Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme
Don't be put off by the name; there's no big-chain conformity about Park Hyatt's first Paris hotel. When the doors of 3-5 rue de la Paix were thrown open last July after five belle-époque houses were transformed into the city's first new palace hotel for 70 years, a cool contemporary interior was revealed. This is hardly surprising because the designer was Ed Tuttle, best known for his work with the cutting-edge Amanresorts.
Tuttle has created masses of space, offset by natural limestone walls and modern use of classic materials such as mahogany. The walls are hung with contemporary works of art by the likes of Sideo Fromboluti and Ed Paschke. The result is a modern style that is tempered by elegance - it is never in your face. And although the hotel is large - it has 188 guest rooms - the design creates a sense of private space, so it never feels crowded. The rooms have all the modern communication equipment required these days; there is a gym and a guest-only spa with a limestone hammam. Suitably chic for Paris.
Where to book: Kirker Holidays (020-7231 3333). Two nights' B&B at the Paris Vendôme costs £499pp including Eurostar tickets and private transfers. See also paris.vendome.hyatt.com.
Kasbah Agafay, Morocco
Everyone was talking about the riad hotels in the Medina at Marrakech last year. Stay ahead of the game by driving to the hills that lie so beguilingly in the distance. The Kasbah Agafay was a derelict Berber mud fort in a commanding hill-top position just 12 miles from the city; it has been transformed into a chic modern hotel with bags of style.
The owner, interior designer Abel Damoussi, has created 13 suites around traditional riad-style courtyards, each of which has a rose-petal-filled fountain. They have been decorated with hand-crafted traditional materials with a contemporary twist. Outside the ramparts are a mosaic-tiled swimming pool, a floodlit tennis court, gardens and a meditation cave. Guests can take 4x4 excursions into the surrounding countryside, and even spend a night in a Berber tent in the grounds.
Where to book: Scott Dunn World (020-8682 5010). Seven nights' B&B costs from £1,135pp including flights and transfers. See also kasbahagafay.com.
Sainte Anne, the Seychelles
There is great excitement about the forthcoming opening of North Island, possibly in March, with its promise of ultimate barefoot luxury. But Sainte Anne, which has been open for a couple of months, may steal the plaudits in the long run. The issues that have made hotels in the Seychelles rather hit and miss - the service and the food - have been firmly addressed. The Seychellois are charming hosts but their laid-back nature does not always translate easily into the seamless service ethic expected by exhausted long-haul travellers.
The Sainte Anne is the first Seychelles offshoot of the Mauritius Beachcomber group, which has made staff training a priority. And they have brought in three-star Michelin chef Marcel Driessen, who adds a Creole touch to one of his restaurants and Italian style to the other; his breakfasts are said to be mouth watering. The Creole-style cottages blend into the natural surroundings with their terracotta colours; the resort has all the sporting activities required by those who become boredwith the sandy beaches.
Where to book: Elegant Resorts (01244 897888). Seven nights' B&B from £1,945pp including flights. See also beachcombertours.co.uk.
Udaivilãs, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Old hands still talk lovingly of the palace hotels in India, but a new breed of designer hotels is generating the excitement these days. The contrast between the two is starkly highlighted at Udaipur where the Oberoi Vilas group has opened a sumptuous new hotel beside Lake Pichola, facing the famous old Lake Palace Hotel that, alas, is said to have become a little frayed around the edges.
Udaivilãs is designed as a Mewar palace with decorative water features, courtyards, carved stone pillars and turrets. But it has all the modern accoutrements, including satellite television, CD and DVD players, data ports and infinity pools. It is set in 30 acres of glorious gardens and is reached by water taxi. Banyan Tree runs the state-of-the-art spa. And you can also take a boat over to the old Palace for a meal.
Where to book: Cox & Kings (01235 824404) includes Udaivilãs in a 12-day Regal India tour from £2,295pp and can incorporate it into a tailor-made itinerary. See also oberoihotels.com.
Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania
Set in the heart of a mahogany forest within a national park, this luxurious lodge opened in December with just 10 tree houses. Natural (neutral) colours and textures prevail in the understated lodges: the walls and floors are constructed from bleached timber and woven makuit (palm fronds). They have en-suite bathrooms with an outdoor shower in the treetops and a lounging deck. The lodge was built by the Conservation Corporation Africa, the South African company that always promises a "light footprint" with minimal impact on the environment.
The park has a huge resident population of flamingos and pelicans, and wildlife viewing promises elephants, hippos, baboons and giraffe. This is the safari lodge to boast about this year, but no jokes about tree-climbing lions, please.
