Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

A pink-ochre palace enfolded by scrub-covered mountains, Samode is the stuff of dreams. From the minute you enter its bougainvillea-filled courtyard, you’re transported to the heydey of the Raj, when royal hunting parties would arrive in great trains of elephants to a cacophony of drums and trumpets. The architecture is a classic fusion of Rajput and Mughal, and the painstakingly restored interiors, ornately decorated balconies and fountains are some of the most exuberant in India. You have a choice of two pools to laze beside: a large, marble-lined one on the lower level; a crow’s-nest infinity pool on the rooftop, from where the views are breathtaking.