Hotel Diplomat, Stockholm

It’s easy to see why wealthy travellers flock to Hotel Diplomat. Right by the waterfront at Nybrohamnen, where sightseeing boats pull in, it’s as glitzy a location as you’ll find anywhere in the city.

Some come here for the Swedish and French food served at the smart ground-floor restaurant, which runs along the bottom of the hotel’s art nouveau façade.

Others come for the rooms; even the small-ish standard rooms are classically styled in shades of white and cream, with nice high ceilings.

Unless you’re desperate to see the water when you wake up, we’d recommend giving the expensive deluxe ‘sea-view’ rooms a miss (the regular double rooms are just as comfortable). Regardless of which room type you opt for, you’ll get a desk, a comfy bed with Portuguese cotton sheets and a pre-stocked minibar.

Guests have access to the hotel’s handsome first-floor lounge, which hosts a new art exhibition every couple of months. Nearby, armchairs and a well-stocked bookcase provide the perfect environment for a bit of quiet reading.

Hotel Diplomat’s ‘retreat’ offers hour-long health and beauty treatments. Feeling active? You can work out at the hotel’s gym – personal trainer optional.