Algarve

The Algarve is Portugal’s premier holiday destination, with pretty beaches, brash resorts and picturesque whitewashed towns that flood with foreigners when summer arrives. While the party atmosphere isn’t for everyone, the setting is undeniably beautiful: breathtaking cliffs, wide golden sands, natural bays, scalloped beaches and long sandy islands with waves lapping at the shore. Outside the touristy enclaves, there are quiet castle towns, flower-covered hillsides and enchanting stretches of shoreline still untouched by development.

The towns themselves aren’t as varied as the coastline, but still offer a wide range of personalities. Lagos, with its cobbled streets, young crowd and abundant nightlife, is the carnival queen of the Algarve. Monchique is a quaint town with fine views over the steep wooded countryside. Tavira, set along a peaceful river, remains elegant and laid-back, with a history dating back to the Romans. The capital of the region, Faro, has a more Portuguese feel than some, and a fascinating medieval quarter. Out on the rugged west coast, small, charming towns like Sagres and Carrapateira attract a surf-loving crowd, while cliffside Albufeira sees a wider mix of travellers.

If you’re not keen on crowds and high-season prices, avoid coming from July to mid-September. This is when most Portuguese and other Europeans take their holidays: spring and autumn are lovely alternatives (though the water will be a bit nippy).

Bambu Indah Hotel

Forget stained carpets, or cold marble floors, a vibrant blue pond ripples beneath the feet of guests at one rustic retreat in Bali. Holidaymakers wake up to a stunning underwater panorama in one of the most unique sleeping quarters in the world, in the Udang 'shrimp' House at Bambu Indah hotel in Bali.
But visitors mustn't be shy if they want to stay in the eco-friendly bolt-hole, as there is an abundance of fish swimming under the room - and perhaps peering up through the tempered glass floor. The room also boasts an open-air shower so guests can truly feel at one with nature.

They transformed the century old homes into guest houses using inspiration from the history of Indonesia, while adding the luxury and service of a boutique hotel. Bambu Indah, which means beautiful bamboo in Balinese, is minutes downriver from the town of Ubud, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. The intimate hotel looks out at the stunning cascades of the Ayung River, a Hindu temple and multiple volcanic ridges surrounding Mount Batu Kau. Guests are led via stone paths from the bamboo-encased reception area to their special one-room cottages made of hand-carved teak.