The Luxe List 2014: Hotel Indigo Lijiang Ancient Town, Lijiang, China

This staunchly modern 70-room hotel on the southern edge of Lijiang’s UNESCO-listed Old Town is a welcome addition to an area where the accommodations scene is dominated by backpacker billets. Clad in local gray stone and topped with a Naxi-style wing-tipped roof, the Indigo blends surprisingly well into its 800-year-old surroundings, though it’s another story inside. The main lounge, Me Space, is festooned with eye-popping pillows, metal-cage light fixtures, and horse-saddle seating meant to evoke the sixth-century Tea and Horse Caravan Trail that once transported pu’er tea from here to Tibet. A more elegant effect is achieved in the white and pale-wood guest rooms, which come with caravan trunks, latticed windows, ink-wash paintings, and plush pillow-top beds that beckon after a day spent exploring Lijiang’s crowded yet charming cobblestone alleyways. The staff are genuinely friendly and diligent, especially in the hotel’s Charm restaurant, where the menu incorporates Yunnanese dishes such as a succulent yak hot pot.

111 Xing Wen Alley, Qiyi Lu; 86-888/559-9111; Hotel Indigo Lijiang Ancient Town; doubles from US$295