Shangri-La, Yunnan, China

A mere 20-minute transfer from the airport, Songtsam’s flagship property occupies an ancestral mansion at the foot of the great Songzanlin Monastery, surrounded by whitewashed monks’ houses and stupas. You can actually hear the trumpets and sacred drums at breakfast time! The rooms face a shimmering expanse of water and poplar trees, framed by grassy ridges and strings of swaying prayer flags – a wonderfully exotic vision to wake up to. Crammed with Tibetan arts, crafts and antiques, the interiors are no less of a delight. This is somewhere to relax, acclimatise to the altitude and savour the atmosphere of the high plateau, for which the décor and views could not be more conducive.