A Bermuda hotel has been listed in the world?s top 20 as featured in the latest ratings from the Travel and Leisure Magazine annual poll.

Waterloo House has stormed into the higher reaches of the world listings after undergoing extensive improvements in the past year, placing it 16th and comfortably in the company of the some of the most famous hotels on the planet.

And it is regarded by the readers of Travel and Leisure as the best hotel in the Caribbean. The only other Bermuda hotel to make the regional top 25 list is The Reefs, which just made the list this time around.

Bermuda has maintained its position as the fourth most popular island vacation destination in the Caribbean area in the 11th annual poll conducted by the magazine.

And in a separate survey for another US-based magazine Bermuda is also rated as the eighth most popular world-wide venue for honeymooners.

The success of the boutique-styled Waterloo House, which has a waterfront outlook on Pitts Bay Road, has been put down to a combination of quality staff and a complete ?rejuvenation? of the hotel.

It scored an impressive 91.45 points out of 100 in the Travel and Leisure readers? survey. By comparison the top rated hotel in the list was Singita Private Game Reserve at Sabi Sands in South Africa which scored 97.56 points, closely followed by the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan.

?Over the past year we have had a rejuvenation project with new carpets, room amenities including TVs, and air-conditioning in guests? rooms and new carpets and decoration in the dining room, a new chef and dining menu,? said Sean Burpee, assistant manager at Waterloo House.

?We have a fresher, younger look and feel. The staff are diverse in nationalities, experience and professionalism. We have also done our best to strike a balance between business travellers and vacationers and we anticipate guests? needs and have a good percentage of return clientele.

?We learn what our guests want and we have been able to plan for those things.?

Construction work nearby in the past year is now almost complete. The noise disruption may have had some dampening effect on the rating of the hotel previously by guests, Mr. Burpee said, but this is now no longer an issue hence the elevation of Waterloo House to number one in the whole Caribbean region.

The hotel is intimate with just 30 rooms and a guest capacity of 60. Mr. Burpee added: ?It is always a work in progress. You can?t sit on your laurels. We plan through our innovations and pick up on what guests want.?

In the Travel and Leisure list of the best islands in the Caribbean region, Bermuda holds on to its fourth place in the top five list above Anguilla. The favourite island this year in the ?Caribbean, Bermuda and Bahamas? section is Saba.

A poll by Modern Bride magazine has placed Bermuda eighth in a list of destinations around the world for honeymooners.

Hawaii tops the list for the 10th consecutive year followed by Tahiti. However, Bermuda is preferred over France and Costa Rica in the top ten list of romantic getaways for newlyweds.