Bukhara, Uzbekistan

A stone’s throw away from Lyabi Hauz square, this attractively refurbished courtyard house occupies the former home of a Jewish merchant at the heart of the old city. Plenty of original features remain, including delightful arched wall niches and murals panted pretty colours. The bathrooms, however, are reassuringly modern, with great showers that will revive you after a day’s sightseeing ahead of supper in the traditional dining room. The rooftop terrace is the best place to enjoy Bukhara’s atmospheric skyline, reclined with a glass of hot tea in a canopied ‘tapchan’.