You won't find any fjords, and a view of the Northern Lights is unlikely, but this hip hotel does sit in the thick of sundry dining and drinking establishments, and within walking distance of funky Fremont, the Ballard Locks (one of Washington's top tourist attractions) and scenic Golden Gardens Park, which offers splendid views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

BBC: Daily deal: A night in Seattle

But even exhaustion doesn't keep me from getting up at 3 a.m. for yet another astounding view: the swirling Northern Lights, like ocean bioluminescence in the sky.

WSJ: Heli-Skiing in Greenland