The Best Hotels and Resorts in Mexico, Central, and South America: The Gold List 2026
In this year's Gold List, our favourite hotels in Mexico, Central and South America include one of Cusco's loveliest stays, a hotel with a planet- and people-forward ethos in one of Brazil's smartest surf towns, and a boutique bolthole on Quintana Roo’s Holbox that personifies the term barefoot luxury.
See the full Gold List here.
Courtesy Inkaterra La CasonahotelInkaterra La Casona, Peru
$$The 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 £334. Megan Spurrell
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta MitahotelNaviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
It isn’t the prime beachfront location that sets the adults-only Naviva apart from the dozen 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 £2,054. Rebecca Misner
hotelRefugia Chiloé, Chile
Days 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 £1,265. Nicola Chilton
hotelSer Casasandra, Holbox, Mexico
Ser 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 £228. Madison Flager
Courtesy Uxua Casa HotelhotelUxua Casa Hotel & Spa, Trancoso, Brazil
$$In 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 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 £390. Stephanie Rafanelli
