In terms of aesthetics, the former home of Viscount Lanesborough echoes Regency wall to wall, where Corinthian columns and gold leaf gilding accentuate neo-classical opulence, not to mention the vast art and sculpture collection on display throughout the property.

Live out your Jane Austen fantasy at this Regency-styled five-star. Though it may not have the history of some of London’s classic hotels, the Lanesborough’s distinct character (butler service for every room, oil paintings, a hotel cat) would have you believe it's been holding court since the 1800s. The super spa and recently refreshed restaurant are other major draws.

Combining a stellar location between Knightsbridge, Hyde Park and Mayfair with the sense of history for which London is so revered, this Regency-style hotel ticks all the right boxes for a quintessential British stay.

Under the direction of Paris studio Alberto Pinto and London firm ReardonSmith, the Lanesborough's opulent 93 rooms and public spaces have been meticulously restored by British craftsmen, preserving the building's distinct Regency architectural style.

The hotel is now part of the Oetker Collection, and it shows (it excels at service). So you'll have a round-the-clock butler; ask for Hervé, who will protest loudly if you don't let him unpack and press your clothes.

Venice has a way of bringing out the best in its hoteliers, and the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa is a special one indeed. You’ll arrive by boat, as it’s set on Isola delle Rose, a separate island from the rest of bustling Venice — this isolation, obviously, plays to its strengths, which are luxe tranquility and splendid seclusion.

The property's grounds, all windswept willow trees and expansive green lawns, are pretty and quiet. A rooftop terrace with a sexy pool overlooking the city offers a view like a Turner painting, and the bar serves a great negroni.

Spaces are lustrous and bright with unfiltered Mediterranean light; the interior design is refreshingly contemporary next to all that dusty velvet and faded gilt everywhere else.

With its 16 acres of olive groves, lush gardens, you (and the kids!) will be happy to stay island-bound for days.

This was once a building where the Catalan bourgeois would come to get their clothes tailored. Now, you can luxuriate in the modern rooms or take your pick from several stunning outdoor areas and a top-notch restaurant.

In a year, the Cotton House has set a new benchmark for hotel design and immaculate service.

If a city hotel could ever mimic the why-bother-going-out feeling of a resort, it would be the Cotton House... we saw guests content to stay on-property, lounging by the rooftop pool and reading in the library.

This is the modern spa resort par excellence — a painstakingly renovated 19th-century manor house hotel, featuring cutting-edge interiors and a spa offering treatments based on the antioxidant properties of Douro Valley grapes.

The result is a sophisticated, hyper-local guest experience. Rest up at the river-facing swimming pool, or in your room's custom Naturalmat bed, made of organic lamb’s wool and sustainable latex.

On the terraced slopes of one of the world's oldest wine regions, Six Senses recasts a 19th-century manor house with unexpectedly modern and colorful flair.

The villa features a loft bedroom and comes complete with indoor and outdoor dining areas, a private swimming pool and walled garden. Its position is perfect: next to the vineyard and within stumbling distance of the hotel's wine library.

Out you go, for nightly tastings of local wines, cruises down the river and bike rides through the vines. The spa, with its pool and pilates and yoga pavilion, is rather wonderful.

Six Senses have chosen the unspoilt, natural landscape of the Douro Valley for their European debut, bringing Portugal to the attention of the high-end, discerning, international traveller on a level not seen for a decade or more.

Eco-conscious 1 Hotel is gloriously beautiful, beachfront, and gives you very little reason to leave.

A design-driven, eco-minded hotel that gets it all right.

The eco-friendly touches include a living wall on the façade, organic-cotton sheets, and triple-filtered water in the taps (begone, plastic bottles). But this is Miami, after all—so there are four Instagram-worthy pools, including one on the rooftop

And glam is something the Faena oozes, from the pool's candy-cane colour scheme to low-lit and super scene-y Saxony bar.

The result is 169 theatrical guest rooms dressed in velvet and bathrooms that encapsulate old-world glamour, plus sumptuous public spaces adorned with gold leaf and commissioned murals by artist Juan Gatti.

