Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Perched on a hillside coconut grove above the Gulf of Thailand, this Forbes Four Star resort became a little more famous when HBO filmed the third season of White Lotus here, which tracks. Bill Bensley designed the thatched-roof villas to disappear into the slope, so the views do all the talking. Expect the full Four Seasons treatment: attentive staff, private pools, and alfresco dining with the kind of water backdrop that makes you stop mid-sentence.

Three honors, in evidence: