Franschhoek, meaning “French corner,” is an oddity in Dutch-settled South Africa — a village founded by Huguenots during the seventeenth century, and a place that retains its Provençal character to this day. The surrounding area is part of the South African wine country, and the nearby vineyards still bear French names, as well as a quaint array of antique shops and museums.

Here, just 45 minutes from Cape Town, is a strange blend of two hemispheres, the stunning landscapes of the Western Cape set against the distinctly Provençal facade. Bedrooms are spacious, even sprawling, dressed in rich colors and hand-painted fabrics, eschewing any African references in favor of an updated and simplified French auberge look. The courtyard pool is the centerpiece in the summer, and in winter, guests can be found tucked in around their wood-burning fireplaces.

It’s no surprise that food and drink are the focus of Le Quartier Francais; the restaurant serves Cape cuisine, a rather unique fusion of French, Malay, and traditional South African traditions. The wine is, of course, another attraction, with a number of the region’s finest labels on hand. The contrast of French auberge style with South Africa’s towering granite peaks is a pleasant one — just don’t be surprised if you can’t remember which hemisphere you are in.

How to get there:
Le Quartier Francais is approximately a 50 minute drive from Cape Town International Airport.

It’s a medieval Irish castle relocated to the heart of Dublin and re-imagined for the boom years. The Fitzwilliam is Terence Conran’s big Irish hotel design statement, and it’s not a quiet one. This hundred-odd-room palace lords over the west side of St. Stephen’s Green, complete with park views from the terrace, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a second casual-chic Conran-designed eatery — and it’s about as central as it gets, around the corner from the shops on Grafton Street and walking distance from more nightlife than any one person can handle.

Sir Terence’s ultra-clean modern style is in evidence all over this place, so much so that the frilly script F above the bed feels almost garish, surrounded as it is by expanses of cream and grey. Anyone who can get luxury-hotel guests to move forward out of the Belle Epoque and into something more contemporary deserves a knighthood in our book — here the Fitzwilliam’s clientele of Irish celebs and Celtic-tiger entrepreneurs sleep in stylish minimalist peace.

Views, naturally, get better as you go up, and the penthouse, designed by the very hip London interiors firm Project Orange, is the ultimate in bachelor-pad excess, with a grand piano and massive egg-shaped tub to go with its privileged position overlooking the Green.

To be perfectly frank, it sounds more than a little bit insane. Then again, that’s probably exactly what one ancient Egyptian said to another on the topic of that new development at Giza. The Palace of the Lost City is part Vegas, part Orlando, part eighth wonder of the world, a resort on the site of a mythical lost empire — and, not coincidentally, also on the site of Sun City, South Africa’s designated leisure and entertainment district.

It’s not just the casinos and live shows that link Sun City with Las Vegas. Both are best approached uncritically — it’s not their impeccable good taste that attracts millions of visitors, but rather the sense of spectacle, of over-the-top entertainment. On that score the Palace certainly qualifies. The public spaces are resplendent in a sort of classically-influenced lost-world African-empire style — think ancient Greece with palm fronds, or a bizarro-world African Versailles with a pervasive elephant motif.

The rooms and suites, by and large, dial down the volume on the theme — they’re still heavily styled, but many have striking lake or valley views. It’s classic resort-hotel living, with no sensual pleasure denied, whether in the standard rooms or the most lavish suites. And in addition to the multitude of dining and entertainment options, the Palace is positioned to make the most of Sun City’s other charms — not only is it a golfer’s paradise, featuring a wickedly difficult Gary Player course (complete with Nile crocodiles), but it’s an ideal jumping-off point for a safari in Pilanesberg National Park.

It doesn’t get much grander than a 19th-century palace hotel in Europe’s banking capital. Baur au Lac, a Zurich institution since 1844, played host to pretty much anyone who was anyone, from royalty and heads of state to artists and Alfred Nobel. It’s kept itself in fine shape, and its antique-strewn opulence is a chastening reminder that today’s design hotels might not age quite so gracefully.

That’s not to say time here has stood still. Today, following a massive renovation, there’s a rooftop fitness center with an extraordinary view of the lake, and the bedrooms come with business-traveling musts like wireless internet and technology butlers. The suites are bigger than ever, and all rooms come equipped with such high-tech necessities as flat-screen televisions and iPod docking stereos. But it hasn’t lost touch with its roots, and many of Baur au Lac’s greatest charms are timeless and low-tech: shoes are collected and shined while you sleep, and the hotel’s private garage will not just store your vehicle but clean it, refuel it, even fix it if need be.

