World's Best

The Top 10 Resort Hotels in South America in 2021

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Published on September 8, 2021

Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite resorts in Southeast Asia.

This year's World's Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period. We hope that this year's honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world.

South America is beloved for its vibrant cultures, beautiful landscapes, and immersive experiences. All the honorees on this year's list of the best resorts in South America excel in service and amenities, but they also do an impressive job protecting their natural environments. As usual, Peru made a strong showing on this year's list, but Chile's extraordinary deserts and mountains helped hotels in the country to even the playing field. (Each country had three properties that placed.)

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. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.

Aside from Peru and Chile, resorts in Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina nabbed coveted spots in readers' top 10. Especially beloved were nature-focused resorts, such as No. 7 Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands and No. 2 Hotel Fasano Boa Vista, just outside São Paolo, Brazil. In the fourth spot is Mashpi Lodge, located in the Amazon rainforest near Quito, Ecuador. "Superb accommodations, service, daily adventures, food, drinks, and spa, without sacrificing your footprint on the ecosystem," opined one reader, while another added that "the rooms are beautiful!"

Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Peru's lush Sacred Valley, secured the No. 6 spot, thanks to its "gorgeous location and stunning pool," according to one respondent. Another loved the "beautiful rooms and dining area."

With such stiff competition, it took outstanding service and a truly stunning setting for Hotel Paracas to win the top spot. Read on to see what readers had to say — and which other hotels made the list of the 2021 honorees.

1. Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paracas, Peru

Tucked into the stunning Paracas Peninsula, this resort — with its nature-inspired white-and-wood decor — almost blends into its gorgeous surroundings. Greenery and crystal blue waters abut one side, while the dramatic Atacama Desert flanks on the other. Guests can stroll along the hotel's dock, dine at one of three on-site restaurants, and participate in activities like paddle boarding and shell collecting, or they can join tours that highlight sailing, local wildlife, or the desert. Voters extolled the property's top-notch service and attractive design, with one exclaiming, "Excellent hotel, good service, exquisite food — I fell in love the moment I saw their facilities."

Score: 98.77

More information: marriott.com