Beiruting News

How many have you been to? And do you agree with the rankings?Condé Nast Traveler announced the winners of its 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards yesterday.As they do every year, this year's results introduce new categories, new hotels and re-ordered lists of the world's best destinations.The magazine said this year's list was the most comprehensive ever, with 1.3 million votes cast for a whopping 16,000 properties around the world.Read: 12 VIP experiences actually worth the moneyWorld's best citiesThe "Top 25 Cities in the World" list had refreshingly surprising additions and rankings -- Paris came in at a lowly 22 while Bruges and Cape Town tied for 11th place.Budapest and Florence tied for second, while the very top spot was seized by the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico, which took the crown from last year's favorite of Charleston, South Carolina (which was tied for fifth this year).Italy snapped up five of the top 25 cities, while Spain managed to take three.Despite its slide in the global rankings, Charleston was still voted the top city in the United States for the third year in a row, for its "sand, sun, history, good food and friendly people."Read: The best of USA travelMore categoriesIn the "Top 100 Hotels and Resorts in the World" category, La Residence in South Africa and Lodge at Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay, New Zealand tied for first place, while Virgin America was named the No. 1 airline in the United States. Singapore Airlines came in first for international airlines.Here's a small selection of the rankings.Top cities in the world1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 2.= Budapest, Hungary 2.= Florence, Italy 4. Salzburg, Austria 5.= Charleston, South Carolina, United States 5.= San Sebastián, Spain 7. Vienna, Austria 8. Rome 9. Siena, Italy 10. Québec City 11.= Cape Town, South Africa 11.= Bruges, Belgium 13. Vancouver, Canada 14. Kyoto, Japan 15.= Prague, Czech Republic 15.= Kraków, Poland 17.= Victoria, Canada 17.= Sydney 17.= Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States 20.= Seville, Spain 20.= Beirut, Lebanon 22.= Paris 22.= Melbourne, Australia 24.= Venice, Italy 24.= Barcelona, Spain
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