5 places to blow the budget

1. Hotel Endsleigh, Devon

Surely the ultimate luxury is to be able to escape, not just from your routine but from this century. That's the attraction of Endsleigh. There is nothing to suggest that anything is any different from the time that Georgina the Duchess of Bedford first built this ornate folly as a hunting and fishing lodge for her family. Yet, in truth, the bucolic Georgian backdrop is bolstered by important touches of modernity and a restaurant that rates as one of the best in Devon.

· From £200 (01822 870000, hotelendsleigh.com).

2. Blakes Hotel, London

Every city has a particular style, and the hotels that are somehow able to capture that elusive essence are more rewarding to stay in. Blakes creates an aura of history and luxury without being bound or restricted.

· From £175 (020 7370 6701, blakeshotels.com).

3. Hotel du Petit Moulin, Paris

The building used to house the oldest boulangerie (since the time of King Henri IV) in Paris. The shop front is still there, but now it's the hotel reception. And that's the thing about Du Petit Moulin; it's a metaphor for the Marais, Paris's hippest neighbourhood. Innovation and tradition butt heads in little cobbled streets. Christian Lacroix was responsible for the interior.

· From €180 (00 33 1 42 741010, paris-hotel-petitmoulin.com).

4. Parco dei Principi, Amalfi

A piece of breathtaking contemporary architecture perched on a cliff overhanging the Mediterranean. It's stylish, it's fun, and it goes perfectly with corny Dean Martin music.

· From €198 (00 39 081 878 4644, hotelparcoprincipi.com).

5. Le Manoir, South of France

If you long for the South of France that appears in the photos of Jacques-Henri Lartigue - a world of empty beaches, the odd stone house and forests - then the mansion on the island of Port-Cros is the place for you.

· From €140 (00 33 4 9405 9052).

· Herbert Ypma is the author of Hip Hotels

· Prices are per room per night

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