The surroundings will please adventurous minds as well as those in search of peace and quiet: cute villages, forests, lakes, streams, and mountains are all at a walk-able distance or a train/car ride away.

Now, the hotel is a hipsters’ paradise, with cool, light interiors and a do-as-you-please vibe. We felt as if we had stepped into a hip playground for grown-ups, where real life was but a distant memory.

The hotel sits on a lava field at the foot of a volcano and is surrounded by hot springs, which gives it the appearance of being an alien structure that is seemingly growing out of its moon-like surroundings.

You don't even need to go on a walking safari to see game—at Mfuwe Lodge, I saw a leopard, a pride of lions, and an elephant, who pulled at the branches of the tree next to my chalet at night, shaking the roof.

The Bristol was originally the brainchild of Paderewski and his financial partners, who decided to build a grand hotel in Warsaw that would rival the other high-end hotels of western Europe—in a Neo-Renaissance design and with all the latest amenities—towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Volkshotel is more than just a place for Amsterdam’s weekend tourists to rest their heads between canal tours and loitering in the red light district. It’s a creative hub shared by Amsterdam’s artists and freelancers.

With its historic elevator, animated doorman, classical columns, and semicircular arches, the hotel recalls the splendor of a bygone era