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I’ve recently come back around to the idea of Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic islands off the coast of Spain. Long derided as package holiday resort and eclipsed by its clubby neighbour Ibiza, Mallorca and especially its very funky capital, Palma, are back.

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This is another Asian city where you can easily find amazing hotels at a price. It’s also another city where the Peninsula chain provide with you a top option for accommodation. If however your budget is more constrained or you’re trying to meet a slightly tighter expenses budget this beautiful new business hotel could be for you.

Doubles from HK$988
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I cannot wait to go to Beirut. It’s rapidly emerging from its war-torn days and is becoming a multicultural east meets west venue in the Mediterranean, a new Istanbul. What was always an exotic destination is regaining its former glory before our eyes.

A key sign of this transformation is the slew of luxury hotels that have started opening. Along with the luxury standard bearer Four Seasons, this hotel, from the people that brought you One Aldwych in London and Carlisle Bay in Antigua, signals Beirut is more than just safe to go back to, it’s the next ‘it’ resort.

Doubles from $345.00

Wow. So if someone were to ask me how I’d like my ideal hotel designed they could do a lot worse than this. Old, classic building, minimal in it’s raw materials with stunning yet simple, luxurious furnishings.

This place looks amazing and starting at €220 per night it won’t break the bank either. Located on Lake Garda in Italy you too could be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mr Clooney in no time.
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I’ve always loved the idea of going to Zanzibar. Just off the coast off Tanzania, both these countries have always sounded so exotic.

My image of Zanzibar has always been rough and ready though and perhaps not for the faint-hearted but with this new property even the most dainty of travellers can find a home here.

Located on the island’s North Shore, each of the 15 pavilions has an upstairs and a downstairs, a plunge pool and views of the Indian Ocean. Ecologically sound too, the domed rooves collect rainwater to irrigate their own vegetable patch, a lot of the property runs off solar power and there is a waste water recycling plant.

Doubles from £600

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Like the post on Malmaison hotels, this is another stylish chain if you’re visiting the UK. (Actually they are sister companies.)

Hotels du Vin are styled a little more classically and located in smaller, more traditional cities in the UK, as well as a couple in major cities. The emphasis is very much on cuisine and you will find excellent cooking in all of their hotels. Between these and Malmaison hotels, you should have your visit to the UK sewn up.

Hotels du Vin have hotels in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Harrogate, Henley-on-Thames, Newcastle, Poole, St Andrews, Tunbridge Wells, Winchester and York and rooms start at £175.00 per night.

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One of my favourite cities in the world, I don’t need much persuasion to go back to this city that spans two continents. If I was in need of a little push this 17 room boutique hotel could just do it.

Set in the Cinhangir district of Istanbul, with views overlooking the picturesque Golden Horn and Galata Tower, this has quickly become the place to stay when visiting this historic city.

Doubles from £170

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This pair of boutique hotels in the Greek Islands have recently become the hottest destinations in their respective resorts. Browsing through their websites you can understand why.

The graceful coexistence of traditional architectural elements and local craftsmanship with modern facilities and simple but elegant design touches is apparent throughout the properties.

Doubles from €190 per night.

If you’re visiting the UK regions and are looking for a dependable hotel chain you could do a lot worse than Malmaison.

Often located in quirky buildings, one is a former prison, this stylish chain boasts attractive rooms, central locations and good food.

Look into them if you’re travelling to Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, or Reading

With a number of stateside locations already, this Spring sees this luxury boutique hotel chain open their first international branch in Toronto.

Thompson Hotels are contemporary and elegant with an element of edge and surprise. At Thompson Hotels we believe there’s a place for refined, innate style in a world of overly dressed-up mega brands. We are not trendy boutique hotels. Our style is simultaneously timeless and avant-garde.

Dare we hope Europe is next? Doubles from US $219.00

They made their first foray into Europe on the fringe with Istanbul. Now with Barcelona open and London due shortly, the luxury W hotel chain are clearly focussing on this previously untapped resource.

If you’re familiar with their multiple New York locations, it will come with a sigh of relief that their high quality is now available on this side of the pond.

(doubles from €199.00 plus taxes)

If you’re going to do Australia, do it properly. Qualia is a luxury holiday resort on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef. With two pools, two restaurants, a gym, a spa and a library this is the ultimate place to get away from it all.

Just a stone’s throw off the Queensland coast, qualia sits in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Qualia can be reached in only a few hours by plane from international gateway cities on Australia’s east coast, truly making it a world-class destination without the journey.

Situated in the Whitsundays, qualia puts the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef right on your doorstep. Its sun-drenched northern aspect provides the ideal location to appreciate the passing beauty of each day, surrounding you with some of the most stunning and spectacular waters to be found anywhere in the world.

I’m sold. Choose from Leeward pavillion (from 950.00 per night), Windward pavillion or Beach House accommodation.

In an idyllic corner of Spain, about as far removed from the concrete skyscrapers of the Costa del Sol as you can imagine, lies this endearing Posada. Tarifa, just west of Gibraltar is an old port city, the closest in Europe to Morocco. Not far away is a National Park with beautiful wild, windy beaches and sharp, rugged hills. This small guesthouse-like accommodation is situated in the centre of the city. From here you can take the ferry to Ceuta, the Spanish African enclave or straight to Morocco. Alternatively you can walk round the ancient fortress town or be in Kite-Surfing beach paradise in 20 minutes. The posada also offers a spa ‘wellness’ programme, boutique accessories and a good restaurant.

Here’s a stylish Spanish boutique hotel chain with properties in major Spanish cities and Paris.

The Hospes group takes classically beautiful older buildings and adds their unique contemporary makeover to make gorgeous hotels. To the mix they add high quality furnishings, spas and swimming pools, Korres products and the latest in-room technology.

Take a look if you’re visiting one of the following cities: Seville, Alicante, Mallorca, Madrid, Valencia, Cordoba, Granada, Ibiza, Puigcerdà and Paris.

I’m loving these black and white interiors of Mexico City hotel Distrito Capital.

GRUPO HABITA, celebrated worldwide for exceeding expectations in hotel design, unveils its 8th property, DISTRITO CAPITAL, in Mexico City’s international business neighborhood of Santa Fe, and most resolutely the world’s 21st-Century metropolis. So close to the US, Mexico will focus on travel with easy access, year round warm climate and increasing business. With DISTRITO CAPITAL Grupo HABITA once again carries its signature chic and outstanding service to previously unthought-of environments and transforms them into instant classics.