Faena is no ordinary resort. It has a screening room (obviously), but also a full-blown theatre, where the sexy in-house review, C'est Rouge, plays at weekends. Then there are the three terrific restaurants... The whole package? Pure magic.

It's all curving lines, jewel tones, and retro-inspired decor, with luxe amenities and a distinctly Faena twist: bespoke bed linens made in Italy, Carrara marble bathrooms, and private butlers to attend to your every need.

It is flamboyant, fashionable and routinely over the top... but it is also exceptionally imaginative and run with professionalism and panache... I felt extremely disinclined to leave.

Designed by Argentinian owner Alan Faena, with film director Baz Luhrmann and his set designer wife Catherine Martin, it’s no wonder this suite boasts a dramatic decor of red, gold and brightly patterned textiles.

Set nearly 1,000 feet above the Maasai Mara, this safari resort overlooks grazing wildlife and breathtaking sunsets—and you can catch the views whether you’re at dinner, in the swimming pool, relaxing on your private verandah, in the shower, or in bed.

One of Kenya’s dreamiest safari lodges, this cliffside Angama is set above the plains of the Masai Mara, with views that seem to stretch forever.

Angama’s perch on a clifftop almost 1000 feet up overlooking the Mara make it one the best safari lodges in the world—make sure to spend time idling in the firepit-like sofa at this prime spot for unforgettable sunsets.

Perched on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the Masai Mara, the Angama Mara has one of the world's most spectacular settings: it's where Out of Africa was filmed some 30 years ago. The place was designed so guests feel they are floating in air.

The sleek tents are glass-fronted, with no pesky zips or fussy flaps; interiors include John Vogel-designed beds, roll-top bathtubs and a bold Maasai-red motif throughout... It is, above all, the unspeakably special location which sets this place apart...

Angama Mara is the place to experience the natural majesty of the Maasai Mara in Kenya, while also basking in pure luxury.

It's big on drama, this place. The location alone - on the Oloololo (try saying that after three G&Ts) escarpment, 1,000 feet above the Maasai Mara - will knock your little khaki shorts off.

It’s romantic and dramatic but doesn’t lose the fun. All the dining options are standouts: Supper offers all-day dining with a focus on open-fire cooking, and we’d gladly start with the Hill Country quail and biscuits for breakfast, move to a short rib grilled cheese for lunch, and finish with Texas steaks and sides for dinner.

Breathtaking architecture and interior design elements make the hotel feel like a unique combination, blending the graciousness of wealthy, tasteful hospitality with a touch of blue-collar industry. Many original factory fixtures and facades that made it a productive warehouse for over a century are preserved.

A groovy synthesis of raw industrial chic and polished Southern charm, it is a vision of painted pipes, soaring high ceilings and bare brickwork. There's a laidback rooftop pool, a full-time culinary concierge and a cosy library off the main lobby, with both deep leather armchairs and 3,700 books to sink into.

History reinvented, with a twist, in an old brewery near the Alamo.

An architectural wonder and foodie destination in one, Emma has introduced a welcome dose of edgy elegance to San Antonio.

Some are calling San Antonio Texas's next capital of cool, and Hotel Emma is at the center of it all. A brewery turned hotel sounds like a hipster cliché, but the Roman & Williams-designed showstopper advances the industrial-chic aesthetic.

Exceptional service is a hallmark across the Auberge Resorts Collection portfolio, and this 57-key, intimate Cabo escape is no exception.

The setting is spectacular and the resort itself is luxurious and exclusive, the sort of place where you just might spot a vacationing Hollywood star.

Bali is no stranger to high-end hotels, but when it comes to unparalleled luxury interwoven with stunning scenery, it’s tough to beat Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

Forget rooms, there are 60 suites and villas here, ranging in size from substantial to palatial. Bathtubs for two are wrapped in rattan and scented with ginger-lily salts, large balconies offer panoramic views of the sunset-facing valley and villas have infinity pools.

Step into the breathtaking open-walled lobby, which looks down onto jungle and water, and you're hooked. Expansive, yes, but Mandapa is also serene and select.

