Hotels with Charm up the Wazoo

China World Hotel Beijing
No. 1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue Beijing, China

From $183 per night

The China World Hotel is one of Beijings finest hotels - located in the China World Trade Centre complex in the Central Business District - and is attached to the China World Shopping Mall. The hotel is only a 45-minute drive from Beijing Capital International Airport. Located near many foreign embassies - China World Hotel is minutes away from the Forbidden City attraction. The Guomao subway station is a short walk from the hotel. Presenting a contemporary design with strong Chinese influences this award-winning luxury property features legendary Shangri-La services and world-class facilities for business and leisure travelers and meeting attendees. The hotel has a state-of-the-art gymnasium equipped with spacious exercise studios and the latest in cardio-fitness machines. Recreation also includes an indoor swimming pool - squash and tennis courts - steam rooms and Jacuzzis - and an Oxygen Room. The business center facilities offer secretarial assistance - Internet access - meeting rooms - and presentation facilities. China World Hotel has the largest meeting facilities in Beijing - including private function rooms - the 800-person ballroom - and the 2000-seat Conference Hall. There are four restaurants including a cafe - delicatessen - and two full service venues. There are two bar-lounge venues as well as 24-hour room service. China World Hotel offers 716 beautifully appointed guestrooms and suites - decorated with contemporary Asian art. All rooms have marble bathrooms - premium Shangri-La toiletries - and soothing earth tone fabrics. Sleep furnishings including large feather duvet covers and a menu of various pillows. Rooms also feature hi-speed Internet - flat screen cable TV - in house movie channels - IDD 2-line phones - voicemail - electronic safe - mini bar - oversized executive desk - and Herman Miller chair. Horizon Club rooms include extra services and amenities - and use of the lounge on levels 19 or 20.

What's Great
Travel + Leisure says... "Elliptical building with sumptuous décor in the central business district, only a 15-minute drive from the Forbidden City. Rooms to Book: The extra-spacious 570-square-foot Premiers. Insider Tip: Go to the Sunday-afternoon High Tea in the opulent Lobby Lounge, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra."

Amenities

Planters Inn
112 North Market Street Charleston, South Carolina, US

From $185 per night

Built three centuries ago, the city of Charleston is one of the best-preserved architectural treasures in the United States. The colonial houses lining its narrow streets are an eloquent reminder of its joyous and tormented story, like a condensed history of America. The birthplace of swing and the Charleston dance - made famous by Josephine Baker - the city still has all the charm that it owes to its multi-ethnic origins. Entering the Planters Inn, overlooking the Old City Market and the many art galleries, is like stepping back in time. On the patios full of tropical flowers and fountains, you will relax to a serenade of jazz. As well as sipping delicious cocktails and tasting the generous American cuisine, you can discover the nearby sites of Cypress Gardens, Middleton Place and other famous old cotton and tobacco plantations.

What's Great
Travel + Leisure says... "Georgian building from the 19th century alongside a newer addition, on the edge of the City Market in the historic district, that is a charming, intimate retreat right in the center of town. Rooms to Book: Plantation King rooms with gas fireplaces, four poster beds, full living rooms, and 10 foot high ceilings. Insider Tip: For some of South Carolina's best people-watching, kick back with a glass of sweet tea in the cozy parlor while gazing out the giant windows onto busy Market Street." -From www.travelandleisure.com National Geographic Traveler says... "An urbane synthesis of history and Southern lifestyle in a former 1844 dry goods emporium. Museum-quality repro furnishings in white-shuttered, high-ceilinged rooms. High-end cooking employs Low Country ingredients: grits, black-eyed peas. Palmetto courtyard. Explore boutiques and bistros around the corner; King Street antiques shops, a block away. 64 rooms." -2009 Stay List, www.traveler.nationalgeographic.com

