Top 10: best Banyan Tree hotels & resorts in the world

Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.

Today (September 25, 2017): My 10 preferred Banyan Tree hotels & resorts in the world.

I have previously published top 10 lists about my favorite Aman and Four Seasons hotels. Today, I am sharing my opinion on a less known (at least in the West) but equally luxurious hotel brand, Banyan Tree.

In days gone by, merchants would gather under the leafy branches of a banyan tree to conduct business in the cooling shade. Over time, this unique tree has come to symbolise the relief and shelter provided by nature to all men and women. Today, it is also the name of a special group of ultra-luxury hotels that stretches across the globe and offers rest and relaxation to the world-weary. The Banyan Tree hospitality company, which was established in 1994, has its roots in Singapore and operates two other brands besides ultra-luxe Banyan Tree: Angsana, which provides a range of recreational activities and suited for families and friends, and Cassia, a holiday apartment concept. With attentive yet discreet staff, Banyan Tree ranks among the world’s most exclusive hotel brands and provide naturally luxurious, ecologically sensitive, and culture-aware experiences for the discerning traveler. The brand’s main selling points are palatial private villas that all come with an enormous pool, and spectacular garden spas to rejuvenate the body, mind and soul. I hereby present you my 10 favorite Banyan Tree hotels & resorts in the world.

There is more info below my slideshow. Think I missed one? Share your  favorite Banyan Tree hotel in the comments section, or take my poll below!

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10. BANYAN TREE SHANGHAI ON THE BUND, CHINA

Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund is located in Shanghai’s Northern Bund area. Set on a prime location along Huangpu River, the resort brings you sublime Bund views and an unhindered panorama of the famed Lujiazui. With a central location, the resort is within proximity to Shanghai’s major transportation hubs and an average travel time of thirty minutes. The resort in Shanghai opened late 2012 and is part of the Above The Bund Urban Complex Resort. The hotel features handsomely appointed rooms with comfortable living areas, complimentary WiFi, complimentary mini bar services, stylish dining and lounging. There are also 4 function rooms and 1 ballroom with modern build-in meeting facilities, a spacious and fully equipped gym, a swimming pool, three dipping pools, and more. The award-winning luxury Banyan Tree Spa spans three entire floors, and welcomes business and leisure travellers to relax within its peaceful sanctuary.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund also features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels in Shanghai.

9. BANYAN TREE CABO MARQUES, ACAPULCO, MEXICO

Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués is one of Latin America’s most sought-after beach destinations. Named for its location in the exclusive residential development of Cabo Marques in Acapulco, the resort is perched at the edge of a dramatic cliff overlooking the expansive Pacific Ocean. The architectural design of the resort is inspired by Acapulco’s colourful history as a seaport trading with the Far East and China. Its pagoda-topped villas are gracefully lifted on stilts, with steep roofs and generous living areas. Each villa features glass walls and boasts an outdoor swimming pool and timber sundeck, bordered by verdant landscape gardens and overlooking the secluded sapphire bay, ideal for relaxation. Room service is impeccable and with all the room facilities provided, it will be hard to leave your palatial sanctuary. The resort’s award-winning spa offers an extensive range of pampering body and beauty treatments inspired by Eastern healing traditions.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués also features in my top 10 list of the world’s most spectacular cliffside hotels.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast for 2, early check-in, late check-out, 10% spa discount, $100 USD food and beverage credit, and a one-way private airport transfer).

8. BANYAN TREE TAMOUDA BAY, MOROCCO

Last year, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resort opened a glorious beach retreat in Tamouda Bay, along the northwestern coast of Morocco. The Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay pays tribute to the region’s Andalusian-Moorish legacy and Moroccan heritage that evokes a sense of place throughout its landscapes, courtyards, verdant gardens, fountains and reflecting pools. Basking on golden sands with brilliant blue waters lapping at its feet, this exclusive all-pool villa resort conveys romance with exotic Moroccan charm and inspires relaxation via its understated Mediterranean vibe. The resort is 15 km (9 miles) away from the city of Tetouan and a 45-minute drive from bustling Tangier. Positioned between the rugged Rif Mountains and the glistening Mediterranean Sea, Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay offers spectacular waterfront views and sublime resort living.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay also features in my lists of the best new luxury hotels of 2016 and the top 10 most astonishing beach retreats in Africa.

