Darjeeling, Indian Himalayas, India

Established in 1859 by a family of entrepreneurial Scottish planters, Glenburn sits on a hill above a bend in the River Rangeet, its green-roofed bungalows surveying a vista of ethereal beauty. Lying in your teak four-poster, with the French windows wide open and a tray of bed tea at the ready, you can literally gaze across the treetops at the distant snow-clad summit of Kanchenjunga. The light, airy suites, which open on to flower-filled verandahs, are all effortlessly refined, from their toile de Jouy upholstery to white-painted wicker chairs.