Daily Tablet Hotel

One of the joys of the job is finding extraordinary hotels in unexpected places. Of course downtown Miami shouldn’t count as an unexpected place — some quirk of the novelty-driven travel press leads it to lavish attention on Miami Beach at the expense of its mainland neighbor. But in this case we’re also talking about finding a hotel inside of another hotel. For it’s within (or more precisely, atop) the already very fine JW Marriott Marquis that you’ll find the Hotel Beaux Arts Miami, a “private hotel” occupying the top floors of this high-rise tower, with access to the parent hotel’s five-star services and facilities but with its own private reception and lounge, and accommodations that are, incredible as it may seem, a generous cut above what’s offered downstairs.

Of course, in a more perfect world, this might be what all of Downtown’s luxury hotels look like — clean-lined minimalist rooms, modernist furniture, impressive views through full-length windows and a full complement of thoughtful conveniences, from Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems to Illy espresso machines (the product of which is complimentary), and an iPad issued to every room. The beds are enormous, the materials are rich, and the bath products are Molton Brown. All this and access to the JW Marriott Marquis too — this means access to the spa, the gym, Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne restaurant and even a golf school by Jim McLean, should your swing require a brush-up. And the rates include a wealth of extras, from breakfast to cocktails to hors d’oeuvres; if you’ve had Club Level treatment at any of Asia’s top luxury hotels you’re familiar with the drill.

As for the location, it’s not really meant to be a substitute for the hedonism of South Beach. Downtown is the home of Miami’s design district, and it’s the center of quite a bit of the city’s local life, a world apart from the tourists-only vibe on offer elsewhere. Where Miami Beach traffics in fantasy (with varying degrees of success), downtown is reality — and if the Beaux Arts is any guide, it’s a pretty appealing reality at that.

One of the joys of the job is finding extraordinary hotels in unexpected places. Of course downtown Miami shouldn’t count as an unexpected place — some quirk of the novelty-driven travel press leads it to lavish attention on Miami Beach at the expense of its mainland neighbor. But in this case we’re also talking about finding a hotel inside of another hotel. For it’s within (or more precisely, atop) the already very fine JW Marriott Marquis that you’ll find the Hotel Beaux Arts Miami, a “private hotel” occupying the top floors of this high-rise tower, with access to the parent hotel’s five-star services and facilities but with its own private reception and lounge, and accommodations that are, incredible as it may seem, a generous cut above what’s offered downstairs.

Of course, in a more perfect world, this might be what all of Downtown’s luxury hotels look like — clean-lined minimalist rooms, modernist furniture, impressive views through full-length windows and a full complement of thoughtful conveniences, from Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems to Illy espresso machines (the product of which is complimentary), and an iPad issued to every room. The beds are enormous, the materials are rich, and the bath products are Molton Brown. All this and access to the JW Marriott Marquis too — this means access to the spa, the gym, Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne restaurant and even a golf school by Jim McLean, should your swing require a brush-up. And the rates include a wealth of extras, from breakfast to cocktails to hors d’oeuvres; if you’ve had Club Level treatment at any of Asia’s top luxury hotels you’re familiar with the drill.

As for the location, it’s not really meant to be a substitute for the hedonism of South Beach. Downtown is the home of Miami’s design district, and it’s the center of quite a bit of the city’s local life, a world apart from the tourists-only vibe on offer elsewhere. Where Miami Beach traffics in fantasy (with varying degrees of success), downtown is reality — and if the Beaux Arts is any guide, it’s a pretty appealing reality at that.

Location isn’t everything when it comes to hotels, but it’s not nothing either. In some countries Le Caméléon’s crisp, contemporary monochrome look might signal little more than membership in the local boutique-hotel scene. In Costa Rica, land of natural-finish eco-lodges and thatched-hut villas, its modern interiors and glossy white-on-white color scheme is something of a statement — a statement to the effect that while the Caribbean coast is all about the beaches, the water, the jungle, there’s no reason why you can’t live in the urbane, sophisticated style to which you’re accustomed.

These rooms are about more than just looks, with comforts that begin to edge into luxury-hotel territory: plasma TVs, iPod docks, some with king beds and private balconies or terraces. Die-hard luxury junkies will have to admit they’ve seen rooms that are bigger and plusher, but in these environs, anything more would be incongruous. Suffice it to say the physical charms are every bit the equal of the visual ones, and taking the natural environment into account, it’s essentially paradise. There’s a stylish pool deck for the moments when you don’t feel like venturing all the way to the beach, there’s a full-service spa, and the Numu restaurant and bar are stylish spaces, accentuating, perhaps, the contrast between Costa Rica’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts.

How to get there:
Le Cameleon is 136 miles (3h30m) from the Juan Santamaria Airport. Airport transfer can be arranged for USD287.50 per way. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Please note: Eagles Palace is open seasonally, April through October.

