We pick five top hotels and resorts, designed to be stylishly different in a contemporary, minimalist style.

Gallery Hotel Art, Florence, Italy

Designed by the Salvatore Ferragamo fashion group, this trendy hotel is located in historic Florence, a stone's throw from the Piazza Republica and the Ponte Veccio.  Offering a sleek, modern hideaway in a Renaissance city, the hotel is in a modern.   The 7-storey  hotel boasts 74 rooms, all of which have leather headboards, contemporary furnishings, 200 thread-count sheets, Bulgari bath products, soft wool bed shawls and kimono style robes.

Enjoy a book from the hotel's own library, sinking into one of the large, soft sofas or dine in style in the Asian-inspired restaurant.  Contemplate the artworks, be they paintings, photographs or object d'art.

Address:  Vicolo dell 'Oro 5, Florence, Italy 50123.  Tel: 00 39 055 27263

Rooms from: £220 per night rack rate.  Book the Gallery Hotel Art

The Morrison, Dublin, Ireland

One of Dublin's most luxurious hotels, The Morrison is an eclectic mix of 18th century Georgian townhouse cleverly combined with modern style by designers Douglas Wallace and fashion guru John Rocha. Overlooking the River Liffey, the hotel blends high ceilings with white walls, adorned with original works of art, stone floors and hand-made carpets.

The 90 rooms are all neutrally, but stylishly decorated, in either black and white, or chocolate and cream.  Luxuriously understated, linens are Frette white, with velvet throws.  Bathrooms combine limestone floors with mosaic tiles, and deliciously fragrant bath products.

Dine in style at the Halo restaurant, where Chef, Jean-Michel Poulot prepares gastronomic delights using the finest Irish ingredients combined with the freshest herbs and spices.  Take tea or a snack in the Café Bar, or relax and play chess.  Enjoy a drink in the Morrison Bar, overlooking the river or for a late night drink on Friday and Saturday nights, try Lobo, one of the city's hottest bars.

Address: Ormond Quay, Dublin, Ireland.  Tel:  00 353 1887 2457.

Rooms from: €285.00 rack rate.  Book The Morrison

Hotelito Desconocido, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

Situated on a 40-mile stretch of unspoiled Mexican coastline, the Hotelito Desconocido is an "eco-luxury" resort owned and built by Italian fashion designer Marcello Murzilli.  Created to exist in perfect harmony with its surroundings, the resort opened in 1997 as a haven, not only for the birds and turtles that inhabit the area, but as a place of renewal and romance for guests.

Offering complete relaxation and tranquility, the hotel has no electricity, but its fan cooled rooms make use of solar energy created on site, while at night, the resort is lit by more than 1,000 candles.   Rooms are an imaginative mix of luxury yet traditional bungalows on stilts, accompanied by beautiful linens, gauzy netting and of course, candles.  Enjoy the sounds of the ocean, or take a shower in your bamboo "garden bathroom" after a relaxing day on the hotel's private beach.

Take a relaxing spa treatment designed to invigorate and heal, or complement your massage with yoga and stretching classes.  Dine on traditional Mexican cuisine in one of the Hotelito's two restaurants, both of which overlook the ocean,  Many of the ingredients used come from the hotel's own gardens.  In the morning, pull the rope next to your bed, which will hoist a red flag above your room, indicating you are ready for your morning coffee.

Address: Puerto Vallata, Jalisco, Mexico.  Tel: 00 52 322 281 4010.  Directions

Rooms from: US $260 per night, room only.  Book Hotel Desconocido