7. BANYAN TREE VABBINFARU, MALDIVES

Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru began to welcome guests on the shores of its home atoll in 1995. With its breezy tropical aura and playful air of carefree abandon, the Maldivian resort is today recognized as a lovely hideaway, where guests can cocoon themselves in a web of shimmering turquoise waters, swaying coconut trees, indigenous blooms and pure white sand. Each of the resort’s 48 all-pool villas is shaped like a seashell and topped with a conical thatched roof to conjure the sensation of living within traditional Maldivian serenity. Thatched roof villas, airy and naturally lit interiors and the evocative island spirit moving almost tangibly across your villa swirl in symmetry to breathe true ocean life into your soul. Quirky motifs inspired from the maritime environment include starfish and manta rays and are found across the villa interiors to infuse the surroundings with an electric aura of shimmering seafaring nature.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury resorts in the Maldives that can be reached without a seaplane and best resorts in the Maldives for snorkeling.

6. BANYAN TREE PHUKET, THAILAND

Encircling the sparkling waters of a saltwater lagoon, the Banyan Tree Phuket resort is a tropical fairytale in Phuket, the Andaman’s most celebrated island. It is part of Laguna Phuket, Asia’s first integrated resort, which consists of five luxury hotels, six palm-fringed lagoons, 600 acres of parkland, a miles long pristine beach and an outstanding array of recreational and dining facilities. The all-pool villa hotel is a glorious spread of elegant Thai architecture complemented with every modern amenity imaginable. Infused with spa elements, healthy cuisine, award-winning resort activities, the ultra luxe hotel offers rejuvenation and wellness with experiences to indulge and soothe all senses. Specially catered for those looking for premium exclusivity, the DoublePool Villas by Banyan Tree are the resort’s top accommodations and give you an intimate and serene environment shaded with elegance and beauty.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Phuket
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Phuket also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels in Thailand and Phuket’s best ultraluxe resorts.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and one lunch or dinner for 2).
• Review: read here my review of Banyan Tree Phuket.

5. BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA, RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

Located within the gated resort development of Mayakoba near Playa Del Carmen, the resort offers a unique sense of tranquil and private space immersed in pristine nature, complemented by touches of the Banyan Tree brand’s signature Asian hospitality and warmth. Mayakoba, also known as ‘village on water’ in ancient Mayan, is the Venice of the Caribbean coast, representing a bounty of freshwater lagoons and mangroves, natural dunes, intricate coral reefs and a white sand beach. The resort offers 121 pool villas, ranging from secluded garden villas to beachfront villas. Inspired by the interior courtyards of houses in the Far East, each villa is discreetly built to blend with the landscape, integrating interiors to their surroundings. With its revitalized culinary concepts, Thai-inspired therapies at the Banyan Tree Spa, 14 event-venues and the Greg Norman signature 18-hole El Camaleón golf course, home to the PGA Tour Mayakoba Classic, the resort raises the bar for leisure options and event planning.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Mayakoba
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Mayakoba also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s best health spas, the world’s best family hotels, the best hotels & resorts in Mexico, and the world’s most amazing hotel lobbies.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (room upgrade, daily breakfast, $100 USD resort credit, preferential green fees at the El Camaleon golf course, 10% spa discount, early check in, and late check out).
• Review: read here my review of Banyan Tree Mayakoba.