It's a real show-stopper... It has just 60 magnificent suites constructed in semi-circle terraces around an infinity pool. Inside are paintings by local artists depicting daily life in filter-rich colours, and exquisite throws hand-embroidered with regional motifs.

On a scale all its own, Singita knows how to meld luxury with edginess, euphoria with adrenaline bursts and unspoiled nature with pampering.

After a thorough renovation, the flagship of the Singita brand is now setting the bar even higher for luxury in the bush. What has thankfully stayed the same is the professional staff.

The Cape Dutch charm, mullioned windows, antiques, expert safari guides, and longtime family staff remain, but the wine cellar, state- of-the-art kitchen, and full gym are all new.

Singita Ebony always was, but is even more so now, South Africa's safari superstar.

Formerly home to the Bailes family, founders and owners of the Singita safari empire, the period farmhouse and its cottages make a perfect hideaway. Guests can quench their thirst at the boma (meeting place) while animals go to the watering hole outside.

Old-timers and newbies rejoice: Singita has done it again.

It’s the new breed of city luxury hotel: as much urban resort as office-away-from-home, combined with service that’s top-notch yet never rigid or excessively rule-governed.

Finally, one of China's most buzzed about cities has the gem of a hotel it deserves.

This is a compellingly original collision of trad and contemporary Chinese culture, reflected in its popularity with a hip, local crowd.

Built on the bones of an old temple (hence the name), this hotel is a haven for the hip and slightly edgy.

Bordering the Taikoo Li shopping district, it offers a private terrace and outdoor Jacuzzi. Inside, there's a double-sided fireplace and library in the living area. The bathroom has a freestanding tub and double walk-in shower.

Chengdu is booming and all eyes are on the Temple House, a hotel that is a rare perfect 10. It has history and heritage, luxury and looks, charm and character. It simply doesn't fall short. Anywhere.

The kind of place you dream about on a dark winter’s day. It raises the quintessentially Australian beach stay to something smarter and more sophisticated—and the food is easily among the best in the region.

Each room has details like salvaged hardware, handpicked antiques, and walls upholstered in blue-and-white-patterned textiles. Bonus: guests get VIP access to Paper Daisy, the seafood restaurant, whose chef hails from Noma.

From the outside it still looks very much like a motel, so it's all the more surprising to discover the interior design combines classy Palm Beach with the swagger of an upcycled surf shack... This is a great place to hole up for a weekend but the restaurant alone is worth the trip; come for lunch and stay through to supper.

This joyful addition to Cabarita Beach, a few miles north of Byron Bay, is the very best of Aussie beach life. It is playful and beautiful, a clever reimagining of a Sixties oceanside motel.

The bedrooms are as stylish and luxurious as you expect from Soho House, and come in sizes ranging from Tiny — still large enough to fit a super king bed — to the Apartment, with space for a jacuzzi and a piano.

Hotels have been opening in Istanbul at quite a clip lately. But none captures the energy of the city quite like the Soho House.

... A smart amalgamation of old and new... Buried in amongst the hotel's restored frescoes, Carrara marble flooring and rosewood doors, is a Cowshed spa that wins extra authenticity points for its incorporation of two hammam rooms.

With storybook stone walls, an on-site art gallery, Hermès furnishings, and food picked from the surrounding farmlands, what’s not to like?

The beautiful setting of this estate could be straight out of a fairytale: 2,500 acres of gardens, wildflower-filled meadows and woodland, with the 700-year-old chateau reflected in the lake.

This restful retreat, once the vacation home of the Primat-Schlumberger family, is set on 2,500 practically virgin acres. And it's all yours to roam in total freedom, be it on horseback, mountain bike, or in an electric car.

A home turned hotel offers more than a playful take on French hospitality. Indulge in a lazy picnic in the gorgeous formal gardens, take to a rowboat on the water, play a set of afternoon tennis, dip in thermal Roman baths...

Domaine des Etangs is a 'pinch me, am I dreaming?' kind of place. It was once the country retreat of the late French billionaire Didier Primat, and now his daughter Garance has created the smartest, most heavenly family holiday camp EVER. It's perfect.

