World's Best

Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorite Resorts in Canada of 2023

Readers couldn’t resist resorts that situate them amid pristine Canadian nature in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2023.

By

Elizabeth Cantrell

Published on July 11, 2023

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.

What Readers Loved

Of the five top World’s Best Awards honorees, three are in the province of British Columbia. One of them, the Wickaninnish Inn (No. 5) is a longtime reader favorite for its incredible views and storm-watching opportunities — it’s set on a cliff right above the Pacific Ocean. “My favorite hotel in all of Canada,” one reader raved. “We started going there 20 years ago, and we’re not finished visiting!”

Another classic, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler (No. 3), earned top marks as one of the country’s best ski resorts. “The perfect ski-in/ski-out property with gorgeous views,” one voter said. “Food, drinks, location, everything comes together and feels complete,” said another. Readers also noted the resort is ideal not just for families seeking a winter escape, but for business travelers. “The dinner venues were outstanding for group events,” one reader noted. The Fairmont brand also notched the No. 4 spot with the Fairmont Banff Springs, in the province of Alberta.

Still, it was a longtime Quebec favorite that, for the third year in a row, claimed the top spot. Read on to find out why, and to see the others on the list.

The Winner

Manoir Hovey: North Hatley, Quebec

Interior guest room at Manoir Hovey — Courtesy of Manoir Hovey

A perennial winner, this cozy Relais & Châteaux property is just over the U.S.-Canadian border, in the village of North Hatley. With only 36 rooms and one cottage, Manoir Hovey feels special and private, which T+L readers appreciate. It's the perfect place to curl up and relax — many rooms have fireplaces, and some have canopy beds and balconies that look out into the forest. It’s easy to see, then, why Manoir Hovey is a place our readers return to again and again. One visitor said they have been to Manoir Harvey an impressive 15 times. “We waited for the Canadian border to reopen so we could return after an almost three year absence,” they elaborated. “To us, it is a heavenly place!”