The best hotel in the world
 

following on from the thread about the worst, go on, impress us!!!!!

My vote:

Grand Hotel de Milano

Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong. Very nice indeed.

Have a good one, D.I.

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Flying is easy - just throw yourself at the ground and miss.

One Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow.

Devine........

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. Wonderful place.

Also, their afternoon tea is fantastic - better than the Peninsular (although surroundings are not quite so nice).

I think the Swissotel "The Bosporus" in Istanbul is quite nice.

Oriental Bangkok

Guess it depends what you're after - Ziwani in Tsavo, Kenya, near the border of Tanzania is the most incredible spot that I've been to. Thirteen tents by hippo pools in the middle of nowhere - no running water and electricity for two hours a day - the sun sets over Kilimanjaro - heaven on earth .... (Although I don't think I went to the loo the whole time we were there - who knows what was lurking in that long drop!! :))

Al Bustan Palace Oman.
won´t forget that place in a hurry. Built for an OPEC meeting in the late 70s.
Great place for dinner if your nightstopping seeb.

Half Moon Club, Montego Bay, so quiet and even your friends can't get through to you on the phone.
Also would be ideal if anyone wants to do a remake of 'The Prisoner' (all white walls, golf-carts and gate men with 'HM Security' on their T-shirts, kept expecting them to say 'Be seeing you' as we went past !)

What about the Giant Arab Taco Shell by the beach in Dubai?

Haven't found it yet.

Santa Clara, Cartegna Col.

A true great hotel. Was first built around the 1600s as a church, then was a hospital and then a convent. Completely remodled inside and out in 1997.

In the main bar on the ground floor there are stairs that go down into a crypt. During the renovation the bodies of six or seven nuns where found. They were removed and rebuired at a nearby church. You can go down into the crypt and have your picture taken.

The Best Business Hotel: The Regent, Bangkok.
The Best Family Run Hotel: Salston Manor, Devon.
The Best Luxury Hotel: Al Bustan Muscat Oman. Sumptious is the only work to describe the place.
The Best Resort Hotel: Rarotongan Beach Resort Cook Islands. My Wife, Son and I had a wonderful weeks stay there and were very reluctant to leave. Everything was done for us in a very discreet and unobtrusive manner. Highly reccommended if you ever get the chance.

My Mums home.

Food is cooked and the washing up is done,; you throw your clothes near the laundry pile and they find their way back to your room washed and ironed. It's free, infact they usually press a discrete £20 into my hand when I leave 'to buy yourself a treat with'... http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif

True, nothing beats Mum's! :)
But after that, I'd have to split my vote evenly between the Amstel Hotel in (obviously :) ) Amsterdam, and the Al Bustani.

The interior of the Al Bustani is heaven to a womans eye, anything they could colour coordinate they bl**dy well have, all the rooms are done in different styles and the bath towels are the fluffiest anywhere ever. In fact, for years in our house there was a picture on the dinner table of myself reclining by the pool of the Al Bustani, to which, acccording to the kids, Mr40 always referred as "Mum at work" :)

The Amstel, while a bit more formal in style of decoration, is also a gorgeous place. Rooms all different here as well, lots of funny nooks and crannies, romantic views over the Amstel river and the city of AMS. Service unobtrusive but very smooooooooth, beds sent down from heaven and the best shower bar none. Shower head size of a bucket, and the hot water comes down like a torrential downpour! Feeling is believing!

But yeah, nothing beats Mum's! :)

The finest has got to be:
The Abou Nawas in Tunis, this gaff is the dogs bolloc*s, sheer luxury.


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'Keep the stress down'

Firestorm, Does your mums place have any vacancies?

I'm sure there are lots of nice ones I haven't been to yet, but I'm not done yet !
These I liked, .. A lot.

1. The Halekulani, Waikiki. http://www.halekulani.com/accom.html

2. Westin Maui. http://hawaii-vacation-homes.com/westinprince.html

3. Kona Village, the big island. http://www.konavillage.com/reservations.html#views

My nominations are:

1. Necker Island, British V.I. Richard Branson built this wonderful place as his 75 acre getaway, but later made it available to the public. Fortunately I was able to stay there for free, as I operated a helicopter on/off the island. Heaven!!

2. Peter Island, also in the British V.I. this 1100 acre island is owned/operated by the US Amway Corporation. Very lovely indeed.

Check 6

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Kick the tires, light the fires, first off is lead, brief on guard.

Sheraton Hotel & Towers - Suzhou, China

Absolutely unbelievable. Modelled on the Forbidden City. Talk about a contrast too, across the road from a traditional Chinese style dentist and some very grey buildings.