As the sister hotel to the Excelsior, a city boutique in Thessaloniki, Eagles Palace is the opposite of an urban hotel. This part of Greece, on the peninsula just short of the remote Eastern Orthodox holy site of Mount Athos, was more or less entirely unsettled before the hotel broke ground. Fresh off a 2008 renovation, Eagles Palace is looking quite up to date — and while it’s not quite as secluded as the monks’ refuge at Athos, this part of Halkidiki is still quiet, relatively untouched by development, especially when compared with some of Greece’s better-known destinations.

The rooms start out comfortably enough, with views of the garden or the sea, their solid, unfinished furnishings taking some inspiration from the monastic setting. The suites begin to pile on the luxuries, with balconies or terraces and, in some cases, Jacuzzis. It’s in the sea view bungalows, though, that Eagles Palace really starts feeling palatial — space, obviously, is no concern, and each one comes with its own private plunge pool.

Like its city cousin, Eagles Palace comes equipped with an Elemis spa and a handful of fine restaurants, some featuring sea views from the outdoor terraces. And while you’re seemingly worlds away from it all, it’s no less stunning a natural setting than most of Greece’s island destinations. A private beach and a PADI dive center make the most of the seaside location, and a number of watercraft are available for excursions to the nearby islands and inlets.

How to get there:
Eagles Palace is a 90 minute drive from Thessaloniki, which can be reached by air or train from several European cities. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Bringing crisp minimal design out of the city and into the wild, Southern Ocean Lodge is a shining example of very modern and very Australian architecture: clean open spaces, neutral tones and tons of glass wrapped in an environmentally-friendly package. Located on Kangaroo Island just off the South Australian coast, Southern Ocean Lodge is unexpectedly hip for such a remote and rugged locale, sporting a cool, unlabored vibe that doesn’t interfere with its beautiful coastal surrounds.

Comprising 21 sea-facing rooms, the SOL hovers over the mallee scrub, offering wide views of ocean, sky and whatever fauna happens to venture past: expect anything from kangaroos to echidnas to native birds. Inside, paintings by local artists complement pure white walls, with bespoke furniture and Ecosmart fireplaces creating the type of relaxed, uncluttered feeling one vows to recreate at home.

Tuning out is the main past time at the SOL (only the Family rooms have TVs) and guests can choose to do this on their private terrace, in their sunken lounge, or on one of a long list of nature tours. The surrounding national parkland offers so much by way of exploration — sea lion-spotting, kangaroo-meeting and hiking included — that the lodge provides each guest with a custom itinerary. Of course, some may opt to do nothing more demanding than enjoy the property’s gourmet meals and open bar, including a walk-in cellar stocked with locally-produced and imported wines, all included in the tariff.

Daily sunset drinks in the lodge’s Great Room allow guests to swap travel stories while taking in views of the Southern Ocean. An onsite spa with floor-to-ceiling windows offers a further chance to unwind while watching — and being watched by, presumably — the local wildlife.

How to get there:

Connect through Adelaide for flights to Kangaroo Island, or drive to Cape Jervis to board the ferry for the island.

The classic Marrakech hotel concept is the riad, typically a mansion in the old medina quarter, a small-scale and intimate sort of hotel, however extravagant the hospitality. The Terre resort, the first from the American-owned Octogone group, takes this concept out of town, to the desert oasis of the Palmeraïe, fifteen minutes outside Marrakech proper, and reproduces it on a larger, more lavish scale.

Comprising twenty octagonal mini-riads divided into a total of 52 suites, Terre makes the most of its open-space surroundings, sprawling over twelve acres of land, including a full-service spa and hammam, a vast central swimming pool (to add to the suites’ private plunge pools or jacuzzis) and an entertainment complex, complete with restaurant, lounge and library.

Accommodations themselves are palatial, aimed squarely at the leisure-luxe traveler; the villas and suites are above all spacious, contemporary in style, with bathrooms bordering on extravagant. And despite the desert location there’s plenty to do: a clay tennis court, a putting green, and close proximity to the Palmeraïe’s incongruously generous selection of golf courses.

What it lacks in gritty local color (the hallmark of the medina riads) Terre certainly makes up for in crisp-edged luxury sheen. It’s young yet, and a work in progress, but if all goes well, it’s just the first of a planned eight (you might have guessed) Octogone properties all across Morocco.

How to get there:
Terre Resort & Spa is approximately a 20 minute drive from Marrakech-Menara Airport and 10 kilometers from Marrakech city centre. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.

There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.

A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.

Some hotels need to be seen to be properly understood. Other hotel concepts, though, more or less speak for themselves. Simply at the mention of the Armani Hotel Milan one knows what one’s going to get: a bold and tasteful elegance, a certain richness in texture and materials, and of course an imposing silhouette — and one, incidentally, that’s suitable both for business and for pleasure.

