You know when a flock of sheep walk past the breakfast room of a luxury hotel that you're staying somewhere unique. And when it comes to the Gilpin Lodge in Windermere, unique is an understatement.

The hotel consists of the main hotel- the Lodge, and a smaller suite-based site - the Lakehouse, a mile away and it was awarded last year's Best Small Hotel Award.

There are few hotels where you are welcomed by porters clad in Victorian Highlands hunting gear while coming face to face with the stuffed heads of deer and bears. You could be excused for thinking you've been transported to 19th-century baronial Scotland.

And in a sense, at the five-star Cameron House, you have.

Jersey doesn't do things by halves. It has the richest cream, the tastiest potatoes, the cutest cows and claims to be the sunniest place in the British Isles.

And the Atlantic Hotel doesn't do things by half either.

From my deluxe room on the 35th floor of the Peninsula Bangkok, I am mesmerised by the glittering Chao Phraya River. From the floor to ceiling picture window in my hotel room, I get an amazing view of the "river of kings".

While other international hotels are on the east bank of the river, the Peninsula Bangkok nestles on the west bank in an enclave of its own.

In the heart of a tropical paradise, we are seated in an intimate booth of an exquisite Asian restaurant savouring some of the best sushi we have ever tasted. Can life get much better?

Just a couple of hour's drive from London, the Lime Wood hotel nestles in the New Forest where ponies roam freely and where the national park is perfect for rambling walks and cycling.

Originally a 13th century hunting lodge, Lime Wood has undergone £30 million renovation.

Luxury hotels do not usually pride themselves on a lack of modern conveniences. But the absence of satellite television, a fabulous bathroom and a speedy wi-fi connection are some of the things that make a visit to the Walig Hut such a memorable experience.

Located at a height of some 1,700 metres, the hut genuinely is a barn built in the 1780s that has been split into two.

They told me it was cold, but how cold could it possible be? Looking out of the aeroplane's window as we approached Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost airport, the frozen wasteland below appeared to be a degree or two cooler than the freezer aisles in Tesco. So this, I thought, couldn't be much worse.

Think of Chewton Glen and you think of quiet, serenity and, perhaps, middle age.

This autumn, the Grand will be revered as the third structure in Brighton and Hove to be recognised by the Walk of Fame committee. A ceremonial plaque will be unveiled in Brighton Marina in its honour.