5 best lodging options from GOLF’s Top 100 Resorts list

There are no bad rooms at the best resorts. But some accommodations are a cut above the rest. GOLF’s new list of Top 100 Resorts in the World covers the game’s most resplendent lodging, from beachside cottages and baronial mansions to modernist suites and mountain chalets. All come, of course, with ready access to world-class golf, first-rate food and wine, and amenities to complement their surrounds. On a list where every option sparkles, the differences come down to taste. Here are 5 that stand out to us.

Apes Hill
St. James, Barbados

Named for the wild green monkeys that swing through its treetops, this hilltop resort pairs jungle-canopy seclusion with sweeping sea views. Villas — from two-story layouts to single-level residences over 4,000 square feet — open floor-to-ceiling to let island breezes do the cooling. Designer kitchens, private plunge pools, and a golf cart come standard, but it’s the indoor-outdoor flow, tuned to the tropics, that makes this feel like a luxurious tree-house stay.

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St. Regis Punta Mita
Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico

The 120 hacienda-style rooms and villas here lean into old-world Mexican and Mediterranean craft, with terra-cotta floors, exposed wood beams and private plunge pools tucked into beachfront suites. But the real signature is the service: every guest gets round-the-clock butler care, from unpacking to pressing a shirt before dinner. Add indoor-outdoor marble bathrooms, hidden TVs that rise from cabinetry, just-so mattresses with high thread-count sheets, and windows that open to the coastal breezes, and the feeling of pampering is complete.

Heritage Resorts
Bel Ombre, Mauritius

Every lodging option here is a suite. No standard rooms. Just beautifully appointed, expansive spaces. Guests pick their vantage: beachfront, garden, or ocean view, each with the same all-suite comfort built in. No matter how you’re traveling — as a couple, with a family, on a group getaway — the accommodations allow you to spread out after a round, with the Indian Ocean or manicured grounds as backdrop.

Te Arai Links
Tomarata, New Zealand

The same restraint that defines Te Arai’s Tom Doak and Coore-Crenshaw courses carries into the lodging, its design all driftwood tones, clean lines, and windows and doors that give away to outdoor decks on along the dunes. The style is consistent but the scale varies, ranging from ocean-view rooms and suites to cottages and villas. Topping them all is the Whaitere, a five-bedroom house situated on the South Course with a gym, indoor and outdoor kitchens, a home office, and its own indoor putting green. Here, along a spectacular, unspoiled coast, the luxury comes in understated tones, not shouts.

Trump International Golf Links & Hotel
Doonbeg, Clare, Ireland

Set on a windswept stretch of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, Doonbeg’s 218 suites lean fully into their surroundings. Think stone walls, wood-beamed ceilings and fireplaces lit before you arrive. It’s old-world Irish estate luxury, unapologetically grand, with marble bathrooms, full kitchens, and ocean views standing in for anything understated. Between rounds, guests can retreat to the spa or settle by the fire, sipping whiskey and swapping embellished stories from the course.