You'll be reluctant to drag yourself from the plush daybed on your terrace, or from your own palm-shaded plunge pool... And you definitely won't want to leave the 50m pool, where - oh, look! - they've just handed you a lychee chilli martini.

Thatched-roof wooden villas rise up on stilts amid landscaped gardens and paddy fields, and the large swimming pool, like a mirror, reflects the image of towering palms overhead, while travelers sip tea or cocktails at the outdoor bar.

Siem Reap's latest resort, with villas on stilts amid lemongrass fields and rice paddies, puts a serene, five-star spin on the area's traditional wooden farmhouses: each suite has an outdoor sitting area, a deep soaking tub, and panoramic jungle views.

A staggeringly lovely spa has been carved by local stonemasons to resemble a temple, and is run by a delightfully camp Filipino called Mariano. Treatments using organic products are an excellent antidote to interacting with the thousands of visitors who visit Angkor each month.

Far from the crowds, and a splendid way to spend time in Siem Reap.

The stand-alone, thatched-roof suites, which sit by the water's edge, stylishly pay homage to the area's Afro-Arabic-Portuguese roots with mahogany four-poster beds and hand-painted tiles depicting animal scenes.

The result is a classy but unpretentious beach retreat that can hold its head high in the company of other resorts overburdened with gimmicky trimmings.

With andBeyond's transformation of Benguerra Lodge, Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago is now firmly on the "must visit" list for anyone looking for a dreamy, tropical island escape.

Ideal for families or groups, there are four-post beds with crisp linen, outdoor showers with hand-painted tiles and a private swimming pool on a sheltered wooden veranda.

Benguerra Island, in the Bazaruto Archipelago, ticks all our "paradise" boxes: translucent sea, golden beaches and a completely dreamy place to sleep.

The flagship hotel from Baccarat Crystal leverages every ounce of its two-and-a-half-century heritage here, just south of Central Park, pulling out all the stops to erect a conspicuous Midtown heavyweight just opposite MoMA.

A refreshing alternative to the fusty grande dames that predominate in this area, the Baccarat is awash with agreeably flamboyant features.

Though it can skew either modern or traditional, the Baccarat is always sophisticated and definitely over-the-top.

...the black-and-white bar is already hot as a glassblower's torch, drawing a very hip and almost indecently good-looking crowd, and the basement swimming pool, surrounded by daybeds, is one of the top three hotel pools in the city.

A glamorous beachfront resort with a 12th-century Augustinian cloister and impeccable gardens modeled after Versailles.

Not only will you feel like a celebrity here, but you might just brush by a few at this beachfront resort'a 14th-century Augustinian cloister with impeccable gardens modeled on those at Versailles.

The most exciting addition is the oceanfront infinity pool, where couples sip elder-flower martinis from butler-serviced chaises.

Common rooms are abuzz with people playing shuffleboard or chatting by the fireplaces, while rooftop Cindy’s is one of Chicago’s “it” restaurants.

Chicago Athletic Association, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, is a thoroughly up-to-date boutique hotel, in that retro-modern, luxury-boutique sort of way.

Much of the original Venetian Gothic detailing has been retained, including the stained-glass windows and grand marble staircase. There's also a rooftop restaurant with an open-air terrace, a Shake Shack burger joint, and a prohibition-style whisky bar.

One of Chicago's hippest hotels is located in a meticulously restored 1893 Venetian Gothic building.

The Roman & Williams-designed rooms are filled with references to the building’s history, from wrestling-inspired robes to the desks, which resemble monkey bars. But they're also thoroughly modern.

This is now the city's coolest new joint, whizzed up by New York architects Roman and Williams, who gave it some spit and polish and filled it with sporting whimsy aplenty. The result? Playful and hip - but not painfully so.

The family is well-connected in the Italian art world — Antonia was a talented artist in her own right — and La Fiermontina’s interiors are full of paintings, photographs, and sculptures, not to mention contemporary Italian design furniture.

It all feels as if you're staying in a friend's effortlessly chic private home, complete with a swimming pool, 200-year-old olive trees, and beautiful sculptures, including a Cubist couple by Fernand Léger.

Utter heaven within the walls of Puglia's unofficial capital, Lecce.

