Our visit to Jade Mountain Resort ~ St. Lucia

As luxury baby boomer travelers, one of our favorite resources to find amazing luxury resorts, hotels, and restaurants is the AAA Five Diamond and Four Diamond Award lists.

For 77 years, AAA has been conducting professional, in-person inspections and publishing its results.  AAA’s inventory includes 59,0000 Approved and Diamond Rated hotels across five ratings levels, and is the only rating system that covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

To be AAA Approved, there will be an unannounced, on-site visit and hotels must provide acceptable cleanliness, comfort, and hospitality.  Restaurants must meet minimum standards for cleanliness, food preparation and service.

After an establishment is Approved, the AAA inspector recommends a rating of One to Five Diamonds based on the extensiveness of services, facilities, and amenities typical of each rating level.

AAA Five Diamond Hotels and Restaurants 2013 Facts:

• For 2013, 13 establishments (nine hotels and four restaurants) were newly added to the coveted Five Diamond Award® list; 10 hotels and four restaurants were removed.
• A total of 178 select establishments (125 hotels and 53 restaurants) throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean received the AAA/CAA Five Diamond Rating in the past 12 months, qualifying them for the 2013 Five Diamond Award® list.
• Puerto Rico and Nevis attained their only Five Diamond establishments, both hotels: the St. Regis Bahia Beach Puerto Rico in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and the Four Seasons Resort Nevis in Charlestown, Nevis.
• With three additions each, New York and Florida gained the most new Five Diamond establishments.
• New York gained one hotel: the Trump SoHo New York, and two restaurants: Eleven Madison Park and Le Bernardin, all in New York City.
• Florida gained two hotels: the St. Regis Bal Harbour in Bal Harbour and the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach, and one restaurant: Salt (in the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island).
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  The Grand Del Mar ~ San Diego

  Only one hotel has maintained the Five Diamond Rating for 37 consecutive years, since 1976 when the Diamond Ratings were first introduced for hotels: The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.

• Six additional hotels have maintained the Five Diamond Rating for 25 or more consecutive years: The American Club in Kohler, Wis.; Four Seasons Hotel Boston in Boston, Mass.; Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pa.; The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga.; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, Calif.; and The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Fla.
• States with the greatest number of Five Diamond hotels: California (20); Florida (13); Nevada (8); New York (8); Georgia (7); and Quintana Roo, Mexico (7).
• Cities with the greatest number of Five Diamond hotels: Las Vegas (8); New York (8); and Atlanta (5). Beverly Hills, Chicago and Scottsdale each have four Five Diamond hotels.
• States with the greatest number of Five Diamond establishments: California (27) – 20 hotels/7 restaurants; Florida (16) – 13 hotels/3 restaurants; New York (15) – 8 hotels/7 restaurants; Nevada (12) – 8 hotels/4 restaurants; Quintana Roo, Mexico (10) – 7 hotels/3 restaurants; and Illinois (8) – 4 hotels/4 restaurants.

The Roaming Boomers Top 5 Favorite AAA Five Diamond Hotels

While we don’t have an army of inspectors to keep tabs of 59,000 hotels, we do pick properties from this list that appeal to our notion of luxury accommodations and report them back to you with informative articles, photography, and beautiful video.

Here’s our top 5 favorite AAA Five Diamond Hotels/Resorts:

• Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu 
• Jade Mountain Resort
• The Grand Del Mar
• Tortuga Bay Punta Cana Resort & Club 
• Simpson House Inn (nation’s only 5 Diamond B&B)

Also, as we’re from Scottsdale, we thought we would point out to you that all of Arizona’s AAA Five Diamond Resorts are right here in our own backyard:

• Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
• Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
• The Phoenician
• The Canyon Suites at the Phoenician

Link: AAA Five Diamond Award List

We’ve enjoyed the great privilege of visiting some of the world’s very finest resorts.  So that you don’t miss out on any of our explorations, follow us at one of the following links: Facebook and Twitter.  For exclusive travel deals, giveaways, and perks, come join our FREE Travel Rewards Club.