Qualia, Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef
Pronounced kwa-lee-ah, which in Latin means “a deeper sensory experience,” this property is on the northernmost tip of Australia’s Hamilton Island. Voted Best Resort in the World 2012 by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, this secluded paradise in the Whitsundays’ hillside pavilions are spread over 30 acres of tropical bushland above the Coral Sea. “Once you stay at Qualia, it’s difficult to stay anywhere else.”