If you want to see Mount Kilimanjaro (“Kili” to the locals) in all its glory from one of the 10 luxury glamping tents at Angama Amboseli, it helps to be an early riser. “Kili can be shy, only peering out from behind clouds throughout the day,” says the hotel’s marketing director Sarah Kajee. “We suggest a ‘pyjama safari’ in the early morning to watch her awake from her slumber.” Thanks to the stream in Kimana Sanctuary, where the property sits, herds of eland, reedbuck, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest and warthogs can be spotted from the restaurant or from your private outdoor shower, surrounded by fever trees. If you’re worn out from a day or night safari (or from craning your neck in your PJs), there’s the Mnara, a viewing tower from which to watch the pachyderm parade.

At Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll, six hours’ drive from Reykjavik, six cosy lodges (and there’s also a 28-room hotel) all have sunken lounge rooms and are decked out in sustainable timber, designed to give top billing to the scenery, including the massive Kerlingarfjöll mountain range. Armed with a powerful telescope and personal guide, you can find not only planets, galaxies and stars but one of the best views of the Northern Lights.

Nobody would blame you for whispering “wow” around every corner at The Dolli at Acropolis. Housed in a neoclassical mansion in the centre of Athens, its 46 biscuit-coloured rooms with Baroque touches and glass-walled rooftop restaurant are impressive, as are the cakes and candles you're treated to at check-in. Book the Acropolis Pied-a-Terre and throw open the doors to bask in your own private views of the Parthenon. If that isn’t enough of a drawcard, you can also visit the infinity pool on the fifth-floor deck.

There’s no wrong time to visit Shinta Mani Mustang, a row of 29 suites perched some 3000 metres above sea level in the Kali Gandaki River valley in northern Nepal. But spring, which is when Mustang’s almost mystical landscape of jutting rocks and peaks turns green, is particularly beautiful. It’s then that the apple orchards, from which guests are served cider with a dash of rum, burst into full bloom. All guestrooms offer prized views of the mountains at this time of year and while mornings provide the best chance of a clear outlook on the Nilgiri range, sunset has a beauty all its own, when the meringue-like peaks turn gold as the light fades.

Embedded on a cliff between Amalfi and Positano, above the fishing village of Conca dei Marini, the 29 rooms and 16 suites of Borgo Sant'andrea are decorated in cream, white and shades of blue with locally designed details, including handmade ceramic tiles – oh, and uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean. The peacock-blue sea is just as distracting when you dine on the terrace, where a lunch of calamari and seafood risotto among the lemon, olive and pomegranate trees lets you soak in la dolce vista.

With a view of the East River and glittering Manhattan skyline in almost every one of its 194 rooms, the Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, just five minutes from its namesake, could easily rest on its laurels. Though nobody is resting here (except for guests, of course). Australian chef Dan Churchill plates up grilled octopus, piquillo aioli, eucalyptus butter, honey and oregano for dinner at the hotel restaurant The Osprey, while staff at the Sky Swim Lounge, where the rooftop pool is located, are ready to pop champagne post-swim. A yoga instructor is also ready each Thursday for group lessons on the roof. With service like this, the outlook is the cherry on top.

Lake Louise, the jewel of southern Canada’s Banff National Park, rarely has a bad day. From December to April she’s frozen white, ready for skating. In late spring, she turns aquamarine against the snow caps of the Canadian Rockies. At the Fairmont Chateau, you have front row seats to all of it, no matter the season. Aside from picture frame windows, there are 539 warmly luxurious rooms, a health club, spa and personal concierge who can organise skiing, snowboarding and a scenic “gondola” ride over the lake in summer.

Wake up to the quiet majesty of Uluru, the sacred rock of the Pitjantjatjara, from one of 16 tented pavilions at Longitude 131°. Each sits low on the rugged, rust-coloured landscape, with luxurious touches such as fine dining under the stars or private pools for secluded swims. The Dune Pavilion, is the only accommodation with outlooks to both World Heritage-listed Uluru and Kata Tjuta, gives unrivalled glimpses of both the 550 million year-old monolith and the domed rock clusters and from your bed.

