Kazakhstan
The health resort of Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi nestles in a mountain valley, 30km up a track from Berel village, and offers the Altay's cosiest accommodation…
Kazakhstan
The health resort of Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi nestles in a mountain valley, 30km up a track from Berel village, and offers the Altay's cosiest accommodation…
Around the Kathmandu Valley
A comfortable escape for city dwellers, Godavari Village Resort sprawls down a hillside with views across paddy fields (and a huge brick kiln) to the…
Central Java
At the foot of the road to New Selo, this helpful guesthouse has a number of simple but reasonably comfortable rooms arranged around a balconied terrace…
Malang
This hostel gets the basics right. There's an immaculate, bright dorm featuring 14 pod-style beds with individual curtains giving a little extra privacy…
Malaysia
Surrounded by palm trees, 1.5km north of the entrance to Bukit Malawati, is this modest, Muslim-owned miniresort. Wooden cabins, brightened by colourful…
Kota Kinabalu
Attached to the Suriah Sabah Shopping Mall, this four-star hotel is unfailingly clean and stylish. Standard rooms are huge, while family suites are large…
Diu
A kilometre outside town, this is Diu’s most luxurious hotel. It features tasteful rooms with high-tech lighting controls and glass-walled bathrooms (make…
Jaisalmer, Jodhpur & Western Rajasthan
This splendidly carved deep-terracotta haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) in the old part of Phalodi boasts balconies, courtyards and a…
Himachal Pradesh
A short, steep walk above the Vashisht Mandir is rewarded with some of the best mountain views from any hotel in the Manali region, and plenty of communal…
Kuala Lumpur
Renovated in 2016, the Ritz sports a gleaming lobby with contemporary gold light fixtures and a mirrored reception desk. Dark wood and marble create a…
Sigiriya
There are truly remarkable views of the rock from the pool area at this hotel. The 40-year-old breeze block exteriors are dated, but the rooms have been…
Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School
Siem Reap
In a rambling villa 1.5km south of Wat Dam Nak, on the eastern side of the river, this training-school hotel for disadvantaged youth features six spacious…
Chiang Mai
Although you can find a room in Chiang Mai for the same price as these dorm beds, you get a lot of flashy facilities for your baht here, including a good…
Mentawai Islands
Run by a young Aussie-Japanese surfer couple, this fairly plush but laid-back option is on the northern tip of Nyang Nyang Island (Pulau Masokut). Its two…
Melaka City
This lovely place in an old traditional home is very good value and away from the crowds. There's a kitchen with free coffee, a decent lounge area, and…
Nanjing
Mork House is a popular hostel burrowed into the 4th floor of a nondescript shopping mall. It's well run and well kept. Bunks are stacked three high, with…
Central East Coast
This cosy boutique hotel has small well-furnished rooms with fabulous views. Get the sea-facing doubles and you can look north at 40km of undeveloped…
East Java
Right opposite the waves, this attractive camp has three standards of bungalow in shady grounds with a restaurant and bar. It has beach volleyball, ping…
Udaipur
In lovely grounds running down to the northwestern shore of Lake Pichola, 2km west of the old city by road, Udaivilas’ butter-sculpture domes are…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
Part of the movement to regenerate heritage buildings in Ahmedabad, this striking 250-year-old haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) has been…
Sihanoukville
This training hotel offers disadvantaged youngsters a helping hand into the hospitality industry. Rooms have three-star trim throughout, and you can't…
Sarawak
Something different for Bario, Tuan Guesthouse features five rooms adjacent to the Bario Asal Longhouse. Spacious bathrooms are shared, there's a modern…
Jodhpur
Developed from a 19th-century city mansion, Jodhpur’s first contemporary-style boutique hotel is a splendid oasis of clean, uncluttered style, hidden…
Fukuoka
Don't be put off by the windowless, colonnaded facade of burnt-orange stone and copper-green rebar. The lobby is as glossy as black lipstick, and the 62…
Singapore
Right in the heart of Joo Chiat (Katong), low-cost Venue makes a striking first impression with its dark, slinky, sculptural lobby. Rooms are small,…
Munnar
Aranyaka's sweet, peach-hued contemporary cottages (most sleeping up to four people) are dotted across a peaceful landscaped garden, drinking in fine…
White Birch International Youth Hostel
Ürümqi
There's usually at least one English-speaking staff member at this hostel who can help with local tips and onward transport. The hostel is a bit out of…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
This attractive heritage-style family home, 4km north of Alleppey, enjoys a tranquil location close to Punnamada Lake. The two fan-cooled rooms are neat…
Gujarat & Diu
This luxurious and comfortable option occupies the totally renovated top floor of a former dharamsala (pilgrim rest house). Pilgrims never had it so good,…
Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
The Radisson's luxurious chalets, villas and bungalows are strewn across manicured gardens stretching 500m to the beach. Somewhere in the middle is India…
Zhejiang
The best-value inn on the water in Nanxun has clean, if compact, rooms with modern amenities and friendly staff, who try their best at English. All the…
Chuncheon
Nestled on the slope of Bongui-san, this rather plush hotel offers unrivalled views of Chuncheon and the surrounding countryside, ensconced within an…
Hua Hin & the Upper Gulf
The resort that defined Dolphin Bay as a family-friendly retreat offers a low-key holiday camp ambience with a variety of standard-issue, value-oriented…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Run by long-term Aussie expat Dave (aka 'Multi') and his Vietnamese wife Diem, this rural place has double rooms in attractive villas arrayed around a…
Sepilok
Set within manicured lawns, this stunning accommodation is choking on plants and flowers and has chalets fit for a colonial explorer, with polished-wood…
Munnar
The 26 smart, lemon-scented, contemporary-meets-classic-Keralan cottages at this shaded hillside resort are hidden away under a luxuriant shola (virgin…
Mörön
Care to guess the exterior colour scheme at this midrange hotel? Rooms are clean and nicely appointed, with the right amount of Mongolian business class…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
A hot-orange (unsigned) heritage home has been lovingly transformed into a unique, relaxed, colour-bursting retreat in the northern French Quarter. Each…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Run by the friendly Dzung – a local trekking guide with excellent English – and his wife Huong, this place has simple but stylish rooms and bungalows, and…
Hikkaduwa & Around
The small but well-kept pool at this beachside property alone makes it worth the money, but add in large and nicely presented rooms and a decent patch of…