Condé Nast Traveler has released its list of reader-selected best places to stay in the world in their 15th Annual “Gold List“.

Conde Nast announces 15th annual Gold List.

This list is considered “must read” by many affluent types worldwide and is billed as the “ultimate annotated guide to the world’s finest properties and cruise lines, as elected by more than 32,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers.”

You can browse by destination, type of award (e.g., service, food, location, cruise lines) or alphabetically, where you can see all on the list. Wondering how they were picked? Well, here is a break down of the criteria utilized:

Entries include the edited comments of readers and are intended to reveal a property’s character rather than to catalog its facilities. Each score represents the percentage of respondents who rated a property excellent or very good on specific criteria (see “Key to Symbols,” below). For example, the first entry, the Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa, in Carefree, Arizona, has an overall score of 87.5, the highest component of which is 90.2 percent for Activities. Criteria for hotels, resorts, and cruise lines vary. Rates ($, $$, $$$, and $$$$) reflect the average price for a double room in 2009. The Gold List is based on data collected from the annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey; to qualify for inclusion in these rankings, a property had to receive a required minimum number of responses.

~~Raine Devries

Looking for something new under the Caribbean sun? The Sheherezade is a new five-acre resort – one acre for every star, I guess – on Mustique. This is one of only a handful of properties on the island that offers access to the Mustique Moon Walk and is adjacent to a 100-acre reserve, tennis court and private gym. Located on the south side of the island, Sheherezade features views of where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet from one of the highest points on Mustique, turning the home into a paradise within a paradise.

Designed by Mexican architect Manolo Mestre, this seven-bedroom compound includes a main family residence and three private guest villas, connected by an expansive palapa with infinity pools along a carefully landscaped ridge. Bathrooms are spa-inspired, and 280-degree vistas are offered from the verandas. The primary residence, with four bedrooms, integrates exotic woods, a pebble mosaic and hand-chiseled floors, with organic materials included in the construction. The three private cottages feature one bedroom each and tranquil gardens. A lap pool and sun terrace are accessible from all four buildings. All four buildings are supported by a staff of six. In total, the Sheherezade has a capacity of 14 guests.

While you can disappear to the Sheherezade to chill, the active will not be bored. Wireless internet is up and running for those (like me) desperate to stay connected, and there’s a tennis court on the property to feed those with the green ball addiction. The most important amenity, however, is privacy. When you step into this corner of Mustique, you will be lost to the world … until you decide to return. Of course, at $40,000 a week, you’d expect nothing less.

The owner of the Coco Reef Resort in Bermuda really wants you to buy a painting when you visit a new fine art gallery and restaurant in Paget, so much so that he’ll make your vacation free if you buy some art.

The new Caribbean fine arts gallery will be located in the former Triminghams store on South Road in Paget near the hotel. The Royal Gazette reports that the gallery will have an artist in residence available for visitors to watch working.

The $7 million gallery, wine and tapas bar is due to open soon and will have a lavish look with marble floors, crystal chandeliers and “the most luxurious bathrooms in the region.” As for the painting deal, a minimum purchase will be required. Rates at the Coco Reef start around $450 a night

The Grande Lakes Orlando Florida resort, which includes both a Ritz-Carlton and a Marriott hotel, as a new offering to tempt adventurers of all ages.

The Grande Lakes Orlando Adventure Course is a large multi-level structure consisting of poles, cables, and platforms laced with 25 traversing and climbing elements. The course is suitable for adults and children over the age of 10.

Adventurers can choose their level of challenge climbing from 15 to 55 feet in the air and navigating through a course with 600-foot zip lines and a 40-foot giant swing.

Packages vary in price from open sessions with up to 30 guests which cost $60 per adult to private adventures in which up to eight people can enjoy the course with one-on-one coaching for $850 for two hours.