Holidays in Asia and Australia don't have to mean costly hotels. These budget deals offer style, and a touch of the unusual.
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ASIA
Maison Polanka, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tucked behind Wat Polanka, near Siem Reap's leafy riverbank, peaceful Maison Polanka boasts a palm-lined swimming pool, sprawling gardens, and personal service more befitting a luxury hotel. Spread across two traditional Khmer wooden houses, six light-filled rooms are decorated with retro-Cambodian furniture, locally-made crafts, and art and antiques the French-Cambodian owner has collected on her travels.
• +855 12 499 810, maisonpolanka.com. Orange room from £98, other rooms £113-£200
Mini Hotel, Hong Kong
Though this property has 183 rooms it still feels every bit the boutique hotel, thanks to the stylish decor, relaxed vibe and cosy lounge – and helped by a schedule of pop-up events, including wine tastings and live music. If you thought it impossible to live like a local in a hotel, the snug rooms (that explains "mini") are the size typically found in average apartments in high-density Hong Kong. Right by SOHO/Lan Kwai Fong, the location is superb. There's a sister-hotel at Causeway Bay.
• +852 2103 0999, minihotel.hk. Doubles from £47
Seven Terraces, Georgetown, Malaysia
In Unesco world heritage-listed Georgetown, on Penang Island, this beautiful 18-suite hotel is furnished with interesting antiques, from opium beds to chinoiserie cabinets, and is the result of a painstaking restoration of 19th-century terraces by hoteliers Christopher Ong and Karl Steinberg (who also own charming flash-packer properties Muntri Mews and Noordin Mews). While atmospheric temples and fantastic street food beckon, the hotel restaurant, Kebaya, is garnering praise for its Indo- and Straits-Chinese Nonya cuisine.
• +604 264 2333, seventerraces.com. Doubles from £92
Min Yuan 33, Tianjin, China
This laidback hotel is a 30-minute train ride from Beijing in Tiajin, a picturesque port city distinguished by handsome colonial buildings and the home to the Beijing Opera. Seven minimalist yet cosy rooms are spread across two rows of 1939 British Concession-era townhouses. Reception doubles as a buzzy bar and casual Café Sambal serves Malaysian cuisine. Also try sister-hotel in Beijing. 3+1Bedrooms
• +86 22 2331 1626, minyuan33.com. Twin room £98, other rooms £127-£207
Hotel Graphy Nezu, Tokyo, Japan
A new form of accommodation for the Japanese, who are accustomed to either luxury and business hotels or compact ryokans and capsule hotels, this "social complex" falls somewhere inbetween, with 64 spacious minimalist rooms and apartments, and communal spaces, including a lounge, kitchen and dining space, and rooftop terrace. Part flash-packers, student dorm, Ibis hotel, and Ikea store, Hotel Graphy Nezu is actually pretty cool, with a relaxed atmosphere and excellent Ueno location that attracts creative types.
• +81 3 3828 7377, hotel-graphy.com. Doubles from £41
Kosenda Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia
Opened in mid-July, this 60-room design hotel is a first for Jakarta. The property combines bespoke handmade furniture (often with colonial touches such as rattan doors), vintage decor (old telephones and lampshades), contemporary art, and lovely touches (like kimonos in the cupboards), with eco-values. The chic restaurant-bar Waha Kitchen specialises in Peranakan cuisine, Awan Lounge does cocktails and canapes, while 127 Café specialises in coffee.
• +62 821 1101 1548, kosendahotel.com. Doubles from £91
The Sanctuary, Luang Prabang, Laos
A brief amble from the Mekong river in laid-back Luang Prabang, this 30-room boutique hotel is set around a palm-lined pond in colonial-inspired buildings with red roof tiles, wide verandas and wooden shutters, in keeping with the Unesco world heritage-listed town's architecture. Only the Bauhaus-style handmade furniture gives things away. An on-site spa offers 40-minute Laotian massages for £6.
• +856 71 213 777, sanctuaryluangprabang.com. Doubles from £45
Colombo Courtyard, Colombo, Sri Lanka
This welcoming 26-room property is a classic boutique hotel, with its modern style (modular sofas, bold colours, wooden blinds, Oriental carpets), casual restaurant and bar, and its arty vibe thanks to an ever-changing exhibition of art and installations about the hotel, along with jazz performances and wine-tastings. The swimming pool is appreciated after a sweaty day out sightseeing.
• +94 1 1464 5333, colombocourtyard.com. Doubles from £78
The Alcove Library Hotel, Saigon, Vietnam
In a residential neighbourhood, 10 minute's drive from downtown Saigon, this elegant hotel with its French-style facade and Parisian-like courtyard garden, offers respite from the chaotic centre. Once inside, you'll find prettily-tiled floors, comfy padded armchairs, black and white prints, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves crammed with reading material, and more books in the 38 classical rooms. Surprisingly, the rooftop restaurant-bar serves American, rather than French, food.
• +848 6256 9966, alcovehotel.com.vn. Doubles from £58
Colaba House, Delhi, India
This lovely, light-filled, four-room boutique hotel in South Delhi, close to hip Hauz Khas village, is located in a handsome art deco house with wrap-around balconies and a rooftop terrace. Rooms are prettily decorated with an eclectic mix of antique and new furniture, Oriental carpets and fresh flowers. There's a spacious lounge to relax in and a conservatory-like dining room guests can use, and even throw their own dinner party in.
• +91 11 4067 1773, colabahouse.com. Doubles from £64 B&B
The Cabochon, Bangkok, Thailand
Behind high walls at the end of a quiet lane off one of Bangkok's busiest roads, this intimate hotel – with its rooftop swimming pool, snug library-bar, and tiled patios – is a tranquil haven in Thailand's chaotic capital. Evoking 1920's Shanghai, with its vintage-style furnishings, the elegant eight-room property was only built last year by its interior-designer owner. The atmospheric restaurant serves cuisine from northern Thailand and Laos.
• +66 2259 2871, cabochonhotel.com. Doubles from £70
AUSTRALASIA
Chelsea Park (Burradoo), Southern Highlands, NSW
Built in 1946, Chelsea Park is one of just two classic art-deco mansions in the Southern Highlands (near the town of Bowral), a favourite region for Sydney-siders craving fresh air, local wines and pretty gardens. Filled with period pieces – from lamps to lounges and much inbetween – the interiors are a delight for deco devotees to roam. The two spacious upstairs rooms feature fireplaces (gas-lit), pleasant views and plush carpeting, with private bathrooms down the hall; while the Japanese-inspired downstairs room has an en suite with spa. The "Chelsea Egg" breakfast, preceded by fresh berries and cereal, eliminates any need for lunch.
• + 61 2 4861 7046, chelseapark.com. Doubles £89 midweek,£113 weekends (or £202 for weekend special: two nights including one supper and breakfast)
Hughenden Hotel, Sydney, NSW
The Victorian-era charm of The Hughenden is enhanced by a superb location. Pleasing details aside – such as wrought-iron balconies, marble fireplaces and meandering staircases – this restored 1870's building in Woollahra is close to one of Sydney's largest green spaces, Centennial Park, ideal for walking the pets permitted at the hotel. Sports-lovers can catch cricket, Aussie rules football or rugby at the nearby Sydney Cricket Ground, while Queen Street strip offers consumables both antique and boutique. A bar, a baby grand, a sun terrace and a hot breakfast seal the deal, though the rooms for under £100 are "cosy".
• +61 2 9363 4863, thehughenden.com.au. Small doubles £97, standard double £127
Payne's Hut, Gippsland High Country, Victoria
So remote that it even perplexes Google Maps, the rustic luxury of Payne's Hut in Glen Valley is excellent value for those prepared to stray off the beaten path. Skimming the border of Victoria's Alpine national park, at this distinctly Australian accommodation you'll stoke your own wood-fire stove in a room with windows allowing for stunning star-gazing. Mobile reception is lacking but picturesque bushwalks are in ample supply. Fish for trout, glimpse snow-capped mountains, watch kangaroos bound by, or relax with fine local wine as kookaburras chorus. Gourmet meals are at an additional cost, eaten at a long communal table.
• + 61 3 5159 7255, payneshut.com. Doubles from £93 B&B
Gourmet Stay, Wellington, New Zealand
Polished wood, plush carpets and neutral tones mark the pared-back style of the functional, minimalist rooms at this intimate boutique hotel on a quiet corner in the heart of Wellington – a city Lonely Planet once named the "coolest little capital in the world". Things get cosier in the ground-floor cafe where the chef-owner serves yummy all-day breakfasts (tomato, avocado and coriander or creamy garlic mushrooms, both on toasted five-grain bread) and a complimentary afternoon tea of fresh-baked scones and slices for guests.
• +64 4 801 6800, gourmetstay.co.nz. Doubles from £62