Tranquility underpins kodō hotel, a 100-year-old former fire house-turned-boutique hotel in the heart of the Los Angeles Arts District. Rooms and suites take design cues from Japan with a neutral palette of white, beige and gray complemented by high wood beamed ceilings and nature-inspired furnishings, such as the rock-like bathroom sinks.

The quirky European-accented charm of Le Petit Pali St. Helena is a perfect fit for the California wine country — and this setting affords the Petit Pali concept some space to expand to a more resort-like experience. Rooms and suites look out over the surrounding vineyards, as do the freestanding cottages, which come with fireplaces and private patios.

What started as a return to regenerative farming soon evolved into a project that unites land, food, and hospitality. The result is Quercus, four cottage-style suites furnished with botanical tones and heirlooms from the Visconti collection, while wide porches and fireplaces turn the outdoors into living space. Dining, guided by a biodynamic garden, shapes every stay.

Inn of the Five Graces has a one-of-a-kind setting: a series of restored adobe houses in Santa Fe’s Barrio de Analco, considered the oldest neighborhood in the United States. Rooms feature rustic exposed beams, wood-burning fireplaces, and colorful mosaic. Suites, for their part, are arranged around a cluster of quiet courtyards. Decorations also include the owner-designer’s museum-worthy art collection.

The façade of the Nickel Hotel pays tribute to the melting pot of historical styles that is Charleston. The central courtyard, though, ringed by three stories of wrought-iron balconies, presents a Victorian atmosphere. The public spaces are similarly dramatic. In the rooms and suites you’ll find residential comforts like full kitchens, and many open onto courtyard-facing balconies.

A long-vacant, landmark oceanfront hotel in Palm Beach underwent extensive renovations and reopened as Palm House. Many of this Mediterranean-style property’s best features were preserved, from the coral-hued facade to the palm-framed pool deck. Rooms are bright and cheerful with sixties-inspired decor — mirrored wall panels, mod table lamps, upholstered headboards, and huge marble bathrooms.

Built as a private residence in 1880, the hotel originally known as Chateau Belvedere was the most glamorous lodging in town. Today, after a thorough restoration, its decades-spanning historical charms are on full display. Hotel Belvedere is a first-rate luxury boutique hotel on a modest, local scale, with 19 unique rooms and suites that follow the building’s historical floor plans.

The Twenty Two New York is a London import, named for its sister’s address on Grosvenor Square. The design is one part Manhattan history, thanks to its home in the restored Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt house, and one part international modern luxury. Expect interiors that are full of character, with homages to classic American design movements as well as subtle but substantial modern luxuries.

Built right into the rocky hillside, the Shoreside rooms at the ViewPoint are the kind of modern accommodations you expect to see on the coast of Portugal, not necessarily the coast of Maine. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Atlantic, and most importantly, the iconic Nubble Lighthouse. Further up the hill, a chateau-style beach cottage building features large suites with kitchens and multiple bedrooms.

To make the Maker, a trio of historic buildings were divided into eleven rooms, each one individually designed and outfitted with a mix of Art Deco and mid-century modern décor, and lit by unique vintage pieces. Those in the main Georgian mansion-style building have living areas with fireplaces, while Parisian-inspired loft rooms feature dormer windows and private terraces.

In its latest iteration as the Hotel Chalet, Chattanooga’s Beaux Arts–style Terminal Station has been fully restored to its golden age grandeur. Most interesting are the rooms housed in renovated Pullman carriages. Some are Victorian, with original Tiffany Glass pendants and bentwood dining chairs, and others are midcentury modern, with custom wall coverings and plush sleeper sofas.

An hour from Manhattan, Pendry Natirar reimagines a 500-acre Somerset County estate once owned by Moroccan royalty. At its core is a 1912 Tudor-style mansion, now joined by sleek guest wings, a spa, tennis courts, and an organic farm that supplies the property’s restaurants, including the acclaimed Ninety Acres. It’s a rare mix of scale, setting, and substance in the Northeast.

The owners of Merrill House live part-time in London, and the décor wouldn’t look a whisker out of place there. Each of the 14 rooms and suites feature an eclectic and individual blend of the antique and the modern, including plenty of playful art. A few go to extremes — the Future Room is furnished on both floor and ceiling. It’s the kind of bold and brave boutique hotel that’s always welcome.