In one sense it’s almost a living showroom for the Armani Casa shop across the road. But it’s more than that — a hotel, for a fashion chain, is a showroom for an entire lifestyle, and these interiors, modern Milanese to a tee, will have you checking yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re measuring up. And like the best in fashion, they’re more than surface deep, with a remarkable amount of attention paid to the physical luxuries that don’t show up on film.

Ninety-five rooms isn’t enormous, but without question the Armani joins the Milanese big league, competing directly against the town’s top luxury hotels. The spa and the restaurants see to these high-flying guests’ needs in the manner to which they’re accustomed, and the location is tough to beat, with walking access to what’s arguably the world’s finest shopping district. As branding, it’s a stroke of genius — and it’s no less impressive as a hotel.

After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.

There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.

A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.

After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.

There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.

A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.

After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.

There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.

A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.

It’s not necessarily the owners’ Italian heritage per se that makes Casa del Horno one of Panama’s top boutique hotels. The house is an architectural treasure in its own right, dating back to the French colonial days, and its rough-hewn stone provides the backdrop against which its sleeker, more contemporary elements are allowed to stand out. But in the end it’s the keenness of that contemporary eye which elevates a charming house into an extraordinary hotel.

And it’s in the design that the owners’ influence shows through most distinctly. At the moment there’s nothing quite like Italian design for blending modernist visual impact with top-notch tactile luxury, and Casa del Horno’s interiors fit that description to a tee. Imported pieces mesh with local craftsmanship and antique details, and the result is a hotel with a character all its own — and in boutique hotels, that’s at least half the battle.

The other half, of course, is the nuts and bolts: the LCD televisions and iPod docks, the Old Town location with its picturesque views, the in-room massage service, the thoughtful concierge and the generally high level of service. It’s safe to say there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere else in town.

How to get there:
Casa dal Horno is 33.5km away from Tocumen International Airport (30-40 min) or 3.5km from Marcos A Gelabert Airport. Transfers can be organized for USD35 for 2 guests, each way and USD10 per additional guest. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Please note: Locanda Rossa is open annually April through December. Three night minimum required for stays in June, July and August. Two night minimum required for all other dates.

The Maremma, the coastal region where Tuscany meets Lazio, is a bit of a Johnny-come-lately as a holiday destination, though you’d never know it from looking at it today — here a once-impoverished agricultural region has been transformed into, well, a not-at-all-impoverished agricultural region, and one that’s as well known for tourism as for produce. And this fame is due in no small part to a wealth of independent hotels, places like Capalbio’s Locanda Rossa.

Locanda Rossa’s original structure has undergone a modern expansion, but the seams don’t show a bit. Contemporary interiors meet farmhouse architecture in the rooms and suites, which, if not for the half-timbered ceilings and the views of the farm, could easily pass for modern urban apartments. Then again those views of the olive groves, not to mention the gardens and the pool deck, are why you’re here and not in a modern urban apartment in the first place.

There’s a spa for those tough cases who need even more relaxation, and the Osteria Wine Bar is more than a wine bar, serving sophisticated local fare, much of it made from the estate’s own produce. Meanwhile the beaches are minutes away, and the splendid Maremma countryside surrounds — all less than two hours’ drive from Rome.

How to get there:
Train: Rome to Capalbio, approximately 2 hours. Transfers from the train station can be arranged with the hotel.
Driving Directions from Rome: Take Strada Statale 1 Aurelia in the direction of Livorno. Exit at Chiarone 124 km then turn left towards Pescia Fiorentina. After 2.5 km, take mandatory left turn to Capalbio. After 3 km you will find the red entrance to Locanda Rossa on your right. Approximate driving time from Rome is 1.30 hours.

Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with directions.

There are places whose appeal waxes and wanes with the trend-chasing crowds — and then there’s the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. The boom in Sri Lankan hospitality doesn’t seem to have much to do with the changing fashions, and one imagines a place like Aditya, though recently opened, is in it for the long haul, as its splendid beachfront location and its low-key, friendly approach to service are unlikely to see substantial revision any time in the near future.

Most every boutique hotel thinks of its design sense as “eclectic,” but Aditya presents a stronger case than most, its starkly modernist beds, furniture and bathrooms sharing time with antique pieces and traditional architectural details. Five suites are nestled into private gardens, six of them face out to sea, and the Grand Surya Suite, a two-story villa, has a private terrace with a plunge pool and a prime view of the Indian Ocean sunset.

The activities on offer are suitably low-key, from spa treatments to cooking classes to coastal explorations, whether that means the old fort at Galle or dolphin-watching at Mirissa. The beach occupies its fair share of guests’ daytime hours, as does the pool. And while there’s no nightlife to speak of, it’s hard not to imagine that that’s just how Aditya’s guests like it.

