Forbes Travel Guide 2023: three winners worth checking out

The world-renowned Forbes Travel Guide has just announced its winners in dining, hotels and wellness centers. Luxus plus has selected a winner in each category that makes you want to get away in unparalleled luxury.

The Forbes Travel Guide is the world’s only independent rating system for hotels, restaurants and spas. Inspectors use no less than 900 criteria to rank individual establishments in the various categories offered. The scores are associated with three classifications: five-star, four-star and recommended. This famous ranking was unveiled on Tuesday, and it includes some of the most beautiful establishments in the world.

The Ritz Carlton Maldives, a paradise on the water

Located on the Fari Islands in the Maldives, this ultra-luxury resort has been awarded the five-star distinction by the Forbes Travel Guide.

Located on the water, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, it includes a hundred villas, from one to three bedrooms, forming a circle around a central spa. Each home is immersed in the sea, with a breathtaking view of the translucent turquoise water and has a private terrace, an infinity pool and a private butler available to each guest.

Seven bars and restaurants offer a variety of international dining options. There is plenty of entertainment for couples, singles and families. You can also visit natural areas located on the three islands that make up the archipelago.

Like a paradise on earth (or rather on water), away from civilization, this establishment with its modern and elegant aesthetics is a place of luxury, calm and pleasure, without artifice, which lets nature take over everything else.

Among the Forbes Travel Guide highlights, the hospitality of the hotel staff and sustainability are at the heart of the Ritz Carlton Maldives’ strategy, with solar panels on each of the villas. Another plus is the quality of the cuisine offered.

The price of the rooms varies according to the period and the prestige of each villa. But you’ll have to make a hole in your wallet to afford the luxury of staying there.

Morpheus Spa Macau, the definition of luxury par excellence

Before talking about this sumptuous spa, we must absolutely highlight this unique hotel, which is unlike any other in the world. A true architectural gem, it was designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect, the late Zaha Hadid. This impressive establishment surprises by its height (40 floors), as much as by its exoskeleton-like exterior facade, as futuristic as it is trendy.

This preview sets the stage for the Morpheus Spa, a true sanctuary of well-being and modernity, where everyday life evaporates for a moment.

As complete as one can dream, this wellness center offers a multitude of treatments and services. There is a Finnish sauna, a vitality pool, hot and cold showers and a relaxation room. There is also a large fitness club, featuring state-of-the-art equipment, numerous screens with on-demand exercise programs, and even an immersive virtual reality machine.

In summer, a rooftop pool is open to guests and residents of the hotel with a breathtaking view of Macau.

One can also enjoy facials, body treatments and massages tailored to your skin and needs. Morpheus Spa offers different types of treatments such as the Platinium mask, facials, which will leave guests with a new and radiant skin after a personalized analysis. Several massages lasting from 30 minutes to more than an hour and a half are offered, depending on the client’s desires,

The institute even offers experiences specially adapted to women, as well as to men. But private suites are also available to clients for a relaxing couple’s getaway. They include an indoor Jacuzzi, a private hammam, a shower and a lounge area.

The little extra? Surprisingly, Spa Morphée is home to a real snow garden, inspired by Scandinavia with real snow and birch trees. This facility serves as a soothing transition between the hustle and bustle of the city and the fullness of the wellness center.

What the Forbes Guide Travel has in mind is above all the very good personalized welcome, the diversity of services offered, from facials to massages to hair treatments and a collaboration with the world’s leading cosmetic brands. It is the only spa in the world to offer the new Margy’s Monte Carlo platinum mask treatment.

Justin’s restaurant, a regular among the stars

Located in one of California’s wine regions, the restaurant simply called Justin is renowned for its red wines and fine dining. Led by Chef Rachel Haggstrom, the vineyard-surrounded establishment offers fine California cuisine.

In addition to its five stars in the Forbes Travel Guide, Justin’s recently received a Michelin Star, as well as a Green Michelin Star for its sustainability practices. It is the only winery restaurant to have received so many stars combined, a sign of quality and excellence in service and food.

“Le JUSTIN is known around the world for serving incredible local cuisine. This latest recognition by Forbes Travel Guide shows that the passion and pursuit of excellence in cuisine further translates into spectacular service,” said one of Justin’s marketing and e-commerce managers, Clarence Chia.

Nestled in the hills of small-town Paso Robles, California, Justin‘s is open only in the evening, Thursday through Sunday. Nearly 70 percent of the produce on the menu is grown on the property. So the menu depends on the seasons and the bounty of the garden. The Justin is also a destination for wine lovers, as it grows its own grapes and produces its own wine.

The Justin’s pluses according to Forbes Travel Guide? The diversity of ingredients, the restaurant’s design, as well as an unobstructed view of the expansive gardens, where diners are invited to explore the fresh fruit and vegetable farm, before or after the meal.