Upon its advent the 1 Hotels brand quickly established what feels like a whole new category: the sustainable luxury hotel. In typical 1 Hotels style, their Seattle outpost has as much nature inside as out, with a two-story green wall in the lobby and living plants in the rooms and suites. The rooms feel modern but warm, full of organic materials and textures and first-rate comforts.

Situated on 4,000 acres just outside Park City, The Lodge at Blue Sky offers a remote, design-driven take on the mountain getaway. Accommodations range from creekside cabins to grass-roofed hillside suites and cliffside rooms with wide views of Alexander Canyon. The vibe is peaceful but active, and every detail: stone, glass, wood, is placed to keep the landscape front and center.

The artistic community of Ganges is a charming small town, and just a short walk from the town center is Hastings House Country House Hotel, which feels for all the world like an English country-house luxury hotel transported to British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. It stands on 22 acres of land with views over Ganges Harbour, and contains a mere 18 rooms and suites, which makes for a tranquil atmosphere.

Zhiwaling Heritage is set in the scenic Paro Valley, not far from the famous Tiger’s Nest Temple. And while it may be less precariously perched than the temple, the hotel, with its wealth of hand-painted detail and traditional architecture, is scarcely less picturesque. The suites are spacious, sunny, and mix sparse design with intricate, lavish detailing.

Shishi-Iwa-House Karuizawa is not one house but a collection of them, three and counting, by two of Japan’s finest modern architects: Pritzker winners Shigeru Ban and Ryue Nishizawa. This location, an hour from Tokyo, is particularly idyllic. Within it, the three houses are divided into stunning, quietly luxurious guest rooms in both Western and tatami styles.

The historic Maruyo Hotel is operated by the fifth generation of a family whose lumber company once stood on this spot. Scarcely a hotel at all, with a mere two bedrooms, the house is fully serviced, but is booked as a unit, sleeping up to four guests. Needless to say, it’s a labor of love, and displays a concern for artisanal craft that’s uncommon even among Japanese ryokan.

Deep in the heart of Central Java, nestled between jungle-clad volcanoes, Hotel Le Temple Borobudur is a mere 700 meters from its namesake, the 9th-century Borobodur Temple. The accommodations, all freestanding villas, start with astonishing views, gorgeous teak wood, and floor-to-ceiling windows; those on the higher end extend the luxury with private plunge pools.

A few dozen miles off Korea’s east coast is Ulleungdo, a volcanic island rich in natural grandeur and steep, breathtaking views. Kosmos Ulleungdo is planted like a docked spaceship on the edge of these cliffs, the vision of architect Kim Chan Jung made real in ambitious curves, spirals, and futuristic domes. Its accommodations are spread across three uniquely designed and inspired villas.

A small and exquisitely stylish hot-spring hotel, You One Jae is inspired by traditional Korean inns, but takes this inspiration in a decidedly modern direction. Its architecture and landscape design consciously recalls the layout of a village, and each of its 16 rooms is enveloped in an atmosphere of tranquility. Every unit comes with its own private garden as well as its own spring-fed bath.

Athita enjoys an unusual distinction in the ancient walled city of Chiang Saen. The hotel is practically an extension of its its next-door neighbor Wat Athi Ton Kaeo, a 500-year-old landmark and one of the best-preserved temples in town. The architects borrowed heavily from regional traditions, working with local artisans and technicians to build a modern complex out of teak wood and handmade bricks.

For Bobo by The Stay, Architect Mahmut Anlar took inspiration from the hotel’s location on the secluded northern shore of the Bodrum Peninsula. Rooms at this bohemian-chic retreat are cylindrical, their floor-to-ceiling windows curving around views of olive groves and Cennet Bay. With poured concrete flooring and custom furnishings, they’re modern and sleek, with little to distract from the lush surroundings.

The twelve bungalows of Scorpios Bodrum, built of stone and arranged in a circle, are slightly set apart from Scorpios Mykonos, one of the world’s most famous beach clubs. They’re minimalist with character-filled details like low-lying built-in sofas and handwoven Turkish rugs. All have large private terraces with ocean-facing infinity pools, and luxurious indoor-outdoor bathrooms, many with open-air tubs.

TRUNK HOUSE is Tokyo’s most exclusive one-room stay, a painstakingly restored 70-year-old geisha house in the storied streets of Kagurazaka. Black fencing and pine trees mark its legendary past, while inside — tatami-lined tea rooms and an irori hearth sit alongside Stephen Kenn leather sofas, terrazzo floors, and a cypress-wood bath set beneath shunga art. The real showstopper is a hidden disco with neon lights and a stocked bar.

