Now that every single hotel in the world has a rainfall shower head, the folly of a quick dunk in an al fresco tub on the terrace really ups the game. Here are a few of the newer favourites on our radar.

RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO: UNICO 20°N 87°W Hotel. Second-floor rooms in the Alcoba Ocean View category of this all-exclusive, all-inclusive, adults-only resort come with an outdoor spa tub right on the patio, looking out onto the whole resort and the ocean beyond. The upscale hacienda-style rooms are so beautifully designed, you won’t want to leave. As the tubs are on the balcony, you’ll have to dress appropriately for this hydra-therapy experience—unless the lights are out. $$$
UnicoHotelRivieraMaya.com

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: Rambutan Hotel & Resort. This quaint gem on the quieter side of Siem Reap comes in three parts: a main hotel with 16 rooms, a 10-room resort wing, and a few luxury apartments. On the resort side of things, the Deluxe Terrace and Deluxe Rooftop Terrace rooms have their own private patio with an outdoor bathtub and splash shower. When you tire of traipsing through the nearby temple ruins, you can relax in a cool bath after a nice massage at the lobby spa. $
RambutanSiemReap.com

LONDON, UK: The Zetter Hotel. This Clerkenwell mainstay has been wowing the hip and happening crowd with its 59 boutique hotel rooms since 2004, with the nearby Zetter Townhouse joining the party in 2011. The art and design, the attention to detail, and the state-of-the art tech amenities keep people coming back. But the hotel’s recent refurbishment of its Deluxe Rooftop rooms on the fifth floor will garner even more fans thanks to private al fresco tubs on the terrace. A gin in the bathtub, anyone? $$$
TheZetter.com

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA: Glen Oaks. Things are big in Big Sur, Al Fresco tub included. At the Big Sur Cabin at the magnificent Glen Oaks lodge, you and your significant other can embark on a romantic double-soak adventure in the outdoor tubs, witnessed only by the nearby redwoods and the cozy wood fire pit. $$$
GlenOaksBigSur.com

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We’ve always been a big fan of gay business crowd cocktail-party throwers Village Drinks, whose after-work shindigs are still drawing them in many years on (and nary a hipster beard in sight). But only finding a speed-dating event listed during our weekend in London, we had to press on, and Soho seemed the best starting point.

Weirdly, Comptons of Soho on Old Compton Street was still fun, and MUCH CLEANER than I seem to remember from the early 90s, when I was the chicken in a room of hawks. The music was from this century, which was a good start, and the wood-panelled walls and corners were lined with singles – one hand in the pocket, one hand with the pint. “Are you a couple?” asked a hirsute hairdresser to whom we’d just been introduced. “Yes,” we said, only to have him drift away from the conversation seconds later. Classic Comptons. We carried on down the street to Village on Wardour, and found a coveted perch directly under the go-go dancer. Entertainment was also provided in the form of a few higher-than-high Welsh ladies in the big smoke for a Saturday-night knees-up. Couldn’t understand a word. Happily, all the Christmas decorations remained in tact, but we can’t say the same for our dignity. Still, despite the Shadow Lounge closing this past autumn, the ‘hood remains a fun pool to dip your toe into.

By the way, dinner at nearby Ceviche Soho, a Peruvian hotspot on Frith, was stellar. Have the Pisco Sour.

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