InterContinental Hanoi Westlake

With views stretching across Hanoi’s largest lake to the city centre beyond, Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake scores top marks for the delightful, cocoon-like quality of its location. The surrounding neighbourhood, West Lake, is home to chic boutiques, popular coffee shops and imposing private homes, but the pace really slows down when you enter the Intercontinental’s creamy-coloured compound. The Sunset Bar, one of Hanoi’s most exclusive haunts, is an open-air pavilion perched alongside the lake which serves up cocktails to creative types and diplomats alike, while the rooms - equipped with dark wood furniture and accents of terracotta - are stately sanctuaries to lay your head. For those watching their waistline, a swimming pool and fitness centre offer a much-needed opportunity to work off the elaborate buffet breakfast served up each morning.