Great escapes around the world (Taschen GmbH)

The second installment of Angelika Taschen's round-up of the world's most exceptional hotels and retreats is packed with awe-inspiring photos and tantalizing descriptions of the world's greatest getaways. While few will visit them all, this collection provides a dizzying array of exotic destinations for the armchair traveller.Highlights include a California inn where Liberace would have felt right at home, and shabby-chic bungalows on Highway 1 in Big Sur. Choose from luxurious residences nestled on the Ubud hillside overlooking the Ayung River in Bali, or oceanside bungalows on a Brazilian archipelago. Go camping in "royal style" in the Indian desert, or opt for a luxury tented camp on an island in the best game-viewing location in Botswana. Relax in a hand-woven banda on Zanzibar, a hotel-museum full of contemporary art on the Sicilian coast, or a sumptuous Provençal spa retreat in the south of France.