| NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2006 - The November 2006 issue of Conde
Nast Traveler celebrates the 19th annual Readers' Choice Awards. The results
are derived from the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences,
the Readers' Choice Survey, second in size only to the U.S. Census. With
over 21,000 travelers voting this year, the lists show an even greater
global variety and depth.
This year many perennial favorites hold on to their top spots:
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Singapore Airlines is again the #1 International Route Airline, and has
led this category for 18 of the past 19 years (in 1994 Swissair took the
top spot) and remains the only carrier ever to earn an overall score above
90.0.
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San Francisco, the #1 U.S. City, has also been #1 for 18 of the past 19
years (in 1992 Santa Fe won the honor).
But there are some surprises this year, including the Maldives, which is
the first island since the inception of the Islands category 13 years ago
to beat Maui for the #1 Island ranking. Buckland Manor in the Cotswolds,
England, gained the distinction this year for being the highest-scoring
hotel in Readers' Choice history by receiving perfect scores for Rooms,
Service, Food, and Location. Another property to receive 100s in Rooms,
Service, Location, and Design in the Hotels category was Budapest's Four
Seasons Gresham Palace.
Also of note is Regent Seven Seas (formerly Radisson Seven Seas), the
#1 Large Ship Cruise Line that edges ahead of the nine-time winner and
close contender Crystal Cruises. Many Asian properties scored well into
the 90's in the Resorts category, led by the Four Seasons Resort Bali at
Sayan with a near-perfect 99.6, placing the resort as #1 on the overall
Top 100 list this year.
Below are results for the top three winners in each category.
Top Resorts - Africa:
1. Singita - Ebony & Boulders Lodges
2. Chief's Camp, Botswana
3. Chobe Chilwero, Botswana
Top Resorts - Canada:
1. Pan Pacific Mountainside, Whistler
2. Four Seasons, Whistler
3. Westin Resort, Whistler
Top Resorts - Atlantic:
1. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas
2. The Reefs, Bermuda
3. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
Top Resorts - Central/South America:
1. Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo
2. Explora en Patagonia, Chile
3. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Argentina
Top Resorts - Asia:
1. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand
3. Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand
Top Resorts - Mexico:
1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo
2. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera
Maya
3. JW Marriott, Cancun
Top Resorts - Pacific Rim:
1. Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, Lanai
2. Four Seasons Hualalai, Big Island
3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier
Reef
Top Resorts - Europe:
1. Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
2. Westin Turnberry Resort, Scotland
3. Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny
Top Resorts - Caribbean:
1. Malliouhana Hotel, Anguilla
2. Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
3. Sandy Lane, Barbados
Top Resorts - United States:
1. Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain,
AZ
2. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC
3. Inn at Spanish Bay, CA
|
Top Hotels - Asia:
1. Fullerton Hotel, Singapore
2. Amandari, Bali
3. The Peninsula, Bangkok
Top Hotels - Caribbean/Atlantic:
1. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France
2. Ladera, St. Lucia
3. Waterloo House, Bermuda
Top Hotels - Pacific Rim:
1. Rialto Hotel on Collins, Melbourne
2. Park Hyatt, Sydney
3. Lilianfels Blue Mountains, Australia
Top Hotels - Africa:
1. Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza
2. Cape Grace, Cape Town
3. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez
Top Hotels - Europe:
1. Four Seasons Gresham Palace
2. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims
3. Four Seasons George V, Paris
Top Hotels - South America:
1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru
2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires
3. Swissotel, Quito, Ecuador
Top Hotels - United States:
1. The Peninsula, Chicago, IL
2. Watermark Hotel, San Antonio, TX
3. St. Regis, New York, NY
Top Hotels - Canada:
1. Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal
2. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City
3. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
Top Hotels - British Isles:
1. Buckland Manor, The Cotswolds
2. Gidleigh Park, Devon
3. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico:
1. JW Marriott, Mexico City
2. Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas
3. Casa Santo Domingo, Guatemala
Top Hotels - Middle East:
1. Grand Hyatt, Amman
2. King David, Jerusalem
3. David Citadel, Jerusalem |
Top Cities - United States:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Santa Fe, NM
3. New York, NY
Top Cities - Asia:
1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Hong Kong
3. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Top Cities - Europe:
1. Florence, Italy
2. Rome, Italy
3. Venice, Italy
Top Cities - Africa/Middle East:
1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Marrakech, Morocco
Top Cities - Pacific Rim:
1. Sydney, Australia
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Queenstown, New Zealand
Top Cities - The Americas:
1. Vancouver, British Columbia
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina
3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico |
Top Islands - Europe:
1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece
2. Madeira, Portugal
3. Capri, Italy
Top Islands - Pacific Rim:
1. Maui, Hawaii
2. Kauai, Hawaii
3. Moorea, French Polynesia
Top Islands - Caribbean/Atlantic:
1. Bermuda
2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
3. British Virgin Islands
Top Islands - North America:
1. Vancouver Island, Canada
2. Kiawah, South Carolina
3. Nantucket, Massachusetts
Top Islands - Asia:
1. Maldives
2. Bali, Indonesia
3. Phuket, Thailand |
Top International Route Airlines:
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. Cathay Pacific
Top Domestic Route Airlines:
1. JetBlue
2. Midwest
3. Hawaiian
Top Car Rental Agencies:
1. Hertz
2. Renault Eurodrive
3. Avis
Top Large Ship Cruise Lines:
1. Regent Seven Seas
2. Crystal Cruises
3. Disney
Top Small Ship Cruise Lines:
1. SeaDream Yacht Club
2. Grand Circle Cruise Line
3. Regent Seven Seas |
The complete results of the awards can be found in the November issue,
on newsstands October 24th. The program titled Conde Nast Traveler Readers'
Choice Awards will premiere on the Travel Channel on Wednesday, October
25th at 8 PM (ET/PT).
Unlike many other travel publications, Conde Nast Traveler does not
accept free travel and accommodations, and its correspondents, as far as
possible, travel anonymously. The result is travel the way consumers experience
it -- good and bad, with reporting that is fair and honest. Conde Nast
Traveler recently won its 6th National Magazine Award and is still the
only travel publication to have won the highest honor in magazine publishing.
Conde Nast Traveler, the 2005 Zagat Survey Best Travel Magazine, has a
circulation of over 750,000 and is published by Conde Nast Publications,
Inc. |
