Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro

The only beachfront hotel to rival Copacabana in the glamour stakes, the Phillipe Starck-designed Fasano Rio is a fabulously flashy place for a romantic break. Although the frontage is discreet, it masks a wealth of quirky-cool interior design details. Cool white minimalism blends seamlessly with playful details such as candy-striped pod chairs on each corridor. Goose-feather bed covers and Egyptian cotton sheets up the luxury level and the seafood-focused restaurant Fasano Al Mare, is first rate. The bar, Londra, is a rock-and-roll hangout for high-living celebrities visiting Rio, but the hotel's crowning glory is the rooftop infinity pool with its dazzling views over Ipanema beach.