| It’s time again for us to tell you about the hotels (and cruises) we really, really love right now. Our 32nd annual Gold List collects our editors’ current favorite places to stay and ships to sail (all vetted by our team of contributors and editors around the globe). They’re memorable for many reasons: service that made us feel like Hollywood stars; architecture that transported us to 1920s London or 18th-century Lake Como; and meals in Vietnam, in Australia, and at sea that we know will inspire Proustian responses. What do all of these experiences have in common? We’ll be carrying them with us for years to come. To paraphrase the old saying: New friends are silver, but old friends are gold. Silver Moon GOLD LIST 2026 By the light of this silvery Moon, the view is perfect. Exuding a more electric ambience than its tinier siblings, the 596-passenger Silver Moon combines the intimacy of Silversea’s smallest ships with the line’s more of-the-moment attributes. Silver Moon was Silversea’s first ship to offer the highly successful S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) programs, including small-group hands-on cooking classes, compelling shore excursions, and an onboard restaurant championing local ingredients and culturally-authentic plates. S.A.L.T chefs don’t compromise—I can swear personally to the hominess of the South American dishes. At sultry S.A.L.T. Bar, enthusiastic mixologists lean edgy for locally inspired cocktails. Arts Café, my favorite hangout, still rocks Deck 8’s aft for all-day ever-changing eats, brilliant barista brews, and cocktails. All of the crew, especially the black-tie-clad butlers, are astonishingly attentive, making ordering complimentary caviar and all the trimmings a snap. Don’t forget to laze in the generously sized pool, another noticeable Silver Moon attribute. Six-day sailings from $3,600. —Janice Wald Henderson Crystal Serenity GOLD LIST 2026 From the leather stools in Le Casino de Monte-Carlo to the smoky bao buns at one of just two Beefbar outposts at sea (the other is on her sister ship), Crystal Serenity is a bacchanalian banquet for the senses. Pregame in cream-and-aquamarine-accented Sapphire Veranda Suites while nibbling on butler-delivered canapés or handmade chocolate truffles replenished daily. After that, address your martini deficiency from the extensive list at the airy Crystal Cove lobby bar to the strains of a violinist, while debating whether to dine upon white linens on inventive, foam-topped dishes at Waterside or indulge in sublime sushi or crispy lobster tempura from Nobu’s Umi Uma—among several other dining options. Cap off evenings deep in a tufted leather sofa at the riotous piano bar Avenue Saloon—you don’t have to be up early, for this spacious ship has a pool lounger free at any time of day. You won’t need to keep an eye on the horizon to know when the sail away has begun: it’s always announced by Louis Armstrong, then Israel Kamakawiko‘ole in their respective versions of “What a Wonderful World.” Seven-night sailings from $5,500. —Scott Laird Sea Dream I GOLD LIST 2026 Private luxury is the watchword on this recently refurbished yacht. It’s not brimming with venues or entertainments (aside from the only Thai-certified spa at sea), but ever-present staff members offer a “whatever you want, whenever you want” service ethos: Perhaps it’s a cappuccino and a croissant as you lounge in the topside Balinese daybed, or a mai tai and canapés on the pool deck at sunset after the inflatable waterslide is pulled back on board. A highlight of Caribbean voyages is the picnic with Champagne and caviar served on a floating surfboard or on the beach. Personalization is a hallmark for Sea Dream—guests will find turndown amenities like monogrammed pajamas early in the voyage, a perfect outfit should they opt to have one of the daybeds on the top deck made up for them to sleep under the stars. The yacht’s intimate size gives it access to much smaller Caribbean ports like St. Barts, Saba, and Bequia, making journeys ashore often just as intimate as time aboard. Seven-day sailings from $4,419. —Scott Laird Regent Seven Seas Explorer GOLD LIST 2026 When it launched a decade ago, Regent’s Seven Seas Explorer was the most expensive ship ever built, and the opulence shows up in ways that go beyond the extensive marble and granite surfaces and hundreds of chandeliers. I got a particular kick out of the canapés, caviar, and Champagne I could ask my butler to deliver to my room at tea time, and the generous infrared sauna in the extensive Serene Spa & Wellness area. (Shout out, too, to the croquet and miniature golf courses on the top deck!) But the greatest amenity I experienced on board the 746-passenger ship was the access to spectacularly beautiful places, including the Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and mainland Canada and Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier, a miles-wide, achingly blue thing the height of a 40-story apartment building. Seven-night sailings from $6,499. —Jesse Ashlock To read the entire article go here. You might also like last years best cruise ships which you can find here. Or this article on defining luxury at sea. |