Our Special "Best in the World" Travel Awards

We name names, identifying the best Cruise Lines, Airlines, Restaurants, Hotels, and Resorts Worldwide

Picking the "Best" is, by definition, a highly subjective task. Our ratings are based on numerous industry evaluations, and the collective wisdom of literally thousands of worldwide travelers and Churchill & Turen Ltd. clients. While no list of "The Best" is ever objective, we have made every effort to use every available travel industry resource to verify our selections:

THE BEST FIVE RESTAURANTS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

# 1 –Alain Ducasse Paris, France

# 2 - Girardet Crissier, Switzerland

# 3 - L’Arpege Paris, France

# 4 - Lai Ching Heen Hong Kong

# 5 - Aureole New York City

There are a number of stellar back-ups including Tallevent in Paris, Da Fiore in Venice, Harvey’s in London of all places, and Le Manor Aux Quat Saisons in Great Milton, England.

THE BEST FIVE HOTELS IN THE WORLD

# 1 - The Peninsula Hotel - Hong Kong

# 2 - The Oriental - Bangkok

# 3 - The Mandarin Oriental - Hong Kong

# 4 - The Dolder Grand - Zurich

# 5 - The Oriental - Singapore

It is no accident that four of the top five hotels in Europe are now located in Asia. A highly motivated and well educated work force that still values loyalty to their employer, seems part of the explanation. Anticipating ones needs is the specialty at each of these world-class properties.

THE BEST FIVE BUSINESS HOTELS IN THE UNITED STATES

# 1 - Mansion on Turtle Creek Dallas

# 2 - Ritz-Carlton Buckhead Atlanta

# 3 - The Bel-Air Hotel Los Angeles

# 4 - The Four Seasons Chicago

# 5 - The Ritz-Carlton Chicago

There are a number of other U.S. hotels that Churchill & Turen places

in the top echelon including The Carlyle in New York, The Windsor Court in New Orleans, and Campton Place Kempinski in San Francisco.

THE BEST FIVE RESORTS IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

# 1 - Amanpuri Phuket, Thailand

# 2 - Villa d’Este Cernobbio (Lake Como), Italy

# 3 - The Carlton St. Moritz, Switzerland

# 4 - Hotel du-Cap-Eden Roc Antibes, France

# 5 - Bora Bora Lagoon Resort French Polynesia

This is a category with a clear first place winner. If we win the lottery, you’ll find us at Amanpuri within forty-eight hours. Two hotels in Scotland, Gleneagles and The Old Course Hotel at St. Andrews also rate high. Chewton Glen in New Milton, England is a wonderful discovery.

THE BEST FIVE RESORTS IN THE UNITED STATES (EXCLUDING HAWAII)

# 1 - The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California

# 2 - Stein-Eriksen Lodge Park City, Utah

# 3 - Inn/Links at Spanish Bay Pebble Beach, California

# 4 - The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida

# 5 - The Greenbriar White Sulfer Springs, West Virginia

The Ritz-Carlton chain continues to maintain truly extraordinary standards. The manager at Laguna Niguel once told us that the secret of their success is hiring people who are unusually pleasant during their interview. They seek out "smilers". Whatever they are doing, it is clearly working. The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage was a runner-up in this category.

THE BEST FIVE WARM WEATHER RESORTS IN NORTH AMERICA

# 1 –The Four Seasons Kona, Hawaii

# 2 - The Lodge at Koele Lanai, Hawaii

# 3 - Cap Juluca Anguilla

# 4 - The Four Seasons Wailea Maui, Hawaii

# 5 - Jumby Bay Antigua

Runners-up include Princeville and the lovely Halekulani on Oahu. Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda is still an excellent choice for romantics.

THE BEST FIVE SPAS IN THE UNITED STATES

# 1 - Canyon Ranch Berkshires Lenox, Massachusetts

# 2 - The Golden Door Escondido, California

# 3 - Canyon Ranch Tucson, Arizona

# 4 –Cal-A-Vie Vista, California

# 5 - Cordillera Edwards, Colorado

The therapeutic vacation has finally come of age. These are the best places in America to rejuvenate. A strong runner-up is the Greenhouse in Arlington, Texas

THE BEST FIVE CRUISE LINES IN THE WORLD

# 1 – Silverseas Cruises

# 2 - Sea Goddess Cruises (Cunard)

# 3 - Seven Seas/Radisson Diamond

# 4 – Seabourn Cruise Line

# 5 - Crystal Cruises

With the exception of Crystal, each of these upper-end deluxe cruise lines operate small, intimate ships with service that often borders on the fanatical. Expect to pay an average of $600 per day. That Crystal could rank this high with two 900-passenger ships, is an industry miracle.

THE BEST FIVE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES

# 1 - Swissair

# 2 - Singapore

# 3 - Cathay Pacific

# 4 - Thai Airways

# 5 - KLM

Swissair shines among its European competitors. Once again, however, this category shows that when you are seeking truly personalized service, you must look toward Asia. Special mention must be made of the hard working crews aboard KLM and the increasingly high service levels found aboard British Airways. BA gets the nod as the years "most improved" airline.

Runners-up in this category include Quantas, Luftansa, and SAS.

THE BEST FIVE AIRLINES IN THE UNITED STATES

# 1 - Midwest Express (Milwaukee-based)

# 2 - Alaska Airlines

# 3 - United Airlines

# 4 - American Airlines

# 5 - Delta Airlines

Wide, two-abreast leather seats, excellent service, and sensible food, plus the lingering smell of on-board baked chocolate chip cookies, puts Midwest Express in a class by themselves. Early returns indicate that United’s service has improved as a result of the employee buy-out.