This is the kind of hotel that becomes a hub for its city’s social life. The restaurant has seen a thorough redesign at the hands of Pierre-Yves Rochon, and many a deal has no doubt been made over tea or aperitifs in Le Hall; meanwhile Club Diagonal is the sort of contemporary and relevant VIP-catering nightclub that’s a real rarity in an old-world grand hotel.

When we talk about economic development we’re normally talking about South America or sub-Saharan Africa. But how about Sicily? In just a couple generations they’ve gone from barely surviving to downright thriving — and among the evidence you’ll find a number of fine hotels, not least of which is Parco Cavalonga, near Ragusa, on the island’s far southern end.

The park in question is a valley whose gentle slopes are covered with the traditional olive trees and low scrubby Sicilian brush. The setting provides a feeling of isolation that’s quite beyond anything you’ll find in more typical Italian environs. And Parco Cavalonga is practically a self-contained village — the Relais Parco Cavalonga contains fifteen stylish hotel rooms, and the eight Residences allow for quite a bit more spreading out.

So it’s a choice between a cozy little inn with stylish, subtly contemporary rooms, or a rather more luxurious spell in one of the freestanding houses — to call them cottages, as Parco Cavalonga does, is a bit of an understatement. There’s one infinity pool for the Relais and another for the Residences, and either one is a fine place to spend part of a sunny afternoon; it’s a long way indeed from the Sicily of a few decades ago.

There’s something soothing even about the name. And while the Park Hotel Amsterdam is no relation to any of the other Park hotels you might have in mind, it’s a name that suits this understated, effortless, modern luxury hotel. The décor is vibrant and crisp, though never flashy, and the experience radiates refinement without ever feeling forced.

Rooms are spacious and well-appointed rooms, decorated in a muted palette of blacks and grays. Furniture becomes more eclectic as the price and scale of the rooms increases, from the lime green chairs of the superior rooms to the patterned sofas of the split-level loft suite. Each room, however, features a zoned-mattress personalized sleep system and an interactive lighting design for guests to explore — they’re thoughtful touches, geared towards the comforts that count. Without sacrificing privacy, the bathrooms’ lack of interior walls creates a sense of openness and peace. And the views, especially from the larger suites, are panoramic postcards of central Amsterdam.

A 24-hour fitness center is sleek and well-equipped, and the front desk is more than happy to book you a cruise down the canal or help plan a night out. For those who prefer a night in, MOMO restaurant serves up Asian fusion, while its triangular bar, buffed to a reflective sheen, provides a worthy home for the hotel’s signature cocktails. Located along a prime stretch of the Singelgracht canal in the bustling city center, next to the Van Gogh Museum and across from Vondel Park, the hotel effortlessly serves as a nexus of culture and commerce — if for some reason you’re fashion-phobic, avoiding a brand-name assault from the shops in this neighborhood can be something of a challenge.

Its sister hotels in Montreal and Toronto are no less sleek, no less luxe — but when it comes time to measure them against their in-town competition, it’s the Hôtel Le Germain Calgary that comes out ahead. Calgary’s long since outgrown its cowboy phase, but it’d be a stretch to call it a cultural capital; this is what makes the stylish and urbane Le Germain so impressive.

The location, along 9th Avenue, could hardly be more central, which helps — this means business and leisure travelers alike have no geographic reason to look elsewhere. And why should they? You’d have to be allergic to both contemporary design and modern boutique hospitality to consider giving this one a miss. (A rare condition, thankfully.)

It’s a new build, and a striking one at that, not just outside but inside as well. The common areas are chic, creatively lit and decked out in rich materials like mosaic tile and volcanic rock. The rooms are a bit more sedate, exuding a low-key residential air, with slightly risqué open-plan baths. The hotel’s environmental measures are manifold, which include little things like low-flow toilets and energy-efficient lights but also bigger interventions, such as the geothermic system whose deep wells heat the hotel’s water supply (and the radiant floors).

Atop it all stands the spa complex, with far-ranging views from its well-equipped fitness center. There’s one very distinct nod to Calgary’s ranching heritage in the form of the Charcut Roast House, and the lobby lounge is fast becoming one of the city’s preferred central meeting points.

Please note: For most periods of the year, there is 3-night minimum stay requirement at Jamahal Private Resort & Spa.

It would be easy enough to say that the Jamahal Private Resort & Spa is the sort of place where your dreams meet reality, especially if those dreams involve sun, surf, and your significant other. We’re not really that sort of website — nevertheless we are comfortable saying that this thirteen-room hideaway in Jimbaran, a calmer area of lively Bali, certainly meets our standards for a fun place to spend a little together time.

