Suites and villas revel in flashes of the old villages, albeit equipped with every modern amenity. The spa is a delight, with private bathhouses, a banya and a hammam swaddling a garden courtyard.

A remarkable imperial restoration project outside the city from the minimalist-luxe Aman group, and a chance to connect with traditional Chinese culture.

The result is enormously impressive; offering a glimpse of a China of yesteryear, whilst inserting every comfort of the 21st century.

An incredible conservation project to save a village and its trees becomes the setting of Aman's most ambitious venture yet

The extraordinary new Amanyangyun hotel has been built out of Ming and Qing-dynasty village houses and is surrounded by trees that are 1,000 years old. Of course, it's also been restored with Aman's trademark minimalist touches and incredible interiors

And thanks to the house’s history as a palace, it’s also full of fine public and semi-public spaces, including a fine-dining restaurant called SUBA Gastro Bar, a more casual rooftop bar with a 360-degree view, and a winter garden (where breakfast is served) that opens onto the most unexpected space of them all: a delightful little rooftop swimming pool.

The two royal suites are the hotel's trump cards, though, with over-the-top wood-carved or stucco ceilings, 18th-century bathroom tiles, and custom-made, silk de Gournay wallpaper.

This elegant 18th-century palace, painstakingly restored, houses 18 luxurious rooms including two sumptuous suites, lavishly adorned with original stucco work. The hotel's rooftop, swimming pool and Suba Restaurant offer unrivalled 360-degree views of Lisbon's skyline and the River Tagus beyond.

Its shell might be more than 100 years old, but few hotels manage to capture Tel Aviv’s current zeitgeist quite so well.

Very elegant 120-room hotel.

The 120 bedrooms are light-flooded and serene. The action, though, is found down in the chapel, where you can sink into Cini Boeri Botolo chairs under the original stained-glass windows and order cocktails long into the night.

Its grand, good looks are matched by smart restaurants, stylish cocktail bars and a relaxed pool area in which to escape the commotion of the city