The design is jaw-dropping: pietra di Trani stone floors, star-pinnacled stone ceilings, sleek Italian furniture, muted textiles. A minimalist's dream. But what really sets this place apart is that it has space, lots of it...

The spa treatments, comfort and the fact that it really does live up to its luxury billing makes the Gainsborough most definitely somewhere to remember.

The pièce de résistance is the spa village. The hotel is built directly above mineral-rich thermal springs, allowing guests to make like the Romans and simply float in three heated pools, or go 21st-century with a Watsu treatment and aromatherapy massage.

A place to live, and soak, like a Roman, in one of England's prettiest towns.

Historically hot, culturally charming and positively crammed with minerals, the Gainsborough Bath Spa has burst onto Bath's (let's just call it quiet) hotel scene with as much fizz as the thermal waters that bubble out of the hot springs beneath it.

This upbeat boutique hotel, plumb in the middle of one of the most attractive parts of central Brussels, combines smart hospitality with character. The rooms are flatteringly suave and modern, yet retain a respect for their historic context, and there’s a convivial restaurant and café attached.

The passion project of prolific art collector Nadine Flammarion, the Hôtel des Galeries is a 23-room ode to modern aesthetics set in the city’s historic center. The standout spaces are the bathrooms, lined with glossy, jewel-toned geometric tiles.

The South Congress Hotel combines refined design with craft elements and Americana; the works of local artists sit alongside Hunter S Thompson photographs, while terracotta screens contrast with white brick walls.

One negotiates the public spaces in series, passing through cool and inviting rooms in a tranquil succession of blued steel, rusticated bronze, white bricks, terra-cotta, and cedar accents... You'll find many a reminder that this is still funky, accessible Austin: caged pendant bulbs, articulated bedside lamps, stationery, locavore minibars.

Austin's newest hotel oozes cool, from location to rooms to food.

South Congress takes everything you love about the Live Music Capital of the World and rolls it into a three-story structure on ultra-vibrant South Congress Avenue. The real action is in the common spaces, though.

The Andes mountains provide a scenic backdrop, while interiors marked by brick and stone walls, beamed ceilings, and wooden accents make for a cozy escape from the noise of the metropolis.

The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina entwines its 1940s colonial history with a splash of contemporary Colombia. A leafy suburban mansion set in the heart of the capital is an ideal retreat for those escaping the hustle and bustle of the city – settle down beside fireplaces and escape the ever-present rain of Bogotá.

The building - built in 1946 using salvaged details from demolished local convents - has been spectacularly renovated to preserve features such as hand-carved wooden doors, stone columns and beamed ceilings, with interiors by designer Lauren Rottet.

The impeccably preserved home has been reborn as the hot place to stay in Bogotá. All [rooms] include Nespresso machines for Colombian coffee on demand and access to a full-service spa, where treatments incorporate the local ingredient of choice: gold.

Because of its relatively small size and ultra-personalized service, this hotel feels like staying in a private mansion.

This may be the best address in Bogotá, but what is lovely about Casa Medina is its contrast to the city. Bogotá is edgy and gritty, a place of urban cool... But this hushed hotel is an old-fashioned aristocrat and is deeply soothing.

Modern, industrial, and vintage charms abound in this storied desert resort.

The 25 rooms have a sexy weekend-away vibe, with vintage architectural photography, cowhide rugs, and outdoor showers... Thoughtful touches like personalized brass nameplates on each door make every guest feel like a VIP.

We want to feel a whisper of that golden time, so thank the design gods that we now have this newly fixed-up reinvention of a Palm Springs icon - the old L'Horizon - to do just that.

Located in the happening neighborhood of Zona Minerva, west of the Centro Histórico, Casa Habita is a chic 37-room hotel with a minimalist aesthetic and a breezy rooftop terrace.

Housed in a 1940s Art Deco mansion... the interiors mix serious design pieces with whimsical, retro touches. Come Saturday night, a who's who stops by the dramatically lit bar.

A charmingly offbeat newcomer in the heart of Guadalajara's up-and-coming arts district.

The mix of up-and-coming city with a happening destination hotel makes this a win-win trip.

