The Best Hotels and Resorts in the World: The Gold List 2026 | Condé Nast Traveler

"The first time I stayed at Verina Astra, in 2015, there were just seven rooms. The cliffside setting on the wild eastern coast of Sifnos, Greece, felt like a gamble. Upon opening, there was no restaurant, but breakfast was a celebration of Sifnian flavors—flaky pies, local cheeses, seasonal fruits—delivered to each suite in a straw basket, served in handmade ceramics crafted by the island’s potters. An infinity pool, added later on, created the illusion of floating on the unbroken horizon. The young owner-managers, Isidora Chandeli and Miltos Salemis, had recently fallen in love and had big dreams for their new venture. Fast-forward a decade and Verina Astra is one of the country’s most exceptional hotels. The 16 rooms and suites have better bathrooms and even bigger terraces than the initial seven but share the same back-to-nature aesthetic. Solicitous staff waft between the alfresco tapas bar and thatched cabanas of the Elemis spa. Chefs putter among the kitchen gardens, harvesting the ingredients for heirloom salads for Bostani, the hopelessly romantic field-to-fork restaurant. Isidora and Miltos are married now, and their hotel baby is all grown-up—but the laid-back vibe and sense of place are very much unchanged. From $348. —Rachel Howard" - CNT Editors