17 Female Travel Writers Share Their Favorite Hotels

Kenya

Prachi Joshi, a Mumbai-based travel writer, calls Ol Jogi the best luxury safari in Kenya—and for good reason. This family-owned wildlife conservancy, 45 minutes outside of Nairobi, was once the private residence of the Wildenstein family. Now, small groups of guests enjoy the luxurious 58,000-acre estate, with its unparalleled views. "Even without stepping out of the comfort of my bed," Joshi wrote in Travel and Leisure India, "I can see giraffes, zebras, impalas, elands, the relatively rare and rather elegant gerenuk gazelle, and later in the evening elephants and hyenas."

Photo courtesy Prachi Joshi

Urubamba, Peru

Is it the intoxicating smell of the native wood used throughout the resort? Or the pisco sours and Peruvian snacks at Kiri Bar, which overlooks the river and mountains? Or perhaps the gorgeous indoor/outdoor pool and spa? For travel writer Amy Spiro, it's all that—and more. The Tambo del Inka is such a draw, she's been three times already—and hopes to return soon.

Photo courtesy Amy Spiro

Ollantaytambo, Peru

Alden Wicker, editor-in-chief of EcoCult, a fashion and travel blog with a sustainable sensibility, spent four months in South America—and she calls El Albergue "the most authentic, beautiful, memorable, and of course, sustainable" destination she visited. There's a working farm, a micro-distillery, a coffee roaster—and even an eco-conscious elementary school on site.

Photo courtesy El Albergue

Ubud, Bali

"Pretty sure I found heaven on earth," travel writer Jordi Lippe McGraw, of Well Traveler, posted on Instagram last year. She means The Viceroy Bali, a 25-room luxury resort set above the Petanu River Gorge.

Photo courtesy the Viceroy Bali

Munich, Germany

Tokyo-based food and travel writer Melinda Joe found the adults-only, luxury city residence Beyond to be aptly named. "Beyond in Munich was so surprising and hidden, and the service was incredible—24-hour kitchen, and you could just take wine from the cellar."

Photo by Marc Oeder, courtesy Beyond by Geisel

Lagoa, Azores

Travel writer Zoe Macfarlane calls the Azores—an archipelago of nine rocky islands off the coast of Portugal—the Atlantic's playground. And, in particular, she found the new boutique hotel White to be "absolutely stunning." Once a private manor and wine storage area, it is now a sleek, rustic-modern luxury destination, each room with an incomparable view of the Atlantic.

Photo courtesy White

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

For family travel, blogger Kimberly Tate puts her money on the Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana. You don't have to get slimed, but your children may insist.

Photo courtesy Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

LGBT travel blogger Meg Cale loves all the Belmond properties—but most especially the Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya.

Photo courtesy Belmond

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Laura Studarus wrote about the modern micro-hotel movement for Nylon but is obsessed, in particular, with the citizenM chain. "I've stayed in London, Amsterdam and Taiwan," she writes. "They're cheap and funky."

Photo courtesy citizenM

Marrakech, Morocco

For Berlin-based Canadian journalist Diya Khana, Riad Idra—a hidden gem inside the medina—is the one.

Photo courtesy Riad Idra

Hamilton Island, Australia

Luxury travel and spa expert Dena Roché highlights Qualia, a luxury resort on an island nestled in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Photo courtesy Hamilton Island

Grand Canyon, Arizona

To stay at the Phantom Ranch, a favorite of writer Gina Demillo Wagner, you enter a lottery more than a year out for a chance to win a reservation at one of the cabins or bunk rooms. It's worth the wait to be down at the heart of the Grand Canyon, along the Colorado River.

Photo credit Xanterra Parks & Resorts

Puerto Rico

For the rare chance to stay inside Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest, Casa Flamboyant is, in the words of food and travel writer Sally Elbassir, simply "magic."

Photo courtesy Casa Flamboyant

West Hollywood, California

Vogue once called The Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood "peak California bliss"—and writer Jody Ellis would agree.

Photo courtesy Petit Ermitage

Coronado, California

It doesn't matter that travel blogger Michelle Miller is local to the Hotel del Coronado, it's a prime destination for her. "I have spent most major holidays there in the last few years and they go all out," she says.

Photo courtesy Hotel del Coronado

Botswana

"One of the most special places we've ever stayed was Leroo La Tau on the edge of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park in Botswana," says Audrey Scott—one-half of the husband-and-wife team who blog at Uncornered Market. "You could sit out on your balcony and watch zebras, elephants, and other animals gather at the stream just below. And, the safari drives there are magical."

Photo courtesy Audrey Scott

Delft, The Netherlands

The Hotel de Plataan, in old Delft, is a truly one-of-a-kind boutique hotel. Each of its 29 rooms is unique, and inspired by a single tree or plant, from the Mexican-themed Saguaro room to the African-inspired Baobab. It's a favorite of travel writer Olga Mecking, who is based in the Netherlands.

Photo courtesy Hotel de Plataan Delft Centrum