When you think of the finest hotels the world has to offer, images of opulent properties in Paris or Bora Bora probably come to mind first. But we've got a trio of top-shelf places in the Tri-State (South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota) area.

Travel + Leisure recently asked their readers to take part in the World's Best Awards survey, which ranked all sorts lof travel-related categories from all over the globe.

When it came to the best hotels in the world, two Minnesota properties and one South Dakota establishment made the list of 500.

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Not surprisingly, the North Star State's hotels have prime access to water.

Just 15 miles west of Minneapolis, Hotel Landing in Wayzata sits right across the street from the shores of Lake Minnetonka. It has a 4.5 rating (out of five) on Tripadvisor.

The 92-room property is the first new luxury hotel in more than 50 years on Lake Minnetonka.

Rates start at $309 per night.

Larsmont Cottages, just south of Two Harbors on the north shore of Lake Superior, features standard guest rooms, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom lakeside cottage suites, and 1, 2, and 3-bedroom cottages in the woods. It has a 4.5 rating (out of five) on Tripadvisor.

Rates start at $183 per night for a guest room, and $406 per night for a suite.

In South Dakota, a Black Hills 'glamping' property is on the elite hotel list.

Under Canvas Mount Rushmore, located on an original gold mining settlement less than four miles from Mount Rushmore National Monument, offers upscale tenting experiences with accommodations ranging in size from two people to six people. It has a 4.5 rating (out of five) on Tripadvisor.

Rates start at $149 per night.

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