Some hotels you go to for the food. Others, for the spa. Some stays are all about the service, the location or the great value. But at these bucket-list properties, you check in for one thing in particular: remarkable views.
Whether you’re seeking to wake up to city, desert or one of the world’s most famous natural wonders, they deliver once-in-a-lifetime, Insta-perfect panoramas. Word to bookers: in some cases all rooms have great views; in other cases it’s just certain categories. So to avoid disappointment confirm with the hotel before booking that your chosen room definitely delivers the goods.
Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, Japan
Among Tokyo’s sea of skyscrapers, great room views are not just about getting high – but about bagging a prime location. The recently opened Bulgari Hotel, occupying the 40th to 45th floors of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu building, is bang in the city’s heart near the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Station and Tokyo Skytree – so you can absorb the city highlights in detail while kicking back in the designer plushness. On clear mornings spot the distant silhouette of Mount Fuji and see the rush of commuters on train platforms below; by night, enjoy the mesmerising glow of a million city lights.
From £1,090, bulgarihotels.com
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa, French Polynesia
Paradisical postcard perfection: that’s what’s served up at this sublime overwater resort on the idyllic French Polynesian isle of Bora Bora. The best villas overlook the crystal-clear, reef-dotted lagoon, its shallows running all the way up to the lush Otemanu peak at the centre of the island. Each rustic-glam space has a broad deck with loungers and steps leading into the water, so you can plunge in at will or set off in a borrowed kayak for a spin over the tropical fish-flecked turquoise. Or just take in the whole remarkable scene from bed via floor-to-ceiling windows.
From £1,086, ihg.com
The Oberoi Amarvilas, India
The iconic Taj Mahal is typically overwhelmed with a frenetic rush of tourists, but The Oberoi Amarvilas lets you experience India’s most famous building from a place of sublime serenity. While others day trip in and out of Agra to box-tick, you can sit back with a drink on your private terrace just 600m away and contemplate the white-domed figure over an entire evening. Dressed in dark woods and opulent fabrics, each of the rooms come with a regal splendour befitting of the locale.
From £361, oberoihotels.com
Sonnwies Dolomites, Italy
For design-forward families seeking an ace room with a view, this stay in the Italian Dolomites delivers up rambling panoramas of forested mountains in summer – and a frosty winter’s wonderland when ski season descends. Rooms sleeping two adults and two children are dressed in natural pine to reflect the outdoors, and some come with roaring fires and spa facilities like private whirlpool and sauna. If you can tear yourself from the comfort of your cocoon, the views continue from the outdoor pool and grounds.
From £536, sonnwies.com
Hotel Café Royal, London
What’s the most iconic view in London? Piccadilly Circus, of course. While it’s certainly a splurge to book into such a luxe hotel in your home city, there’s something indescribably thrilling about throwing open the curtains of your suite to double-deckers and black cabs circling the iconic roundabout. Some of Hotel Café Royal’s view rooms (which are well-soundproofed, by the way) give priority to Regent Street – with its bustling shoppers – and others focus down towards majestic Pall Mall. With so much to take in, you definitely won’t be needing that TV.
From £900, hotelcaferoyal.com
Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
Think of Jamaica and surf-lapped beaches probably pop to mind, but Strawberry Hill’s dramatic setting is a whole other prospect: lush island interior. Perched high above the capital of Kingston in the wilds of the Blue Mountains, lined with coffee trees, palms, waterfalls and tropical fruit trees, this clapboard collection of cottages still retains its old-world air from the time when Bob Marley lived here. Rise from your four-poster bed and open your shutters to birdsong and the sight of mist lifting from verdant treetops.
From £245, strawberryhillhotel.com
One & Only Reethi Rah, Maldives
Azure, turquoise, cyan – you’ll soon run out of words to describe the kaleidoscope of blues outside your window at this indulgent Maldivian resort. Blending Robinson Crusoe-style castaway spirit with unadulterated luxury, the island’s MO is chill-out, with many guests spending all day in their private villas enjoying the natural panorama. Choose from overwater rooms, where the view is endless surf, or get one set on icing sugar sands to enjoy a delicious contrast in tones.
