The idea of a minimalist, modernist luxury resort in some idyllic Asian coastal locale isn’t a new one. But the success of a hotel like The Balé Phnom Penh depends less on the element of surprise and more on pure execution. And on that score this one, like its older sister in Bali, is just about faultless; the design achieves the Zen simplicity it’s aiming for, and the physical comforts of the place ensure that you’re never shaken out of the blissful state that the architecture has induced.

Roughly equidistant from Siem Reap’s busy city center, the temple complex at Angkor Wat, and Siem Reap International Airport, Anjali by Syphon benefits both from convenience — distances are best measured in minutes — and from a more tranquil setting than the city’s more urban hotels and resorts. It’s the perfect place for a hotel whose mission is to offer a transformative experience: a small, stylish, contemporary boutique eco-resort whose meditative modernist architecture wraps around a green oasis of a central pool courtyard.

Singapore’s Chinatown is one of the world’s most unique neighborhoods, and it’s here, in a row of five well-preserved 19th-century shophouses, that you’ll find an equally memorable hotel: Duxton Reserve, a spectacular French-accented boutique hotel with interiors by one of the originators of the boutique-hotel movement, the British designer and hotelier Anouska Hempel.

There are a few ways to do Bali. The most common involves the southern settlements, the villages and towns along the more populous south coast, and a close second is Ubud, the inland artists’ colony. But it’s hard not to see the appeal of the alternative version offered by Menjangan Resort, on a very isolated stretch of beach in the West Bali National Park, on the far northwestern corner of the island. The holy grail, for beach resorts, is the desert-island experience, and Menjangan comes awfully close.

Seminyak isn’t exactly synonymous with seclusion, given its reputation as Bali’s mecca of upmarket tourism. The Amala undercuts that stereotype; these twelve private villas are serviced by butlers, which, it hardly needs to be said, is not exactly the norm around here. This level of service extends to the chefs, nutritionists and wellness experts that compose the rest of the resort’s staff. With all this one-on-one contact it’s easy to forget the bustling scene elsewhere around Seminyak.

It’s not exactly remote; Koh Samui’s Chaweng Beach is a busy place, with plenty of development supporting a thriving tourist trade. So the success of the Anantara Lawana lies in large part in the way it creates an atmosphere of tranquil seclusion, while still offering easy access to all the bustle of this most vibrant of island destinations.

What’s better than a Balinese boutique hotel? A Balinese boutique hotel with a Japanese twist, that’s what. We’ll take your infinity pool and raise you a handcrafted Japanese-inspired soaking tub in every room; we’ll take your peaceful jungle setting and up the ante with minimalist design, yoga on the rooftop, and an impossibly picturesque, almost-too-cute-to-eat breakfast. That’s the idea at Bisma Eight, a 38-suite hotel right in the center of Ubud. This is Bali’s artisan capital, and the designers have taken proper advantage of that fact. But it’s different from what you’d expect here, and that’s part of its appeal.

If your Danish design sense is tingling as you scan the photos of Chapung Sebali, you’re not mistaken. For this boutique hotel, though it’s located on the outskirts of Ubud, in inland Bali, is in fact operated by Guldsmeden, the group responsible for a few of our favorite hotels in Copenhagen. And it’s fair to say the combination of Balinese villas and Scandinavian modernism is a winning one.

No relation, apparently, to any other Viceroy, in Los Angeles or anywhere else — the Viceroy Bali is a one-off, a family-owned hotel, a rarity at the high end of the resort market. The location is increasingly familiar, as more travelers discover the charms of inland Bali — the Viceroy is minutes from Ubud, high on a hillside overlooking the lush (and steep) Lembah Valley.

Singapore is home to some fantastically modern luxury hotels, but it’s home to some beautifully historic ones as well; Murray Terrace, a century-old British Colonial building on the south side of Chinatown, is the venue for Maxwell Reserve, a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. Historical, yes, but not archaeological — rather than reconstruct its original interiors, Maxwell Reserve tasked designer Jacques Garcia with crafting an interior style that’s true to its European inspiration and perfectly tailored to the present day.

Here’s an enticing formula for a new hotel. An Art Deco building in Singapore’s up-and-coming Kampong Glam neighborhood, plus an illustrious French architect and interior designer. Indeed, there’s plenty of buzz around The Vagabond Club, Jacques Garcia’s first project in Asia. That’s partly because the sumptuous 41-room boutique looks like a lot more than a cool place to sleep. The hotel’s Whiskey Library is home to a carefully curated selection of over 1,000 whiskies, and also features an Artist In Residence program, which brings writers, musicians, and visual artists from all over the globe to live, work, and socialize with guests in a Parisian salon-inspired space.