Where to book: Worldwide Journeys & Expeditions (020-7386 4646) includes Lake Manyara Tree Lodge in a 13-day Tanzania tour from £4,560pp. The cost of a night at the lodge is US$475pp (£305). See also ccafrica.com.
Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala
For 300 years, this Dominican convent and church lay buried under volcanic ash. The restoration constituted a real-life archaeological dig by the local Castaneda Arimany family, who had to buy 28 different parcels of land to create their five-star hotel. It comes with a patina of age with antiques throughout, hidden courtyards and rooftop terraces; lots of private corners. The bedrooms are individual; no two bathrooms are the same, and all are finished with hand-manufactured tiles.
The staff have their own craft shop and market place, and an on-site factory makes hand-dipped candles. The hotel is the factory's biggest customer: lit by hundreds of candles at night, the reception desk looks like a high altar. There is a large swimming pool, tennis courts, a Jacuzzi and a sauna. This is a special hotel in a most beautiful town.
Where to book: Sunvil Latin America (020-8758 4774). An eight-night trip to Guatemala including two nights at the Casa Santo Domingo costs from £1,464pp.
Amansara, Angkor, Cambodia
As Cambodia rebuilds after the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, attention returns to the older Khmer civilisation and its cultural capital, Angkor. Here, in December, Amanresorts opened its new property - always an event for those interested in stylish hotels.
Amansara has been created within established gardens on the site of the guest villa of former king Norodom Sihanouk. It follows the expected Amanresorts stylebook with 12 open-plan pavilions finished in terrazzo and timber off a grass courtyard. The colours are muted, earthy tones that match the natural finishes.
The bathrooms open on to a light-filled courtyard with a water garden. A covered walkway leads from the circular reception to a swimming pool with a lounging alcove.
The circular dining room is the focal point, with an Asian and a western menu. The location is ideal for tours to the temple complex at Angkor Wat.
Where to book: World Wide Journeys & Expeditions (020-7386 4646). A seven-night holiday with three nights at Amansara and four nights at Amanpuri, the original Amanresort in Phuket, Thailand, costs from £2,757pp including flights. See also amanresorts.com.
Villa Feltrinelli, Lake Garda, Italy
The holiday home of the eccentric Feltrinelli family was Mussolini's hideaway shortly before his downfall. It has a splendid lakeside setting (did Il Duce hide his gold in waterproof boxes in the lake?).
The experienced American hotelier Bob Burns (he was the founder of the Regent International group) has transformed the 19th-century villa into a luxury hotel that has stepped into the limelight with quiet assurance since it opened 18 months ago.
The public rooms are laden with antiques and eclectic furnishings without ever surrendering that lived-in feeling, while the 21 bedrooms have been given ultra-modern bathrooms that incorporate huge baths and walk-in showers.
Lucky guests are given the Magnolia room, which has views of the lake across a magnificent magnolia tree.
Where to book: Exclusive Italy (01892 619650). Three nights' B&B costs from £836pp, including flights and private transfers. See also villafeltrinelli.com.
Le Touessrok, Mauritius
There was a time when Le Touessrok was the hotel in Mauritius, the one that pools winners chose in order to celebrate their good fortune. (In contrast, lottery winners tend to fly Concorde to Barbados.)
The setting is glorious, on a quiet corner of the island surrounded by white-sand beaches. But the hotel seemed to stand still as a new generation of ever grander five-star properties sprouted up across Mauritius; sister hotel Le Saint Géran took over the mantle of setting the standards of excellence for the island. Larger-than-life owner Sol Kerzner took action and Le Touessrok was closed for 11 months last year for a £30m redevelopment.
The result is effectively a new hotel with 200 rooms, 98 of them new suites on the private island of Ile aux Livres. They have huge bathrooms with oval-shaped baths and walk-in tropical rain showers, and state-of-the art sound and TV systems. There are four new restaurants, a Givenchy spa and a Matt Roberts gym together with a black marble-tiled swimming pool.
The old order has been restored for a year at least; Le Touessrok is again the place to try out.
Where to book: ITC Classics (01244 355430). Seven nights' half-board from £1,922pp. See also touessrok.com.
Carlisle Bay, Antigua
Here is one for the future; a diary note for the collector of luxury hotels. Gordon Campbell Gray, who set high standards for service and style at London's One Aldwych, is the consultant on this new hotel project in Antigua.
The only clues to emerge are that the rooms will have muted grey, white and beige tones - the received standard for early 21st-century style. There's talk of a screening room to seat around 50 people. The scaffolding is due to come down in June when all will be revealed.
Follow the Guardian Travel's What's hot section to find out when you can be one of the first to book a room at Carlisle Bay.
· Desmond Balmer is the co-editor of The Good Hotel Guide: Great Britain and Ireland 2003, published by Ebury Press at £15.99.