How to get there:
Aditya is located on a secluded beach 10 minutes north of Galle (on the SW coast of Sri Lanka). The hotel is 2.5 hours south of Colombo. Transfers can be arranged from/to the Bandaranaike International Airport (135 km away) in Colombo. Train service is also available from Colombo to Galle (where a taxi can be arranged to pick you up). Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for further questions or assistance with airport transfers.

There are places whose appeal waxes and wanes with the trend-chasing crowds — and then there’s the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. The boom in Sri Lankan hospitality doesn’t seem to have much to do with the changing fashions, and one imagines a place like Aditya, though recently opened, is in it for the long haul, as its splendid beachfront location and its low-key, friendly approach to service are unlikely to see substantial revision any time in the near future.

Most every boutique hotel thinks of its design sense as “eclectic,” but Aditya presents a stronger case than most, its starkly modernist beds, furniture and bathrooms sharing time with antique pieces and traditional architectural details. Five suites are nestled into private gardens, six of them face out to sea, and the Grand Surya Suite, a two-story villa, has a private terrace with a plunge pool and a prime view of the Indian Ocean sunset.

The activities on offer are suitably low-key, from spa treatments to cooking classes to coastal explorations, whether that means the old fort at Galle or dolphin-watching at Mirissa. The beach occupies its fair share of guests’ daytime hours, as does the pool. And while there’s no nightlife to speak of, it’s hard not to imagine that that’s just how Aditya’s guests like it.

How to get there:
Aditya is located on a secluded beach 10 minutes north of Galle (on the SW coast of Sri Lanka). The hotel is 2.5 hours south of Colombo. Transfers can be arranged from/to the Bandaranaike International Airport (135 km away) in Colombo. Train service is also available from Colombo to Galle (where a taxi can be arranged to pick you up). Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for further questions or assistance with airport transfers.

Please note: 1864 The Sea Captain's House is open seasonally, March through mid-December.

In Santorini, the location does almost all of the work; most hotels just do their best not to spoil the view. Any hotel that can actually add something to the natural experience very quickly crosses over into the extraordinary — and the reason we’re here, as you might have imagined, is that the delightfully named 1864 The Sea Captain’s House is one of this rare breed.

First of all, even on Santorini, there are locations, and then there are locations. Oia, at the top of the inner crescent, is probably the island’s most picturesque town, its terraced residences cascading precipitously down the cliffside. The Sea Captain’s House joins them — with just four suites (and no reception or other common space), it’s scarcely a hotel at all, presenting what’s essentially an idealized, luxe version of Oian village life.

That means jacuzzis in every suite, for one, and an approach to decorating that goes beyond the stripped-down Greek-island norm — there are hints of the baroque in these bedrooms, with their antique woodwork and gilded mirrors. It’s all in the name of character, though, rather than pure flash; the scale of the place prevents it ever feeling over-opulent. Dine in, if you’re in the mood for some privacy, or book a table at one of the owners’ two village restaurants, if you prefer a more sociable stay.

How to get there:
Santorini (Thira) can be easily reached by plane or ferry. Flight time from Athens is approximately 45 minutes.

Ferries from Athens' Pireaus port to Thira take approximately 3 hours. For more information about ferry schedules, and to purchase tickets in advance of your trip, we recommend the following website: Paleologos

Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with transfers to the hotel.

Thai boutique hotels tend to stick to a couple of themes; think beach villas in the coastal regions, or ultramodern design in Bangkok. More suited to the old northern capital of Chiang Mai, however, is 137 Pillars House, a luxury boutique that’s more elegant than funky, more traditional than outré, a natural stylistic evolution from the old house’s former use as the headquarters of the East Borneo Company.

So well kept is 137 Pillars, however, that the result is more a trad-luxe fantasy than an outright preservation job. Much of the construction, however classic in style, is in fact a painstaking contemporary reconstruction, giving the lie to the notion that “they don’t make them like they used to.” In fact they make them better; these century-old suites are only improved by the addition of modern electronics, plumbing and climate control, and the 19th-century atmosphere suffers not a bit.

The common spaces are equally genteel in aspect, from the Library Bar to the Parlor Lounge, from the dark and romantic Dining Room to the casual show kitchen, which mounts demonstrations and cooking classes. The gym, spa and pool keep guests in fighting trim, and outside, rather than some generic entertainment district, is Old Chiang Mai, home to any number of temples, monuments and cultural attractions.

How to get there:
137 Pillars House is located 10 minutes from Chiang Mai Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Thai boutique hotels tend to stick to a couple of themes; think beach villas in the coastal regions, or ultramodern design in Bangkok. More suited to the old northern capital of Chiang Mai, however, is 137 Pillars House, a luxury boutique that’s more elegant than funky, more traditional than outré, a natural stylistic evolution from the old house’s former use as the headquarters of the East Borneo Company.

