If you want to stay somewhere truly spectacular, Beaconsfield would probably not be the first place you would look.

Yet, situated five minutes from the M40/M25 junction is the little Buckinghamshire town in whose heart nestles one of the UK's most extraordinary and ultra-discreet hotels – the Crazy Bear.

A glance through the hotel's statistics reveals nothing unusual: ten bedrooms, three m

This sprawling mix of beach-side suites and individual cottages a short hop from Grenada's capital, St George's, is the ideal base from which to experience the Grenada's sensational views.

If Coworth Park in Royal Berkshire, is familiar, it is because Fox Linton, the creators of its spectacular interiors, were also responsible for The Grove, near Watford. The latest UK hotel from the Dorchester Collection, it sprawls in endless acres of lush countryside, perfectly located for Ascot or polo at Smith's Lawn.

It's dance night at The Grand in Eastbourne, and some silver-haired couples are still getting their kicks on Route 66. Jiving to a live band, they roll back the years at this vintage five-star hotel, which has entertained visitors to the well-kept seaside town since 1878.

A stone's throw from arguably the most spectacular beach in Britain sits a hotel that shares its name. But while Bedruthan Steps the beach is a spectacular feat of nature, its namesake is an altogether more low-key and unfussy family retreat.

If you check into a room on the top floor of the Connaught forget the lift; descending, instead, all five floors of this 1897 hotel by its sweeping, central staircase. Why? Because beneath the cupola, the varnished mahogany balustrade winds its way past one of the finest hotel art collections in the world – a staggering 3,000 pieces in all, covering every decade since its opening.

"Go on," said the waiter . "Have a little gelato, just to clean the palate." Of course, I did, and of course, it was delicious, the perfect end to a relaxed meal looking across the water to Capri and the bay of Naples.

The taxi driver, dropping me late at night at Tel Aviv's Bell Inn, on the corner of Allenby and Hayarkon Streets, was a bit dubious.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" he said.

But his anxieties (the hotel is located at the quieter end of this otherwise vibrant area) were misplaced.

For regular visitors to Eilat, King Solomon's Palace, only 600 yards from North Beach and 800 from the airport, is a landmark.

The first Isrotel property in the Red Sea resort, it celebrated its 30th birthday in 2009.