4. BANYAN TREE LANG CO, VIETNAM

Located in Central Vietnam, Banyan Tree Lang Co is a ultraluxe, beach-front resort that comes with dramatic vistas spread across a rugged landscape. Here, you can feel the warm waves of the East Sea tickle your toes, and raise your gaze to behold the magnificent stretch of the Truong Son Mountain Range. Guest can choose from palatial laguna, beachfront, or hillside one to three bedroom villas, all coming with their own enormous swimming pool. Within touch of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the imperial city of Hue, charming old town of Hoi An and My Son’s historical ruins – culture aficionados will be satiated. Those with a bent for the physical will also find joy in a wide range activities. Golfers can tee off in style at the Sir Nick Faldo-designed 18-hole championship golf course, meandering through rice paddies and trickling streams against the backdrop of a staggering mountain range.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Lang Co
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Lang Co features in my top 10 list of the most fabulous luxury hotels in Vietnam.
• Review: read my review of Banyan Tree Lang Co here.

3. BANYAN TREE UNGASAN, BALI, INDONESIA

Banyan Tree Ungasan Bali hotel lives out the island creed that is Bali Dwipa Jaya, translated as Glorious Bali Island, often knicknamed the Island of the Gods. Perched high in the cliffs of the Bukit peninsular, 70 m (230 ft) above the shimmering Indian Ocean on the tip of Bali’s southern peninsula, between a white sand beach and the blue skies, and close to the island’s famed Uluwatu Temple, Banyan Tree Ungasan Bali luxury resort is your antidote to the demands of modern life. Here, while enjoying killer views, guests can seek rejuvenation from hectic life in the living sanctum of the resort, delighting you with distinctive Balinese touches that blend flawlessly with the ethereal charm of the island’s surround. Staying at any one of the 71 villas will prove a challenge to drag you out of your room, because of the private infinity pool with jacuzzi, outdoor shower, retractable glass walls, and an ocean-facing, two-person bathtub.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Ungasan Bali
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Ungasan features in my top 10 list of the best hotels in Bali.
• Review: read my review of Banyan Tree Ungasan here.

2. BANYAN TREE SAMUI, THAILAND

Surrounded by waters that invite, entice and serenade, Banyan Tree Samui is infused with a timeless air of delicious mystery. Overlooking the sapphire waters of scenic Lamai Bay, Banyan Tree Samui is nestled in a series of cascading terraces on a private cove on the southeastern coast of Koh Samui. Reflecting traditional Thai-style architecture, the villas are elevated structures with steep roofs where indoor living spaces flow into outdoor salas. A perfect synthesis of time-honored Thai design hallmarks and contemporary concepts, the aesthetically balanced interiors feature fine juxtapositions of natural rattan and bamboo furniture with brightly hued Thai silk accents. The luxury all-pool villa resort combines the best elements of a tropical getaway with a pristine gold-sand beach, blissful spa escapes, bespoke dining experiences, locally-infused elements and an unparalleled view of the Gulf of Thailand.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Samui
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Samui features in my top 10 list of the world’s best resorts with private plunge pools.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP perks at Banyan Tree Samui when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, free WiFi, and $100 USD food & beverage credit).
• Review: Read here my review of the Banyan Tree Samui.

1. BANYAN TREE SEYCHELLES, SEYCHELLES

Located on the picturesque south-western coastline of Mahé island, the Banyan Tree Seychelles might hold some of the most desirable real estate on earth. The resort has 60 exquisite Creole-style villas (some with stunning views) that are located above or along the impossibly beautiful, unspoiled and pristine beach of Intendance Bay. The latter is an impressive crescent of powdery white sand, backed by hills that are covered in lush rain forest. All villas come with a private pool and are lovingly decked in contemporary and colonial decor, evoking equal parts comfort and sensuality. They’re scattered widely across the property, hidden from prying eyes but open to the views. The spa is a serene experience, pairing incomparable views with soothing Asian-influenced treatments. From Creole fine dining to Banyan Tree’s specialty, contemporary Thai, to light snacks by the side of the pool, there’s a range of dining options, though taking dinner in your villa may be the best of all.

• Hotel website: Banyan Tree Seychelles
• Other accolades: Banyan Tree Seychelles also features  in my top 10 lists of the most fabulous hotels in the Seychelles, the world’s most beautiful hotel beaches and hotel rooms with the world’s best views.
• Review: Read here my review of the Banyan Tree Seychelles.

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