So well kept is 137 Pillars, however, that the result is more a trad-luxe fantasy than an outright preservation job. Much of the construction, however classic in style, is in fact a painstaking contemporary reconstruction, giving the lie to the notion that “they don’t make them like they used to.” In fact they make them better; these century-old suites are only improved by the addition of modern electronics, plumbing and climate control, and the 19th-century atmosphere suffers not a bit.

The common spaces are equally genteel in aspect, from the Library Bar to the Parlor Lounge, from the dark and romantic Dining Room to the casual show kitchen, which mounts demonstrations and cooking classes. The gym, spa and pool keep guests in fighting trim, and outside, rather than some generic entertainment district, is Old Chiang Mai, home to any number of temples, monuments and cultural attractions.

How to get there:
137 Pillars House is located 10 minutes from Chiang Mai Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Chances are, the “infinity” in Infinity Residences & Resort refers to the seemingly endless views out into the Gulf of Thailand. But it could equally refer to how far this corner of northwestern Koh Samui feels from the rest of the island’s booming tourist business. If you’re feeling social you’re a short drive away from Bophut Bay and Chaweng Beach, but from these wooded hillsides you don’t even have to know they exist — and if you’re a frequent Tablet reader you know that in Koh Samui there’s no greater luxury than that.

Infinity’s residences range from one to four bedrooms, and while the space and equipment necessarily vary a bit, there are some constants: king beds, sea views, full open kitchens, modern electronics, and massive bathrooms. Some have private lap pools, others hot tubs or plunge pools, and in the very worst case you’ll share a pool with the other half of your duplex — life is pretty good when that’s the worst case.

The gym, spa, pool and restaurant, naturally, are up to the same general level as the accommodations, and there’s an astonishing view from just about every corner of the place. If there’s anything to grouse about, perhaps it’s the location, which might feel slightly out of the way in comparison with the rest of the island’s high-end properties — but if remoteness feels like a disadvantage, then we humbly suggest that you just might have your priorities the wrong way round.

How to get there:
Infinity Residences & Resort is located 20 km from the Koh Samui airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Luang Prabang is one of those destinations where you hardly need an extraordinary hotel to have an extraordinary experience — which makes the fact that there are several of them feel almost gratuitous. Not that we’re complaining. In the case of the Hotel de la Paix it means a rare conjunction of historical architecture and modern design, and a chance to inhabit an ancient place in an atmosphere of the utmost contemporary luxury.

The architect, Duangrit Bunnag, is responsible for some very fine modernist beach hotels in Thailand, and here he’s wedded a handful of original French Colonial structures (including the old governor’s mansion) to a number of new buildings, heavily influenced in turn by traditional Lao architecture. The result is a strangely timeless blend, especially in the guest suites, which feel not just sequestered in space but somehow lost in time as well.

Only some of them come with private pools, but all are indulgent in their own way, with private gardens and spa-like bathrooms. Of course there’s a proper spa as well, for when “spa-like” isn’t quite enough, and a main pool for a more serious approach to swimming. Add a fine restaurant and lounge, as well as a cooking school, and the culinary angle is more than covered — especially when you add the restaurants at 3 Nagas, the sister hotel, just a few minutes down the road.

How to get there:
Hotel de la Paix is conveniently located just 5 minutes from the central area of town and a 15-minute drive from the Luang Prabang Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Val Thorens makes much of its status as the Alps’ highest ski resort; more practically, it makes much of its status as its largest, at least in terms of terrain. But from our hospitality-centric viewpoint, a French ski town isn’t really on the map until the Sibuets have opened a hotel there. Altapura, like its sisters in Megève, answers a number of perennial ski-hotel complaints — it’s modern in style without sacrificing a sense of place, it’s comfortable without lapsing into kitsch, and it’s proof positive that a stylish social scene and a family-friendly vibe need not be mutually exclusive.

The look of the place is often described as Scandinavian, but if you look beyond the blond wood you’ll see what’s essentially a post-modern take on a very French alpine lodge. The heavy timbers, it seems, have been hauled down and made into furniture, into patchwork tiles, or into latticed screens; even the traditional taxidermy is present, though largely in stylized carved wood.

In a ski lodge, however, the tactile pleasures often take precedence over the visual ones. Here Altapura doesn’t disappoint. The rooms, however striking, are never stark, and that modern furniture lacks for nothing in terms of comfort — and the less tangible conveniences include Apple iPads alongside pervasive wi-fi and satellite television.

The three restaurants inhabit equally contemporary spaces, but vary in atmosphere, from the ultra-cozy La Laiterie to the rather more adult Les Enfants Terribles. Meanwhile the Pure Altitude spa, with its seven treatment rooms and heated indoor pool, is a viable alternative to a day on the slopes. And last but not least, Altapura benefits from ski-in ski-out access, as well as a ski shop in partnership with Goitschel.