Amenities

Auberge Du Soleil
180 Rutherford Hill Road Rutherford, California, US

From $625 per night

At the heart of the cabernet-sauvignon- merlot and chardonnay vines of Napa Valley- the French restaurateur Claude Rouas has created a discreet and elegant hotel hidden amongst a grove of olive trees that evoke his love of Provence in the South of France. A handful of houses perched on the hillside offer spacious -maisons- with private terraces where aged French oak floors- colorful chenille fabrics- abstract paintings and fireplaces create an air of romance. The Mediterranean-inspired cuisine features the very best of the region and the spa- which also draws its cue from the land- proposes treatments based on grapes- olives- herbs- flowers- mud and minerals. The 15-000 bottles in the wine cellar promise an oenophiles journey to the wine heaven as you watch the sun setting on the horizon.

Amenities

Biras Creek Resort
P.O. Box 54 Virgin Gorda, US Virgin Islands

From $950 per night

The Biras Creek Resort- which can only be reached by boat or helicopter is a secret address on the tiny island of Virgin Gorda. A paradise of greens and blues with its tropical plants and lagoons- also famous for its -Baths- formed by the spherical granite rocks dotted along the beach. The hotel offers 31 elegant and colourful suites with fabulous sea views. Share your time among the spa- the water sports on offer and the delicious cuisine. You can discover the island by Jet Ski- windsurf- boat or bicycle to really get a feel for this little corner of paradise.

What's Great
National Geographic Traveler says... "A 140-acre isthmus resort with water galore: calm lagoon, Caribbean bay, pounding Atlantic. Ocean waves do the entertaining just beyond the simply furnished suites (some TV-free) with private verandas, big windows, outdoor garden showers. Captain a Boston Whaler for island hopping, bike on trails lined by wild nutmeg and frangipani. Island-born chef infuses the menu with flavorsome Caribbean attitude. 31 suites."

Amenities

Bernardus Lodge
415 Carmel Valley Road Carmel Valley, California, US

From $265 per night

Nestled on verdant acres with stately pines and California oak trees, surrounded by a vineyard and the Santa Lucia mountains rising majestically in the background, Bernardus Lodge is a premier luxury resort that combines the simple elegance of fine country living, with the high quality of service and luxury amenities found in only the choicest European hotels. Here, discriminating travelers can experience the finest accommodations, cuisine, viticulture, spa services and recreational venues in a singular environment. The resort features 57 sumptuous guest rooms located in nine, single and two-story adobe village-style buildings along a terraced hillside, a luxurious spa, ballroom, function space, swimming pool, two tennis courts, a croquet lawn and vineyard. Bernardus Lodge was designed and built to complement and enhance the pristine beauty of the natural landscape, and both the exterior and interior convey Carmel Valley's signature welcoming charm. Monterey Territorial-style architecture, and the solid simple elegance of limestone, logs, rich wood and ceramic tiles, contribute to the Resort's rustic look, ageless quality, and residential feel. Bernardus Lodge was inspired by Bernardus Pon, the creator of the highly acclaimed Bernardus Winery and Vineyard, to combine exceptional epicurean experiences with the finest hospitality in on of America??s loveliest destinations. Bernardus Lodge is located in Carmel Valley, one of the finest wine growing regions in Northern California. The resort is approximately 120 miles south of San Francisco, one and half hours south of the San Jose Airport and 12 minutes from Monterey Peninsula Airport. The resort is located in quaint Carmel Valley Village, approximately 15 minutes from Carmel-by-the-Sea, and within easy reach of many of the major attractions throughout the Monterey Peninsula.

What's Great
Travel + Leisure says... "This Mediterranean-style resort in the Santa Lucia Mountains is one of Carmel's most romantic retreats, with featherbeds, in-room fireplaces, and surrounding vineyards. Rooms to Book: Nos. 1-6 overlook the vineyard and rose gardens; Nos. 26-28 are near the spa and have panoramas of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. Insider Tip: Enjoy a glass of local wine by the outdoor stone fireplace at the Wickets Bistro."

Amenities

Displaying 1-5 of 45