Hirado Island, in southwestern Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture, is a spectacular maritime escape, and Kikka Hirado is one of the most memorable ways to experience it. This is a thoroughly modern hotel that shows there’s more to Japanese hospitality than the ryokan tradition. It’s a remarkably full-featured hotel in spite of its small size; just five ultra-modern rooms and suites, with vast sea-facing windows.

The Brij hotel group have made it their mission to bring travelers to India’s less visited corners, and in that task this 19th-century hunting lodge in Rajasthan’s Pali district succeeds admirably. Brij Lakshman Sagar is made up of a mere 12 cottages, set on 32 acres of secluded land. The style is authentic to the region, with riotous colors that are a fine complement to the austere beauty of the Rajasthan badlands.

Designed by Make Architects to pay tribute to its historic surroundings, Upper House Chengdu is a part of the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural & Commercial Complex. The immediate upshot for guests is a drastic contrast of old and new — you’ll enter via a century-old Qing Dynasty courtyard building, before being whisked to your accommodations in one of the ultra-modern tower additions.

Sala Ayutthaya is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, directly across the water from a temple built in 1353, its elegant Khmer-style tower on grand display from the hotel. Bangkok-based design studio Onion considered the historical context, discreetly tucking away the pool — and by extension, the swimsuit-clad guests — in a quiet courtyard framed by a labyrinth of whitewashed and exposed brick walls.

With their properties in Tbilisi and Kazbegi, Rooms Hotels made some of the biggest and boldest design statements in Georgian hospitality history. Their outpost in Batumi is similarly daring, but in a much more subtle way. Here, the design is more minimal; natural wood and a soft color palette create a calming vibe, while elements like circular beds and old-style telephones bring a quirky, retro feel.

When there’s a new Aman, it’s hard not to include it on any list of exceptional hotels. Like its urban counterparts in Tokyo, Venice, and New York, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is every bit as lavish as the ultra-luxurious rural resorts that first put the brand on the map, with an extra measure of city-center chic; famed architect and designer Jean-Michel Gathy blends traditional Thai style with Aman’s dramatic but minimalist aesthetic.

There’s nothing on the Oaxacan coast — or anywhere else — quite like Casona Sforza, an 11-room luxury boutique hotel whose unmistakable arched volumes stand mere yards from the beach on the south end of Puerto Escondido. Architect Alberto Kalach designed these distinctive structures, which are placed to maximize their views, their privacy, and their exposure to the breeze.

Colonial charm meets retro chic at Maison Celeste, an art-focused boutique hotel and gallery in Mexico City’s hip Roma Norte neighborhood. Many of the mansion’s historic details have been carefully preserved, and the minimalist ground-level rooms house permanent and rotating exhibitions. A sleek Japanese eatery is a fixture, and regular creative collabs mean plenty more to eat, drink, see, and buy on the premises.

In Mérida’s historic center, Hotel Sevilla — the latest from the venerable Grupo Habita — reimagines a 16th-century colonial villa with noticeable contrasts: weathered stone walls and arches preserved as ruins sit alongside clean concrete insertions and modern interiors. Its 21 rooms, some with soaring ceilings, are arranged around leafy courtyards where sub-tropical plants frame shaded terraces and a serene pool.

Sitting just outside Puerto Escondido, next to Playa La Ventanilla, Casa Yuma is so close to the beach that you can hear the ocean waves from each of the minimalist guest rooms, which take their design cues from nature to smoothly blend sandy shades, pared back wood furnishings, and design details inspired by local stone, plants, and Oaxacan culture such as ceramics crafted by Mexican artists.

Nayara Hangaroa is a luxury hotel built to blend into the environment. The design was inspired by indigenous tradition, comprising a village-like cluster of low-lying buildings with grass roofs and native wood beams. Guest rooms feature locally sourced materials, from volcanic stone to cypress wood, as well as handmade clay soaking tubs and private terraces overlooking the ocean.

Housed in the redeveloped Cidade Matarazzo, a hospital complex from 1904, Soho House’s South American debut is right at home in São Paulo. Set in the leafy Jardins district, it may seem European at first glance, but inside, it’s unmistakably Brazilian — modernist-inspired interiors, handblown lamps by local ceramicists, and a magnificent collection of works from contemporary artists.

