If we could send you to only five hotels this year, these would be the five. Three of them sit near the very top of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026. The other two are huge resorts with a casino inside. We include them for their architecture, their shows and the way they shape a skyline, and we describe the gaming floor in neutral terms so you know what you are walking into, and how to skip it altogether.
18+ · For adults. Two of the resorts below contain casinos, where local law sets the minimum age to gamble at 21. Atalaya does not run, sell or link to any form of gambling; the casino notes are background information for travelers. You will find help lines and support services under responsible gambling further down.
Places one to three all rank in the top five of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026, a list voted on by more than 800 hotel professionals who must have stayed somewhere recently to vote for it.
How we picked · 2
Icons of their cities
Places four and five are here because they changed the skyline around them. Plenty of the people who visit them never place a bet.
How we picked · 3
Nobody paid
We sell no placements and earn no commissions. The order is our own call, weighing the whole stay: the room, the table, the people and the place.
5 of 5 hotels shown
Looking over the water from Kowloon · Original illustration
1
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong
No. 1 · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026UrbanWaterfrontSpa
Why we picked it: for a second year in a row, the 50 Best voters put it at the very top. The tower rises from the Victoria Dockside development on the Kowloon side, so the view takes in the whole run of Hong Kong Island's skyscrapers. Tony Chi designed the interiors to feel lived-in, closer to an art collector's apartment than a hotel lobby, and the staff manage to be exact without ever turning stiff.
Open since
2019
Rooms & suites
Roughly 400
Nearest airport
HKG
Time there now
--:--
The Legacy House · careful Cantonese cooking, with the harbor out the window
DarkSide · a jazz bar that turns up again and again on lists of Asia's top bars
Asaya · a whole floor given to wellness: pool, treatment rooms and gym
Victoria Harbour · step outside for the Star Ferry or a stroll along the Avenue of Stars
Before you go. A high floor on the harbor side is the best seat in town for the evening light show across the water. From the airport, the Airport Express gets you to Kowloon station in roughly 20 minutes, and a quick taxi covers the rest. October through December brings cooler, less humid weather.
Evening on the Chao Phraya · Original illustration
2
Charoenkrung, Bangkok, Thailand
Capella Bangkok
No. 2 · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026On the riverDiningQuiet
Why we picked it: every room looks onto the Chao Phraya, and the buildings stay low, which is half the trick: you hear the river before you hear the city. Around it lies Charoenkrung, the old riverside district where galleries now share the streets with weathered shophouses and noodle stalls. In a city this loud, that calm is rare.
Open since
2020
Rooms & suites
Roughly 100
Nearest airport
BKK
Time there now
--:--
Côte by Mauro Colagreco · a Mediterranean menu under the well-known chef's name
Phra Nakhon · home-style Thai plates on a terrace by the water
Riverfront pool and spa · treatments that draw on traditional Thai healing
By boat · a short ride to Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand Palace
Before you go. Take the river, not the road; a boat usually beats Bangkok's traffic. Temples ask visitors to cover shoulders and knees. Allow 45 to 60 minutes by car from Suvarnabhumi. The cool, dry months from November to February are the most comfortable.
Garden terraces on the Como shore · Original illustration
3
Moltrasio, Lake Como, Italy
Passalacqua
No. 5 · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026Historic villaGardensFor two
Why we picked it: this 18th-century house in Moltrasio, on Lake Como's western shore, became a hotel in 2022 after a long restoration, and a year later it was voted the best hotel in the world. There are only about two dozen rooms, spread through the villa and its gardens, so a stay feels less like checking in and more like being a guest of the family.
Open since
2022
Rooms & suites
Roughly 24
Nearest airport
MXP
Time there now
--:--
Terraced gardens · lawns, fountains and grottoes stepping down toward the water
Lake days · a private boat to Bellagio, Varenna or Tremezzo
Long lunches · Italian classics, made with produce from the hotel's own gardens
Villa gardens nearby · Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, both easy to reach by water
Before you go. Passalacqua keeps a season, roughly spring through fall, so check its dates first. Milan Malpensa is around an hour's drive away. May, June and September are the sweet spot: the gardens are in full leaf and the water is usually still.
The SkyPark over Marina Bay after dark · Original illustration
4
Marina Bay, Singapore
Marina Bay Sands
Integrated resort · Includes a casinoViewsFamily-friendlyShops
Why we picked it: since 2010, three towers with a boat-shaped SkyPark balanced across their tops have become the picture most people have of Singapore, and the rooftop infinity pool is among the most photographed anywhere. Below it sits what amounts to a district of its own, with a museum, theaters, a mall and chef-led restaurants, while Gardens by the Bay is right next door.
