The Gold List 2026: Best Hotels and Resorts in Mexico, Central, and South America
It’s time again for us to tell you about the hotels (and cruises) we really, really love right now. Our 32nd annual Gold List collects our editors’ current favorite places to stay and ships to sail (all vetted by our team of contributors and editors around the globe). They’re memorable for many reasons: service that made us feel like Hollywood stars; architecture that transported us to 1920s London or 18th-century Lake Como; and meals in Vietnam, in Australia, and at sea that we know will inspire Proustian responses. What do all of these experiences have in common? We’ll be carrying them with us for years to come. To paraphrase the old saying: New friends are silver, but old friends are gold.
See the full Gold List here.
Jose ZirpelhotelRefugia Chiloé — Chile
$$$ |
Gold List 2026Days at the 24-room Refugia Chiloé, located on the serene Rilán Peninsula in southern Chile, are spent hiking through native woodland and along Pacific cliffs, paddling kayaks in glassy waters where dolphins and sea lions play, and visiting friendly islands home to centuries-old wooden churches. There’s a sense of the utopian here, as if some unseen magic is at work. It’s a place to fall for simple, natural pleasures, like enjoying wholesome, nutritious food made with naturally supersized ingredients, sipping a pisco sour as the sky erupts into a surreal sunset, and sleeping with your blinds open to wake with the first glimmers of daylight shimmering on peaceful Pullao Bay. From $1660. —Nicola Chilton
Courtesy Uxua Casa HotelhotelUxua Casa Hotel & Spa — Brazil
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2023, 2026 
Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025In 2022, Dutch trend analyst Lidewij Edelkoort dedicated a book to Brazil’s famed bohemian bolt-hole UXUA Casa Hotel and Spa, naming it UXUA Utopia: A Very Gifted Guesthouse. Founded in the Bahian surf town Trancoso in 2009 by Dutch creative director Wilbert Das and American activist Bob Shevlin, formerly of Italian jeans brand Diesel, UXUA was both a paean to magical homestays and an inclusive craft commune that raised up the work of Pataxó and Afro-Brazilian artisans. Sixteen years on, Das and Shevlin are still reaching for utopia with their planet- and people-forward ethos. In July, they opened another positive-impact project, UXUA Maré: three upcycled farmhouses, conserving a 15-acre coastal plot of Atlantic Forest. From $510. —Stephanie Rafanelli
Ser CasasandrahotelSer Casasandra — Mexico
$$ | Gold List 2026Ser Casasandra, a boutique hotel on Quintana Roo’s Holbox that personifies the term barefoot luxury, is run by Sandra Pérez Lozano, a Cuban artist and writer who first came to the Mexican island 25 years ago and quickly fell in love with the laid-back spirit. First built as a family home, it has retained much of that original spirit over the years, albeit with a staff now at your beck and call and a stellar food and beverage program. The hotel, like the island, is in a constant state of evolution. No two rooms are alike across the property’s 18 keys, and Sandra is happy to keep it that size; any larger and you lose the ability for staff to really get to know each visitor. Her personal touch is evident throughout the property, with art on display made by her and other Latin American artists and a wellness program that goes deeper than massages and facials. From $300. —Madison Flager
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Marcos GuiponihotelPosada Ayana — Uruguay
$$ | Gold List 2026 
Hot List 2022Located in the world’s chicest fishing village, José Ignacio, Uruguay, Posada Ayana is a dreamy bolt-hole for art lovers yearning to immerse themselves in James Turrell’s Ta Khut Skyspace. The interior design of this family-run hotel that operates from November through March draws from hoteliers Edda and Robert Kofler’s personal art collection. Fourteen luxurious suites and two villas are beautifully illuminated by floor-to-ceiling windows, resulting in a sense of serenity. Recharge your batteries by catching Ta Khut’s sunrise light show or sipping a glass of rosé next to the green marble infinity pool. The property recently opened Bliss, a Japanese-inspired fire-fueled kitchen. From $470. —Sorrel Moseley-Williams
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Courtesy Inkaterra La CasonahotelInkaterra La Casona — Peru
$$ | Gold List 2026 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022The building that houses Inkaterra La Casona charts the history of Cusco: Atop former training grounds for Incan nobility, it was occupied by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, then by Simón Bolivar, who led the liberation of Peru from Spanish rule in the 19th century. And yet, when you step into the courtyard, where original stone archways and wooden balconies have been beautifully restored during a five-year process, you’ll find one of the city’s finest stays—with just 11 guest rooms that promise timeless luxuries of velvet armchairs, working fireplaces, and freestanding bathtubs adorned with bushels of fresh eucalyptus leaves. From $440. —Megan Spurrell
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta MitahotelNaviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
$$$ | Gold List 2026 Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2024, 2025It isn’t the prime beachfront location that sets the adults-only Naviva apart from the dozen of other high-end stays that pepper Mexico’s Pacific-fronting Punta Mita peninsula (45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta), although Naviva certainly has one of the area’s loveliest arcs of golden sand. Nor is it the property’s beautifully designed tented bungalows (each is over 1,200 square feet and has an ocean-facing deck). Rather, it’s the less concrete but equally important vibe of the place: deeply, marvelously relaxing. This is in part due to the all-inclusive nature of Naviva, which means you’re not thinking about the cost of that second paloma or how much to tip the bellhop; it’s remarkable how much deeper you can sink into vacation mode when you get rid of these micro-transactions. The resort’s petite size, just 15 tented bungalows surrounded by 48 forested acres, equals lots of privacy. The absence of typical hotel conceits also adds to the pulse-lowering atmosphere. There’s no formal spa, but two private freestanding treatment pods with outdoor soaking tubs, and the restaurant has no fixed hours or set menu: The chef recommends a few dishes, but if you want something else and they have the ingredients, they’ll make it happen. This is next-level luxury indeed. From $4,500. —Rebecca Misner
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
