My favourite city is...
New York. Not very original, I know, but there really isn't anything else in the world like it. An incredible creative energy inspires me the minute I arrive. My favourite place to stay is The Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District. By New York standards the rooms are huge and the location is great.
My most memorable meal was...
Chinese, in Istanbul, at a great restaurant called Reina that turns into a huge nightclub after dark. It was extremely weird eating Chinese in a city like Istanbul, but everything we ordered was perfect. Plus the location was fantastic - it's in the open air, right across from the Bosphorus.
My favourite hotel is...
The Riva Lofts in Florence. Located about 20 minutes out of the city, these huge two- and three-storey warehouse-style suites are beautiful. They have kitchens but you still get full hotel service. And they supply bikes for you to ride into town.
What makes a really good hotel is...
The bed. After a 27-hour flight the bed I collapse into means everything. Aside from that, the service, the location, the food, the design, the bath.
The thing I love about travel is...
Discovering new places and cultures. I just love bounding up to a new city with few plans and wandering the streets. I always end up stumbling across something great, be it a store, a cafe, a park, or a gallery.
When I'm travelling I always miss
My godson, Orlando. He's four and already a great conversationalist. Plus he enjoys the cool gadgets I bring him from my travels.
My idea of paradise is...
A resort in the Maldives (W or Huvafen Fushi will do nicely). No laptop, no Blackberry, no iPhone; just beach, snorkels and seafood. But only for a few days. Paradise is great, but after three or four days I get bored.
I always bring back...
Clothes. I love finding a designer or boutique I've never heard of and stocking up on pieces you can't get anywhere else.
My first trip was to...
Greece. I spent three months travelling across 30 Greek islands when I was 20. I enjoyed discovering some of the smaller islands such as Zakynthos. My parents are from Greece so I was drawn there.
I've always wanted to go to...
South America - I am going there later this year. Everyone is talking about South America right now. There's a buzz about it that I've never noticed before.
The best place I've ever been is...
An eco-resort in Western Australia called El Questro Wilderness Park. It's set in a million acres and very isolated. You can stay in the homestead or in tents and see some tremendous things; breathtaking waterfalls and a heart-stopping expanse of red earth.
· Bill Tikos is the founder of The Coolhunter (www.thecoolhunter.co.uk), a website devoted to style and culture from all over the world. The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms by Bill Tikos will be published this summer.
Interview by Carl Wilkinson
guardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
