Where to stay if you can’t get in

London has long been the private members’ club capital of the world, but New York, US, is finally catching up, says Owen Holmes, who rounds up five of the best

This week’s dream: the Waldorf Astoria glitters again ...

FROM AUSTRALIA TO UGANDA, WE REVEAL THE WORLD’S MOST EXCITING HOTEL OPENINGS. THE RESULT IS A LIST OF WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP THAT’S AS VARIED AS IT IS UNPARALLELED — WHETHER YOU WANT TO EAT THE FRESHEST PRODUCE AT AN UPSCALE FARM STAY, FIND DESIGNER DIGS IN THE CITY OR TUNE OUT ON A JUNGLE RETREAT IN THE MOUNTAINS

TARAN WILKHU/COURTESY OF THE PERMIT ROOM/DISHOOM (3) ► ...

Stretching across two continents separated by the Bosphorus Strait, this ancient Silk Road city was once the capital of both the Christian Byzantine and Islamic Ottoman empires. Crumbling hammams rub shoulders with striking contemporary buildings, while the call to prayer from Hagia Sophia mosque can be heard from the 15th-century Grand Bazaar, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants. Istanbul is sewn together by a series of storied districts, which results in a varied hotel scene. Relive the Ottoman heyday in a Sultanahmet townhouse; book a boutique stay fuelled by cafes and galleries in Karaköy; or check in among the designer stores of Nişantaşı.

Political refugees, economic migrants and devoted Anglophiles are transforming the city one luxury apartment at a time, finds Will Hosie