You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the following hotels obviously take that very much to heart:

• The Joule Dallas welcomes guests with a big wow factor in the form of original artwork by Andy Warhol and a giant industrial cog wheel that looks like a piece of art in its own right.
• The Seagate Hotel and Spa, a few blocks from the sand in Delray Beach, Florida, plunges you directly into an underwater theme with Nemo and his friends (moray eels, butterfly fish and all sorts of tropical denizens) finning their ways around aquariums totaling 5,000 gallons.
• Flowing mesh curtains hung from several floors up and light flooding through the emerald green glass of the hotel's facade make for a very modern entry at the high-design Opposite House hotel in Beijing, China.
• Enormous African masks and animal skin prints put you in an African game lodge frame of mind in the theme park capital of the world at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando.

Which hotel lobby around the world made the best first impression with you?

^{Image courtesy Terry Ward}

I hunt for travel inspiration the way some people shop for shoes. And Iceland and its capital city, Reykjavik, have moved to the top of my wanderlust list after reading Lonely Planet's recently released Best in Travel 2012 list. The lineup is compiled each year by Lonely Planet's authors, editors and staff. And they point to Iceland's natural beauty, geothermal activity, great coffee house scene and legendary nightlife as just a few reasons to visit. I'm in! And naturally, I've already started looking into where to stay:

• The 101 Hotel in the heart of Reykjavik was Iceland's first boutique hotel and is owned by an Icelandic graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York.
• Original Icelandic artwork decorates the rooms and common spaces of the Holt Hotel in Reykjavik.
• And scout for the Aurora Borealis this winter with a stay at the Northern Light Inn, near the famous healing waters of Iceland's Blue Lagoon.

Winter never sounded so good to me!

Choosing a hotel is a personal thing--maybe you pick the best hotel for you based on location, mattress type in the guest rooms (Tempur-Pedic for me, pretty please!) or what restaurants are onsite. For some people to whom a sense of place is the all important deciding factor when it comes to where to stay, it's all about the view. And to them, I say, here is a website made with you in mind. Launched in mid-October, The Most Perfect View lets you narrow your search and book a room based on the most beautiful views. But be warned, it's one of those websites that uses the power of incredible photography to lure your credit card right out of your wallet--browsing the hotel views is enough to incite serious wanderlust only remedied by immediate trip planning. So far, the website's listing includes rooms with views in 100 of the most spectacular hotels in the world. Among them:

• The Standard New York with views of the Highline Park
• The Savoy Hotel in London, overlooking the Thames River
• Fasano Rio in Rio de Janeiro with views over Ipanema Beach
• Llao Llao Hotel & Resort in Bariloche, Argentina, with glistening lake and mountaintop views.

I dare you to have a look and try to resist booking a bed with those views!

^{Image courtesy The Standard}

When I get some all-too-elusive spa time, I'm usually reduced to a state of eye-closed ecstasy. But here are a few hotel spas with views where you'll definitely want to keep your eyes wide open to soak it all in:

• After your treatment at the Dolder Grand Spa in Zurich, Switzerland, breathe in the fresh air from the outdoor terrace while taking in views across Lake Zurich to the Alps.
• The Chill Spa at the Hotel Terra in Jackson Hole, Wyoming has a rooftop hot tub with motivating mountain views.
• Peep this red rock view from the Red Mountain Resort and Spa in St. George, Utah
• The Stillwater Spa at the Hyatt Regency in Newport, Rhode Island indulges guests with view of Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor.
• The Balinese-style spa at the Manchebo Beach Resort in Aruba has ocean-views from the treatment rooms.

Go ahead--bliss out and enjoy the view, too!

^{Image copyright Charlyn Keating Chisholm, licensed to About.com.}