Would you look at that… 5 rooms with definitive views
Why venture out when you have the best view in town right from your room (or pool)? From Dubai in the sky to Rio from a hilltop, these are the world’s most perfectly placed hotels
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“I love looking at the world, there is an intense pleasure from my eyes. Enjoyment of the landscape is a thrill.” So said the British artist David Hockney—but you don’t have to be a world-famous painter to bask in the pleasures of a good view. Because while we often focus on the amenities found inside a hotel, what surrounds it can be just as uplifting.
Hotels, by their nature, are supposed to feel like the heart of a new location, and being able to take in the view from the rooftop bar or your floor-to-ceiling window is the perfect way to orient yourself in an unfamiliar place, spot famous landmarks—and capture a few FOMO-inducing wide-angle shots for your social feed, of course. After all, when the sights are this good, it’d be rude not to share them. Here are five of our favorite rooms with the view.
01
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai: The ultimate luxury lookout


This deconstructed, hyper-modern hotel isn’t just a wonder of modern architecture, but a property that repays repeat visits. The ever-changing nature of Dubai’s layout means that—much like the surrounding deserts—the city rarely gives the same view twice. Towering between the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf and the city’s futuristic skyline, Atlantis The Royal is the perfect place to watch it evolve.
02
Parnas Hotel Jeju, South Korea: All eyes on the horizon

At the southern tip of South Korea lies Jeju, a volcanic, lushly forested island that for years was Korea’s well-kept secret holiday destination. Take a south-facing room at the Parnas Hotel Jeju, pour a cup of the hotel’s signature Fondmer coffee blend, and step out onto the balcony for a perfect view of the South China Sea, winding coastal paths, the mango-rich forest canopy, and the country’s longest infinity pool.
Book now03
Santa Teresa Hotel RJ, Rio de Janeiro: Sugarloaf, sea and city

Located on a historic coffee farm dating to the mid-19th century, MGallery’s Santa Teresa Hotel RJ gives you the perfect vantage point from high above Rio’s bustle. Look one way to Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana, the other to marvel at the sea and white sands of Praia do Flamengo. It’s telling that this is one of the few hotels where the view is so good that the sun loungers face away from the pool.
Book now04
Cerulean Tower, Tokyo: The best of both worlds


Tokyo remains one of the world’s most futuristic nighttime skylines—a twinkling blanket of neon and light, shimmering surfaces and modernist superstructures. And standing at 41 stories in the heart of trendy Shibuya, the glass-and-steel Cerulean Tower is one of the highest vantage points from which to take it all in. It’s also more affordable than many comparable high-rise Tokyo stays, and on a clear day, you might even catch a glimpse of snow-capped Mount Fuji.
Book now05
Hotel degli Orafi, Florence: The real-life Room with a View


Florence is one of those destinations that never disappoints: walkable, friendly, overloaded with eye-popping art and architecture, and practically impossible to eat badly in. But for the ultimate experience, why not stay in the actual Room with a View that was immortalized in the 1985 film adaptation of E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel? A fourth-floor hideaway at Hotel degli Orafi, opening out across the river Arno and Ponte Vecchio—perfect for that “Victorian on the Grand Tour” vibe.
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Justin Quirk
Writer
Justin Quirk is Associate Creative Director of Editorial at Expedia Group, as well as a writer and editor who has worked for titles including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Esquire about music, design, and current affairs. He is also the author of Nothin’ But a Good Time, an acclaimed cultural history of 1980s heavy metal.
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