The luxury market in Bhutan’s capital is not a crowded space — if you’re in town looking to maximize your Gross Personal Happiness, there’s really no place quite like the Taj Tashi Thimphu. Consider it a reward for trekking through the mountains, or for simply getting through the country’s stringent visa process. The Taj group is known for planting its properties squarely at the intersection of local and decadent, and this one is no exception.

The hotel, whose dzong architecture lends it a fortresslike aspect, is situated in the middle of the capital city, ringed by the Himalayas. Bhutan pine and Thai silks cover the floors; detailed Buddhist murals cover the walls. While guests can certainly opt for eggs and other Western specialties, they’re missing a chance at some fine Burmese food, including the chili-and-cheese stew known as ema datshi. Traditional dancers perform each night in the courtyard. And out back is an enormous hand-etched prayer wheel, containing, according to some, a billion mantras.

As for decadence, consider this: a pillow menu, ranging from the typical to an herb-filled concoction meant to stimulate meditation; heated floors and standalone tubs in the bathrooms; canopy beds and balconies and divans positioned so that you can recline with views only of treetops and swirling clouds; and nightly treats helping ensure sweet dreams. And then there’s the spa. Some of its signature treatments involve an invigorating massage, followed by a relaxing poultice; others feature intricate bathing rituals developed to prepare royalty for their wedding day.

From a Western perspective the Mandarin Oriental hotels are largely an urban phenomenon — in most of the world’s major cities, among the top three or four luxury hotels is invariably a towering modern Mandarin. For their first hotel in the People’s Republic of China, however, the Mandarin group has gone off-script. Sanya, you may have gathered, is a town on the coast of Hainan island, and this particular Mandarin Oriental makes the most of its setting, with a low-slung villa-resort profile — albeit one that’s both finished and serviced in typically impeccable Mandarin style.

The location really is rather stunning, occupying some thirty acres of lush beachfront land. Hainan’s extreme southerliness offers some clues as to the nature of the landscape, as you’re much closer to Vietnam than somewhere like Macau. The accommodations are woven into the landscape amid the palms — the rooms and suites in low buildings with balconies, the villas and pavilions in freestanding stone buildings along the beach or perched on the hillside.

Interiors are somewhat rustic in aspect, a fitting departure from the Mandarin group’s typically urban style, but they’re as crisp and clean as any, and outfitted with everything you’d expect from a brand-new luxury hotel. The leisure offerings, as well, are expanded, to suit Sanya’s purpose as a tropical island getaway; the Spa Village is a large and secluded complex, where it’s easy (and pleasant) to get lost amid wooden pavilions and endless pools. It’s not your typical MO, but it’s none the worse for that fact — at this very moment any number of Pacific Rim executives are no doubt arranging a bit of business on Hainan.

How to get there:
Mandarin Oriental Sanya is approxinately 25 minutes from Sanya International Phoenix Airport by taxi or car. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

The Algarve region of southern Portugal is a leisure-seeker’s paradise. In addition to the beaches that stretch for miles along the Atlantic coastline, Algarve’s biggest attractions are birdwatching (it’s a massive rallying point on the migration route) and golf. Some of the region’s best courses can be found near the city of Tavira, home to the newly renovated 16th-century convent turned boutique hotel, Pousada Convento da Graca.

The building represents the fertile mixture of architectural styles that has characterized the city over the centuries, a yellow Baroque façade giving way to the arches of a Renaissance courtyard. In an ideal world, every hotel that attempted to acknowledge historical influences would do so with the grace of Convento da Graca. A particularly inspired touch: partially excavated ruins from the site’s Islamic period are visible from the hotel’s bar.

The thirty-six guest rooms are uncluttered and spacious. Deep red floorboards are accented by vibrant throw rugs and bedspreads. Thematically, the furniture is a bit harder to pin down, as it ranges from classically comfortable to modernist, with paisley patterned chairs sitting alongside chaise lounges. Some rooms feature balconies, and the superior suite boasts a private garden and terrace.

At the restaurant, it’s less about what — though the selection of local fish and lamb is sufficiently mouth-watering — than where, as it’s possible to eat in the sumptuous dining room or outside beneath the arches of the cloisters. Aquatically inclined parents, rejoice: the main pool is for adults-only relaxation, with a smaller pool alongside for kids who want to splash around.

