Best Hotels & Lodges

Since 1887, Raffles has been Singapore's most legendary address, where turbaned doormen still greet you beneath pristine white colonnades and afternoon tea comes with a side of history. Following an ambitious two-year restoration, this national monument now seamlessly blends its colonial bones with exquisite modern touches. Spread across six tropical acres – you could spend hours wandering the gardens – in the heart of the CBD, you're perfectly placed to explore the Lion City's kaleidoscope of cultures. But with 115 individually designed suites, multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, and that famous Long Bar serving Singapore Slings, you might just struggle to leave.

7500 feet above sea level, nestled on the verdant, misty slopes of the enchanting Crater Highlands region and just a stones throw from Karatu village, is Gibb’s Farm. Established in the 1920s as a coffee plantation, the farm now welcomes guests in pretty cottages dotted around the splendid gardens and there are plenty of activities on offer at the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. Today, the farm is a chic, country retreat that has home-grown luxury down to a 'T'; find flowers from the garden in the lounge, hearty organic produce at mealtimes and farm-fresh coffee delivered to your room every morning. Bliss.

Positano and Amalfi might draw the crowds, but the hilltop town of Ravello is the coast's quieter, more cultured little sister — a place that seduced Richard Wagner, Gore Vidal and Virginia Woolf into staying for a lot longer than planned. And right at its highest point sits Hotel Caruso, an 11th-century palazzo originally built by a noble family shipwrecked on their way to Constantinople. Opened as a hotel in 1893 by a local vintner named Pantaleone Caruso, it was lovingly restored by Belmond and reopened in 2005, complete with stunning (and original) 18th-century frescoes, centuries-old terraced gardens and an infinity pool so photogenic it has its own fan base.

A historic and spiritual heartland, Kyoto invites you into a world of ancient crafts, ornate temples and the age-old Geisha tradition. Sitting on a major road in the centre of Kyoto, the Kanra Hotel is an oasis of calm, entered via a hallway lined with bamboo. This subtly chic aesthetic is woven throughout Kanra, from the serene spa to the minimalist rooms, which welcome you with a beautiful, lantern-lit entrance. Thanks to its fabulous location, you'll have no trouble exploring Kyoto from the hotel, including the ancient craft district, the flavours of Nishiki Market, and the city's many stunning temples.

With its surreal valleys and sky-scraping mountains, the Atacama Desert is as unique as they come. Tucked between the caramel hills of Catarpe Valley, Hotel Alto is a true oasis, its gardens filled with cacti and pretty shrubs, authentic ceramics and plunge pools that mirror the ever-blue sky. You'll be welcomed with refreshing juices and the promise of an unforgettable stay, whether it's one of open-air spa treatments (hello hot volcanic stones!) and lazy days, or epic excursions to see ancient petroglyphs, flamingo-dotted lagoons, and technicolour valleys. You might have guessed that the sunsets are a dream, best enjoyed with a glass of Chilean wine...

As if someone had dropped a Parisian mansion into an oft-walked street in Hanoi, the Metropole is a delightful blend of hidden history and lavish design. Grab cocktails named after famous guests above an old bomb shelter and satisfy your sweet tooth at the chocolate library where the first movie in South East Asia was played. With Franco-inspired elegance, the hotel is a scenic stroll from the sights of the French Quarter but a night at the opera can easily be swapped for a wander through the ancient citadel. After discovering Hanoi's cacophony of old and new, return by limo for a well-deserved massage!

Carved into the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters on St Andrew Square, the Edinburgh Grand is one of the buzziest places to stay in town. There are 50 rooms in total, ranging from studios to one- and two-bedroom suites and each comes with a proper, fully-equipped kitchen and sitting room, so you can come and go as you please in the thick of the New Town however long you're staying. In the lobby, a dazzling art deco foyer opens up into a grand circular staircase and a clutch of in-house bars and a steakhouse - actually, one of the best in town. The tram to the airport also stops right outside, making connections flawless.

Gleneagles has spent 100 years as Perthshire's home of golf and gundogs - and now it has a sassy little sister, right on St Andrew Square in the well-heeled grid of Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. Located in the old Bank of Scotland building, the Gleneagles Townhouse is announced discreetly by a tiny plaque on the stone wall outside, but step inside and you'll enter a vibrant world of giant palms, Murano chandeliers, jewelled velvets and hummingbird-bedecked walls. The past is everywhere, too: cocktails in the grand old Telling Room, a spa built into the strong rooms once used for storing gold and silver, and a roof terrace guarded by magnificent Georgian statuary.

This camp is the project of a renowned Zimbabwean guide called Dave Carson, who emphasised quality, charismatic and flexible guiding. Everything they do, they do well. The camp is simple by some standards, yet elegant. It is set next to a permanent waterhole in a private concession in central Hwange National Park where the game is abundant (especially during the dry winter months). It's quite possible to see lions and buffalo, elephants, sable and hippo (amongst others) just from camp. But this is about more than just what you see - it's about creating a holistic experience that connects you with nature.

With a mix of fine Moorish arches and intricate carvings, Al Moudira looks like it has been standing in the desert for hundreds of years. Astonishingly, it was built just over a decade ago, creatively conceptualised by the owners who drew design inspiration out of their travels from Lebanon to Tuscany. Occupying a secluded spot on Luxor's west bank, the great tombs of the Valley of the Kings beckon from across the sands and the ancient desert begs to be explored on camelback. Every space at Al Moudira has a bygone feel, from the courtyards filled with vast urns of feathery florals, to the Turkish baths waiting for you after a day of exploring.