From £1,570, oneandonlyresorts.com
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, USA
Few skylines are as fabulous as New York’s. And 1 Hotel gives you full 24/7 access to it, with rooms gazing across the East River from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Manhattan’s ridge of steel and glass. Closer at hand, the stony figure of Brooklyn Bridge itself rises up in the foreground, cutting across the blue that you can see from your bed. Meanwhile, reclaimed woods and lush plant life inside your room provide a natural vibe to contrast the wilds of the urban jungle.
From £354, 1hotels.com
Kapari Natural Resort, Greece
Few holiday moments beat kicking back with a glass of ice-cold white wine and watching the sun set over Santorini’s dramatic sunken caldera. It’s an experience you can have on repeat when you book into this clifftop pile in Imerovigli, where west-facing rooms overlook the electric Mediterranean Sea as well as the humped remnants of the semi-submerged ancient volcano. Simple, stripped-back décor and whitewashing within keeps eyes firmly fixed on the main event, even long after your vino’s been polished off.
From £246, kaparisantorini.gr
Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel, France
Morning coffee time gets properly pinch-me when you wake up to a full frontal of the Eiffel Tower. Set at the base of Gustav Eiffel’s 330m masterpiece – just far enough away to appreciate its scale – the Pullman makes the most of its situation with room balconies and big windows. The restaurant delivers views too, alongside côte de boeuf or John Dory à la plancha. Come for dinner and you can appreciate the tower’s evening light show, where for five minutes each hour it sparkles like a sequinned evening gown.
From £450, pullmanparistoureiffel.fr
Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai
Sometimes the austere views are the most impactful of all. Set among the dusty desert outskirts of Dubai, Al Maha’s tented suites look over russet-hued sands dotted with shrub and the gentle curve of distant dunes. Keep eyes on the horizon for any roaming oryx antelope – this is the largest protected land area in the Gulf for wildlife – and when temperatures clime, cool off with a dip in the refreshing pool.
From £825, travel/dxbam-al-maha-a-luxury-collection-desert-resort-and-spa-dubai/?hybridAEMFallbackRedirect=true">marriott.com
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Finland
For pure white winter magic, these treehouse-inspired villas in Santa’s icy stomping ground of Rovaniemi pull out the stops. White-washed interiors face broad floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking a snow-dusted landscape of forest; furry chair accents and hints of copper lend a sense of warmth against the frozen expanse. Many rooms are large enough to sleep a family and some have kitchenettes, so you can curl up with a mug of homemade hot cocoa and simply watch the snowflakes drifting down.
From £222, arctictreehousehotel.com
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, USA
For oenophiles, what sight is more welcome than ripening grapes? At Four Seasons Napa Valley – which happens to have its own winery, Elusa, right on site – balconied or terraced rooms overlook acres of manicured Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Choose from a vantage point taking in the historic barn and pool, or one overlooking the rambling Palisade mountains; both provide vineyards so close you can practically reach out and touch them.
From £944, fourseasons.com
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Italy
The stately gilded interiors of this historic Lake Como hotel hold plenty of appeal – but nothing can beat what’s outside just its windows. Perched perfectly at the very tip of Bellagio’s waterfront, where the lake splits in two directions, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni provides unobstructed views to the water, surrounding green hills and puttering wooden boats puttering. Let the breeze waft in while you contemplate plans for dinner – perhaps a multi-course feast with rare Italian wines in the elegant waterside restaurant.
From £500, villaserbelloni.com
Longitude 131°, Australia
Uluru is one of the world’s most remarkable natural wonders, and this glam all-inclusive stay puts Oz’s big red rock front and centre. Tented villas overlook the majestic beauty of its figure, with outdoor day beds with roaring firepits letting you sleep out under the stars if desired. Inside, indigenous artworks and stuffed complimentary mini-bars attract attention. If you’ve got real cash to splash, larger Dune Pavilions boast private plunge pools, fireplaces and views to both Uluru and nearby sister rock formation Kata Tjuta, too.
