Bundi, Rajasthan, India

With its fairy-tale palace, warrenous old town and easygoing, provincial charm, Bundi is the unexpected highlight of many visitors’ Rajasthan tour, and the Haveli Braj Bhushanjee is the best place from which to savour its distinctive atmosphere. The location, directly beneath the palace, is plum: the ornate jharokha balconies of the royal abode literally tower above you, while in the opposite direction extends a convoluted, typically Rajasthani roofscape of onion domes and temple towers. Inside the hotel, swirling, multi-coloured murals, cusp-arched windows, carved wood pillars, ancestral photographs and opulent textiles make you feel like you’re sleeping in a museum.