From the July issue of The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

1 MAMA SHELTER, Paris

Deep in the rebellious St-Blaise neighbourhood, Mama Shelter feels like a set of prison cells, but in heaven. Philippe Starck has teamed simple white beds with giant iMac screens mounted on steely grey walls. Spots of colour appear in bedside lamps fashioned from animal masks, but that’s about it. Downstairs, tree stumps stand in for bar stools, and there’s a cosy room filled with books, newspapers and squidgy sofas.

Doubles from £77, room-only; 00 33 1 43 48 48 48, mamashelter.com

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2 THE WHITE HOTEL, Brussels

Don’t scoff — besides beer and bureaucracy, the Belgian capital has swanky shopping, trendy bars and an edgy arts scene. A waffle’s toss from the chic stores of Avenue Louise, this is part hotel, part gallery with beds. Daz-white interiors play up to fashionable furnishings and artworks by rising Belgian stars.

Doubles from £78, B&B; 00 32 2 644 2929, thewhitehotel.be

3 CITIZEN M, Amsterdam

Location and high-tech trappings are everything at this airport hotel (Schiphol). Descend from the runway onto cool, white cotton sheets, via a lounge-lobby reminiscent of a Big Brother set. Free movie channels, a monsoon shower, and lights and blinds controlled from an in-bed touch pad will blot out the world beyond your comfy cocoon.

Doubles from £63, room-only; 00 31 20 811 7080, citizenm.com

4 LES ORANGERIES, Poitou-Charentes

Eco-hotels don’t have to wear their green credentials on their sleeve. This classy restoration of an 18th-century mansion has authenticity, charm, wooden floors, big windows and a warm welcome. The ethical stuff — locally sourced food, renewable energy and all — slips in almost unnoticed.

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