How to get there:
Altapura is located 30 km from the Courchevel Airport (CVF). This is approximately 1 hour by car. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Though it might have been strange to say so a few years ago, the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel as it stands today is a building of some architectural distinction. This Seventies-vintage zig-zag of a modernist hotel behemoth has climbed out of the stylistic uncanny valley, the aesthetic no-man’s-land between contemporary and retro. Now it’s a piece of historic Monte Carlo, a pleasingly retro modernist monument — and, not incidentally, one of the finer luxury hotels in town.

And while the bones of the place have improved with age, the interiors have been kept very much up to date; a thorough renovation has this Fairmont looking extremely well turned out, if a touch on the conservative side. That’s no criticism — one doesn’t come to Monte Carlo to have one’s world turned upside down, but rather for a taste of the good life, in classic Riviera style. The basic rooms are big enough, and certainly comfortable enough, but it pays to spring for an up-close sea view, available in the better rooms and many of the suites.

Either way, you’ll soak in the view at L’Argentin, the fine dining restaurant, and Saphir 24, the lounge and bar, both of which look out over the Mediterranean through wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. Meanwhile the spa and health club occupy a new addition to the hotel, and the soothing interiors, all white and sky blue, only intensify the atmosphere of relaxation. Monte Carlo has hotels with a longer history, as well as hotels of a more recent vintage than the Fairmont; still, in terms of character, this place stands apart.

Chances are, the “infinity” in Infinity Residences & Resort refers to the seemingly endless views out into the Gulf of Thailand. But it could equally refer to how far this corner of northwestern Koh Samui feels from the rest of the island’s booming tourist business. If you’re feeling social you’re a short drive away from Bophut Bay and Chaweng Beach, but from these wooded hillsides you don’t even have to know they exist — and if you’re a frequent Tablet reader you know that in Koh Samui there’s no greater luxury than that.

Infinity’s residences range from one to four bedrooms, and while the space and equipment necessarily vary a bit, there are some constants: king beds, sea views, full open kitchens, modern electronics, and massive bathrooms. Some have private lap pools, others hot tubs or plunge pools, and in the very worst case you’ll share a pool with the other half of your duplex — life is pretty good when that’s the worst case.

The gym, spa, pool and restaurant, naturally, are up to the same general level as the accommodations, and there’s an astonishing view from just about every corner of the place. If there’s anything to grouse about, perhaps it’s the location, which might feel slightly out of the way in comparison with the rest of the island’s high-end properties — but if remoteness feels like a disadvantage, then we humbly suggest that you just might have your priorities the wrong way round.

How to get there:
Infinity Residences & Resort is located 20 km from the Koh Samui airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Please note: For selected weekends throughout the year, the hotel has a two (2) or three (3) night minimum stay requirement.

If there’s a common thread that runs through most of Paris’s big-name hotels it’s this: whether they’re centuries-old grand hotels or cutting-edge design experiments, they tend to announce themselves with some fanfare. For that reason we’re always partial to the soft-spoken, to Parisian hotels that buck the trend by providing a place to hide away, rather than a place to be seen — hotels like the newly renovated and revamped Hotel Recamier.

It’s located on the scenic Place St. Sulpice, one of the most pleasant areas on the Left Bank, right in the heart of St. Germain des Prés, home to a charming old church as well as a smattering of luxury brands. And the new Recamier is suitably small and intimate, to suit the neighborhood — there’s very little in the way of public space, and never a crowd in the lobby: just a breakfast room, a terrace, and twenty-four stylish, redesigned guest rooms.

There’s a different, subtle theme to each floor, from a modern monochrome look to an earthier, African-inflected style. All rooms, on any floor, are crisp, contemporary in an understated way, and above all exceedingly private — a feeling of seclusion is rare in Paris, and worth seizing when it presents itself. To that end there's no space wasted on a restaurant; the usual advice about the impossibility of going hungry in Paris applies here as well.

About Hotel Recamier: Hotel Recamier is a luxury boutique hotel in Paris. It is located on the scenic Place St. Sulpice on the Left Bank, right in the heart of St. Germain des Prés. The hotel's design features subtle theme rooms that are contemporary, understated, and private.

“No two rooms are the same” — any hotel with even a modicum of personality is likely to include such a phrase somewhere in its promotional literature, and it is bound to be true, at least to some degree, of any hotel selected by Tablet (though there may be a Japanese capsule hotel in our future). Then again, no two snowflakes are the same either, and that's not exactly a compelling argument for sleeping in the snow, is it?

That said, in L'Hôtel's case, it really is true. The rooms really are all different, vastly different, so different they seem to belong to separate hotels or even continents. The Barroco is in Italian Baroque style, the Pagode in an antique Japanese theme, the Léopard is finished in leopard-print fabrics, and the Oscar Wilde is in a traditional English style, a partial reconstruction of Wilde's dining room in London, featuring framed letters from the staff urging him to settle his hotel bill (which he did not live to do). All of this is carried off with a charm and a mastery that elevates it above gimmickry, into the category of real character, of personality.

