Cities can be interesting places, but is it me or are they all getting much the same? I suppose this is why we prefer travel and adventure in the thick of nature since that tends to be different everywhere you go. Most global cities are feeling less and less foreign every day that passes. I guess there's a lot of things to blame for this; global franchises, unilingual English, technology and media, cheap flights ... it's all evil I tell you!!

We have picked up a bit of a costly habit now by booking ourselves into swanky hotels on these city breaks. Some people would argue that it's just a bed for the night, but top class hotels have got a lot of character to them and deliver a memorable experience, so it's nice to splash out every once in a while.

The star ratings below give our summary verdict on these places. The world truly is a wonderful place.