Greenery abounds, turning every nook into a clandestine jungle enclave. Sure, you could leave the property for a round at the nearby golf course, a swim in the Indian Ocean, or a walk along the private beach. But, depending on your villa, you’ll have a private pool, indoor/outdoor bathroom in the traditional Balinese style, possibly a jacuzzi at your disposal. Some villas open onto the manmade lagoon, where you can take your meals listening to the nearby waterfall. Another option, for eating, relaxing, etc., is to lay on one of the outdoor beds — yes, beds — covered with a thatched roof and jutting out into the lagoon. Perhaps unsurprisingly, guests must be over sixteen.

Too often tropical resorts provide luxury at the expense of natural resources. Not so here, happily. Its newest buildings utilize environmentally sensitive, low impact materials and best practices. Most rooms have high ceilings and floors made of merbau, a strong indigenous wood flecked with distinctive gold spots. A green attitude even extends to the nicely appointed spa, which relies on local recipes and ingredients for its treatments: try the coffee scrub followed by the yogurt bath, or go in for the couples’ package, which concludes with a dinner lit by, apparently, a thousand candles.

Presumably it’s only golfers who will be interested in the Old Course Hotel; a few of you may just be mad for the hills of Fife, but most are here to see the birthplace of the game. For the Old Course is not just any old course, but the original course, St. Andrews, and the Old Course Hotel stands over the 17th fairway of these storied links, between the old course and the sea.

Getting in to play on the old course is another matter entirely, and a stay at the Old Course Hotel by no means guarantees you a spot — this you’ll have to get through whatever are the customary channels. St. Andrews, however, is not short on golfing opportunities: it’s home to a half-dozen other courses, including the hotel’s own Duke’s Course (confusing, we know), at which hotel guests are guaranteed tee-times.

Wherever you’re playing, you could do a lot worse for a hotel than the Old Course. Though a relatively new building (dating back to the Sixties, it’s about five hundred years less old than the old course), it’s built to blend in with the classic buildings of the St. Andrews seaside. Inside it’s more modern, a conservative marble lobby giving way to spacious and comfortable rooms in a restrained contemporary style — the temptation, here avoided, would have been to load up on the tartan, leaving guests too cross-eyed to swing a club.

Golf widows and other conscientious objectors can take advantage of the palatial spa complex, complete with a stunning indoor pool and a fitness center, in addition to the usual complement of body treatments. And at the end of the day golfers and golf-dodgers alike come together in any one of three restaurants to dine with a view of the old course.

The original Palmilla Resort, in its incarnation as a 1950s hot spot, played host to the A-listers of the day — people like Bing Crosby, Ernest Hemingway, even Dwight Eisenhower came here for a taste of the still-exotic, still-unspoiled Baja California. Today, after an $80m renovation, the Palmilla is under the wing of Butch Kerzner’s One & Only group, owner and operator of other VIP resorts like Mauritius’ Le Touessrok and Le Saint Géran.

Naturally, then, the beautiful people are back — and in keeping with the times, today’s VIPs tend to be younger and more photogenic than Ike or Papa Hemingway. Tom Cruise famously swam with the whales at the resort’s grand re-opening, and John Travolta held his star-studded fiftieth birthday here.

They come for the seclusion, above all. Though parts of Mexico are grotesquely overdeveloped, this stretch of coastline between Cabo San Lucas and the quaint town of San José del Cabo is a throwback to Mexico’s good old days. And sometimes a little competition is just what a resort hotel needs to recapture its former glory — in this case, the storied Las Ventanas del Paraiso happens to be just down the road.

Palmilla is built on a promontory above the ocean, with easy access to the sublime beach below, right on the tip of the Baja California, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. And the resort itself is first-class all the way; the service rivals any in the Western hemisphere, with personal butler service to all rooms. The facilities indulge in the same kind of overkill — the guest rooms are stylish and supremely comfortable, with flat-screen satellite TVs set amidst tasteful, contemporary Mexican décor.

Add to all that a restaurant by Chicago celebrity chef Charlie Trotter (designed by star architect Adam Tihany), a Jack Nicklaus golf course, and a sprawling indoor/outdoor spa and fitness center, and you have just about everything a VIP guest could ask for. Of course you don’t have to be Hollywood royalty to enjoy the Palmilla star treatment — a few nights here and anyone would feel like a friend of Travolta.

How to get there:

One & Only Palmilla is a 25 minutes drive from San Jose Del Cabo International Airport, and the resort is a 20-minute drive along the Carretera Transpeninsular Number One Highway.