Staying here offers another Goa entirely: a place of lazy mornings and long siestas, peaceful, elegant, and just a touch eccentric. Ahilya by the Sea feels less like a hotel and more like the retreat of a generous and worldly friend.

...the Ahilya feels like an entirely different Goa. The hotel overlooks a delightful beach, but not one lined with bar shacks and sun loungers. Here, it's all about fishing boats and fishermen, villagers and gangly coconut palms... It is an oasis of privacy with lush tropical gardens, two pools buttressed by a sea wall.

Ditch the well-worn lunghis and head to this upmarket, grown-up version of Goa.

The luscious pool is shaded by an overhanging banyan tree and the whole place is sunkissed and lush-gardened - an elegant celebration of location and homely lavishness.

With the glorious views, the stunning beach, a world-class golf course and a prevailing atmosphere of tranquility, Amanera was a highlight of my traveling year.

Imagine Frank Lloyd Wright meets Blofeld, put the result on a forested hill above a pristine palm-fringed beach, and you have Amanera.

Aman has done it again: the standard-bearer for Zen-inspired resorts has landed on a Robinson Crusoe style beach, putting the country back on the map for luxury seekers from around the globe.

Expect Aman's customary polished minimalism and obsessive attention to detail, plus panoramic beach views from cliffside pool and bungalows.

The only suite with two freestanding bedrooms at this new Aman property, the Bay View Casa sits on the edge of the cliff with uninterrupted views of the mile-long sands of Playa Grande Beach.

After several days at the resort, I can confidently say there is not a more beautiful hotel on the island nation

When you're not lying in bed, staring agape at the forested countryside and surrounding mountains, you can tour nearby ruins like Ollantaytambo or visit the property's 10-acre farm.

This lodge, on 100 rolling-green acres, and with its own onsite organic farm, is more the home of a friend than a hotel.

This lodge is very Peruvian, very stylish. And sleek as anything, cow-skin rugs scattered on terracotta floors, a fireplace big enough to roast a llama, leather sofas the size of tractors. Grab a pisco sour, pick an armchair, drink in that view.

Los Angeles has its fair share of fun, youth-oriented boutique hotels, but leave it to Mama Shelter to make many of them look like funeral parlors by comparison.

Like so many things in this city, Mama Shelter is more than just a pretty face. The beds are extraordinarily plush, the marble-tiled bathrooms have custom-made organic skin-care products by Absolution, and the bedside tables are piled with movie scripts.

The Palace Hotel perfectly blends history and modernity, and sits in the middle of downtown San Francisco.

The lobby's landmarked Garden Court is prime for people-watching; its restored stained-glass ceiling, marble columns, and dazzling chandeliers are perhaps even more impressive than ever before. The glass-domed indoor swimming pool is an urban oasis.

The Old Clare weaves Dada-esque interiors through the bones of two heritage buildings, creating a haven of modern luxury. With three top restaurants within the compound, and a rooftop pool and bar, she may be named after an old bird but she's certainly ruffling some new feathers.

The rooftop pool and bar is a highlight as are its three restaurants headed by a superhero team.

As befits a brewery turned boutique hotel in an artsy part of town, there's an almost aggressive edginess to the Clare. But the attitude is tempered by thoughtful details like goose-down duvets and ultrasoft merino blankets.

Until recently, Sydney didn't have many fun or fashionable places to stay. The Old Clare Hotel, in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Chippendale, is the most high-profile among a number of new arrivals.

A former pub and brewery are reborn. If these walls could talk...

Set on a lane in an artsy part of inner-city Chippendale, the Old Clare is classic Thirties art deco on the outside, black steel and exposed brick on the inside- retro-industrial chic taken to a new level.

... sumptuous rooms, each one different from the next. Most have plush four-poster beds draped with modern printed fabrics, gas fireplaces, and "bar-moires" designed by local artists; they're like luxe country cabins in the middle of the city.

The only hitch at The Ivy Hotel is the temptation to hole up there all day long... with deep sunken tubs, soft cashmere throws on canopied beds, and extras like free movies and free minibar booze, can we blame you for never wanting to leave your room?

