Lonely Planet reveals the world’s best hotels 2014

Mihir Gahr, Rajasthan, India

Lonely Planet is launching its first ever collection of the world’s best places to stay. Its network of expert authors, arguably the planet’s most well-travelled group of people, have scoured the globe to find the most Extraordinary places to stay, the Best Value accommodation and the top Eco retreats. A panel then selected their 10 top picks in each of the three categories.

Extraordinary: Lonely Planet’s authors are always on the lookout for experiences which will create exceptional and memorable moments for travellers, and accommodation is no exception. Included in the cut of the 10 most unique places to stay are Saugerties Lighthouse in New York State and the Gibbon Experience Treehouse in Laos.

Best Value: Having visited thousands of hotels, hostels and guesthouses Lonely Planet’s authors know good value when they see it and they understand how important it is to travellers. Old Plovdiv Guesthouse in Bulgaria and Oztel in Rio de Janeiro were two of the places that they found to offer the most bang for your buck.

Eco: Travelling responsibly has always been at the core of Lonely Planet and with this in mind our authors strive to find the most eco-friendly accommodation. From the nominations, the judges selected 10 outstanding eco places to stay which had made impressive strides to minimise their environmental impact and contribute to their local communities. Chole Mjini in Tanzania and Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Peru, two of the best in the world according to the panel.
LonelyPlanet.com Editor Tom Hall was part of the expert panel who selected the finalists, he said; “We’re delighted with our first ever list of top hotels. This collection is one of a kind we believe, as it is put together by the most well- travelled people on earth. At Lonely Planet we’ve been giving recommendations to travellers about where to stay for 40 years. Our guidebook authors provide their honest opinion and never take freebies in exchange for positive coverage so you can trust in our reviews.”

Lonely Planet’s website has over 80,000 author reviewed hotels, as well as curated lists of the best places to stay in more than 650 destinations.
A full list of winners follows. Find out more about each of the winning hotels, including author commentary, at:
www.lonelyplanet.com/extraordinary-hotels
www.lonelyplanet.com/best-eco-hotels
www.lonelyplanet.com/best-value-hotels

THE WINNERS

EXTRAORDINARY

1. Mihir Gahr, Rajasthan, India
2. Planet Baobab, Gweta, Botswana
3. Prendiparte B&B, Bologna, Italy
4. Qasr Al Sarab, UAE
5. Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS, Australia
6. Free Spirit Spheres, British Columbia, Canada
7. Taskonak Hotel, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
8. Thonga Beach Lodge, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
9. Saugerties Lighthouse, New York state, USA
10. The Gibbon Experience Treehouse, Bokeo Reserve, Laos

Best Value

The Backpack, Cape Town, South Africa

1. The Backpack, Cape Town, South Africa
2. Sydney Harbour YHA, Australia
3. Inkosana Lodge, Champagne Valley, Drakensberg, South Africa
4. Old Plovdiv Guesthouse, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
5. Hotel Gruner Baum, Glorenza, Sudtirol, Italy
6. Oztel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7. Fauzi Azar Inn, Nazareth, Israel
8. We Hostel Design, Sao Paulo, Brazil
9. Hotel Hotel Hostel, Seattle, USA
10. On the corner, Kolomyya, Ukraine

ECO LIST

Lapa Rios, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica

1. Lapa Rios, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica
2. Bulungula Backpackers, South Africa
3. Chole Mjini, Chole Island, Mafia Archipelago, Tanzania
4. Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Aguas Calientes, Peru
5. EcoLodge Chepu Adventures, Chiloe, Chile
6. Maison Anglaise, Taroudant, Morocco
7. Earthship Rentals, Taos, New Mexico, USA
8. Dana Guest House, Jordan
9. Nuli Sapi, Papua New Guinea
10. Baikaler Eco-Hostel, Listvyanka, Russia