Hotels with the best views
There are hotel stays where the room is simply somewhere to sleep, then there are the ones where you pull back the curtains and suddenly forget whatever plans you had. Mountains, skylines, coastlines and huge open landscapes have a habit of stealing attention. Sometimes all you need is a good view and a little extra time to enjoy it.
The world's top hotels with views come in all shapes and sizes. Some sit high above famous cities, some hide deep in dramatic landscapes and others place you right beside places that barely seem real. Desert scenery, turquoise lagoons, medieval towns and wild mountain ranges all make the cut here.
Whether you're after rooftop pools, wide-open horizons or the best views from a room you'll struggle to leave, these hotels know exactly how to put on a show. Some feel glamorous, some feel wonderfully remote and a few might have you checking the window every five minutes.
Marina Bay Sands – Singapore
You could spend your whole stay glued to the skyline here and still spot something new. The infinity pool gets the headlines, but the view stretches far beyond one famous photo.
Watch cargo ships drift across the bay, see the city flicker into life after dark, then catch sunrise turning glass towers gold. Singapore feels like it's always moving and from up here, you get a front-row seat to all of it. Fast-paced, futuristic and seriously hard to stop staring at.
Explora Patagonia – Chile
Patagonia doesn't really do subtle. One minute the mountains are sharp against blue skies, the next they're hidden behind racing clouds and dramatic weather rolling in from nowhere.
Explora sits right in the middle of the action, surrounded by jagged peaks, glacial lakes and landscapes that seem to shift personalities by the hour. Even a morning coffee can turn into a staring contest with the scenery. Out here, checking the window starts becoming part of the daily routine. Understandably.
Jade Mountain Resort – Saint Lucia
Some hotel rooms come with a balcony. Jade Mountain decided that wasn't enough. The open-wall suites frame Saint Lucia's famous Pitons so perfectly they almost look painted in place. Almost.
Wake up and they're sitting there waiting for you, rising out of the Caribbean in full dramatic fashion. There's no TV fighting for your attention here and honestly, there doesn't need to be. Between the sea, the sky and those volcanic peaks, you've already got enough to look at.
Belmond Hotel Caruso – Italy
High above the Amalfi Coast, this former palace has mastered the art of showing off. The views spill over cliffs, tumble past hillside villages and stretch out across endless blue water.
It's the kind of place where you'll order a coffee, sit down for five minutes and somehow still be there an hour later. Ravello itself already feels a little removed from the crowds below, but up here things feel even quieter. Slower. Like someone pressed pause on everything else.
Amangiri – United States
Big scenery doesn't always need big noise. Amangiri keeps things stripped back, letting the desert do most of the work. Massive mesas rise from the landscape, rock formations twist across the horizon and the sheer scale of it all quietly sneaks up on you.
The design barely competes for attention, which is exactly the point. Sunrise changes the colors, sunset changes them again and by night the stars take over completely. Desert landscapes don't usually know when to stop.
The Oberoi Udaivilas – India
There are hotels and then there are places that seem to have wandered in from another century. The Oberoi Udaivilas leans all the way into the grand side of things, with domes, courtyards and views across Lake Pichola that feel almost too polished to be real. Not quite, but it's really not far off.
Boats drift across the water, city palaces sit in the distance and everything catches the light differently throughout the day. Fair warning though, your camera roll might get a little out of hand.
Hotel Villa Honegg – Switzerland
You've probably seen the infinity pool photos. The thing is, they barely tell the whole story. Hotel Villa Honegg sits high above Lake Lucerne with Alpine peaks unfolding in every direction and clouds occasionally settling beneath you instead of overhead. Strange feeling. Great feeling.
Morning can bring clear mountain views, while cooler days create those famous cloud inversions that make it seem like the hotel is floating somewhere above the world. Not a bad backdrop for doing absolutely nothing.
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora – French Polynesia
Bora Bora almost feels unfair. The water shifts between shades of blue that seem made up, overwater villas hover above the lagoon and Mount Otemanu rises in the distance like it knows it's the main character.
Somehow, it all works together without feeling overdone. Spend time on your deck watching fish drift below or just sit back and admire the view doing its thing. Sometimes there really isn't much to improve on. This is one of those times.
Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik – Croatia
Dubrovnik's Old Town already has a habit of grabbing attention, but Hotel Excelsior gets an especially good angle on it. The medieval walls rise above the Adriatic, red rooftops spill across the city and boats drift across the water below. It's close enough to feel part of the action without being swallowed by it.
Stick around for sunset too because the whole scene starts changing color. Suddenly dinner plans become much less important than whatever's happening outside.
Fairmont Banff Springs – Canada
Seeing a castle tucked among the Canadian Rockies feels a little unexpected at first. Then you look around and somehow it starts making perfect sense. Mountains crowd the horizon in every direction, pine forests stretch for miles and the scenery seems determined to keep showing off.
Depending on the season, you'll find snow-covered peaks, bright turquoise lakes or forests exploding with fall color. Looking out the window here can easily turn into a distraction. A very acceptable one.
Hotel Rangá – Iceland
Iceland has a habit of making landscapes feel a bit larger than life and Hotel Rangá sits right in the middle of it all. Volcanoes, rivers and huge open skies surround the property, creating views that never really sit still for long.
During winter, everyone starts glancing upward in hope of catching the Northern Lights making an appearance. Understandable behavior. Even without them, the scenery puts on enough of a show. If they do arrive though, good luck going to bed.
The places you remember most usually aren't just about where you slept. They're the stays where you still talk about the sunrise, the skyline or that one view you couldn't stop looking at. If you're planning your next getaway, take a look at our collection of luxury hotels and quirky hotels and find somewhere that turns a trip into a genuinely memorable stay.
Meet the author
Ian LewisIan has worked in travel for over 15 years, writing about destinations across the whole UK and around the world. He loves city breaks with the family and is always hunting out new and exciting attractions to visit, and the best hotels to match.
