According to nearly two dozen staffers at Travel + Leisure, the best destination for 2025 might just be one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, or an undiscovered corner of Europe, or a remarkable nation in Asia that’s about to become even buzzier thanks to a certain HBO show.
These are places that feel of the moment, whether that’s because they offer unparalleled access to the outdoors, a cultural immersion you can’t find anywhere else, a pulse-quickening hit of excitement, or the sort of blissful luxury only a true five-star property can deliver.
Each of these 50 noteworthy destinations may have their own distinct allure, but all are worthy of a closer look in the year ahead. In fact, the well-traveled staff of T+L is hoping to check out more than a few of them in the coming months. Who knows, maybe we’ll see you out there? — Edited by Paul Brady and Alisha Prakash
Detroit
Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China
Marrakesh: A new nonstop United Airlines flight between Newark, New Jersey, and Marrakesh may be one of the most anticipated routes in years, finally giving U.S. travelers a connection-free link to the enchanting Moroccan city.
“It’s something we’re really excited about, as it’s going to make access much, much easier,” said Stefanie Schmudde, a senior vice president at Abercrombie & Kent.
She also noted that a new Park Hyatt and a newly refurbished Four Seasons Resort are among other reasons to take a closer look at the destination now. Other worthwhile stays include the opulent Oberoi, which opened in early 2020; Rosemary, a chic five-room riad designed by the lifestyle brand Lrnce, which debuted in 2023; and the brand-new Nobu Hotel Marrakech Riad, a private six-bedroom villa inside the medina.
Portland
Rome
Sacramento, California
Budapest, Hungary
In 2023, the W Budapest opened in the Drechsler Palace, one of the grand palazzos that line the city’s Andrássy Avenue, a tony commercial thoroughfare that is, like the palace itself, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
With its punchy contemporary design, the hotel has become a calling card for a more cosmopolitan Budapest.
A wave of new luxury hotels has emerged to complement venerable stalwarts like the Four Seasons — this past summer saw the launch of the Kimpton BEM Budapest in a former 19th-century residence, and, in November 2023, the Dorothea Hotel, part of the Autograph Collection. But Budapest’s most spectacular draw might be Városliget — or City Park — the site of Heroes’ Square, built in 1896 to celebrate the country’s first millennium.
The park, after years of neglect, is now the recipient of a $1 billion restoration that includes new cultural spaces like the House of Music Hungary and the Museum of Ethnography.
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