The World's Most Exhilarating Hotels: Check Out These Cliffside Spots

This sprawling cliffside hotel, near the celebrity-favoured Uruguayan beach city of Punta del Este, is a sight to behold, with not a straight line in sight. