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The best Four Seasons hotels & resorts in the world include Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, Four Seasons Lanai and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, Four Seasons Surf Club on Miami Beach, Four Seasons Costa Rica, Four Seasons Los Cabos At Costa Palmas, Four Seasons Palm Beach, and Four Seasons Hampshire.
To be honest, we wanted to include several other properties in this article, but we would have to stray into the realms of the top 20 or 30 to include all our favorite Four Seasons hotels. There are just so many great ones!
Four Seasons Whistler in Canada, Vail in the Colorado mountains, and Megeve in France feature in our listing of the best Four Seasons for skiing. We love the Maui and Oahu Four Seasons, which we have not included below. These are some of the best hotels in Hawaii.
There are numerous brilliant Four Seasons beach hotels across Asia, in the Maldives, in the Seychelles, and in Bora Bora in the South Pacific. Back to European cities, we are huge fans of the Four Seasons in Florence and Milan in Italy, and both Four Seasons properties across the pond in New York, which we have compared in more detail, Four Seasons Hotel New York vs. Downtown.
Choosing the best Four Seasons is nearly an impossible task, so we have picked our personal favorites.
1. Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons hotel
Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons hotel has the best (and only?) luxury hotel air-conditioned glass lift which whisks you down to their beach club in the world. This Willy Wonka lift, along with the large saltwater pool which is pictured above, beautiful gardens, and, IMHO, the best terrace for sitting out on in the world, both for breakfast, in the afternoon, and for evening drinks with live music, means that Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel is our best choice in Europe and a must for your bucket list.
It is worth mentioning that even the cheapest room at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel is a great room, and you will have a similarly great holiday. Whichever room you choose, if you book via our luxury travel concierge. We can bump you up a room level for free (subject to availability on check-in) and offer a bunch of other free benefits, including complimentary breakfast for two.
The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, is located in France between Nice and Monaco, at the tip of the Cap-Ferrat peninsula, facing the Mediterranean, in a private 17-acre estate with pine trees and flowers of a thousand colors. The hotel has just 49 double rooms and 24 Suites, which have been entirely renovated and redecorated by the famous designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. It has an 8500 ft² spa with an indoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, an indoor and outdoor gym, a Jacuzzi, saunas, steam rooms, and spa gardens.
This luxury hotel is open from March to November, and you’ll find the best deals here are at the end of March and the start of November. The spectacular Club Dauphin, with an Olympic-sized heated seawater swimming pool, is open throughout the season, and the hotel has three restaurants under the direction of Michelin-starred Executive Chef Yoric Tièche: the gastronomic restaurant Le Cap, with one Michelin Star; the Club-Dauphin restaurant, open for lunch in season; and the Veranda with Mediterranean cuisine for all-day dining.
My lasting memory of a stay at this hotel is sitting on that magical terrace, watching the distant ships pass by at the end of the Cap Ferrat peninsula while twinkling planes negotiate the skies above on their way into Nice airport. I love smelling the greenery in the gorgeous gardens at the end of a hot day under the Mediterranean sun and sipping a beer as live jazz plays into the starry night. If you have a soul, you cannot fail to fall in love with this hotel and the person you share it with.
2. Four Seasons Lanai
Possibly offering the most picture-perfect beach in the world is the Four Seasons Lanai, Hawaii, a true escape on a billionaire’s private island. Larry Ellison’s, to be exact. The Four Seasons on Lanai features in our best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii and our best Four Seasons in America. You will not find more beautiful or more remote, empty beaches anywhere in the world.
Overlooking beautiful Hulopo’e Bay, Lana’i by Four Seasons offers an innovative vision of a Hawaiian resort, a perfect base to explore your own 90,000-acre island. Experience modern luxury at its most sophisticated, discover a remarkable variety of dining and drinks venues, and explore an astonishing range of landscapes with activities to match.
Upon arrival, you’ll find elegant yet innovative guestrooms, a variety of restaurants, including NOBU LANAI, a spa and wellness program, high-end retail stores, and a gorgeously landscaped pool oasis. Activities range from horseback riding, off-roading tours, sporting clays, and archery to snorkel and sailing adventures, as well as tennis, championship golf, and more.
Don’t expect a great deal of nightlife here. When we stayed, the alfresco restaurant by the pool closed quite early. Having said that, things have changed since Four Seasons took over, and there is now a beautiful alfresco bar on a large Lanai with sweeping views, connected to the Nobu restaurant, which serves a light menu and drinks through to 10:30 pm. After this, you can always wander barefoot down to the beach, where you will almost undoubtedly be alone, and you can enjoy a paddle under a Milky Way of stars.
3. Four Seasons Costa Rica
Four Seasons Costa Rica is one of the most magical Four Seasons resorts in the world. Tucked at the very tip of a beautiful Peninsula on the western coast of Costa Rica, you’ll find the equally beautiful Four Seasons Resort. We visited this unspoiled land to enjoy everything this incredible hotel has to offer.
The combination of relaxed luxury, epic Latin American scenery, impeccable, warm service, and excellent facilities makes this stunning eco-resort an absolute dream. We were welcomed with open arms and soon fell head over heels for the place. The Four Seasons resort perfectly reflects this exotic country in which it makes its home. It fits into its beautiful environment perfectly, and you receive a vibrant Costa Rican welcome; the comfortable synergy with its home made us love it here all the more.
The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica has the usual very high finishes, impressive architecture, a huge open lobby, and beautiful restaurants with an impressive style that will have your Instagram groaning. But it’s more than that here. The exotic Costa Rican flair shines through everywhere.
I love how you enjoy both the familiar Four Seasons luxury while also loving all the native touches. The décor calms and relaxes you from your initial welcome at the lobby as you sink into their comfortable sofas and check into paradise. The rooms themselves are a beautiful sea of calming neutral shades with natural materials, again reminding you where you are, and the public spaces are mainly left wide open to make the very most of the warm Costa Rican air and create a lovely flow to the resort.
The facilities here are nothing short of excellent. There are two huge freeform swimming pools. At both, the loungers (more day beds, really) are always given a front-row seat in the pools. There’s never any trouble finding a day bed, and your biggest decision is sun or shade!
Once you’re settled, you are waited on hand and foot. The poolside staff are an absolute joy. Whether recommending the perfect cocktail (they got it spot on; we hated each other’s and loved our own) or telling our daughter her dolphin impression was brilliant, they add to your time here.
You are spoilt having two sandy beaches within steps of each other, but each has a different purpose. One of the bays is much calmer with more sheltered waters, so it’s perfect for water sports. The other beach takes in beautiful views across to the Santa Rosa National Park and was our favorite spot to grab a lounger, really relax, and soak up those views.
For a taste of paradise in truly tropical surroundings where the ocean and wildlife become just as much a part of your stay as the welcoming service, wonderful facilities, and delicious food and drink, you’d struggle to do any better than the stunning Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica.
4. Four Seasons Hualalai
Set on the North Kona Coast of Hawaii Island, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai boasts a dramatic mix of white-sand beaches, dazzling oceanfront, and black-lava landscapes. Enjoy championship golf, island-fresh dining, and a genuine aloha spirit during your stay.
Housed in intimate two-story bungalows, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai’s 243 expansive guest rooms and suites exude a nostalgic sense of Hawaii’s golden age. All rooms offer modern Hawaiian décor and paddle ceiling fans (along with air conditioning), and each has a lanai or terrace.
The Ocean Golf View rooms are undoubtedly the best deal, as you get to enjoy all the benefits of the resort at the lowest possible price. All rooms were recently renovated. These are on the Ocean Golf View Crescent on both the lower and upper levels. As you would expect, these rooms look out onto the golf course, which is a pretty nice view.
We prefer the downstairs rooms, which have private outdoor lava rock showers. I love the outdoor showers and the terrace as opposed to a lanai, so you can walk right out onto the grass. I would therefore always pick the downstairs rooms as the best choice.
Whatever deal or discount you book, the Four Seasons Hualalai is brilliant for several reasons. The hotel itself is perched on dramatic blackened lava from the Volcano. The entire low-rise complex is dotted with palm trees, and it has a hugely long and private beach. The mix of warm sand, deep blue Pacific waters, lush green tropical foliage, and flowers means that the setting can only be described as breathtaking.
The design of this low-rise hotel means that it never feels full, even though this glorious hotel often enjoys 100% occupancy (it’s that good!). The two-story buildings are spread out, so you never feel like the hotel is particularly busy. The Four Seasons Hualalai also has a wonderful garden that stretches down to the beach, and its pools are an absolute highlight.
My favorite thing at the resort is King’s Pond. Four Seasons brings the ocean into the resort for you with this pool: a quarry-like pond with a sandy bottom carved free form out of the black lava and teeming with fish. It is right next to the beach and is one of the most unique resort features I have seen. It’s filled with seawater and is home to thousands of fish, including a couple of spotted eagle rays.
You can swim in this pool for as long as you like with complimentary snorkel gear. Swim with real fish and rays, a truly magical experience, and all with the convenience of being just a short walk from your room. It’s a “must-do” for your bucket list. After your swim, or between swims, laze on a pool chair and have a drink or a bite to eat.
There are five other swimming pools, some with sloping and sand bottoms, some with hot tubs/ You can look forward to complimentary frozen grapes poolside, which is a lovely touch.
There is also a large gym with a lap pool, and of course, there is an amazing beach. From November to May, you are likely to spot whales and dolphins just offshore, and there are local turtles that meander about on the beach, too. I could go on, but suffice to say, this is one of the best Four Seasons hotels in the world, without a doubt.
6. Four Seasons Milan
We visited and reviewed Four Seasons Milan (or “Milano”) in late 2022 and it is an amazing property. Four Seasons Milan (or Four Seasons Hotel Milano) is housed in a former 15th-century convent that is situated up a tiny side street in the heart of Milan.
It oozes glamour and sophistication with a stylish bar, a restaurant that spills out onto an enviably green and flower-filled courtyard, and an impressive spa hidden in the historic depths of the convent’s cellar. Although this is a favorite of mine, this hotel is better suited to the luxury traveler without a family as the pool is a sophisticated spa pool, and the main activity in Milan is wonderful designer shopping. While the hotel is wonderful with kids, there isn’t so much for children to do at this Four Seasons hotel.
Four Seasons Milan is historic and stylish. It is also boutique by Four Seasons standards, with just over 100 rooms, which makes any stay here feel even more exclusive.
As you enter the hotel, a majestic staircase in front of you leads down to a hidden courtyard, a restaurant, and a spa. To your right is the check-in desk, down a corridor that takes you to the lifts and hotel rooms. To your left, you will find a large, airy, and high-ceilinged bar area partitioned by walls of greenery.
In front of you, the main restaurant spills out onto the most idyllic and lush courtyard, where you can sit on lawns and under parasols and trees and enjoy a peaceful bite or a drink. This large courtyard is a wonderful garden escape in Milan’s hectic city center.
Numerous weatherworn cream stone pillars support the ancient arches that form corridors around the courtyard on the ground level. These pillars continue through the large bar and restaurant area and give the space a sense of history.
Four Seasons Milan feels like an intimate boutique escape in the center of Milan. I loved spending evenings in the airy and historic bar area and breakfasts out in the sunshine on the veranda while the rest of the world shivered. This year, Milan offered the perfect destination to extend my family’s summer, and the gardens at Four Seasons Milan offered the perfect place to absorb some late-season sunshine.
6. Four Seasons Hampshire
I feel compelled to share exactly why Four Seasons Hampshire is hands down the best family hotel in the English Countryside.
The Four Seasons Hampshire is set in a beautifully restored Georgian Manor on a 500-acre estate in the English countryside. This great country house sits on the top of a hill and looks down over swathes of grassland and wooded copses. More modern wings have been built onto the house containing many of the rooms, and outhouses have been extended and converted to accommodate a stunning spa, two extensive pools, and a great gym and kids club.
The interior of this Georgian Manor has been beautifully restored. Marble has been used throughout, which gives the place a warm, creamy hue. Enclosed glass walkways adjoin the manor and its various wings with underfloor heating, ideal for walking barefoot between the rooms and the Spa.
Four Seasons Hampshire is a large estate, and you can walk, jog, or cycle around the grounds on the hotel’s complimentary bicycles. A popular activity here is archery, along with horse riding, fishing, clay pigeon shooting, falconry, and playing in the adventure playground. If you want to leave the confines of the vast grounds, you can cycle along the Basingstoke Canal or to the cute villages nearby. More recently, the hotel has built an ice rink and treetop walk with a zip line, which we hope to try on our next stay.
The Spa, located in an 18th-century stable block, is an absolute highlight. Not only do you have a fantastic spa for relaxation, but there is also a large swimming pool leading to an outdoor heated vitality pool and Sharky’s Reef for the kids.
The main pool is largely reserved for adults except during family time. It is huge and enclosed in a large Victorian-style glasshouse that is full of light and surrounded by comfy loungers. Kids can frolic in the pool at certain times, but this is an adults-only area for most of the day. Next door to the main pool is Sharky’s Reef, which is one of my son’s favorite places in the world and is a wonderland for 2 to 15-year-olds.
Like many Four Seasons hotels, this hotel seamlessly combines a stylish retreat for adults with a brilliant place to stay for children. At this Hampshire outpost, you have a super spa, fine dining, country walks, and a host of county pursuits like riding, but you also have a huge pool, a second children’s adventure pool, an adventure play park, and a great kids club. This means that the whole family can enjoy the indulgent break, and unlike many hotels in England, children (and dogs!) are welcome in this luxury hotel.
7. Four Seasons Boston, One Dalton Street
One of North America’s most impressive new Four Seasons hotels is the Four Seasons Boston, One Dalton Street in Boston. This is the second and best Four Seasons hotel in the city and is located in the heart of the chic Back Bay neighborhood, just steps from Symphony Hall, Newbury Street, Copley Plaza, Fenway Park, and so much more. It is also just 15 minutes from Logan International Airport.
Interestingly, if you are traveling with your family, you may prefer the prices at the original Four Seasons Boston. The rooms at this hotel house two double beds and two adults and two children, whereas you need to book a suite at the Four Seasons Boston, One Dalton Street, if you want it to fit a 4-person family.
The Four Seasons One Dalton Street’s 215 hotel rooms (with king beds) and suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows. For dining, Zuma has arrived in Boston at One Dalton Street in a space that is as much a feast for the eyes as the menu is for the palate. The dishes themselves are designed to be shared from Zuma’s three open kitchens: the main kitchen, sushi counter, and robata grill. Also located on the second floor is One + One, with its floor-to-ceiling windows open for breakfast and lunch.
8. Four Seasons Los Cabos At Costa Palmas
Four Seasons Los Cabos is located on the East Cape, on the warm, crystal-clear waters of the Sea of Cortez, offers excellent snorkeling and diving, some of the world’s best light tackle and sport fishing, and world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding.
The idyllic setting at the base of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains also offers endless opportunities for land adventure, from hiking, biking, and horseback riding to exploring waterfalls, spring-fed freshwater pools, and hot springs.
If you love a Four Seasons hotel, you will love Four Seasons Los Cabos at Costa Palmas. Our client, Mike, described his stay here as “a marvelous vacation for my wife and us, and I will continue to highly recommend Four Seasons and luxury travel concierge. We have previously stayed at Four Seasons resorts in Austin, Texas, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Las Vegas.”
This sleek and contemporary rresort features 141 guest rooms, including 23 suites. Guests enjoy five dining options, including world-renowned estiatorio Milos; multiple retail experiences; a sports complex and fitness center; many expansive pools; Oasis Spa and Wellness Centre; a teen center and Kids for All Seasons program, as well as multiple unique indoor/outdoor celebration spaces.
Four Seasons Los Cabos At Costa Palmas encompasses over two miles of beach, and this beach is much, much calmer than the beach facing the Pacific, which is often unusable. This is why we think this is the best luxury hotel in Los Cabos vs. Las Ventanas or One & Only Palmilla.
Add in the views of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range, which the resort is designed to take advantage of, and you will be hard-pressed to find a more ridiculously romantic luxury hotel in Los Cabos or the world.
Our favorite rooms at Four Seasons Los Cabos are, in fact, on the ground floor and feature private plunge pools. My client Mike had one of these and said, “We particularly enjoyed the privacy and incredibly easy access to the beach and pool, as well as the plunge pool. We have previously experienced Four Seasons beach resorts in Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and Punta Mita-The Cabo patio/pool/beach access and privacy was the best ever.”
Discover Mexico’s hidden gems with daily guided East Cape excursions and activities. Explore UNESCO World Marine Site Cabo Pulmo, swim in spring-fed waterfalls, set sail underneath Baja’s glowing sunset skies, and much more.
9. Four Seasons Hotel At The Surf Club, Miami, USA
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club is the fourth Four Seasons in the Sunshine State, joining her sister hotels Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, Four Seasons Hotel Miami, and Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Situated directly on the Atlantic Ocean in the northern beaches of Miami, the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Surfside, Florida, is minutes from the prestigious Bal Harbour shopping and the nightlife of South Beach and Miami.
From the moment it first opened its doors on New Year’s Eve 1930, The Surf Club in Miami has hosted history. The Mediterranean Revival building and beachside cabanas that made up the original Surf Club formed elegant backdrops that would frame the beach and sea. It quickly became a magnet for members that crossed industry, culture, and class. It was a home away from home for people who shared provenance, privilege, and a preference for pleasure.
Archive photos show poolside fashion shows directed by Elizabeth Arden, Shah Mohamed Reza of Iran on the tennis court, his wife on water skis, and Winston Churchill painting in his cabana. There was booze on the beach during prohibition, kayaks in the swimming pool, black-tie boxing dinners, and lavish-themed galas, one time with elephants, another with 300 tables made of ice.
It was a place of myth, legend, and endless laughter. The names that rolled up were pioneers of the good life: Noel Coward, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Elizabeth Taylor, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Frank Sinatra, Tennessee Williams, Joan Crawford, and Liberace.
Some of today’s greatest creative minds were commissioned to write the next chapter of The Surf Club’s story. The new Surf Club. Pritzker-prize-winning architect Richard Meier designed three buildings that frame and flank the original clubhouse. They are an exercise in discrete classical modernism, simultaneously reflecting and disappearing into the changing sky, the beach, and the sea.
Parisian interior architect Joseph Dirand was tasked with designing the interiors of the public areas and bedrooms of the hotel, together with the cabanas. Renowned for his ability to bring atmosphere, rich narrative, and quiet drama to life through space, materials, furniture, and details, Dirand has created a series of rooms that evoke a sense of the past with a feeling of the present and a hint of the future.
The restaurants and bars evoke bygone times. The Spa is a light-dappled sanctuary. Outside, pool experiences include quiet and family options and a cabana pool. On the pristine beach, guests can take part in an array of non-motorized water sports. Younger guests are also welcomed at the fully supervised Kids for All Seasons studio.
The Surfside Four Seasons is beautiful and right on the beach. It is my favorite Four Seasons in Miami and is the best choice for the following reasons:
- Location just a few blocks south of the luxurious Bal Harbour shops and a 20-minute drive from South Beach
- The beach is just steps away
- The rooms have been beautifully designed and offer stunning views
- Oceanfront views almost hang over the ocean with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows
- Glass-fronted balconies enable you to enjoy the sunshine in your own private space
- The pool is super stylish, and the gardens edge the beach with plenty of loungers
- The bar has a tropical feel with high ceilings
- The hotel oozes sophistication with photo opportunities at every corner
Of course, the Four Seasons Downtown Miami tends to be cheaper and the better deal, but if you are looking for the best hotel on Miami Beach, the Four Seasons Hotel At The Surf Club is it.
10. Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita
The Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico has just 15 luxury tents surrounded by 48 forested acres (19 hectares) on the edge of a private peninsula, Naviva is an adult-only sanctuary that harnesses nature to create an environment that fosters community, personal growth, and appreciation for local heritage.
Naviva awakens humans’ intrinsic bond with nature through biophilic design – an architectural approach that immerses people in their natural surroundings. The transformative journey begins as soon as guests arrive, meeting their personal guide on a cocoon-inspired bamboo bridge overlooking a dramatic forest ravine.
Perhaps the best thing about this tiny resort and a reason to stay here is Naviva’s respect for nature and sustainability. Naviva’s authentic connection to nature is rooted in its thoughtful conception, which began with rehabilitating the land on which it now resides.
The development team carefully surveyed the land to build around existing trees and preserve the peninsula’s lush vegetation, hand-placing tents into the existing environment to minimize disruption to the surrounding forest. Select trees were relocated or salvaged for hand-carved timber hooks placed in each luxury tent, and natural stone found on site was repurposed for benches. The team also took significant measures to protect animal life by creating new paths that mimic the colors of soil and rocks and using specific lighting types to limit light pollution.
The design team utilized light-on-earth, low-impact construction materials throughout the property, such as reclaimed wood, local stone, copper, bamboo, and concrete. In addition, natural ventilation made possible by the region’s prevailing winds limits air conditioning to only the most essential spaces.
As an advocate for sustainable water sourcing, Naviva partnered with SOURCE Water to bottle all drinking water onsite using hydropanel technology that extracts clean, pollutant-free water from the air.
Here are some more of the best Four Seasons resorts in the world that we have reviewed:
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