Perhaps the key to Thailand’s popularity as a destination is its endless variety: from the urban excess of Bangkok to the solitary eco-escapes or package-holiday crowds of the famous beaches, it’s got more faces than many nations twice its size. Time to get used to another: the upscale destinations along the gulf coast, surrounding the resort town of Hua Hin.

Phuket’s no longer the untamed paradise it was, but a place like Aleenta proves that, if you pick your spot properly, you can still get that old desert-island feeling. Not quite the Robinson Crusoe feeling — the architecture sees to that, with urbane little villas and contemporary-styled loft suites replacing the more stereotypical thatched-roof huts — but a private and secluded feeling nonetheless.

The Okura Prestige is located on Embassy Row, in Bangkok’s central business district, but to orient the hotel in relation to its ground-level street address is almost to misplace it. That’s because the Okura is essentially a refuge in the sky, as close to a floating hotel as you’re likely to get without stepping onto a pier.

In case you needed it, this is proof positive that Phuket, done right, is still absolutely extraordinary. Andara’s location, on a hillside up above Kamala Beach, on the island’s west coast, immediately places it in a different class — not for nothing is this stretch called the Millionaires’ Mile. Even by those standards, though, it’s something special, a collection of stylish modern-Thai villas and lodges, spread across a lush estate with seemingly unlimited views over the bay below.

It’s a boutique hotel forged from the remnants of a century-old tin mine — and thanks to the efforts of the interior designer Bill Bensley, the look is akin to industrial cool. As luxury-spa-villa fatigue begins to set in, a new take on the old familiar Phuket is more than welcome.

The Island Lodge makes its home not just on any old island, but on the Mekong Delta’s Unicorn Island, an auspicious setting if ever there was one. Here, a short distance from Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the most relaxing hotels in Vietnam, a place whose sense of tranquility belies its relatively convenient location. And if it’s not the flashiest boutique hotel in the world, that’s to be expected — here it’s charm and character, not eye-popping luxury or design fireworks, that keeps guests coming back.

Adrian Zecha knows hotels. The Aman founder’s vision of small-scale, high-design, no-expense-spared resorts more or less established the luxury boutique hotel as a genre, and under the Azerai banner, he continues to develop his hospitality vision. Azerai Can Tho stands on an islet in the Hau river, just outside the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, accessible only by boat — and that small separation is all it needs to create a complete and transformative escape.

With panoramic beach views right in front of the lobby, it’s not hard to fall in love with this hotel the moment you arrive. Inside, all rooms are equipped with super comfy beds, coffee machines, and rain showers. Sea view rooms offer the best sunsets, while those beachfront provide privacy and are perfect for honeymooners. The swimming pools are salt water and calm, clear water all year round and proximity to the city make the location ideal.

Aman founder Adrian Zecha is back with a new brand, Azerai, and while it’s distinct from his other work in its specifics, the overarching purpose is the same: to create a travel experience that’s nothing short of transformative. Obviously, any hotel that can do that is one for our listings, and Azerai Ke Ga Bay, on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, achieves it, with Zecha’s characteristic ease.

After a pair of stylish boutique hotels in the distinctly un-tropical city of Frankfurt, the Lindenberg group has gone as far as it’s possible to go, both in concept and in sheer literal distance. Lost Lindenberg finds itself on the west coast of Bali, and a bit farther out than most of the competition, in the quiet seaside village of Pekutatan, with the jungle at its back and a long black lava-sand beach right out front — the surfing is fine enough, and the island’s longest break happens to be located at Medewi Beach, just ten minutes up the road.

The whole point of New Zealand, from an outsider’s perspective, is the outdoors — there’s city culture there, of course, but what’s worth going on and on about are the natural gifts of the place. So a hotel like Azur plays to all its location’s strengths; it’s urbane and sophisticated, just a few minutes from the center of Queenstown, but mostly it’s just immersed in natural splendor, with views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable mountain range, and easy access to all the activities, from water sports to heli-skiing, that both entail.

It’s impossible to resist Ovolo Woolloomooloo’s location, an old finger wharf extending out over the water, still surrounded by docked vessels and affording prime views of the marina, the city, and the landmarks on the Harbour.

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