With an alpine backdrop that could easily launch a thousand postcards, Lake Tegernsee in Upper Bavaria is a stunning year-round destination for hikers, bikers, skiers and beer worshippers. Catering to well-traveled, wellness-oriented guests, Seehotel Überfahrt is more than just its stunning lakefront location.

There’s not a shred of Bavarian kitsch to be found. Instead there’s a surprisingly vibrant streak running through the mod-luxe proceedings, beginning with the colors — guest-room decor ranges from blue-and-white checkered chairs to deep orange linen to dark red curtains. Private balconies offer panoramic lake or mountain views, so everybody wins. At the higher end, the gilded Royal Suite represents a flashier take on five-star accommodations, bedecked in imposing drapes and white marble.

Germans have always infused their getaways with a healthy proportion of self-improvement, and in that area the Rottach-Egern Wellness Center doesn’t disappoint — the complex features multiple pools, a private beach, gym, and an international array of saunas, from Finnish to Japanese. For serious workout buffs, nutritionists and personal trainers abound.

The hotel’s spirit of variety and inclusiveness extends to the restaurants. There are three, plus a lobby bar that serves light tea snacks in the afternoon — for a bit of fine dining there’s the Michelin-starred Gourmetrestaurant Überfahrt, while those seeking some old-fashioned Bavarian comfort food choose Bayernstube.

How to get there:
The nearest airport to Seehotel Überfahrt is Munich. The train from Munich to Rottach-Egern station is approximately 40 minutes; the hotel is a 10 minute taxi ride from the station. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Like other remote artists’ meccas, Taos has collected a broad range of illustrious creative folks over the years, as well as a steady stream of travelers who want to see what the fuss is about. Artists and visitors alike draw inspiration from the same sources: soaking in the Rocky Mountain scenery, exploring Native American culture, skiing the nearby slopes, breathing pristine air and basically chilling out New Mexico style, the state otherwise accurately known as the Land of Enchantment. And in the El Monte Sagrado resort, Taos has a lodging refined enough to match all the rest of the splendor, majesty and whatnot.

There’s plenty of indigenous architecture with pueblo-style adobe walls and kiva fireplaces and pinion pine scented air, but rooms and suits are themed with Egyptian, Moroccan, Mexican and other styles, all tied together with details in rough-hewn wood. There’s also a Kama Sutra Suite, which appears fit for a conquistador or whomever else you might be traveling with.

There’s an ambitious sustainability program in place, including something they’ve termed a Biolarium and Living Machine — rest assured the resort is doing its part to preserve the ecology of its grand setting. For the edibles, El Monte Sagrado again serves up more or less exactly what you’d expect, but with a few tricks. The menu at De La Tierra is, unsurprisingly, southwestern fare, but expertly prepared by a Scottish chef trained in classic French style.

This all means you’ll have something to look forward to when you return after a day of hot air ballooning, fly fishing or llama trekking, all activities happily arranged at your request. The resort’s Living Spa facility might also be in order (particularly if your day involved a llama) — or perhaps just a highball at the Anaconda Bar.

So specialized are Bruges’s charms that the city’s become — unfairly — a bit of a punchline. Yes, it’s stunningly picturesque, cultured, medieval. That doesn’t mean it’s boring, per se, just that it’s not the sort of city that’s going to reach out, grab you by your scruff, and forcibly entertain you to within an inch of your life. Bruges rewards a slightly more deliberate approach, and so, in turn, does the Pand Hotel.

One look and it’s obvious that a certain quiet elegance rules the day here. The existence of the Ralph Lauren–decorated junior suites reveals that a considerable amount of stylistic attention was paid to the place. It may seem a bit of a stretch to compare the Pand, with its subtly modern charms hidden beneath a veneer of classicism, to the city of Bruges itself — but we’re doing it anyway.

It’s hardly a five-star pleasure palace. There’s breakfast, of course, and a bit of room service here and there, but you’re expected to get out and see the town a bit. The hotel comes equipped with a sauna, and there’s a health club nearby, if you’re having gym withdrawals — then again a pleasant saunter along the canals would be an altogether more Bruges thing to do.

