World's Best

Travel + Leisure Readers' 10 Favorite City Hotels in Central and South America of 2023

Historical roosts and glamorous high-rises topped the list of reader-favorite hotels in Central and South America in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2023.

By

Samantha Falewée

Published on July 11, 2023

Travel + Leisure readers have high standards for their accommodations — and that extends beyond tangible aspects like thread count, although they certainly love plush linens. They crave connection to a place’s history, the richness of local tradition and, as seen in this year’s list of the best city hotels in Central and South America, readily accessible adventure.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 T+L readers completed the 2023 survey, an increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels. A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Rooms/facilities
Location
Service
Food
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

Colorful lobby of the Copacabana Palace — Courtesy of Copacabana Palace

What Readers Loved

Three of readers’ favorite city hotels in Central and South America were in Cusco, the Peruvian city in the Andes mountains that once served as the imperial seat of the Incan empire. (Today it’s often a jumping-off point for adventures in the Sacred Valley.) The top spot in the city went to No. 2 Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel. “We liked the spa and restaurant, and our room facing the pool was beautiful and spacious,” shared one voter. Another Andean hub — Ecuador’s capital, Quito — is home to the boutique property Casa Gangotena (No. 4). Several travelers cited its location in the old town as ideal for seeing the city, as well as the lobby interior design and on-site restaurant.

Besides Cusco, the only other city with multiple hotels on this year’s list is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The first property is Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel (No. 8), which occupies a prime perch overlooking the famed beach. “Gorgeous, classic, and timeless,” wrote one guest. The second — this year’s No. 1 — is a cosmopolitan jewel, situated in one of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods.

Read on to see which hotels readers voted as their favorites in Central and South America.

The Winner

Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Infinity pool overlooking the ocean with mountains in the distance — Courtesy of Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro

“This wonderful hotel has the best location and design,” said one reader of the sleek, 89-room hotel designed by Philippe Starck. Indeed, the property occupies a coveted position on the famous Ipanema Beach, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. Its rooftop pool is the place to see and be seen in Rio, whether guests prefer to relax on a lounge chair or head to the bar to socialize. When it’s time to retreat indoors, the Bossa Nova-inspired rooms provide a luxurious escape, with marble bathrooms and mid-century furniture in beachy neutral tones.