The Rex shortlist
Explore 671 independently selected hotels. Start with a place, a setting, or a season.
Awards come from published lists, entered by hand. Tiers reflect Rex’s editorial selection. See how we choose. “When to go” matches each hotel’s peak and shoulder seasons.
Canyon Point, United States
Amangiri is a remote desert sanctuary nestled on 600 acres of pristine Utah landscape, offering an immersive retreat into nature's raw beauty. The resort seamlessly blends contemporary architecture with the dramatic red rock canyons and mesas, creating a transformative wellness and cultural experience.
Chiang Saen, Thailand
Set on a jungle ridge in Chiang Saen, the resort looks across the Mekong and the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Its 63 accommodation units sit within a 160-acre landscape of bamboo forest, gardens and rice paddies, with an elephant camp central to the experience. The setting is deliberately remote: Chiang Rai is about an hour’s drive away. Alongside the camp, the property offers regional dining, a spa and outdoor activities rooted in the surrounding landscape.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
An intimate tented camp within a private concession of Kruger National Park, offering unparalleled access to Africa's most prolific game viewing. Combines luxury canvas accommodations with world-class wildlife experiences led by expert guides and trackers.
Hluhluwe, South Africa
A collection of five intimate lodges nestled within a 20,000-hectare private game reserve offering world-class wildlife viewing and personalized safari experiences. Each lodge combines luxury accommodation with exceptional game drives led by expert guides across diverse ecosystems.
Laikipia, Kenya
A remote luxury safari lodge set within a private conservancy in Kenya's Laikipia Plateau, offering intimate wildlife encounters and exceptional conservation efforts. The lodge combines authentic African wilderness with refined hospitality, delivering transformative safari experiences in one of East Africa's most pristine ecosystems.
Maasai Mara, Kenya
On the Oloololo Escarpment, about 300 metres above the Mara floor, Angama Mara looks across the Mara Triangle from two separate camps of 15 tented suites apiece. Broad glass fronts, canvas and decks make the elevated position central to the stay, while guided drives descend into the Triangle for wildlife viewing. A transformation of the former Olkurruk lodge, it combines an escarpment perch with the scale of a 30-suite safari lodge.
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Awasi Atacama is a small desert lodge in San Pedro de Atacama, built from adobe, stone and wood using techniques inspired by local traditions. Its 12 circular rooms sit among several low-rise buildings, with open-air common spaces and a guest-only restaurant. The defining way to explore is individualized: each room is assigned a private guide and 4×4 vehicle for excursions shaped around guests’ interests. The town setting puts local life within reach while the lodge also serves as a base for desert outings.
Olderkesi Conservancy, Kenya
Within Kenya’s private Olderkesi Conservancy, Cottar’s 1920s Camp is a small tented safari base in the Maasai Mara region. Its eleven suites comprise five double tents, four two-bedroom family tents and two honeymoon tents, each positioned for privacy. Game drives and guided walks anchor the stay; a period-styled mess tent and Explorer’s Tent offer places to gather between time in the conservancy. The camp also has a pool and spa tent.
Kimberley, Australia
An iconic safari lodge nestled in the rugged Kimberley wilderness, offering an unparalleled adventure experience with world-class guiding and authentic outback hospitality. Built as a private homestead and now a luxury retreat, it combines frontier charm with refined comfort in one of Australia's most remote and spectacular regions.
South Africa
Lion Sands is a multi-lodge safari destination spread across the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve and a private concession in Kruger National Park, in Mpumalanga. Four lodges and two private villas line the Sabie River, with distinct stays ranging from family-friendly Tinga to elevated, adults-focused Narina. Game drives and bush walks take guests into Big Five country; between outings, the perennial river and its wildlife remain a defining part of the setting.
Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
On Madikwe Game Reserve’s eastern side in South Africa’s North West Province, this safari lodge brings together three camps—Lelapa, Kopano and Dithaba—and the private Elela Villa. The setting is a malaria-free Big Five reserve on the Botswana border, with bushveld views and wildlife-watching between game drives. Each camp has a distinct character, from Lelapa’s family-friendly shared spaces to Dithaba’s hillside seclusion; Elela offers a private base for families or groups.
Oloolaimutia, Kenya
Set high on the slopes of the Oloolaimutia Hills, Masai Mara Sopa Lodge sits just outside the reserve, with entry through the Oloolaimutia or Sekenani gates. Its 99 rooms are arranged in cottage wings, and the low-rise buildings take the form of traditional African round houses with conical roofs. The scale is larger than a small tented camp: central public areas include a circular lounge with a tall fireplace, while the hilltop position looks toward the gardens and game reserve.
Matetsi, Zimbabwe
Matetsi Victoria Falls is a family-owned, independently run safari lodge on the Zambezi, within the 136,000-acre Matetsi Private Game Reserve, about 40 km upriver from Victoria Falls. Its small-scale accommodation comprises 16 suites, two family suites and a private villa. The defining draw is having a private reserve to explore by vehicle, on foot and by boat, while the river remains part of the stay; Victoria Falls is close enough for a visit but not the lodge’s immediate setting.
