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

"True relaxation is the absence of dress codes and rigid opening hours—so believed the founder of The Nautilus, an elegant resort on tiny Baa Atoll that draws a clientele wanting unfettered barefoot luxury and infinite choice. In any of the 26 spacious thatch-roof houses, guests can select the temperature of their infinity pool and peer through the glass floor at the needlefish and reef sharks below. The resort’s “unscripted dining” ethos means you can request anything on or off the international menu, be it the signature miso cod at Japanese–Latin American restaurant Ocaso or an apple crumble on demand at Zeitoun restaurant, whose most popular table is the private eagle's-nest platform overlooking the ocean. The Nautilus’s motto, “Time Stands Still,” is certifiable: our days of manta ray snorkeling, midnight gym sessions, padel tennis court rallies, and spa treatments feel more like a blissful fortnight. From $11,475. —Noo Saro-Wiwa" - CNT Editors