Bigger is sometimes better, but that is not usually the case with luxury hotels and resorts. Beyond a certain size they often lose their intimacy, their hands-on service touch and the magical feeling that they know and care about guests as individuals. In short, big resorts often lose the sensation of a true home away from home. But on the other hand, small properties often under deliver, lacking the amenities of a full service hotel that many travelers want, such as multiple restaurant options, a lavish spa and sporting facilities.
Small hotels tend to be charming and highly personal, while big ones offer everything a guest could want, but there are very few that truly offer the best of both worlds. In rare cases, the best of these little gems actually offer better amenities than large hotels and resorts. For example, when you visit a small luxury resort that has its own world class golf course, such as Nicaragua’s Mukul with just 37 villas or Puerto Rico’s Royal Isabella with just 20 luxury casitas, you don’t need a tee time - not even over busy Christmas week. At St. Lucia’s posh celebrity escape Jade Mountain, every arriving guest (and there aren’t many) is handed a cellphone with just one button, directly to the butler. If you want to explore the private ski area at Vermont’s Forbes 5-Star Twin Farms, there’s never a lift line because there is no lift. Instead, staffers whisk every skier to the top on a custom bench-like sled on the back of a snowmobile, a much warmer and faster way to get up the mountain. In Las Vegas, The Mansion provides complimentary chauffeur driven rides around town and to and from the airport for all guests - in a fleet of Roll Royce Phantoms. These are all examples of the kind of extra-luxurious touches that can only be offered when staff caters to a small number of guests. (Here at Forbes.com you can read much more detail about Twin Farms, about Royal Isabela and about Jade Mountain).
Interestingly, several of the very best boutique properties, including Jade Mountain, Twin Farms, and Colorado’s Dunton Hot Springs, are operated on an all-inclusive basis, but these are not what most travelers think of when they hear “all-inclusive.” With nightly rates in the four figures, this trio pours fine wines and liquors, all included alongside gourmet meals, activities, and much more.
While many so-called “boutique hotels” are just small, the best manage to combine a more personal scale with all the amenities and services of a full-sized luxury resort, and these are the true “boutiques.” In boxing they call it “punching above your weight class” and the following ten choices are all small hotels, 50 rooms or less, that do just that, delivering far more than their size might suggest. As a result, many earn the travel industry’s highest accolades, including Forbes 4 and 5-star ratings.
There are fantastic boutique hotels all over the world, but these 10 are closer to home, in North and Central America.
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