In the Kaplans' research, they found that just looking at natural scenes through a window relieves exactly the kind of fatigue caused by multiple demands on your attention (e.g., meetings, spreadsheets, kids, your BlackBerry). By engaging what the Kaplans call "fascination," a form of attention where you just can't help but notice everything around you, a short nature break restores the capacity to pay attention when effort is required.
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There's just one catch: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the same natural scene won't restore every person. But going on the recommendations of several frequent travelers and travel experts, we found 10 different hotels around the world, each providing jaw-dropping views. Among them are jungle scenes, ocean vistas, and massive displays of ice, rocks and valleys--all in some of the most unique locations in the world.
Sunset buffs won't be able to tear their eyes from what George Grafakos, hotel manager of Dreams Luxury Suites in Santorini, Greece, calls "the most famous sunset on earth." The tiny hotel, containing only four luxury suites, sits on the west-facing wall of the Santorini caldera, a geographical anomaly in which the rocky remnants of an ancient volcano soar above the Aegean Sea. (Legend has it as the location of Atlantis.)
The enormous Foivos and two-story Armonia suites in particular offer commanding views of the water from multiple balconies, porches, and outdoor pools. Says Edgar Figueroa, a Londoner who chose the Foivos suite for his 10th wedding anniversary: "The view to the caldera is unobstructed and the sunsets are amazing. I had heard that the sunsets in Santorini were the most magnificent in the world. I always thought that must be a bit of an exaggeration... until I visited. I had to pinch myself from time to time to make sure I was awake."
Mountain High
For travelers more inspired by land than by sea, Oberoi Resorts Wildflower Hall near Shimla, India, offers a different sort of sunset altogether. Perched on a hill 8,350 feet above sea level, the hotel offers a dizzying vantage point over the Himalayas. Guests enjoy vistas of the 23 acres of virgin cedar forest from their rooms, or even a private spa pavilion where they can get a massage after a tough hike or horseback ride through the surrounding valleys.
Diane Hilliard, president of Minnesota-based travel agency Hilliard and Olander, recommends a room on one of the higher floors. "I could not shut my curtains day or night," she says. "The views of the mountains, valleys and villages under the sun and moon were a never-ending miracle."
One particularly stunning option is the hotel's signature Lord Kitchener Suite. Located on the fourth floor, it offers multiple floor-to-ceiling windows for drinking in that view.
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Image: Wolwedans, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia
