Resort pioneer James Baillie opened Southern Ocean Lodge four years ago offering dramatic but low impact on the environment architecture and equally dramatic views of the surrounding cliffs and waves crashing ashore. (Riding those waves while I was there assorted dolphins.) All rooms face those ocean views, which become almost mesmerizing in winter, with storms rolling in as you sit by the living room fireplace staring out.
From its treehouse perspective, modern-day archaeologists and architecture enthusiasts can take in rooftop gardens, slices of gritty urban life and views of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.
This four-storey architectural masterpiece is a mix of Muslim and Rajput architecture and has countless rooms with arched entrances, balconies and latticed windows that frame miniature painting-like views of the monument-studded riverbank outside.