Eco-hotels may be most at home in the countryside, but the future of urban hotels is green as well. The Hotel Britomart, on the Auckland waterfront, shows the way: its handmade bricks and salvaged wood aren’t just sustainable but radiate organic warmth, and the interior style may be understated, but it never feels austere. This is a properly luxurious boutique hotel, and one that’s rich with memorable detail.

The tiny Caribbean island of Corona is home only to the hotel, which is actually more of a collection of eco-friendly boat-shaped cabins, designed to maximize the sound of the waves and positioned to face the sunset views. The rest is dedicated to nature, with pristine beaches, lush forest, and a turtle zone which together are home to titi monkeys, parrots, macaws and several protected species.

Originally an aristocratic residence in the heart of Marrakech’s 10th century medina, Riad Botanica now blends classic Moroccan design with a modern Australian aesthetic thanks to its cross-cultural owners Mohammed and Angela Mellak. The duo has set out to create more of a home than a hotel, with just six guest rooms that draw influences from their respective homelands.

Locals and design enthusiasts alike sat up and paid attention when the Belgian artist Laurence Leenaert, founder of the Marrakech-based lifestyle brand LRNCE, announced the opening of a five-room, adults-only guesthouse in an old mansion near the Bahia Palace. Rosemary is a jewel of a riad hotel with every detail curated by Leenaert and her Moroccan partner, and many carried out by a team of local artisans.

Singita specializes in ultra-luxe, high-design safari experiences, and Singita Kwitonda Lodge, the brand’s first establishment in Rwanda, is true to form. The setting, adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, places guests as close as possible to more than a third of the world’s population of mountain gorillas. As fine as it is, it keeps a low profile, thanks in large part to its small size.

Surrounded by coral reefs and 24 white-sand beaches, Lizard Island sits 240 kilometers from the Queensland coast. Villas and suites are tucked into the landscape with bleached timbers, soft linens, and open-plan layouts that pull the outside in. There are no locks, no schedules, and no need to keep track of time. You’re off-grid here, but never far from a mojito or a perfect sunset.

A sculptural silhouette in Mornington Peninsula wine country, Jackalope trades rustic charm for something far more compelling. Inspired by the mythical horned jackrabbit, the hotel leans into its origin story with layered design: glowing corridors, a floor-to-ceiling stretched glass-encased wine cellar, and a chandelier of 10,000 globes. Equal parts surreal and indulgent, in a setting that feels almost imagined.

Mazeej Balad is set within La Viennoise, a late 1800s building brimming with history. The hotel’s five unique suites each tell the story of a character, from the sophisticated Madame Marika to the aspiring architect Nabil, creating a vivid connection between Cairo’s past and present. These personalized stories reflect the diversity of the city, and every room is designed to echo this rich cultural tapestry.

La Maison Bleue stands out in El Gouna for its surreal, storybook charm. Conceived by designer Amr Khalil, it is a 13-suite escape where Minoan murals, Catalan-style mosaics, Syrian arches, and Venetian tiling live comfortably under one roof. The pastel-blue façade fades into the desert sky. And inside, it is all velvet drapes, frescoed walls, and collector-worthy antiques.

There are luxury stays, and then there’s feeding giraffes through your window. A stately 1930s manor set on the edge of Nairobi’s indigenous forest, Giraffe Manor feels more like a scene from a film than a hotel. Ivy climbs its stone façade, giraffes wander the lawns, and each of the twelve rooms is individually styled with vintage trunks and canopied beds. Don’t oversleep; mornings begin with giraffes at the breakfast table.

Each of the ten suites at Divine Cave Experience is carved directly into the rock, and frames a unique view of the caldera at Santorini’s center; some add Jacuzzis, either on an open-air terrace or at the opening of the cave. Another subterranean space is given over to the wellness area, while the restaurant and bar venture out onto the rooftop terrace, for the most wide-ranging views.

A well-preserved 19th-century building next to the Vltava River and Frank Gehry’s Dancing House contains one of Prague’s most unique boutique hotels. In contrast with the early days of design hotels, when international minimalism ruled, Sir Prague is the work of Linda Boronkay, who drew inspiration from the city’s Gothic architecture and the heritage of Czech Cubism.

Like many great hotels, Bethlen Estates Transylvania pushes the boundaries of the concept. No mere collection of rooms, it’s a reclamation project, a once-abandoned village whose centuries-old buildings have been restored by a family with deep local roots. Three of these buildings comprise the hospitality portion of the project: Depner House, the Caretaker’s House, and the Corner Barn.

