The World’s 10 Best New Resorts
Discover the best of the world, from unforgettable stays and local flavours to inspiring experiences and so much more. Explore our growing collection of guides and find your next favourite.
One&Only Aesthesis
Glyfada, Greece
One&Only Aesthesis occupies a stretch of the Athenian Riviera in Glyfada, where wooded grounds meet the sea within reach of central Athens. The resort draws on the coast's mid-century holiday architecture, using low buildings, stone and generous outdoor spaces to create a relaxed relationship with the shoreline. Its setting allows a stay to move between beach days and the cultural life of the capital. Accommodation ranges from centrally positioned rooms to bungalows, suites and villas with more extensive outdoor living. Private pools feature in many categories, while gardens, terraces and seafront positions give each a different connection to the landscape. The distinction matters when choosing a stay: some spaces offer direct coastal outlooks, while others emphasise seclusion among the grounds. Dining includes Mediterranean cooking at ORA by Ettore Botrini and Peruvian influences at Manko, which also brings a beach-club atmosphere to the resort. The Guerlain Spa, swimming pools and sporting facilities provide options for quieter days on site. Glyfada's shops and restaurants add another layer nearby, making Aesthesis a coastal base with an urban dimension as well as a place to settle beside the Aegean.
One&Only Kéa Island
Kéa, Greece
On Kéa's western coastline, One&Only Kéa Island follows a steep landscape down towards Vroskopos Bay. The resort's position in the Cyclades brings a different rhythm from nearby Athens, with sea crossings, dry hillsides and sheltered water shaping the experience. Villas are arranged to open towards the Aegean, so the outlook remains central whether guests are indoors or on their terraces. Private pools and generous living and dining areas make the accommodation suitable for extended time in one place. The design gives outdoor space a practical role, with room for meals, reading and swimming against the same broad coastal view. Down by the water, Bond Beach Club offers a more sociable setting for dining, a swim or an afternoon under the trees. The island provides reasons to venture beyond the resort. Guided hikes explore the ancient remains at Karthea, while boat excursions reach neighbouring coves and islands. Diving connects experienced visitors with Kéa's underwater landscape and notable wreck sites. Family activities add another option on land. For travellers combining the island with Athens, the journey between the two offers a clear transition from metropolitan culture to the quieter geography of the Cyclades.
Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea
Umluj, Saudi Arabia
Six Senses Southern Dunes sits inland from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, in a landscape of pale dunes and rugged desert formations. The resort draws on the region's trading history and Nabataean heritage while using contemporary architecture to frame the surrounding terrain. Its central Oasis gathers social spaces beneath a broad canopy, creating a sheltered focus within the open landscape. Rooms and suites are complemented by private pool villas, with muted colours and natural textures that keep attention on the desert outside. The larger villas give families or groups more space for shared dining and quiet time. A substantial spa extends across two floors, bringing treatment rooms, movement spaces and bathing experiences into the same considered relationship with the setting. Food is another route into the destination. Regional cooking at Al Sarab, a cooking school and activities connected with local culture provide ways to explore beyond the scenery. Excursions into the surrounding desert add a sense of scale, while quieter hours can be spent by a villa pool or in the spa. The appeal lies in this inland environment, making the resort a distinctive counterpart to the island stays along the coast.
The St. Regis Red Sea Resort
Ummahat Islands, Saudi Arabia
The St. Regis Red Sea Resort occupies an island setting in the Ummahat archipelago, with villas arranged between pale sand and clear water. Kengo Kuma's architecture takes cues from the surrounding coast, using curved forms that echo dunes and coral. Approaching by sea or air reinforces the separation from the mainland and the close relationship between the resort and its marine setting. Its collection of beach and overwater villas gives guests a choice of outlook and connection to the shore. Each has a private pool, with outdoor space designed for meals, reading and time beside the water. Interiors continue the restrained coastal palette, while the St. Regis butler service helps organise the practical details of a stay and experiences around the resort. Restaurants and lounges, a spa and a children's club provide different ways to shape the day. The Red Sea's underwater environment is a particular reason to venture beyond the villa, with marine activities complementing time on the beach. For families and couples alike, the resort combines a compact island geography with accommodation that offers substantial private space, allowing sociable dining and quieter hours to sit comfortably within the same stay.
Shebara
Sheybarah Island, Saudi Arabia
Shebara occupies Sheybarah Island in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea, where contemporary architecture creates an unusual dialogue with the marine landscape. Its polished stainless-steel overwater villas take rounded forms above the lagoon, reflecting the changing light and colour around them. Beach villas provide an alternative connection to the island, with the shore immediately beyond their outdoor spaces. The resort's accommodation is arranged across 73 villas, combining private pools with interiors that continue the curved geometry of the architecture. Terraces extend living space towards the sea, giving swimming, dining and quiet observation an equal place in the day. The contrast between the buildings' precise forms and the surrounding reef is a defining feature, especially when seen from the water. Restaurants, a spa and experiences centred on the Red Sea broaden the stay beyond the villa. Snorkelling and diving offer opportunities to engage with the underwater environment, while the island itself encourages a slower pace between meals and the pool. Shebara is particularly compelling for travellers interested in architecture as part of a destination, with its setting and distinctive design remaining closely interdependent throughout the experience.
Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Ummahat Islands, Saudi Arabia
Nujuma spreads across islands in Saudi Arabia's Ummahat archipelago, where sand, mangroves and the Red Sea determine the character of a stay. Its curved villas take inspiration from shells, bringing a soft geometry to the shoreline and lagoon. The resort's name refers to stars, a theme carried into experiences that encourage guests to look beyond the immediate island landscape. Beach and overwater villas pair generous living spaces with private pools facing the sea. Telescopes make the night sky part of the accommodation experience, while outdoor terraces offer a place for private meals or a quiet interval after swimming. The emphasis is on space and the ability to choose between sociable resort life and time within the villa. Neyrah Spa provides a further setting for slowing down, and the dive centre introduces the surrounding marine environment. The Conservation House adds context to local nature and heritage. Dining ranges from seafood at Tabrah to Levantine influences and French patisserie at Sita, with other venues providing lighter meals and drinks. Together, these elements give Nujuma a sense of place that extends from the reef and beach to the cultural traditions of the wider region.
Soneva Secret
Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives
Soneva Secret occupies a remote corner of the Maldives' Haa Dhaalu Atoll, with a small collection of villas arranged around an island and its surrounding water. The scale makes privacy central to the experience, while the open horizon and reef give the setting a strong sense of separation from busier parts of the archipelago. Arrival is part of that transition into island life. Accommodation includes beach villas, overwater villas and Sea Loft Villas reached by private boat. Their different positions allow guests to choose between a garden connection to the sand and a more complete immersion in the lagoon. Spacious interiors open towards the sea, with outdoor living areas designed for long intervals between excursions, meals and swimming. Dining is shaped around individual preferences, from private lunches to dinners beneath the night sky. Wellbeing treatments can come to the villa, while experiences range from sandbank picnics and ocean ziplining to exploring the surrounding marine environment. Encounters with wildlife depend on natural conditions, which helps keep the focus on the place itself. The resort suits travellers who value a flexible daily rhythm and close attention to the details of a secluded stay.
Rosewood Mandarina
El Monteón, Mexico
Rosewood Mandarina brings together beach, lowland and mountain settings on Mexico's Riviera Nayarit. Near El Monteón, the resort moves between the Pacific shoreline and a wooded landscape, allowing accommodation and public spaces to take on different perspectives. Its design draws on the region's materials and cultural traditions while keeping the surrounding vegetation and ocean in view. Suites feature private pools and terraces, with a choice of positions that changes the feeling of a stay. Some place guests closer to the beach, while others look out from higher ground. The arrangement gives outdoor living a substantial role, whether the day begins with a swim, a quiet breakfast or time watching the light move across the coast. La Cocina Mandarina centres its Mexican cooking on a traditional comal and handmade tortillas. Other dining settings include coastal Spanish flavours at Buena Onda and Japanese cuisine at Toppu, adding variety without requiring guests to leave the resort. Asaya Spa, beach activities and access to the wider Mandarina estate provide further ways to explore or unwind. The appeal lies in the ability to move between these landscapes while retaining a private base of one's own.
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Platte Island, Seychelles
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island occupies a small island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, reached by private aircraft from Mahé. The journey replaces the mountainous outline of the main island with low vegetation, beach and reef, setting the pace for a stay shaped by the sea. The resort's layout gives its villas substantial space within that compact island environment. Each of the 50 villas has a private pool, a large terrace and a garden leading towards the beach. This arrangement makes outdoor living an everyday part of the accommodation, with room to move between shade, sand and water. The interiors provide a sheltered retreat, while the larger villa choices allow families and groups to share the island experience with more independence. Six restaurants and bars offer different dining settings, from poolside dishes to Creole and Latin influences at Maison Des Epices. Moulin draws on produce grown in its own garden. The spa adds treatment suites and a programme of therapies, while snorkelling, diving and guided wildlife walks encourage exploration beyond the villa. With air transfers integral to arrival, a stay feels contained within the island's own rhythm of light, tides and open water.
JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort
Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort places an all-villa retreat within a short sea transfer of the international airport. The arrival jetty takes its shape from the flight of the maakana, or grey heron, introducing a design language inspired by Maldivian life. Across the resort, thatched roofs, turquoise doors and references to local lacquerwork give contemporary buildings a connection to the islands. The 80 villas each include a private pool, with beach and overwater settings offering different relationships to the lagoon. Terraces extend the living space outdoors, and larger residences provide additional bedrooms and areas for gathering. Personal butler service, known here as Safeeru, helps guests organise the details of a stay and discover activities around the resort. Restaurants explore Mediterranean, South American and Japanese-Peruvian flavours, alongside seafood and ingredients grown in the JW Garden. The overwater Spa by JW offers another reason to spend time close to the lagoon, with treatments and quiet spaces designed for a slower interval. The combination of accessible island geography, varied dining and accommodation with private outdoor space makes the resort well suited to families or couples seeking a flexible Maldivian stay.