Laikipia, Kenya
On Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau near Mount Kenya, Ol Jogi spans 58,000 acres of private wildlife conservancy. Its accommodation is a private home arranged across eight cottages, with 11 bedrooms, and the conservancy is reserved for one group at a time. The property’s scale puts conservation and wildlife at the center of a stay: the house faces a watering hole, while an underground tunnel leads to a viewing hide. Ol Jogi also supports wildlife protection and nearby community work.
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Our Habitas AlUla occupies Ashar Valley, where sandstone cliffs and palm groves frame 96 villas in a desert-oasis setting. The low-rise resort offers Canyon, Alcove and Celestial categories, with private outdoor decks and indoor-outdoor showers; Celestial villas add telescopes for skywatching. Tama is the on-site restaurant, and resort programming includes sunrise yoga, live music and cultural or outdoor experiences. Its defining draw is close contact with the surrounding landscape, rather than a conventional urban hotel setting.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Within Singita’s private concession in southeastern Kruger National Park, Lebombo Lodge occupies a ridge above the N’wanetsi River, in rugged country along the Mozambique border. Its 15 loft-style suites are arranged as glass-walled spaces with elevated wooden viewing decks, bringing the surrounding landscape into view from room and communal areas. The lodge’s contemporary architecture uses glass, wood and steel; a 2026 refresh shifted interiors toward warm earth tones. Safari activities explore the concession’s varied terrain.
Chiredzi, Zimbabwe
Singita Pamushana Lodge occupies a sandstone ridge in the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in southeastern Zimbabwe, overlooking Malilangwe Dam. Its intimate lodge has eight suites, each with a private plunge pool, and combines game drives with bush walks, boat cruises and guided visits to ancient rock-art sites. The reserve’s wooded hills and dam shape the stay, while the lodge’s design draws on Great Zimbabwe and local Shangaan culture. Access is remote, with scheduled flights operating on limited days.
Grumeti, Tanzania
In Singita Grumeti, a protected wilderness area in Tanzania’s Serengeti ecosystem, this small camp puts nine self-contained tented suites close to the grasslands and wildlife. Redesigned and reopened in 2020, Sabora pairs canvas, earth-toned interiors and private outdoor spaces with views toward waterholes where game gathers. The experience centers on time in the landscape, from twice-daily game drives to watching wildlife from a suite or its outdoor sala.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
In Kruger National Park’s southeastern reaches, near the Mozambique border, Singita Sweni Lodge sits in riverine forest beside the Sweni River. Its seven suites are set among the trees, with open-plan interiors and decks facing the river. Guests have access to Singita’s 33,000-acre private concession for game drives and guided walks; wildlife also gathers along the river. The lodge’s small scale and water-edge setting give this safari stay a more intimate, leafy character than an open-plains camp.
Zimbabwe
Somalisa Camp is a seven-suite tented safari camp in a private concession within Hwange National Park. Set beneath an acacia grove beside a seasonal floodplain, it looks onto a waterhole where elephants come to drink, creating unusually close wildlife viewing from camp. Guests can also head out on game drives and walking safaris. The tents combine Zimbabwean Kudhinda fabric and contemporary decor with private viewing decks, wood-burning fireplaces, and copper baths.
Sherpur, Khiljipur, India
On the edge of Ranthambhore National Park, SUJÁN Sher Bagh is a 12-suite tented camp established in 2000. Its canvas accommodation draws on 1920s safari-camp style, with campaign furniture, private verandas and, in the Jungle Suites, brass bathtubs and open stone showers. Days are built around exploring the reserve and its wildlife; back at camp, guests can gather for meals and relax by the pool. The camp is part of the SUJÁN collection.
Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Tawana is an eight-suite safari camp on the perennial Gomoti River in Moremi Game Reserve’s southeastern sector, where riverine forest, grassland and floodplains meet. Developed with Chief Tawana Moremi and opened in 2024, it pairs game drives and boat safaris with contemporary design informed by Batawana culture. Suites sit among the trees, with river views and private plunge pools; the unfenced camp allows wildlife to move through. Its setting keeps the focus firmly on the surrounding ecosystem.
Sawai Madhopur, India
On the edge of Ranthambhore National Park and Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur, this 20-acre resort sets 28 tented accommodations among landscaped gardens, waterbodies and native flora. The tents draw on the imagery of royal caravans, while the resort’s observation tower looks across the surrounding jungle. Jungle drives and guided nature walks put wildlife at the center of a stay here; its 28 accommodations make it a comparatively small base for exploring the reserve.
Al Mazraa, United Arab Emirates
In Wadi Khadija, this resort occupies a 1,235-acre gated nature reserve in Ras Al Khaimah’s desert. Its 109 private villas are set among dunes, palms, watering holes and wildlife, and each has a private pool. The setting lends itself to outdoor pursuits including falconry, archery and rides by horse or camel; the Rainforest hydrothermal experience offers an indoor counterpoint. It is an inland desert stay, with guest access to a sister resort’s beach rather than a beachfront location.
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Rates are indicative. Check current prices with the hotel or booking provider.