The conversion of a 16th-century palazzo in the center of Rome into a luxury boutique hotel is a noteworthy event — that Palazzo Talìa’s designer is film director Luca Guadagnino gives it a cultural resonance few other hotels can match. This is no mere hobby for Mr. Guadagnino, who operates his own design studio. And it’s clear from a glance around Palazzo Talìa that this is serious work.

On first look, Casa Newton looks like a textbook Tuscan fantasy. And while this countryside estate-turned-boutique hotel has all the trappings, it’s a stylish upgrade from the standard agriturismo. Everything from the crimson-hued country house to the stone-lined pool deck, now shaded by vintage-inspired, bubble gum-pink parasols, has been reimagined with mid-century modern flair.

Harmony Seljalandsfoss feels every bit as secluded as you would want a rural Icelandic escape to be — and the fact that it comprises a mere two lodges, placed almost comically far apart, only adds to the sense of privacy. Each is a modern cottage, built mostly from glass, to maximize the views — and in the bedrooms that includes the ceiling, the better to glimpse the famous Northern Lights.

Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère is further proof that ski hotels and boutique-hotel style belong together. Here Experimental’s designer of choice Dorothée Meilichzon transformed an existing hotel into a fresh and original take on the ski-hotel genre. The visual language is influenced as much by American national-park lodges as it is by Alpine tradition, and the sum total of the effect is a look that’s indelibly unique.

An abandoned tannery was discovered by a pair of Parisians who spent four years overseeing its transformation into the elegant La Manufacture Royale. Co-owner Christèle, formerly a decorator and set designer, collaborated with colorists to design custom paint shades for the lime-washed walls, and rooms feature designer furnishings, vintage pieces, writing desks, and spacious bathrooms with tubs.

Torel Quinta da Vacaria occupies a small collection of old buildings on a historic wine estate, but architect Luís Miguel Oliveira and Studio Astolfi gave the interiors a facelift: rooms are sleek and silent with pale wood flooring and midcentury modern decor. Of particular note are the hotel’s gorgeous glass-lined spa and its infinity pool and terrace, all facing the terraced hills of the Douro Valley.

Once the workers’ cottages on a 19th-century agricultural estate, Casas da Quinta de Cima has been reimagined by the same family five generations on. Each of the nine suites pairs high wicker ceilings and terracotta floors with marble baths, wood-burning stoves, and vintage touches in wool and cotton. Private terraces look onto groves of orange and avocado, with the sea just beyond.

On the volcanic island of Lanzarote, the family home of César Manrique has been rebirthed as Hotel Cesar. The renowned Spanish sculptor would no doubt be thrilled with how his namesake hotel pays tribute to local art and the surrounding landscape, which is on uninterrupted view throughout the property. Guest rooms feature layers of tactile materials in shades of blue and green, and plenty of leafy potted plants to bring the outside in.

There’s nothing but fir trees and quiet mountain trails around MANNA Arcadia, in the highlands of central Peloponnese. Opened in the late 1920s, this building first served as a sanatorium for soldiers. The solitary stone lodge then sat abandoned for decades until it was acquired by an entrepreneur who worked with a team of archaeologists to carefully restore the landmark and transform it into a luxury hotel.

A restored 19th-century fort on an island in the Adriatic means a stay at Mamula Island is something truly unique. After arriving by boat, you’ll feel immediately connected to nature and to the region, thanks to a careful restoration and use of local materials. Bedrooms are full of natural light and great views. A spa, a beach, and three swimming pools mean that you have undeniably gotten away from it all.

If it were in Mayfair or Belgravia a hotel like the Grand Hotel Bellevue would charge a ruinous rate; here, on Norfolk Square, it’s a steal. That’s how good the design is of this stunning 60-room boutique hotel by Italian architect Fabrizio Casiraghi, who puts a worldly spin on the classic Victorian townhouse. The bar, with its wild bespoke embroideries by BODE, is a particular standout.

Nusfjord is among Norway’s oldest fishing villages, its harbor lined with red stilted “rorbuer” that once sheltered cod fishermen. Today, many of the cabins have been reimagined as resort lodgings, where original timbers sit alongside understated contemporary design. The whole enterprise is singularly special: the village is the resort, and the resort is the village — a full immersion into Lofoten’s fishing past.