This exclusive oasis was developed by Emirates Airlines in the desert outside of Dubai. Designed to resemble a Bedouin camp, the resort has suites, each with its own private swimming pool, and a spa with frankincense-scented treatments. Activities include safari field trips on foot or in an air-conditioned, four-wheel-drive vehicle, camel-trekking and falconry demonstrations.

For more information: Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa

Located in caves in the surreal volcanic landscape of Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this hotel has luxuriously decorated suites fitted with everything from LCD TVs to jacuzzis. A hiding place for Christians during the Roman era, Cappadocia offers not only sightseeing, but also trekking, hot-air-balloon rides, rafting and skiing.

For more information: Anatolian Houses

A volcanic island in the “Mar Menor” lagoon just off the southern Spanish Mediterranean coast, Baron Island is a 220-acre nature reserve whose coastline is dotted with small beaches perfect for strolling, bird-watching, swimming or diving. Up to twelve guests can sleep either in cottages or in a watchtower built in the 1950’s from a design by Frank Lloyd Wright. This is a great place to literally get away from it all.

For more information: Vladi Private Islands

Located on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, the lodge’s tree house is built of sustainable hardwoods taken from trees that fell in the rainforest; the treehouse has two rooms that sleep up to six. Views of the rainforest surround guests, who also have access to a 300-meter private beachfront. Surfing and white-water rafting are available.

For more information: Costa Rica Tree House Lodge

Built anew from scratch every winter, Sweden’s ICEHOTEL sleeps over 100 guests, each in a unique bedroom whose temperature is never colder than five to eight degrees celsius. The property has an ice chapel, an ice art gallery and, last but not least, an Absolut ice bar, the world’s first, originally built in 1994. For those unwilling or unable to brave the cold, the ICEHOTEL also offers heated guest rooms.

For more information: ICEHOTEL

Located 30 feet underwater in the Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo, Fla., this hotel can be reached only by scuba divers; it offers a diving class to non-certified divers who want to stay there. It can accommodate two couples, each staying in a private bedroom; they share a common room with a mini-kitchen and dining and entertainment areas, the latter fitted with a VCR/DVD, stereo sound system and marine radio. Famous guests have included Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

For more information: Jules’ Undersea Lodge

This 41-room Paris hotel for the design-forward opened last year, and features guest rooms that are angular, white and accented with brightly colored furniture and opaque night tables that resemble ice cubes; a fingerprint scan opens their door. Bathroom toilets are located in gray, windowless closets, similar to airplane lavatories; bathtubs are designed by Philippe Starck. The lobby has been described as a “sci-fi bordello.”

For more information: Kube Hotel

Located on ten acres in the outskirts of Nairobi near the coffee farm of Karen Blixen, author of “Out of Africa,” this hotel is run by a former Belgian diplomat. Accommodations are in treehouses, a private cottage and log cabin; elevated 15 feet off the ground, the treehouses offer gorgeous views of the bush and Ngong Hills. Breakfast and lunch are served under acacia trees in the garden, while dinner is served in a candle-lit, thatched rondaval with a grand fireplace.

For more information: Ngong House

This member of Relais & Chateaux in Warren, VT, at the foot of the Sugarbush ski and golf resort, has ten distinctly decorated guest rooms and suites. The lodge room, for example, has a ceiling painted midnight-blue and studded with stars, mimicking the Vermont sky; it replicates a Masonic lodge. The mountain room resembles a ranger’s cabin, and has a fireplace, hand-painted murals of nearby mountains, and authentic skiing, rock-climbing and hiking equipment. Other guest rooms have trout and duck-hunting themes.

For more information: Pitcher Inn and Spa

Opened late last year in Litchfield, Conn., this hotel can set you back close to $2,000 a night. At that price, you get to stay in one of 18 cottages designed by 15 different architects, each inspired by a Connecticut theme, such as the helicopter (Sikorsky builds them in Stratford, Conn.), beaver lodge, camping cottage, and secret society, a reference to Yale’s Skull and Bones. The chef, Chris Eddy, is a protégé of Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse.

For more information: Winvian