Hotels for discerning travellers

Places to stay that reward the journey: calm rooms, serious kitchens and staff who know your name.

Price guide: £ under £200 · ££ £200–400 · £££ £400–800 · ££££ £800+ a night

Illuminated pool terrace at night at The Omnia, Zermatt

The Omnia, Switzerland

Outdoor infinity pool at FORESTIS reflecting the hotel and forest, with the Dolomites behind

FORESTIS, Italy

Glass-walled timber Landscape Room among birch trees at Juvet Landscape Hotel

Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway

Thatched lodge overlooking the volcanoes at sunset, Bisate Lodge, Rwanda

Bisate Lodge, Rwanda

Minimalist chalets on a forested hillside above the valley at Santani, Sri Lanka

Santani Wellness Resort & Spa, Sri Lanka

Aerial view of hillside cottages and pools among greenery, 98 Acres Resort, Ella

98 Acres Resort & Spa, Sri Lanka

Aerial view of Hôtel Le Faucigny in central Chamonix

Hôtel Le Faucigny, France

Stone exterior and garden terrace of Hotel Barosse at dusk

Hotel Barosse, Spain

Mount Kazbek at sunset above the valley near Rooms Hotel Kazbegi

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, Georgia

Infinity pool overlooking cloud-wrapped mountains at Topas Ecolodge, Sapa

Topas Ecolodge, Vietnam

The white Belle Époque façade of Hotel B in Barranco

Hotel B, Peru

Mashpi Lodge's glass façade among tree ferns at dusk

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Post Ranch Inn's terraces above the Big Sur coast at sunset

Post Ranch Inn, USA

Positano's houses and church dome seen from Le Sirenuse

Le Sirenuse, Italy

Longitude 131°'s tents in the dunes with Uluru on the horizon

Longitude 131°, Australia

Mahali Mzuri's tents on a ridge above the Mara at sunrise

Mahali Mzuri, Kenya

Taj Lake Palace floating on Lake Pichola at dawn

Taj Lake Palace, India