A 20-minute taxi ride from Kawaguchiko Station (just under two hours from Tokyo by train), you’ll find your wood cabin – one of 40 – situated on a hillside facing Lake Kawaguchi. Open your wardrobe and you’ll find binoculars, jackets, boots to assist you in exploring your surrounds. But it’s the supplied cotton pyjamas that will help you appreciate the greatest feature of Hoshinoya Fuji: the panorama across the lake to snow-capped Mount Fuji that appears through your floor-to-ceiling windows like a painting.

Located in the 1st Arrondissement, Le Meurice is central enough to allow views of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, swanky Rue de Rivoli and the Jardin des Tuileries. Opened in the early 1800s, the hotel’s opulence is still present in every one of its 160 rooms and suites, from the complimentary chocolates left on your pillow to the gold-trimmed chairs.

Step into the fresco-lined interiors of Aman Venice, where many of the sumptuous rooms, suites and apartments feature views of the city’s Grand Canal and you might feel transported back to the Renaissance. Featuring works by 16th-century artist Sansovino, silk wallpaper, chandeliers and wood-carved ceilings, the only hint of modern life in this four-storey hotel is the minimalist furniture (and the spa treatments, of course).

With the Colosseum and Ludus Magnus (where gladiators once hung out) a literal stone’s throw from your balcony, the Grand View Penthouse Suite in Rome’s Palazzo Manfredi is enough to make any guest feel like an emperor. Oak floors, marble bathrooms and the option to book your own private chef help set the tone but to take it up a notch, dine at the Michelin-starred Aroma on the terrace.

Sydney’s harbour is arguably the most beautiful in the world – a tough topic to debate at the Park Hyatt Sydney with a Golden Hour Martini infused with fig and rosemary in hand as you watch the water reflect the lights of the Harbour Bridge at dusk. Gaze across to the white “sails” of the Opera House from the pool on the rooftop terrace or unwind with a La Mer facial in the spa downstairs.

Few sights rival those on show on the Greek island of Santorini. It’s easy to fix your eyes on the bright blue of the Aegean Sea when the only other thing in sight are the white walls of this newly refurbed sandstone hotel. From your private infinity pool in your 180-square-metre villa, big enough to host you and six of your friends in its three bedrooms, it’s clear that there’s no better bolthole in Santorini.

A suite – one of 62 at this hideaway in Iceland – allows you not only views of the  mineral-rich lagoon, its powdery pale turquoise lapping at the surrounding mountains like a gigantic warm bath but direct access to it, too. Allow yourself to relax even further in the award-winning spa or enjoy the seven-course menu at Michelin-starred Moss Restaurant.

Drawing back the curtains in your room at these Hollywood digs might feel a little like you’re a stagehand at the greatest show on earth. There’s the cinematic Los Angeles skyline beaming back at you and, rising up out of the rolling hills, the Hollywood sign itself. Enjoy an even better view, sipping your Negroni, from the pool sundeck on the fifth floor.

At this five-star luxury lodge, high in the quiet of the Dolomite mountains in north-east Italy, they say silence is a luxury. But gazing out from your tower suite to a floor-to-ceiling view of the alps, one might say it’s the view. Then again, your king-sized bedroom and the restaurant serving fresh local cuisine in a wide open space facing pine trees aren’t too shabby, either.

There’s plenty to look at around the halls of the eclectically decorated Hoxton Barcelona. If you opt for the Roomy View option, there’s another sight to behold: the scaly spires of Gaudi’s incredible Sagrada Familia. If you can’t secure this stunner of a room category, head up to the hotel’s rooftop bar: up here, you can admire the famous church with a lo-fi wine in hand.

The Best Melbourne Experiences to Book Now for the Australian Open