Palacio Tangara, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Courtesy of Palacio Tangara

Palacio Tangara, in all its grand splendour, makes a striking first impression. Within the modernist Burle Marx Park, the hotel is an oasis of calm, heightened by the backdrop of pulsating Sao Paulo in the distance. Wander around the marvellous grounds of the Maria Luisa and Oscar Americano Foundation, and see the famed Glass House of the revolutionary architect Lina Bo Bardi. The hotel certainly lives up to its namesake, the elegant tangara bird, which you might spot perched high up in the ferns.

From about £255 a room a night (oetkercollection.com). British Airways flies from Heathrow to Sao Paulo, from £813 a person return. To book, visit ba.com.