Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
26 February 2014 09:13
The joys of Jodhpur: Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, also home to the award-winning Mihir Garh hotel
India's opulent Mihir Garh has been crowned the world's most extraordinary hotel.
Lonely Planet's expert authors chose the Rajasthan state venue because of its "mirage-like qualities".
Although officially in the city of Jodhpur, the hotel is an isolated fortress atop a sand mound at the edge of a desert.
Holidaymakers may be attracted to its remoteness.
But a stay in accommodation off the beaten track away from the metropolises' certainties makes the peace of mind gained from taking out travel insurance even more advisable.
Lonely Planet spokesman James Kay said: "Few hotels are created without compromise; Mihir Garh is a rare example."
This is not just a unique place to stay, he said. It is also a shrine to the area's artistic and architectural traditions.
Meerkats might have had a hand (or paw) in helping Planet Baobab to second place in the top 10 list.
The Botswana Kalahari desert venue sees guests sleep in distinctive African thatched huts sprinkled among the eponymous baobab trees.
Tourists can spot lions on the vista, together with groups of meerkats and elephants, who gather at the neighbouring waterhole.
Lonely Planet writer James Bainbridge said: "Seeing lions in that bleached-out landscape was certainly memorable."
Italy's romantic hideaway of The Torre Prendiparte B&B, with its 900-year-old tower and unrivalled views of Bologna, finished third. Guests can reserve the whole tower, which once served as a religious prison.
The top 10 list also features Free Spirit Spheres in Canada, where guests sleep in spherical pods suspended among the trees on British Columbia's Vancouver Island.
Intrepid tourists who enjoy monkeying around should visit The Gibbon Experience Treehouse in Laos. The resort's treehouses are suspended 100ft (30.5m) above the ground and can solely be accessed through an exciting zip line strung across the forest canopy.
Turkey's Taskonak Hotel in Turkey, a retreat that has been carved into the rock in Cappadocia's Göreme village, also features.
19 April 2018
A self-injected smart drug may be the key to easing and preventing pain for migraine sufferers.
[more...]
17 April 2018
Despite its reputation as a party drug, ketamine is licensed as an anaesthetic. A recent US study found use of the drug via a nasal spray led to "significant" improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours.
Simple brain-training exercises carried out at home have been shown to reduce emotional stress in female breast cancer survivors, it's recently been revealed.
13 April 2018
Drinkers who consume more alcohol than UK guidelines suggest could be cutting years off their lives, according to new research.
12 April 2018
A recent study has revealed that people who sustain brain injuries are at an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.
11 April 2018
Scientists have announced their latest breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer's disease, after neutralising a high-risk gene in a human brain cell for the first time.
07 April 2018
The Philippines is set to shut its most famous holiday island of Boracay for six months, after the President described it as a "cesspool".
05 April 2018
Taxes on soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco - nicknamed "sin taxes" - could be a powerful step towards combating rising rates of chronic diseases worldwide, research has suggested.
New "one-stop shops" to speed up cancer diagnosis are being trialled across the country for the first time.
30 March 2018
Doctors should tell patients that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking but not without risk, according to new national guidance.
29 March 2018
Young people suffering from mental health problems are finding it hard to get the support they need, a survey has revealed.
28 March 2018
Children exposed to epilepsy drugs in the womb may achieve poorer test results at school, a study has suggested.