This Hotel on Lord Howe Island Has Just Been Named the Best Place to Stay in the South Pacific for 2023

Back in 2020, Lord Howe Island was picked as one of the best places to visit on the planet. The 11-kilometre-long, two-kilometre-wide expanse just a two-hour flight east of Sydney is also one of Australia's most incredible islands, clearly. Now, it's being recognised for boasting the best hotel in the South Pacific — beating out resorts in Fiji and Bora Bora, which is quite the feat.

The latest acclaim being showered Lord Howe Island's way comes courtesy of Tripadvisor, which has surveyed its users' review data and unveiled its Best of the Best Hotels list as part of its 2023 Travellers' Choice Awards. Open since around 1895, Pinetrees Lodge earned the top spot in the South Pacific rankings, and also came in at number 25 on the best all-inclusive hotels list, which details the top spots where everything you need is all in one place.

Pinetrees Lodge

Joining Pinetrees Lodge among the Aussie highlights in the South Pacific are six other accommodation destinations. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes in Palm Cove came in second, The Remington Muswellbrook ranked fourth, RACV Torquay Resort sits in fifth, Brisbane's Kingsford Smith Motel at sixth and Element on Coolum Beach at seventh, then Little National Hotel Sydney in tenth. Filling the gaps between them: Fiji's Tokoriki Island Resort in third spot, then Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort at eighth and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort in ninth position.

That's quite the handy rundown of local and local-ish places to spend a night or several on your next vacation or staycation — and all seven Aussie hotels obviously took the top seven berths in the Australia-only top 25 as well. That lengthier list spans everywhere from Sovereign Park Motor Inn in Ballarat and MACq 01 Hotel in Hobart to Laneways by Ovolo in Melbourne and the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.

Rambagh Palace

Sadly, there was no Aussie showing in Tripadvisor's top ten hotels in the world, with the number-one spot going to Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, India. As all these kinds of rankings offer, the rest of the placeholders comprise an impressive travel bucket list, pinballing from Ozen Reserve Bolifushi on Bolifushi Island in the Maldives to the Shangri-La The Shard in London, plus Ikos Dassia in Greece, Padma Resort Ubud in Puhu in Indonesia and more.

In various subcategories, other hotels given some love include Dromoland Castle Hotel in Ireland, a 16th-century castle that's been named the best hotel for sleep; The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong, aka the newly dubbed best hotel with a spa; and the yurts of Patagonia Camp in Chile, which were anointed the best out-of-the-ordinary hotel. Or, there's The Toulson Court in England as the best B&B or inn — a field that Yarra Gables in Victoria came in third in worldwide — and White House Hotel in Istanbul as the best small hotel.

Ozen Reserve Bolifushi

TOP TEN HOTELS IN THE WORLD 2023:

1. Rambagh Palace — Jaipur, India
2. Ozen Reserve Bolifushi — Bolifushi Island, Maldives
3. Hotel Colline de France — Gramado, Brazil
4. Shangri-La The Shard, London — London, United Kingdom
5. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong — Hong Kong, China
6. JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
7. Romance Istanbul Hotel — Istanbul, Türkiye
8. Ikos Dassia — Dassia, Greece
9. Ikos Andalusia — Estepona, Spain
10. Padma Resort Ubud — Puhu, Indonesia

Tokoriki Island Resort

TOP TEN HOTELS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 2023:

1. Pinetrees Lodge — Lord Howe Island, Australia
2. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes — Palm Cove, Australia
3. Tokoriki Island Resort — Tokoriki Island, Fiji
4. The Remington Muswellbrook — Muswellbrook, Australia
5. RACV Torquay Resort — Torquay, Australia
6. Kingsford Smith Motel — Brisbane, Australia
7. Element on Coolum Beach — Coolum Beach, Australia
8. Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort — Sigatoka, Fiji
9. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort — Bora Bora, French Polynesia
10. Little National Hotel Sydney — Sydney, Australia

The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes

TOP 25 HOTELS IN AUSTRALIA 2023:

1. Pinetrees Lodge — Lord Howe Island, NSW
2. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes — Palm Cove, Qld
3. The Remington Muswellbrook — Muswellbrook, NSW
4. RACV Torquay Resort — Torquay, Vic
5. Kingsford Smith Motel — Brisbane, Qld
6. Element on Coolum Beach — Coolum Beach, Qld
7. Little National Hotel Sydney — Sydney, NSW
8. Zagame's House — Melbourne, Vic
9. Sovereign Park Motor Inn — Ballarat, Vic
10. Mansi on Raymond — Sale, Vic
11. Quest South Perth Foreshore — South Perth, WA
12. Quest Orange — Orange, NSW
13. Emporium Hotel South Bank — Brisbane, Qld
14. MACq 01 Hotel —Hobart, Tas
15. Julie-Anna Inn — Bendigo, Vic
16. Majestic M Suites — Adelaide, SA
17. Alcyone Hotel Residences — Brisbane, Qld
18. Laneways by Ovolo — Melbourne, Vic
19. Quest Echuca — Echuca, Vic
20. Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat — Tallebudgera, Qld
21. Quest Warrnambool — Warrnambool, Vic
22. Korte's Resort — Rockhampton, Qld
23. Novotel Brisbane South Bank — Brisbane, Qld
24. Four Seasons Hotel Sydney — Sydney, NSW
25. Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury — Adelaide, SA

For more information about Tripadvisor's 2023 Travellers' Choice Awards, head to the service's website.

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