" - George Bernard Shaw.
A BOUTIQUE HOTEL is a small hotel which typically has between 10 and 100 rooms in unique settings with upscale accommodations.
A GRAND HOTEL is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one built in a traditional architectural style.
A HOTEL is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and jacuzzi bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a restaurant, swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services.
Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the following:
THE HOTEL STAR CLASSIFICATION & RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED:
******* Seven Star (Burj Al Arab, Dubai. The world's most luxurious and only 7-star hotel).
***** Five Star - (Deluxe)
These are hotels that offer only the highest level of accommodations and services. The properties offer a high degree of personal service. Although most five star hotels are large properties, sometimes the small independent (non-chain) property offers an elegant intimacy that can not be achieved in the larger setting. The hotel locations can vary from the very exclusive locations of a suburban area, to the heart of downtown. The hotel lobbies are sumptuous, the rooms complete with stylish furnishing and quality linens. The amenities often include: VCR's, CD stereos, garden tubs or Jacuzzis, in-room video library, heated pools and more. The hotels feature up to three restaurants all with exquisite menus. Room service is usually available 24 hours a day. Fitness Centers and valet and/or garage parking are typically available. A concierge is also available to assist you.
**** Four Star - (Superior)
Mostly large, formal hotels with smart reception areas, front desk service and bellhop service. The hotels are most often located near other hotels of the same caliber and are usually found near shopping, dining and other major attractions. The level of service is well above average and the rooms are well lit and well furnished. Restaurant dining is usually available and may include more than one choice. Some properties will offer continental breakfast and/or happy hour delicacies. Room service is usually available during most hours. Valet parking and/or garage service is also usually available. Concierge services, fitness centers and one or more pools are often provided.
*** Three Star - (First Class)
Typically these hotels offer more spacious accommodations that include well appointed rooms and decorated lobbies. Bellhop service is usually not available. They are often located near major expressways or business areas, convenient to shopping and moderate to high priced attractions. The hotels usually feature medium-sized restaurants that typically offer service breakfast through dinner. Room service availability may vary. Valet parking, fitness centers and pools are often provided.
** Two Star - (Moderate)
Typically smaller hotels managed by the proprietor. The hotel is often 2 - 4 stories high and usually has a more personal atmosphere. It's usually located near affordable attractions, major intersections and convenient to public transportation. Furnishings and facilities are clean but basic. Most will not have a restaurant on site but are usually within walking distance to some good low-priced dining. Public access, past certain hours, may be restricted.
* One Star - (Moderate)
Usually denotes independent and name brand hotel chains with a reputation for offering consistent quality amenities. The hotel is usually small to medium-sized and conveniently located to moderately priced attractions. The facilities typically include telephones and TV's in the bedroom. Some hotels offer limited restaurant service; however, room service and bellhop service is usually not provided.
Hotels included on Condé Nast Traveller's Gold List of the world's best hotels have been marked with CNT. It spans six continents and 49 countries.
5-star International Star Diamond Award Recipients selected by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences have been marked with SDA.
Established in France in 1954, Relais & Châteaux's mission is "to spread its unique art de vivre across the globe by selecting outstanding properties with a truly unique character." Prospective and current members are evaluated by the group's traditional "five C" motto: Character, Courtesy, Calm, Charm and Cuisine. The members of Relais & Châteaux exclusive collection of 580 of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in 60 countries on 5 continents have been marked with R&C.
The members the Small Luxury Hotels of the World organization (a collection of over 500 luxury boutique hotels and resorts in more than 80 countries) have been marked with SLH.
Comprised of more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries, The Leading Hotels of the World is one of the largest luxury hotel collections in the world. The members have been indicated with LHW.
Palace Distinction – since 2009. One step higher than five stars - by the French Agency for Tourism Development. Marked with P.
What hotel star ratings actually mean today - "There isn't a single answer to the question of what star ratings actually mean, since there are so many systems shaped by so many factors. Some tourism marketers now even give exceptional luxury properties an unofficial six-star designation. (Think stunning over-water villas in the Maldives with private butlers). And bear in mind not all of a brand's properties are created equal when making assumptions about a chain's star category - newer hotels are usually more modern and deserving of a higher rating."
HOTELS, RESORTS & SPAS BY REGION:
French Polynesia
- FRENCH POLYNESIA
Teti'aroa
- The Brando - "Unique luxury resort on French Polynesia’s breathtakingly beautiful atoll of Teti'aroa." Once the vacation spot for Tahitian royalty, the atoll is widely known for having been purchased by Marlon Brando.
Maldives
- 7 stunning new Maldives resorts to visit in 2022 - "It's the definitive escape for celebrities, honeymooners and families, all intent on kicking back in a picture-perfect paradise. Sitting serenely in the warm azure waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives guarantees the whitest of white sand beaches, pods of dolphins, dreamy sunsets and an unforgettable underwater world."