Personality, after all, is what makes a hotel a Tablet hotel — not 24-hour room service, or indoor pools, or other standard five-star amenities. What cookie-cutter chain hotel can match L'Hôtel's central spiral staircase, into which sunlight pours through a domed glass ceiling, or the Roman-style bath, housed in the vault beneath the hotel?

There is a restaurant, and a good one — not a three-star spectacle of a restaurant, but an excellent one anyway. Le Restaurant exists not as a public relations scheme, or as a way for the hotel to maximize food and beverage profits, but as a service to its patrons — remarkable food, French but totally modern and light. This restaurant is as popular with the locals as the bar is with celebrities.

Fitting, as the hotel is not designed as a self-contained experience, but as a complement to the attractions of the surrounding district. L'Hôtel is located in St. Germain-des-Prés, the heart of the Rive Gauche, within easy reach of the Ecole des Beaux Arts and innumerable art galleries, cafés, and boutiques. It would be quite reasonable to claim that this is the best location in Paris for a hotel; for those interested in experiencing the authentic Paris, there is no better place to start.

In fact, if this were a boring corporate mega-hotel, the neighborhood alone would make it worth visiting. But this is a phenomenal hotel, full of life and character, and the combination of location and execution make L'Hôtel the place to stay in Paris, and, quite possibly, the perfect Tablet hotel.

About L'Hôtel: L'Hôtel is a luxury boutique hotel from Jacques Garcia in Paris. It is located in the St. Germain-des-Prés district, the heart of the Rive Gauche, and steps from the Ecole des Beaux Arts and galleries and cafes. The hotel features a celebrity and local loved Michelin starred restaurant, Le Restaurant, serving gourmet French food.

One fact about Elbow Beach is perhaps more illuminating than anything else we could say about it: it's a Mandarin Oriental.

It was not always so — in fact this sparkling clean, seemingly brand-new resort was established in 1908, as the South Shore Hotel. Then, as now, it was one of Bermuda's most prestigious and exclusive hotels, a Colonial estate presiding over the island's Atlantic coast.

The hotel is no less majestic today, its columned entryway gleaming in the late-afternoon sun. Rooms are luxurious and spacious, with marble bathrooms and wither patios or balconies. The interiors are contemporary in style but comfort is stressed over design — the furniture is more plush and enveloping than aesthetically challenging.

A look at the services and amenities reveals that this is (like any Mandarin) a first-class resort, with everything the leisure traveler could desire. There are a number of indoor and outdoor restaurants and bars, extensive business and conference facilities, a pool, spa and fitness center, and lighted tennis courts. Bermuda is something of a golf hotspot, with more courses than any correspondingly large area of Scotland or even Florida. And any aquatic activity imaginabe can be arranged, from seaside loafing to deep-sea diving.

Bermuda's location, closer to New York than to Miami, combined with the scarcity of international flights, means most of the hustle and bustle that descends upon the Caribbean passes it by. The whole place, then, has a certain feeling of seclusion and exclusivity; a feeling only heightened by the sumptuous surroundings and impeccable service at Elbow Beach.

Ace Hotel's standard rooms have shared bathrooms. Let us be absolutely clear about this. Fully half of the rooms do not have their own private bathrooms.

We trust some of you, at least, are still with us — the Ace Hotel, obviously, will appeal to a slightly different segment of the marketplace than, say, the Sorrento. This place drips with an unforced, unpretentious cool; the lobby, with its dark walnut floors and retro-futuristic white walls (more Barbarella than Balazs) looks more like an art gallery than a hotel lobby, and the guest rooms—with their 14-foot ceilings and walls of whitewashed brick—look more like a gallery than most galleries.

At the risk of buying too credulously into a regional stereotype — this is the Pacific Northwest, not Hollywood. In Seattle, where tech mavens with stock portfolios wear thermal T's from Army Surplus, cool means spending wisely, and marking these rooms up to design-mag prices would only detract from the cachet of this no-frills sleepover club.

Here you may sleep under the watchful eye of Shepard Fairey's Andre the Giant, with a view of Elliot Bay and the Olympic Mountains, or just the streets of Belltown. Those shared bathrooms are sparkling clean, not at all the dormitory nightmare one may imagine, though if you must have a private bathroom, it's worth cracking open your wallet and shelling out the extra fifty-odd dollars. A Batman-esque hidden revolving door opens into a charmingly minimal space, decked out in (what else) walnut and white, with an industrial aluminum sink and no Philippe Starck anything.

Services and amenities are minimal, of course — cable TV is about as plush as it gets. If you have read this far, you know luxury isn't the point; this is a place to lay one's head, a home base for adventures around town (with wireless internet access, though — these people aren't savages, after all). Your fellow travelers will likely be up to all hours, so this might not be the place for early-to-bed types, or the severely jetlagged.

