Wanderlust and Envy: The Booklover's Dream at Pera Palace Istanbul

Turkish tea and a library perfect for any bookworm feature in this opulent 115-room hotel in Beyoglu. Dating back to 1895, the hotel has been furnished in luxury decor with pinks in the patisserie to a mix of gorgeous purples in the library. From the ornate lobby with marble tile floors, to the elegant afternoon tea, to the live piano music, to the (working!) original wrought-iron elevator, everything about Pera Palace evokes the bygone days when posh Europeans traveled to Istanbul on the Orient Express. Part of the Jumeirah stable, it's to be expected really. The hotel is old, but the sympathetic design and refurbishment make it an exquisite place to spend a weekend exploring the city.

One of the hotel’s luxury suites is even named after Ernest Hemingway who had one of his characters stay at the hotel. Others are named after Greta Garbo, the gorgeous Swedish silent movie actress, mystery writer Agatha Christie, and Pierre Loti, a French writer.

Rates for this hotel aren't cheap. A standard twin room costs just under £200, with a weekend in the Hemingway suite costing over £1,000. But when there's so much old school glamour and elegance, it's the experience rather than just a bed to sleep the night.