Back to Top 10 Boutique Hotels 2006

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CHINA

Beijing
Commune by the Great Wall
www.commune.com.cn

While aficionados of boutique hotels rate comfort and service at the top of their lists, it can't be denied that they are also always on the lookout for a place that will blow their minds... while offering private butler service at the same time, of course. The twelve über contemporary residences at Commune by the Great Wall were designed by Asia's top architects (Paris’ Centre Pompidou purchased the models for their permanent collection). Notables include the six-bedroom Bamboo Wall and three-story Distorted Courtyard. The finishing touch: sweeping views of the Great Wall.

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NEW ZEALAND

Taupo
Huka Lodge
www.hukalodge.com

One of the most exciting turns the modern boutique hotel has taken is its approach to roughing it. Let's say you want to go fishing in a spot so secluded you have to helicopter in. Does this mean you also have to spend your nights in a sleeping bag on the lumpy ground? Not at New Zealand's Huka Lodge. With 20 stylish suites just steps from the Waikato River, this former fishing camp has come a long way. Fortunately, its best asset remains unchanged: mountain fed Lake Taupo filled with some of the finest Rainbow Trout in the world.

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(Updated: 05/17/11 CT)