How to get there:
The Pand Hotel is approximately a 1 1/4 hour drive from Brussels International Airport. There is a train from Bruges to the airport that runs every 30 minutes and costs approximately €20. The hotel also provides airport transfers for approximately €175 one way. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

It wasn’t that long ago that travel to Brazil simply meant a choice between Rio and São Paulo. But with the general worldwide flourishing of small boutique properties — now that all you need is ten rooms and a beach — an awful lot of new places are on the map. The Brazilian state of Bahia is one of these places; a near-endless stretch of coast, starting a bit north of the usual spots, it’s lined with any number of gorgeous, unspoiled beaches — and more than a few exceedingly charming small hotels, places like the Vila das Orixás, just outside of Morro de São Paulo (no relation).

Guests are spread among ten split-level bungalows, whose rustic exteriors hide crisply contemporary interiors. Rich traditional hardwoods, the pride of Brazilian interior design, share space with modern fixtures and amenities — contemporary countertop basins, LCD televisions, and whirlpool baths. The cuisine, naturally, draws from the ocean, just yards away, a mix of local produce, Bahian flavors, and Mediterranean techniques. As for activities, they’re very much centered around the remoteness of the place — from fishing to sailing to nature walks, the wilderness of near-tropical Brazil is your playground.

For some of us, the name is all the description this one needs. But for those of you who demand a little more explanation than simply Casa Camper Berlin, we’ll elaborate. It’s a sequel to the Casa Camper in Barcelona, owned by the Spanish footwear brand, and it brings the same youthful irreverence and unpretentious artiness to Berlin, which for all the differences between the two cities is probably the most logical choice if it’s young cosmopolitan creative types you’re after.

The rooms and suites are stylish in a remarkably original way. That Camper brick red color is everywhere in evidence, and the modern-utilitarian design comes off humble rather than bombastic. Guests expecting white-glove luxury should look elsewhere, but most of us will find it more than comfortable enough — here some of the weight is carried by inspiring visuals and clever design rather than acres of marble and handmade horsehair beds.

With a location right in the middle of Berlin Mitte the Casa Camper is anything but isolated. Inevitably there are times when you’ll want to stay in, though, and the hotel offers one remarkable enticement: the Dos Palillos restaurant serves Asian tapas under the direction of Albert Raurich, formerly the chef de cuisine at Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli.

It’s hard to get more old-school Manhattan than the Shoreham’s midtown location. On 55th between 5th and 6th it’s close by to the park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and the theatre district, as well as some of be best upscale shopping in the world along 5th Avenue.

Until recently it had a classic Manhattan look to match, a sort of dramatic prewar Gotham style, which has since been traded in for something brighter and more contemporary — some rooms in warm tones with stainless-steel headboards, others in cool whites, with translucent backlit Shoji doors. It’s not exactly South Beach, but for New York, it’s surprisingly sunny.

Though the Shoreham is clearly a mid-price boutique, comforts are plentiful; rooms are spacious enough, this being Manhattan and all, and they pack in a fair bit of luxury. The penthouse suites are over-the-top, as penthouses tend to be, complete with outdoor terraces and jacuzzi tubs; even the standard rooms, though, come with pillow-top mattresses and highly functional modern marble and slate bathrooms. Along with the restaurant, serving world-spanning modern cuisines, and the Shoreham Bar, stylish in green silk and translucent glass, there’s a gallery and events space and even a small fitness center.

The legendary Broadmoor has stood at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain since 1891 — a near-eternity in the American West. For decades it’s been one of Colorado’s most iconic hotels, a sprawling Italian neoclassical compound against a backdrop of dramatic skies and purple mountain majesty. This is a destination resort, to be sure; it’s the rare Broadmoor guest who just happens to have business in sleepy Colorado Springs. They’re here for the golf, for the scenery, and for the award-winning hospitality.

Most recently it’s had a sort of preemptive renovation; it was in fine shape before and now it’s as posh as ever. The seven hundred guest rooms are spread amongst a number of buildings, from the historic main building to the more modern additions. All are elegantly designed, European in style (not a hint of Old West rusticism), furnished with rich antiques and chandeliers, many bathrooms with soaking tubs and separate showers.

A wide array of restaurants, bars and lounges serve the Broadmoor, a necessity owing to its size and relative isolation. Cuisine and service ranges from formal Continental cuisine, supported by an extensive wine list, to casual American fare.

Three golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Donald Ross make the Broadmoor a magnet for golfing enthusiasts. For the rest of us, there’s a world-class tennis facility, featuring nine plex-cushion courts with views of the Rockies, as well as three swimming pools and a spa and fitness center. And for the amateur mountaineer, Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods are within easy reach.