Chennai, South India, India

Chennai’s only proper heritage hotel is a mid-19th century palace, formerly belonging to the Nawabs of Wallajah. It’s had a few facelifts in its time – most notably one in the 1930s when the interiors were upgraded in sumptuous Art Deco style – but the place today looks and feels every inch an international five star. Some of the rooms on the ground floor open directly on to the secluded courtyard pool, swathed in tropical greenery – a perfect haven from the brouhaha of the nearby shopping district.