Five best: City boutique hotels

Hotel du Bourg Tibourg
Paris Part Gothic boudoir, part Moroccan harem, the décor of this Empire town house in the Marais district is more like a fantasy film set than a hotel. Designed by the Costes hotelier family, the Tibourg is a world away from the understated chic of their eponymous flagship hotel near the Louvre; leopard-print throne chairs adorn the crypt-like basement bar along with black wrought iron chandeliers and rich oriental tapestries. Low lighting reigns throughout and bedrooms are pretty intimate in size, so come with similar thoughts in mind. For a lighter mood, book one of the rooms overlooking the bright interior courtyard or the suite, which has a roof terrace commanding panoramic views of the happening 4th Arrondissement. www.hotelbourgtibourg.com


The Red Capital Club, Beijing
An "ode to Mao", the Red Capital Club, one of Beijing's first boutique hotels, is set in a converted 200-year-old Hutong (traditional house complex) tucked away in the city's old Dongcheng district. Brainchild of American hotelier and restaurateur Lawrence Brahm, this hotel and adjoining restaurant pays a playfully romantic nod to a China on the cusp of revolution. Expect propagandist posters, porcelain figurines depicting Red Guards and busts of The Chairman, and, for those who take their history with a sizeable pinch of kitsch, the chance to take a tour of the city in Madame Mao's 1970s Red Flag limousine. www.redcapitalclub.com.cn


Townhouse 31, Milan
Set in a residential area 10 minutes walk from the centre, Townhouse 31 offers a characterful alternative to Milan's homogenous business hotels. This restored 19th-century palazzo on Via Goldoni may have started out life as part of the uber-cool Design Hotels collective but the hotel makes efforts to avoid being merely a fashionista hangout. That said, there are enough concessions to style to keep all but the most overwrought couturier happy. A pebbled courtyard leads to a Zen-like foyer and the hotel's 17 rooms are done out in soothing styles with marble bathrooms and earthy African colours. The shared breakfast table means that guests may even have to keep their karma in check first thing in the morning.www.townhouse.it


Home, Buenos Aires
Due to open this month, Home looks set to bring a touch of multi-cultural spirit to the Argentinian capital's traditional hotel scene. Built to satisfy the personal requirements of its English record-producer owner and his Irish-born/locally raised wife, Home is the kind of place the couple wanted to stay in but just couldn't previously find in Buenos Aires. This particular home-away-from-home, in BA's trendy Palermo Viejo district, comes with 18 bedrooms and suites, a spa with open-air "Zen Garden", and a pool set in leafy grounds around which you can sit and escape the city with a lazy afternoon of "asado" (barbecue).www.homebuenosaires.com


Hotel Omm, Barcelona
It may be in the heart of Spain's most buzzing city but as the name, derived from a meditative chant, suggests, Hotel Omm encourages its guests to take a moment to relax. Easily done when the hotel's rooftop pool, a Miami-meets-Stockholm confection of light-wood decking and white padded lounge chairs, has unimpeded views of Gaudi's Casa Mila, the Saggrada Familia and the elegant Passeig de Gràcia shopping district below. Omm is the first hotel from the Tragaluz group, famed for such happening Barcelona restaurants as El Tragaluz and El Japones, and comes with 58 rooms, one suite set around an atrium garden and two restaurants. www.hotelomm.es

Five Best: Eco Chic Hotels

White Pod Switzerland
With concerns over the impact of winter sports, the creation of White Pod in 2004 came as a breath of fresh alpine air. Accommodation is in six domed tents on wooden platforms. Bathrooms are shared and pods are heated by wood stoves and lit by petrol lamps. But the real treat is the setting - an uninterrupted vista of the Dents du Midi, which can be explored on skis or bicycle, depending on the season.
White Pod, Dents du Midi, Switzerland.www.whitepod.com

Hotelito Desconocido Mexico




Situated in a protected wetland estuary containing sea turtles and 150 species of bird, Hotelito Desconocido recognises the fragility of its surroundings. There is no electricity - solar power and candles are used instead. Fruit and vegetables are grown in the garden and fish is caught locally. The palafitos (stilted huts) are built from bamboo, palm leaves and clay, and feature art from local craftsmen. Rooms are set against a backdrop of tropical plants, coconut palms and cacti, either overlooking the Pacific or estuary. From June to January guests might even get the chance to see rescued baby turtles being released into the sea. www.hotelito.com

Strattons England
One way to lessen your ecological footprint is to reduce air travel. Strattons is one of a handful of upmarket environmentally-sensitive hotels in the UK and has won a cluster of awards. Waste is recycled, produce is local and toiletry containers are refilled. However, little has been spared when it comes to luxury. Each of the seven bedrooms at the restored Queen Anne Villa is individually decorated with wooden floorboards and an eclectic mix of furniture. A series of stables has also been converted into a suite, complete with a marble mosaic wet room and solar-powered radio. www.strattons-hotel.co.uk


Canvas Chic France
Canvas Chic brings nomadic Central Asian canvas dwellings to the rather unlikely location of southern France. The camp of three yurts reopens in the Ardeche at Easter with an additional nine individual tents, one Oriental in style with a bamboo four-poster bed, another Indian-themed with crimson bedlinen and etched lamps. Tents and pathways are lit by solar power and candles, and the shared bathrooms use heated rainwater. New for this year are several family-oriented yurts.www.canvaschic.com

Fiji Islands Resort Fiji



The son of Jacques Cousteau opened this Fijian hideaway just over a decade ago. Among the staff is a marine biologist who takes guests to nearby mangroves to plant seeds, or to explore coral reefs, and explains the local ecosystem. But there's plenty of time to relax and appreciate the location. Accommodation is in bures or cottages, which are naturally ventilated - there are also no televisions or telephones. And if the setting alone doesn't satisfy, there are also Fijian language lessons, yoga, trips to local markets or hikes through tropical forest. www.fijiresort.com