Open since
2010
Rooms & suites
Roughly 2,500
Nearest airport
SIN
Time there now
--:--
SkyPark infinity pool · 57 floors up, and open to hotel guests only
ArtScience Museum · the lotus-shaped building at the water's edge
Gardens by the Bay · the Supertree Grove, with a free light show in the evening
Spectra · a free show of light and water over the bay on most nights
Casino · For information only
What to know about the gaming floor
The casino spreads across several levels and is kept apart from the lobby, the pool and the restaurants. Singapore has only two casinos and supervises both closely. Nothing about a stay here requires you to go in.
Age limit
21
Visitors from abroad
No entry charge; your physical passport is required
Citizens & permanent residents
A government entry levy applies (S$150 a day, or an annual levy)
Dress code
Smart casual; beachwear and flip-flops are turned away
Opening hours
Around the clock
Protections
National exclusion and visit-limit programs
Keep it in proportion. Gambling is never part of the trip unless you choose it, and it should stay a pastime. Fix a spending and time limit before entering. Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling runs a helpline on 1800-6-668-668.
Before you go. Changi Airport is roughly 20 minutes away by car. Ask for a high floor on the bay side if you want the skyline after dark. It is hot and humid all year, though February to April is usually a little drier.
The fountain show after dark · Original illustration
5
The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Bellagio
Resort · Includes a casinoLive showsArtRestaurants
Why we picked it: it borrowed its name from a village on Lake Como, and since 1998 it has been a slice of Italy in the Nevada desert. To our eyes it is still the most elegant address on the Strip. Its best features cost nothing: the fountains that dance across an eight-acre lake, and a glass-roofed conservatory that gets a new planting every season.
Open since
1998
Rooms & suites
Roughly 3,900
Nearest airport
LAS
Time there now
--:--
Fountains of Bellagio · free shows set to music, every 30 minutes in the afternoon and every 15 minutes at night
Conservatory & Botanical Gardens · free to enter, with displays that change with the seasons
Gallery of Fine Art · changing exhibitions drawn from major collections
O by Cirque du Soleil · acrobatics performed in and above a pool-stage
Casino · For information only
What to know about the gaming floor
Like most resorts on the Strip, Bellagio puts its casino in the middle of the building, so the walk to the restaurants or the conservatory runs alongside it. Playing is never part of the deal.
Age limit
21 to gamble or to stay on the casino floor
Admission
No charge; bring photo ID
Dress code
Relaxed by day, smarter for evening dining
Opening hours
Around the clock
With children
Minors may walk through with an adult but may not stop
Worth knowing
Some areas of Las Vegas casinos may allow smoking
Know your limits. Settle on an amount first, stop when it is gone, and don't try to win back losses. In the United States, 1-800-GAMBLER is a free, confidential helpline, open 24 hours.
Before you go. A taxi from Harry Reid International takes around 15 minutes. Request a room facing the fountains. Spring (March to May) and fall (October and November) are the easiest seasons; summer afternoons often climb above 40°C.
At a glance
How the five compare
Rosewood Hong Kong
Capella Bangkok
Passalacqua
Marina Bay Sands
Bellagio
Setting
City waterfront
City riverbank
Lakeshore villa
Waterfront integrated resort
Desert resort, Las Vegas Strip
Size
Roughly 400 rooms
Roughly 100 rooms
Roughly 24 rooms
Roughly 2,500 rooms
Roughly 3,900 rooms
Casino
None
None
None
Yes (21+)
Yes (21+)
When to go
Oct–Dec
Nov–Feb
May, Jun, Sep
Feb–Apr
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Getting there
HKG · train, about 20 min
BKK · 45–60 min by car
MXP · about 1h by car
SIN · about 20 min by car
LAS · about 15 min by taxi
Ideal for
Design, dining, city energy
Quiet, culture, food
Couples, garden lovers
Families, views, shopping
Shows, art, nights out
Money
HKD
THB
EUR
SGD
USD
Responsible gambling · 18+
The resort first, the casino optional
At both of these integrated resorts, most of what there is to do, from the pools and museums to the restaurants and shows, has nothing to do with gambling. If you do choose to play, a few habits help keep it a pastime and nothing more.
Decide the budget before the trip: an amount you could lose without it mattering, and not a cent more.
Carry cash, not cards, and leave the cards in the room safe.
Watch the time yourself. Gaming floors tend to have no windows and no clocks.
Treat losses as the price of the evening. Trying to win them back is how budgets get broken.
Check the age rules: you must be 21 or older to gamble at either casino on this page, and gambling is for adults only wherever you are.
Ask for help early if it stops feeling like fun. In Spain, Jugar Bien (jugarbien.es) is the responsible-gambling service of the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, the national gambling regulator · Singapore 1800-6-668-668 · USA 1-800-GAMBLER.
2
3
4
5