The Azores are a mere speck of a place, battered by the mighty Atlantic Ocean, and it’s no surprise that driftwood features heavily in the interiors at White Exclusive Suite & Villas, as its cliffside location means the pounding of the surf is never far from your mind.

The parcel of land occupied by the Rockhouse is literally Jamaica’s westernmost point, and it’s possible you’ve never seen a proper sunset until you’ve seen one here — and there’s no better way to do it than from a villa that practically hangs over the waters of the aptly named Pristine Cove.

It’s the rare traditional-style hotel that really gets hearts racing, but the Santa Caterina is an absolute classic. Family-owned for the better part of a century, it sits high on a hillside facing the sea and the town of Amalfi — guests ride an elevator down to the hotel’s private beach, for the ultimate storybook Italian-coast experience.

Lighthouses don’t get much more grand than the 160-year-old Faro Capo Spartivento, on the rugged southern coast of Sardinia. While the light is still in service, it’s automated now, freeing this unique building (and the neighboring keeper’s cottage) to transform itself into a small and secluded luxury hotel. The sea views, naturally, are extraordinary, given the cliffside setting.

Zihuatanejo, just four miles down the coast from Ixtapa, was until recently little more than a quiet fishing village. La Casa Que Canta sits high over the water, cut into a hillside above Zihuatanejo Bay, offering an extraordinary sea view as well as a splendid sense of seclusion.

With a name like that, you knew it had to make this list. Modern architecture and Irish hospitality are two categories whose Venn diagram features a fairly small overlap. But a look at the view from the Cliff House Hotel’s indoor pool will make a convert out of the most die-hard traditionalist.

If you’ve seen Twin Peaks, you’re plenty familiar with the Salish Lodge’s dramatic situation. Startlingly close to Seattle, in the foothills a half-hour east of the city, stands Snoqualmie Falls, a 270-foot clue as to how the Cascade mountain range got its name. And just above the falls — almost perilously close — is one of the Northwest’s most remarkable hotels, the Salish.

The Sixties-era Timber Cove, built of native redwood and stone, was originally conceived as a meditation lodge. After thorough renovations in 2016, it’s more rustic-chic than strictly rustic — in-room amenities include modern record players, yoga mats, and organic bath products — but it’s still as peaceful as ever.

Sandwiched between the mountains of the same name and the rocky Atlantic coast, Twelve Apostles is nevertheless the kind of hotel you expect to find in the city center, not well outside of town in such a picturesque setting. It’s just two stories high, low along the rocky coast, and many rooms have nearly an entire wall made of glass — so the view is simply blue sky and blue sea.

Here the Thai architect Lek Bunnag took inspiration from Sri Lanka’s long history as an explorers’ waystation, incorporating elements from the island’s pre-modernist history in this classic-contemporary resort. Cape Weligama is set on 12 acres of terraced clifftop real estate, a hundred feet above the Indian Ocean, which, as you may well imagine, is not at all bad for the views.