Built in the 1930s, this South Beach adults-only boutique property is a true art-deco marvel: With its curved facade and dinky porthole windows, its look is quintessential Miami. Consistently good weather means guests can while away their days at the rooftop pool, whose predominantly ice-white palette is enlivened with pops of coral pink and pistachio. Evenings at restaurant Sérêvène are buzzy—intimate groups should request to sit in the half-moon slate-grey booths to easily share immaculately presented dishes from its sophisticated French-Japanese menu. When the night winds down, inviting bedrooms are immediately calming. Expect eggshell tones, pale blonde woods and tasteful minimalist interiors that feel almost a touch Scandi.

All your Maldives fantasies are brought to reality at this pioneering Conrad. As one of the country’s original luxury resorts, it secured a particularly spectacular setting: Spread across two pancake-flat, palm-studded islands, its soft-sand beaches are vanilla white; the warm waters that lap it shimmer brilliant shades of sapphire and iceberg blue. Soothing Ayurvedic massages await in the overwater spa; beach-chic villas might feature private pools; seaside dinners are illuminated by flickering lanterns. But for the ultimate meal to remember, descend to the undersea restaurant Ithaa where guests dine beneath a transparent dome as rainbow-bright shoals of fish, and perhaps the occasional turtle, swim by overhead. 

A rural retreat ringed by temples and rice paddies that’s still just minutes from the bustle of boho Ubud, the family-run Viceroy beautifully conveys what makes Bali so special—from the welcome check-in gift of a necklace of fragrant frangipani flowers onwards. Cascading down a verdant valley, villas overlook waterfalls and a lush treetop canopy where monkeys mingle. At the tranquil spa, intuitive therapists lead sound-healing sessions using chimes and singing bowls—an experience that’s truly transcendental. When the day heats up, refreshment awaits with a dip in the hilltop infinity pool or through a visit to the open-air bar for a lychee martini. 

You’ll find what is possibly the world’s most Instagrammable infinity pool (and officially its largest) some 57 storeys up at Marina Bay Sands. Stretched dramatically over three momentous towers, it’s the crowning glory of an immense resort that is also recognised as one of Singapore’s most impressive national landmarks, but there’s so much more here besides. Scores of restaurants cover every conceivable dining concept, from casual ramen to gourmet British at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen. At the rooftop Sands SkyPark, fitness trainers lead guests in breathtaking spinning, Muay Thai and Pilates classes. With floor-to-ceiling windows, rooms offer striking views of Gardens by the Bay, the waterfront or the dazzle of the city. 

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Palm Springs’ consistently sunny skies beautifully match the vibrancy of The Saguaro. It’s painted in 14 riotous colours that represent wildflowers found in California’s Mojave Desert, from the buttercup yellow of brittlebush to a tangy tangerine representing California poppies. Like Palm Springs itself, the property is an ode to fun, creativity and inclusivity. On weekends, mimosas flow freely during indulgent drag brunches; generous extended happy hours on weekdays mean the atmosphere’s always celebratory. A perennially popular spot that attracts sociable people, this is a property with bags of personality.

Hotel designer Bill Bensley’s imagination ran rampant when he dreamt up the concept for this resort on Vietnam’s leafy and agreeably sleepy Phu Quoc island. Jauntily decorated with 5,000-plus upcycled antiques, this hotel is modelled on the fictional Lamarck University, supposedly shuttered in the 1940s, so guests get to inhabit a fantasy campus. That means you can ‘get schooled’ in mixology by lab coat-clad bar staff at the Department of Chemistry Bar; the Department of Physical Education gym looks like a traditional sports hall; and a clever range of on-site activities lets guests learn new skills like traditional Vietnamese lantern-making.

Formerly a fantastical family home, this unique local landmark on an outcrop by the sea became one of the Algarve’s first hotels in the 1930s. Crammed with original features, exploring the hotel is a total delight for design lovers: look overhead in the bar to admire the hand-painted ceiling; in the building’s turret, room 116’s lavender-toned bathroom is illuminated like a kaleidoscope by stained-glass windows; clad in intricately detailed tiles, even the walls are wow-worthy. Elsewhere, bright primary colours and maximalist patterns keep things upbeat, but some of Bela Vista’s most beautiful attributes lie outside the property: as the name suggests, its elevated Atlantic Ocean views are awe-inspiring. 

In Shoreditch, a once-gritty neighbourhood that is now home to some of London’s best bars and restaurants, this modern property is a distillation of the trend-setting district that surrounds it. At the lobby, guests enter an immersive artwork of pulsating, colour-changing lights. Overseen by lauded Spanish chef Dani García, casual tapas restaurant BiBo Shoreditch is finished in stylish coppers and greens. Featuring whitewashed brick walls, bedrooms are chic and airy, but the most inviting space of all is the rooftop restaurant and pool ringed by skyscrapers, where diners and swimmers can drink in showstopper views of the city. 

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A retro-inspired White Island fever dream finished in bubblegum pinks, this playful hotel on Spain’s famed party island of Ibiza is packed with surprises. Take its Zero Suite, a glass-walled bedroom and installation by the lobby—if you’re happy to be filmed and photographed in situ you can sleepover for free. Want more unconventionality? There’s an on-site tattoo parlour, art gallery and adjacent events space that hosts music festivals and holds a half-pipe for skating. But perhaps the most photogenic spot of all is around the two outdoor pools, with its series of spruce cabanas and distinctive circular bar that’s the colour of cotton candy. 

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A Rio icon through and through, this handsome hotel’s seafront backdrop is a stunner: its views of Arpoador and Ipanema beaches, and the towering peaks of Two Brothers mountain, look their best when savoured over zesty caipirinhas by the rooftop infinity pool. Interiors indicate a sense of place more discreetly: gorgeous pieces of mid-century-modern furniture showcase pioneering Brazilian design. To make even more of that unbeatable setting, book a seafront room and enjoy a long, lazy breakfast of acai bowls, buttery pastries and the fluffiest pancakes as the rising sun paints pastel pinks across the Atlantic Ocean. 

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