Contrary to its home in a tower in Manila’s bustling city centre (shared with Fairmont Makati), Raffles Makati is an oasis of calm. The elevated retreat is hung with a substantive collection of original art by exclusively Filipino artists including Gerry Joquico and Edwin Wilwayco. With some 1,600 pieces, in a way it’s more like an elite museum for the privileged guests of the 32 capacious suites, the largest of which, the presidential, has three bedrooms and a kitchen. There’s even an in-house art concierge who leads captivating tours of the work embraced within dark wood and marble. Perks of the property include a private underground walkway that leads to the neighbouring malls and, in signature Raffles style, private butlers. Another trademark of the brand is Writers Bar, and this one is warm, unsurprisingly art studded, and the place for not only a stiff drink but an intimate afternoon heritage tea. Divine dining options are profuse, especially given the low room count, and could easily keep a foodie occupied for several days, between the Provence-inflected Mirèio, sundowner-ready tenth-floor Mistral Rooftop Bar, contemporary Asian and beyond Spectrum, and Long Bar, where the local version of the Raffles-created Singapore Sling is flecked with 24-karat gold.
Price: Rooms from around £310 per night.
Two Seasons Coron Island Resort
Nearly half the fun of staying at Two Seasons Coron Island Resort is getting there via an adventurous speedboat transfer from Coron Town — wind-swept, cobalt blue, sometimes choppy and incredibly scenic. The wholly sustainable resort caters equally to scuba divers (the island is a sanctuary for turtles and giant clams) and spa devotees. There are Hydrobob submersible scooters for non-PADI people (though dive courses are also offered in this Palawan paradise) and also perfectly transparent Molokini kayaks that allow the less comfortable to marvel at the tropical fish swimming through bold turquoise saltwater. The 42 wooden-clad bungalows are prototypically Filipino in feeling, and open up to the surrounding beauty, in some cases with scenic Jacuzzis. Elsewhere, the hotel offers sunrise and sunset beaches, an indoor-outdoor restaurant, the aforementioned spa and, for less-sunny days, a karaoke room, so wildly popular in the Philippines it’s like the national sport. To venture further there are an array of excursions available, the most popular being a boat tour that covers postcard worthy stops like the ravishing Twin Lagoon, a beach cove seafood lunch, and dive into Kayangan Lake.
Price: Rooms from around £330 per night.