Downstairs is the new home of the Cyclops Café, a local favorite (every hotel says its bar is a local favorite, but trust us on this one), and beyond are the bars and cafés of Belltown, as well as the traditional Seattle destinations like Pioneer Square and the Pike Place Market. Perhaps that's the true significance of the white walls: to shame idle guests into getting out there and doing some living.

Chewton Glen may be the country house hotel against which to measure all others. The location is spectacular, occupying 130 acres of parkland at the edge of the New Forest (once the hunting ground of Norman nobles, later the refuge of smugglers carrying Continental contraband). Nearby are Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge, and the Isle of Wight; closer still is the sublime, dramatic Dorset coast, and beyond, the Channel.

As scenic as the surroundings may be, many guests may never get to see them — the hotel is luxurious enough that to tear oneself from the grounds requires a supreme effort. The exterior may be simply that of a very big house in the country, but within the walls is a completely modernized luxury hotel. Those in search of authentic 18th-century interiors may be disappointed, but those who prefer comfort to rickety (however authentic) furnishings will be delighted. They simply did not make suites (and especially bathrooms) this large in the old days. And space isn't the only luxury — the huge windows offer views of the grounds that are breathtaking enough to compete with the satellite TV and Bang & Olufsen entertainment centers.

An excellent restaurant may be enough to lure you from your room; Marryat features an eclectic and modern menu, with mushrooms and game from the New Forest mixing with seafood from Christchurch, and a variety of vegetarian options, as well as a remarkable wine list.

In keeping with the theme of decadent relaxation, and carrying on the Roman bath tradition in the South, is the Chewton Glen Spa — one of the best in England, and a consistent award-winner. A dizzying array of treatments are on offer, using products from Clarins, Thalgo, and Guinot. If a simple swim is more to your liking, then take a dip in the 17 meter indoor pool, in the central hall of the hotel. This pool is not just massive and photogenic, but ozone-treated as well, reducing the need for chlorination, and turning an everyday indoor pool into a spa-worthy luxury.

As for outdoor activities, there is everything one could wish for from a country house hotel, located between the forest and the sea. On the grounds one may indulge in golf, tennis, and croquet, and shooting and riding can be arranged nearby. If you are feeling adventurous, the hotel staff is happy to arrange fishing expeditions, 4x4 excursions into the New Forest, and even sailing the Solent (the channel between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight).

How to get there:
Chewton Glen Hotel is approximately a 1 1/2 hour drive from Heathrow Airport as well as London's city center. London's Waterloo Station to New Milton Station is a 1 hour and 50 minute trip by rail and a taxi can be arrange to meet you at the station. New Milton Station is 10 minutes from the hotel. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

Some of the best contemporary-design hotels are renovations of existing buildings. But few start with structures as storied as Frankfurt’s Gerbermühle. This 16th-century flour mill had a second or third life as a local businessman’s summer house, where Goethe met his Marianne — and now it begins a fourth or a fifth, as a stunningly up-to-date boutique hotel, enclosed within a classic shell.

It’s unexpected for Frankfurt, a city perhaps better known for its skyscrapers. The interior, however, is perfectly suited to this fast-paced financial center. Public spaces are contemporary, mixing the clean lines and hard surfaces of modernism with some judiciously selected antique-style furnishings. And the style of the guest rooms is softened a bit, for easier living — still sharp and contemporary, with a predominance of white, but eclectic, warmer and more livable than the stark minimalism of the usual design boutique.

The Tower Bar serves drinks in the tower of the old mill, a high-ceilinged space with an antique atmosphere. Weather permitting, though, the heart of the Gerbermühle is unquestionably the summer garden, a tented outdoor space alongside the River Main — perfect for a meal in the sun or just a moment of quiet in a bustling modern city.

With every decade that goes by China opens itself further to the West. By now Hong Kong feels like it’s right next door, and Beijing and Shanghai are quickly losing their air of exoticism. Even Xi’an, the eastern end of the Silk Road, is finding itself more and more accessible to foreign travelers; surely it’s a sign of the times that the top hotel in town is the Sofitel on Renmin Square, an utterly modern luxury hotel from the French-owned international chain.

Outside it’s a fairly typical commercial building, about as Chinese as any Sofitel anywhere — which is to say, not a lot at all. Inside, though, there’s a generous helping of local color, from the rich colored fabrics in the rooms (it wasn’t called the Silk Road for nothing) to the rows of vases in the restaurant, a visual allusion perhaps to the Terra Cotta Soldiers in Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, less than an hour to the east.

Services include the usual array of five-star offerings, as well as some rather unique ones — restaurants include the usual Cantonese and Mediterranean offerings as well as a Muslim restaurant, serving halal cuisine as a tribute to the region’s Islamic history (yes, really).

Please note: At Sofitel on Renmin Square, there is a 10% service charge that is not included in the room rates.