- Inside Maldives’ only multi-island destination - "Made up of more than 1,000 islands spread over 90,000 square kilometers, Maldives is a country like no other. The majority of the nation’s 160-plus resorts sit on individual islands, many of which are accessed by float plane from capital Male’s Velana International Airport. A private island paradise in a country that’s 99% water, famed for having some of the world’s most stunning coastal scenery? Not a tough sell for most travelers."
- It’s all in the details: What it’s like to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands - "One of the newest Maldivian properties is The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, about 45 minutes from the capital city of Male by high-speed ferry. The difference between a great stay and a truly memorable one is in the details - and after a few nights at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, I can say with certainty that it delivers. I’ll remember this stay for years to come."
- MALDIVES - an archipelagic state and country in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Wikipedia.
- Maldives faces existential threat from a climate crisis it did little to create. We need the world’s help now - "'Small islands like ours face an uncertain future. We can adapt – but climate finance that we badly need must be unlocked.' - Mohamed Muizzu, president of the Maldives."
- Maldives luxury resort takes fresh approach to waste with ground-breaking ‘Sustainability Lab’ - "This country is the lowest-lying nation in the world. Maldives isn’t your usual destination. As the world’s lowest-lying country, it’s 99% water, with its 1,000-plus islands spread over 90,000 square kilometers."
- Maldives: The new ‘private jet’-style airline set to fly to Maldives - "Traveling to Maldives - the 1,000-island archipelago off the western coast of India that’s one of the world’s most glamorous beach destinations - is always a special occasion. Now, a new airline aims to make it even more so. Beond - pronounced 'beyond' - aims to create a 'private jet' experience by using narrow-body aircraft (rather than the wide-body often used on routes to the Maldives), and offering an all-premium cabin with lie-flat seats which share components with Ferrari cars."
- Ritz-Carlton Just Opened Its First Resort in the Maldives - and It's Absolutely Gorgeous - "Guests can choose from overwater accommodations or a villa nestled into a beach cove. The latter comes with direct access to the island's pristine white-sand beaches, and the overwater villas, which are arranged in an oval shape to represent the flow of island life, surround an epic spa set above the turquoise lagoon. All of the resort's accommodations feature sprawling sun decks and infinity pools overlooking the water, perfect for soaking in the sunshine."
- Scientists take on riddle of the shrinking & growing Maldives - "British researchers undertake £2.8 million project to understand how rising sea levels are causing islands to become ‘mobile’. A study in 2010 that found islands in the Indian Ocean are shrinking in places but growing in others. The study looked at 30 of the islands in the Maldives and found most were stable or increasing in area, with only 14 per cent experiencing a net reduction."
- The Maldives Is a Tiny Paradise. Why Are China & India Fighting Over It? - "Asia's two giants are crowding the island nation with building projects, tossing its newborn democracy to and fro."
Lhaviyani Atoll
- Kudadoo Maldives Private Island - "Kudadoo Maldives Private Island offers a fully-inclusive experience that makes everything under the moon available to you at any time and anywhere. Bound to impress even the most discerning traveller, this private island has been designed for escapes from the confines of everyday life. Moments of magnificence take the form of delightful culinary creations, unlimited leisure activities and wellness. Seize your days on this petite tropical island with the assistance of your personal butler who can help you curate the perfect holiday itinerary. Together with the architectural mastermind, Yuji Yamazaki, Kudadoo sets a new standard in sustainable luxury hospitality; we take great pride in the following accolades: the world’s best new luxury hotel for 2018 by Luxury Travel Intelligence; Robb Report’s best island resort 2019 and winner of the prestigious 2019 Hospitality Design Award in the ‘sustainable resort’ category. Revel in luxury that treads lightly, on the Maldives’ only fully solar-powered private island." Kudadoo Island, Lhaviyani Atoll 07080, Maldives.
- ONE&ONLY KANUHURA LHW
North Malé Atoll
- BANYAN TREE VABBINFARU CNT
- BAROS SLH
- COCO PALM BODU HITHI SLH
- Gili Lankanfushi - 5-star resort is set on the private tropical island of Lankanfushi. 20-minute speedboat ride from the International Airport at Malé. With just 45 luxurious overwater villas, including Crusoe Residences and The Private Reserve reached only by boat, you’ll have a piece of paradise all to yourself.
- HUVAFEN FUSHI SLH
- ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH LHW CNT. Award-winning resort in the Maldives. Number of villas: 129. "The hotel is deeply glamorous: guests dress up for dinner in its dimly lit, gently gleaming environs, and sometimes for breakfast, lunch and dive school, too" (Condé Nast Traveller).
- Soneva Gili by Six Senses CNT
- The Private Reserve - Gili Lankanfushi, Lankanfushi Island, North Malé Atoll, Republic of Maldives. "You have never seen anything quite like the rustic über luxury of our Private Reserve, reputed to be the largest over-water villa in the world (1,700 sq m)! A decadent private palace sitting atop a sapphire lagoon, the most vivid dreams unable to conjure its grandeur. A flawless jewel of the Maldives, presented to you. Experience the exquisite."
- VELASSARU SLH
