Fologa

A fitting emblem of the new Perth, The Treasury is part of the ambitious Cathedral Square development, a $580 million reinvention of a cluster of 19th-century state treasury and Anglican Diocese buildings on the edge of the Central Business District, which sat empty for more than 20 years before the COMO outpost moved in. Almost every detail in the hotel (which primarily occupies the top floors of three 140-year-old buildings) has been returned to its original state, from the reinstalled dormer windows to the roofline’s copper trim. Check out Wildflower, the hotel's glassed-in rooftop restaurant, for a taste of this pioneer city's thriving food scene, courtesy of executive chef Jed Gerrard, and David Thompson’s Thai street-food joint, Long Chim, adjacent to the hotel.

Though it’s a sleek, modern hotel with impeccable high-tech hardware in its 185 rooms, Raffles’ address in Istanbul still channels the city’s Byzantine charm and mystery. Chalk it up to the gorgeous views from almost every room and lush Turkish textiles, handicrafts (like pierced metal-and-glass similar to those found in the Blue Mosque), and dramatic framed photos of the city's most famous sites. Set in the central Besiktas neighborhood on the European side, the Raffles puts guests right on top of an array of shopping and dining options, and you can see the Bosphorus from many of the rooms. Istanbul is the city where Europe meets Asia, and the hotel’s dining choice reflect that. Isokoyo serves a creative pan-Asian menu (from Chinese dumplings to pickled and fermented Korean dishes), Rocca Brasserie has shareable plates and homemade pastas, and the lobby Lavinia Lounge presents afternoon tea surrounded by mirrored mosaics and oversized sculptures. There are also outposts of Raffles classics—like the Long Bar and patisserie—and a sixth floor lounge for drinks and bites around the pool and expansive views at both day and night.

Badrutt’s Palace doesn’t skimp on extravagance, possessing all the perks one expects from a St. Moritz hotel. The glamorous alpine hideaway overlooks the ski resort’s famous lake, and has been the go-to destination for celebrities and royalty since it first opened in 1896: Alfred Hitchcock became a loyal guest after spending his honeymoon there, and even an elephant once graced its halls. Complete with towers and turrets, the snowcapped hotel feels straight out of a winter fairytale—with the views to boot—and the rooms and suites provide an upscale, toasty retreat after a day on the slopes (hot water bottles are tucked under the sheets each night). There’s a restaurant to fit every mood (11 in total) and nightcaps should be imbibed at the Polo Bar, a popular spot among locals. Time your stay wisely: the New Year’s bashes, we hear, are legendary.

Twenty-six years on, Ellerman House is still everybody’s fantasy bolthole in Cape Town: minutes from the best beaches and the Table Mountain cableway, but close enough to the city and its dynamic food, art, and design scene. Sandwiched between Lion’s Head and the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape Edwardian mansion looks like a private residence from the road and that’s exactly what keeps guests coming back. Owner Paul Harris takes enormous pride in his country—his impressive collection of South African art spans original works from the turn of the last century to current contemporary art. An informal tour of the collection with one of the in-house art experts is a fascinating lesson in the country’s socio-political history. Then there are the 7,500 bottles of rare and vintage South African wines in the cellar, and the indigenous plants sourced from Kirstenbosch (Cape Town’s botanical garden) in the 1.5-acre terraced gardens. Besides the main house, there are two modern, minimalist private villas built into the granite mountainside, as well as a wine gallery, and an excellent little spa.

Redeveloped by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Xintiandi is Shanghai’s car-free entertainment district, built in and around a series of 19th-century shikumen (or “stone gate”) houses. Perfectly fitting in with that old-meets-new vibe is this 357-room luxury hotel, which occupies a contemporary granite-and-glass tower inspired by Chinese latticework. Inside, at the Chuan Spa, personalized treatments incorporate the five elements of wuxing philosophy: wood, earth, water, fire, and metal. And the property is filled with other nods to traditional art and culture, including a recurring horse motif that draws on Han Dynasty imagery. Guests shouldn’t miss a meal at the Michelin-starred T’ang Court, where Cantonese dishes include roasted goose, drunken pigeon in rice wine, and bird’s nest soup with crab roe.

Spread across two buildings—20 suites in the beautifully restored 1911 Shanghai Club, 252 rooms and suites in the newly built tower—this hotel is a magnificent homage to Shanghai’s swank European past. In addition to opulent colonial-style suites (poster beds, walk-in closets, claw-foot tubs), the old building, now called the Waldorf Astoria Club, has a jaw-dropping 110-foot-long bar with Bund views. Rooms are neoclassical—pale-green linen wallpaper, matching silk bedcovers, and carpets with swirling flower motifs—but have all the mod cons, as well as a bathroom where a TV is embedded in the mirror and the Japanese-style toilet has water jets.

Last autumn—desperate for a sanctuary from living in locked-down Brooklyn with a newborn—I found an Edenic combination of escapism and reconnection here. Unlike at some resorts, visitors here don’t block out the destination once they check in. The 300-acre estate is in Chiusdino, on the more rugged side of Tuscany, and feels like a microcosm of the region itself. The ricotta at dinner comes from the sheep you’ve spied on long walks through farms and forests; the fields of lavender and marigold provide ingredients for the face oils at the spa. None of this is to say that Borgo Santo Pietro isn’t sharp. Everything is done with a very Italian elegance: the manicured gardens and landscaped pool; the staff who appear with a Spritz and silver tray of truffled chips simply because they thought you needed it (and I did); the Trattoria sull’Albero, with its thick oak tree rising in the middle. During the harvest season, guests can pluck and stomp grapes at Borgo’s tumble of vineyards. There’s a six-foot-deep swimming hole in the middle of a rushing stream. It’s on the property but open to use by the 30 or so locals from a nearby village. Closer to the guest villas is a tall canopied wall beside the vegetable gardens, along which pilgrims in the Middle Ages trekked to the nearby Abbey of San Galgano. My stay was an opportunity to explore a pocket of wild southern Tuscany, thrillingly alone and free, without ever needing to backtrack through the great wide entrance gates. Doubles from $760. —Erin Florio

Walking into the W’s first Middle Eastern outpost is like entering a never-ending party: Chill-out music plays in the sleek lobby (even at 8 a.m.), and the handsome staff from Mexico, New Zealand, Tanzania, and Russia, among other countries, hand each arriving guest a mocktail. The hotel’s Sisley Paris Spa and restaurants (there's Papermoon Milan and Peruvian spot COYA) are attracting expats and locals eager for a more global experience. The 442 rooms are filled with curves: rounded frames for the desks and bed platforms, arabesques on walls and curtains, and circular chairs positioned to take in the seafront or the evolving skyline of starchitect skyscrapers. Business travelers will appreciate the convenient location in the West Bay financial district, the attentive service, and the lap pool with resistance current.

The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is a grandiose, glistening example of Middle Eastern opulence. Case in point: the Ritz-Carlton Suite, which clocks in at 1,356 square feet, has a stylish four-poster bed, spacious powder room, full marble bathroom with a soaking tub, a color therapy shower, separate living and dining areas, a kitchen, and two terraces overlooking the Grand Canal. The 21,500-square-foot Bedouin spa, a short ride from the hotel, is a standalone oasis with a private beach, 16 treatment rooms, plunge pools, saunas, and a plethora of luxurious treatments. Families can make use of Ritz Kids, available daily for children ages four to 12. Those keen on visiting the mosque and learning more about the cultural landmark can catch the hotel shuttle, which runs every 30 minutes.

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