Dream hotels

Cream of the crop

CAPELLA SINGAPORE, SENTOSA

Capella Singapore offers a verdant setting while providing easy access to Singapore's financial and shopping districts.

It leads the local list of hotels, which also includes world-renowned names such as Raffles Hotel and Resorts World Sentosa.

Spanning more than 12ha of rainforest, the resort is perched on a knoll showcasing Singapore's rich colonial heritage.

The gateways to the hotel are the restored, white-washed buildings, Tanah Merah I and Tanah Merah II, which have a history dating back to the late 1800s. The buildings were then used as barracks and common areas for British officers in the Royal Artillery and Coastal Defence Command and their families.

Launched in March 2009, the resort has 112 guestrooms, suites and villas designed by British architect Norman Foster.

Weaving together the best of old and new architectural designs, the hotel block and the framed rooftops of its villas resemble the figure "8", which is emblematic of good fortune in Chinese culture.

The hotel recently underwent a year-long refurbishment of its suites and villas, which were originally designed by the late Indonesian interior designer Jaya Ibrahim.

Awash in a palette of earthy sand, sage and mineral grey, the new suites now feature a blend of laid-back luxury and organic contemporary design.

Mr Yngvar Stray, general manager of Capella Singapore, says that besides Capella's design, its curated experiences are also what draw global visitors to the hotel.

Besides fine-dining restaurants such as Cassia and Bob's Bar, he says the resort's large event spaces provide an attractive location for business travellers in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions category.

Next month, Fiamma, a new restaurant concept in collaboration with renowned Italian-Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco, will open its doors at the hotel.

Offering 97 villas which include accommodation that is designed to be over-water as well as lining the beach, Six Senses Laamu is located on the Laamu Atoll in the Indian Ocean and is sought-after for its turquoise blue, almost see-through waters and pristine beaches.

The villas are spread out over jetties in a geometric pattern and interaction with nature is gently encouraged throughout the resort.

The wood bungalows are equipped with docking stations for digital devices, television and home entertainment systems. The villas also come with air-conditioning and open-top bathrooms where visitors can gaze at the stars while showering.

One of the top draws is the frequent sightings of playful dolphins along the shores of Six Senses Laamu. There are also turtles, massive manta rays and a diversity of colourful underwater wildlife as well as rare birds and butterflies.

Imagine a surreal landscape of man-made caves carved into rock by tribes of people dating back to the Persian empire more than 2,000 years ago.

The Kayakapi Premium Caves in Cappadocia, Turkey, is nestled within about 27ha near the rapidly modernising city of Urgup.

The sheer density of the underground habitats, mediaeval churches and rock formations makes the area one of the world's most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes.

The 32 tastefully furnished "cave rooms" also accommodate private cave pools and hammams, or natural hot-water communal steam baths.

Look out of your cave window and you can see the Goreme National Park, which has been protected after it was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 1985.

The neighbourhood took shape in the 18th century when it attracted wealthy Ottoman families who transformed the rustic dwellings into elegant homes.

Kayakapi hotel's offbeat architecture is one of its biggest draws, featuring intricate stonework and courtyard gardens amid an underground labyrinth.

Housed in a 1920s colonial military building which was once used by the artillery garrison of the British Army in Singapore, Villa Samadhi Singapore takes pride of place in a leafy, shaded retreat in the heart of Labrador Nature Park.

It currently ranks as one of the Top 20 hotels in Asia in the Romance category of the Travellers' Choice Awards: Best of the Best.

The property boasts 20 distinctive rooms which fuse modern amenities with the hotel's rustic-luxe branding. In line with the brand's ethos, only recycled or salvaged wood and sustainable materials are used throughout the property.

Villa Samadhi is managed by Samadhi Retreats, the hospitality arm of Labrador Hill Private Limited. The colonial building was restored in 2011 by Samadhi Retreats while keeping as much of its original structure as possible and working closely with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the National Parks Board, which manages Labrador Nature Park.

The villa is linked by a jungle boardwalk to another colonial bungalow which Samadhi Retreats has converted into Tamarind Hill restaurant.

The swanky eatery, which serves Thai and Shan cuisine, features massive old-world chandeliers.

Tulemar is a jungle resort development in Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica which is designed as a gated and secure resort amid a 13ha elevated terrain overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

It includes the Tulemar Bungalows and Villas, such as the Villa Mot Mot and Casa Panorama, as well as the new Tulemar Bamboo Villas. Each villa is assigned a personal concierge to help guests from the moment they book to the moment they leave.

Ms Lauren Seale, marketing manager for Tulemar Bungalows and Villas, tells The Straits Times: "Each of our villas, casas and bungalows is unique in style, decor and size."

She says that Tulemar is home to The Sloth Institute of Costa Rica, and the property also serves as a sanctuary for an abundance of wildlife such as sloths, monkeys, toucans and macaws.

Other top stays

TOP LUXURY HOTEL

It does not get any better than Greece's Ikos Aria hotel's five-star accommodation featuring 370 rooms, grand getaways and impeccable service.

Ikos Aria tops the Luxury list with high ratings from guests who rave about the hotel's five pools, seven restaurants and nine bars that are designed around breathtaking beachfront views. It snatched the crown from others in the category, such as Como Cocoa Island in the Maldives and Pimalai Resort and Spa in Krabi, Thailand.

Bali's Adiwana Suweta takes top spot as the world's Hottest New Hotel. The 34-room hotel pipped other contenders from the United States, Europe and South America to the post with its stunning design and locale.

Renowned Indonesian architect Popo Danes created a resort with spacious suites and private pool villas surrounded by dense foliage and towering tropical trees, strategically located in the midst of bustling Ubud central.

Bali has also snagged wins in other categories this year with Padma Resort Ubud, The Royal Purnama and Viceroy Bali hotels and resorts.

In this category, children get to vote as well, and they have given the Alpino Baby Family Hotel in Andalo, Italy, their tiny thumbs-up. Alpino is the No. 1 hotel for parents with children in tow as the resort is designed to cater to every need.

It features different types of rooms for families of every size, a game room spanning 250 sq m, a library, a cinema room and a water park, among other goodies for infants and tiny tots. Alpino is also close to a range of hot spots for summer mountain trekking and winter skiing.

Small stays can make a big impression and the quaint White House Hotel in Istanbul is not only an Instagram star, but has also snagged the highest ratings on Tripadvisor.

The White House Hotel's rooftop terrace is one of its star attractions, where travellers sip piping hot Turkish coffee at sunrise and take in views of the storied Ottoman megapolis that is Istanbul.

The architecture of the hotel is an amalgam of East and West and the location is perfect for leisurely walks along cobbled pathways to nearby museums, historical sites and cosy streetside cafes.

In the Best Bed & Breakfast and Inn category, the eight-room Toulson Court in Scarborough, Britain, takes the coveted top spot for the second consecutive year.

The British hospitality gem is lauded by guests for providing a "home away from home" through its cosy design, which features lots of old-fashioned timber and stucco, as well as the warmth of the hotel's hosts when welcoming their guests. Guests have even posted "We don't want to leave" in their glowing reviews.