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A BURMESE SANCTUM
Burma's tourism renaissance shows no sign of faltering, with travellers
ocking to the country in droves to explore its crumbling temples, pristine beaches and
jungly interior. Until recently, international-standard hotels were thin on the ground, but
helping solve this problem is the new Sanctum Inle - a newly opened luxury resort set
among reedy waters, glittering stupas and stilt-house villages near Inle Lake. The design is
said to imitate a Burmese monastery in form and cuts no corners, with polished dark wood
surfaces, high ceilings and views of leafy gardens stretching down to the lake shore.
From £315; sanctum-inle-resort.com. British Airways o� ers tickets to Yangon airport from London
Heathrow, changing at Bangkok for a Bangkok Airways ight. From £820; ba.com
Grand designs, Zurich
The prospect of staying at a business hotel in Zurich
is unlikely to set your pulse racing - unless, of course,
that hotel happens to be the new Kameha Grand Zurich
(pictured below). The high design lodgings are set around a
futuristic cube-shaped building. Inside you'll find Japanese
and Italian restaurants; outside you'll find the meadows
and glittering lakes of the city's Glattpark district.
From £136; kamehagrandzuerich.com
London abroad, Amsterdam
It's often said that London's epicentre of cool is shifting
east, but trendy hoteliers Hoxton have overshot entirely,
opening their new branch across the North Sea. Hoxton
Amsterdam was recently unveiled, occupying a row of
17th-century townhouses on the Herengracht canal.
From £64; thehoxton.com
Old and new, Ireland
Expanded and altered since 1228, Ashford Castle (pictured
above) is accustomed to renovations, but its latest facelift is
among the most significant, with a new wine cavern,
pool and cinema, plus 83 refurbished guest rooms.
From £221; ashfordcastle.com
From £136; kamehagrandzuerich.com
Doge the crowds in Venice
Staying in Venice during peak season typically means negotiating a scrum of lost
tourists, aggressive pigeons and rip-o cafés destroying your life savings with a
solitary espresso. Seen from a distance the city is a far more serene proposition,
especially if you're lucky enough to be staying at the recently reopened St Regis
San Clemente Palace, a luxury hotel set on its own private island south of Giudecca
in the Venetian lagoon. Dotted around a 17th-century monastery, the 146 guest
rooms show no sign of monastic asceticism, with plenty of Murano glass, terrazzo
oors and sublime views of the campanile of St Mark's rising above the water in
the distance. From £323; stregisvenice.com. British Airways ies to Venice Marco
Polo Airport from London Heathrow. From £147; ba.com
travel
Grand designs, Zurich
The prospect of staying at a business hotel in Zurich
is unlikely to set your pulse racing - unless, of course,
HOTTICKETS