To earn the Fodor's Choice distinction in the 2004 guides, Fodor's staff looked beyond the most luxurious and opulent properties that typically make the other lists, and selected hotels in all price ranges that are truly unique. Many of this year's Fodor's Choice properties are not well-known but they all offer a one-of-a-kind experience. Some are luxurious and some are at budget prices, but all have a style that sets them apart from others.

The Fodor's Choice Hotels 2004 list follows in alphabetical order:

Alamo Square Inn, San Francisco, California
Ballynahinch Castle, Ballynahinch, County Galway, Ireland
Buckhorn Inn, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Corcovado Lodge Tent Camp, Carate, Costa Rica
Don Gaspar Inn, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg, Russia
Hotel Langlois, Paris, France
Inn at Irving Place, New York, New York
John Jeffries House, Boston, Massachusetts
Kingsbrae Arms, St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, Canada
Le Plein Soleil, Martinique
Lodge at Ko'ele, Lana'i, Hawai'i
Mii Amo at Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona
Montage Resort and Spa, Laguna Beach, California
Pensione Accademia Villa Maravege, Venice, Italy
The Portobello, London, England
River Club, Livingstone, Zambia
Soniat House, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
Sooke Harbour House, Sooke, Vancouver Island, Canada
Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, New Zealand

Each hotel can be found in one of the all-new Fodor's 2004 Gold Guides. The Gold Guides, which have been redesigned this year to be even more user-friendly for travelers, provide readers with up-to-date and comprehensive information on hotels and restaurants in all price ranges and categories.

Fodor's Travel Publications, America's market leader in travel information, offers travelers more than 440 guides to destinations worldwide. Fodor's Travel Publications is a unit of Fodors LLC, a subsidiary of Random House, Inc., and its parent company, Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's largest media companies.