Best Hotels & Lodges

This thatched beachfront lodge on the northwest coast of Benguerra Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago oozes understated elegance. Known for its eco- and community-friendly management style, the charismatic local staff know their surroundings intimately and will look after your every need – most of them even help to build the lodge! Take advantage of the attentive hospitality, enjoy the bucket-load of activities on offer (kayaking, snorkelling, diving and star gazing to name a few), or simply relax on a recliner with a book and let the days unfold at their own leisurely, easy-going pace.

Built entirely on stilts over the glimmering Marina Bay, this 100-room hotel (practically boutique in Singapore standards) is the star of the historic Fullerton Heritage precinct. A cleverly-designed glass box, it appears to hover over the water, yet pays homage to its maritime roots through an incredible location at the historic Clifford Pier, once the landing point for immigrants and travellers arriving by ship in the 1930s. Andre Fu's sophisticated aesthetic creates a journey from past to present from the moment you pass through the pier's iconic arches and enter the artistic world - and it's made only more magical by the hotel's heady signature scent.

Rue de Montalembert is a hundred metres long, with the Gallimard publishing house at one end and a square named after Gabriel García Márquez at the other. The Montalembert has occupied number 3 since 1926, and when Christian Liaigre stripped it back in the 90s, people started calling it a "boutique hotel" - and it truly lives up to the phrase. Classic yet modern, lavish but never over the top, it boasts a restaurant that Left Bank publishers treat as their canteen and a private library, Salon Gallimard, that's the perfect spot for a nightcap. Fascinatingly, it also claims to be the first hotel in Paris to put duvets on its beds (and we can confirm, they are still there now)!

Entamanu teeters on the north-west rim of one of the world's most iconic natural phenomena, Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater. Uniquely perched to exploit the beauty of both the southern Serengeti plains and the plummeting crater below, this lodge has dramatic views, literally, all around. The lodge is accessible by road from Arusha - even the drive is its own adventure, hugging the crater's contours. Breathtaking landscapes aside, this is one of the premier wildlife destinations in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot. The area is home to the regal Maasai people, known for their rich history and hunting culture. Everywhere you look there's something utterly remarkable.

Perched on a dramatic promontory just south of Positano, this family-owned Relais & Châteaux landmark has been seducing guests since 1970. The brainchild of local visionary Carlino Cinque, the entire hotel was, incredibly, carved into the cliff face by hand and every terrace, pathway and tumbling garden feels as though it grew naturally from the rock itself. With a Michelin-starred restaurant stocked with produce from the terraced gardens, a private beach reached by an elevator drilled through 88 metres of solid cliff, and views that stretch from Praiano to Capri, this is the Amalfi Coast at its most glamorous.

The driest (and one of the highest) deserts on Earth, the Atacama is a revelation in surviving against all odds, from its endemic flora to the Aymara people who made their home in the same area Explora was built. While the hotel isn't far from the town of San Pedro, it has the feel of a true oasis, surrounded by 17 hectares of beautiful gardens alive with native plants and where thermal pools are dotted around for the ultimate al-fresco spa experience. Explora is known for its fantastic guided excursions, which will take you from salt flats coloured pink with flamingos to the surreal Moon Valley.

Hanoi is an inimitable city, branded by its world-renowned cuisine, striking history (told in its many quarters), and the constant beep of mopeds. Along the iconic Hang Be street in the Old Quarter, La Siesta is a glitzy, stylish and inventive hotel. If you don't believe us, check out the rooftop Lighthouse Sky Bar; it certainly does the trick, with walls of glass that take the shape of a ship 'moored' on the 10th and 11th floors in homage to the vessels that were once sold on the street. Inside, the suites are slick and refined with views over the bustling lanes below. Just the place to return to after a day out in Vietnam's capital.

High on North Bridge, where Edinburgh's Old Town tips into the cosmopolitan New, stands The Scotsman. For the best part of a century, the presses of The Scotsman newspaper thundered away in the basement and editors filled the middle floors, but today you're more likely to hear the clinking of champagne glasses than the clacking of keys. Reborn as a hotel in 2001, it's kept the bones of the original building – oak panelling, ornate ceilings, lots of green and white marble and a 190-foot tower – while incorporating 82 rooms, a clutch of bars and a, fascinatingly, a pocket-sized cinema. The location is also dreamy, with the Royal Mile a minute's walk away and the New Town, five.

The Hide offers a top-class experience in an easily accessible but private concession of Hwange National Park. The accommodation is more than comfortable and the family-operated team has pretty much perfected their product over the past two decades. Your stay here will incorporate several different activities and the time spent in camp is sure to be restful and spoiling. Game viewing in the park is best during the dry winter months (June-October) when animals are drawn to the waterholes, which are pumped. That being said, there's plenty to see during the green summertime when the bush is lush and springing with new life and an abundance of birds.

If you’re all about the outdoors, and experiencing a destination and culture with intrepid hikes and off-the-beaten-path adventures, look no further - and we mean it. Explora is THE ultimate HQ for adventurers and explorers alike! Located semi-remotely next to the traditional village of Urquillos in the Sacred Valley, the hotel is devoted to providing rewarding explorations away from the tourist crowds - and without missing any of the landmarks. With amazing architecture, stunning views of Inca terraces as well as top-quality cuisine and amenities, this full-service hotel will make you wish you had just one more day of exploring.

This lodge, in the middle of the Namib Desert, quite literally in the middle of nowhere, has crafted itself as a stand-alone destination in Namibia. Guests travel the extra mile to get here because it is offers something special. During your stay you will find silence and serenity. The team arrange exquisite desert picnics, you can dine on fine food under a blanket of bright stars, quite literally on the edge of the desert (even your villa has a skylight above your bed so you can savour that phenomenal sight late at night) or recline at the sparkling swimming pool overlooking the breathtaking view.

Where the pharaohs of old built some of Egypt's most astonishing, impressive and long-standing monuments, Luxor is a city with abundant history. Sitting on the East Bank of the Nile - with excellent views of the Valley of the Kings - the Hilton puts you in the thick of it all. This is a hotel with poise and style, sumptuous interiors that will make you gasp, and a smorgasbord of eateries, including private dinners at the river's edge. Typical days include languid felucca rides past the Tombs of the Nobles, discovering King Tutankhamun's resting place, or perhaps even soaring overhead in a hot air balloon.