Condé Nast Traveler announces 2014 hotel 'hot list' - PHOTO

Editors from the luxury vacation mag examined hundreds of swanky venues from Beijing to the Big Apple to pinpoint their favorites, a tough job after which they likely deserve a well-earned vacation.This year's list of 33 finalists is described as the most selective ever.It certainly seems that way -- in 2013 no fewer than 154 were chosen.Some 510 hotels from 400 cities and 93 countries were scored for "sense of place," "personality" and "intuition" -- which apparently means meeting your needs before you know what your needs are.The venues were split into seven categories, including the best beach hotels, family hotels, design hotels and "way-out-there" remote hotels.The list also celebrates "over-the-top" establishments, such as Venice's Amal Canal Grande.It also includes "bargain hotels" -- but this being Condé Nast Traveler, slumming it means you still won't get much change out of $300 a night.Best beach hotelsSplurge worthy: St. Petersburg's Four Seasons Lion Palace.Mukul Resort (Guacalito de la Isla, Nicaragua)Nizuc Resport and Spa (Cancún, Mexico)Point Yamu by COMO (Phuket, Thailand)Salt House Inn (Provincetown, Massachusetts)Best family hotelsAndaz Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica)La Bandita Townhouse (Tuscany, Italy)Palihouse Santa Monica (Los Angeles)The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba (Aruba)Best food hotelDomaine de la Baume (Tourtour, France)Park Hyatt Siem Reap (Cambodia)Thompson Chicago (Chicago)The Vines Resort & Spa (Tunuyán, Argentina)The Wild Rabbit (Kingham, England)Zero George Street (Charleston, South Carolina)Best bargain hotelsAmerican Trade Hotel (Panama City, Panama)The Dean (Providence, Rhode Island)The Line Hotel (Los Angeles)The Marlton Hotel (New York)The Temple Hotel (Beijing)Best design hotelsThe Fogo Island Inn is modeled on the homes of Newfoundland fishermen.Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles)Hotel B (Lima, Peru)Hotel d'Angleterre (Copenhagen, Denmark)Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai (Shanghai)The London Edition (London)Best over-the-top hotelsAman Canal Grande Venice (Italy)Cheval Blanc Randheli (Maldives)Four Seasons Lion Palace St. Petersburg (Russia)The Chedi Andermatt (Switzerland)Rosewood London (London)Best way-out-there hotelsAmanoi (Nui Chua National Park, Vietnam)Fogo Island Inn (Newfoundland, Canada)Segera Retreat (Laikipia Plateau, Kenya)(CNN)BakuDaily.Az