“Its address in Tel Aviv’s ancient port city, Jaffa, tells you all you need to know about The Setai, a luxury hotel built inside a fortress. Guests come here for the history—there are stone archways dating back to the Crusades and iron-barred windows from its Ottoman-era days as a prison—but stay for the atmosphere courtesy of London-based firm ARA Design, who injected a heavy dose of Middle Eastern drama into the guest rooms (Turkish rugs, Arabic-patterned light fixtures) and an artful blend of old and new in public spaces (12th-century coins and a clutch of old weapons along with jewel-tone armchairs and glittering chandeliers). The rooftop, though, is the true stunner. In a city full of pools (this is the Middle East, after all, where summer temps hang in the mid 90s), the one at the Setai, angled towards the Mediterranean Sea, is definitely the sexiest. Get there early to nab a sunbed, and don’t move a muscle until you take in one of Tel Aviv’s storied sunsets.”