Welcome to our first annual Smart Luxury Awards, a compendium of our very favorite smart splurges and great values from around the globe. These vastly different places all share one thing in common, an ineffable ability to be the best in their location and provide a truly distinctive experience.
After combing through every issue of Sherman's Travel magazine and our considerable online archives for the best examples of smart luxury value, we compiled them into one enormous list. It was sent out to online and print editors, contributors, industry experts, and some very well-traveled friends. In keeping with our dislike of by-the-numbers best-of lists, we dispensed with complex rating systems and asked that those contacted actually write and tell us exactly what they thought of the items up for consideration. Boy did they! We collected comments, nominations, cheers and jeers aplenty, until a (literally) weighty packet emerged. After much discussion and additional reporting, the editorial staff rolled up their sleeves and started cobbling together a list of finalists. Our 75 selections are expansive but far from exhaustive. We're already looking forward to going through the whole process again for next year's list.