The Mandarin's debut African resort is as subtle and stylish as you'd expect from one of the world's leading luxury hoteliers. Its 54 villas, nine suites, three restaurants and world-class spa are set outside the medina in a gorgeous, two-hectare garden of blooming roses.

In a city associated with sensory overload, the Mandarin Oriental, set amid 50 acres of olive trees, roses, and palms, is a breath of fresh air... Order a nightcap and stargaze outside your villa as the scent of jasmine wafts by on the breeze.

Once you clap eyes on your vast villa, you will never, EVER want to leave. You'll be too busy leaping in and out of your pool, or sweating it out in your mini hammam, or sipping a minty mojito in your hot tub.

With an honesty bar, bowls of fresh fruit and a collection of more than 3,000 books, this former townhouse is about as homely as you can get.

It's all terrifically theatrical, with gin cocktails served in a secret courtyard and little eccentric quirks, like the bathroom in the Earl of Bolingbroke suite, which is hidden behind a bookcase and opened by pressing the spine of a book. Abracadabra...

This quirky English hotel in Spitafields has Victorian copper showers, dark wood paneling, four-poster beds, tapestries, and loos hidden behind library shelves. It's original and utterly witty.

The guest rooms drip with authentic period details, from the carved-oak four-posters and oil paintings to the cast-iron roll-top baths, think Downton Abbey right in the heart of town.

Wilderness Safaris has wasted no time upping the ante in game-rich Hwange National Park. Here in the private Linkwasha concession, you can witness enormous concentrations of elephant and buffalo right from your ultramodern tented suite.

Of the recent openings and redesigns, this plucky new contemporary camp is the clearest signifier yet of renewed confidence in Zimbabwe's future... The whole ensemble - a dreamy haze of fresh greys and creams - blends in beautifully with the surrounding Kalahari savannah and bleached acacia woodland.

This is a game-changer. The design is slick, chic, modern... Each of the nine huge tents has floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto a deck with views of a waterhole as congested as Piccadilly at Christmas.

It features a spa, with couples’ treatment rooms, a garden and cabanas, as well as 40 guest rooms outfitted by interior designer Aline Langlieb with a distinctive blend of retro resort style and hip urbanism.

Design-conscious digs one block from the Med.... The lobby is equal parts 1950s urban glam and tropical fiesta; the first impression becomes even better when you’re handed a glass of champagne at check-in.

After a few days spent kayaking among the mangroves, bird-watching at the nearby frigate sanctuary, and lying on the pink sands, you’ll realize exactly what you’ve found: perhaps the most untouched hiding place in the increasingly developed Caribbean.

If you like travel with a healthy dose of isolation, Barbuda Belle might surely please. This truly is an untouched piece of paradise – worth every penny.

This is Palma’s most self-assured though understated address.

This historic hotel has just about everything going for it, from its romantic, spare design—see the black-and-white marble checkered floors in the lobby—to the simple, free-standing porcelain bathtubs in the guest rooms.

No longer do travelers to Mallorca have to choose between a location in the historic city center of Palma and the comforts of a five-star resort. This 19th-century home is packed with historic charms and modern amenities.

Everything is wonderfully well-considered, from the restored ceiling frescoes to the homemade cakes served at breakfast on the palm-shaded garden terrace... Tiny but perfectly formed, this is the impeccable, grown-up hotel Palma deserves.

Here’s what you must do in the early evening at the Sant Francesc Hotel Singular. You must head to the rooftop pool. You must acquire a glass of cold fino. Then you must dangle your legs in and gaze at the gothic cathedral and the shimmering sea beyond.

Gone is the stuffy, museum-like quality found in many of the region’s properties: the understated guest rooms deftly blend past and present, with frescoes and fifth-century natural stone walls alongside rain showers and heated Turkish-marble floors.

This is a new arrival with an ancient feel, from the hotel brand that could write the book on sympathetic, authentic refurbishment.

The once-spartan spaces that sheltered holy men are now sumptuous suites with worn stone steps, rugged stone walls, stone arches, stone nooks, stone fireplaces, stone EVERYTHING. Also marble – new, cool, sleek – in the bathrooms.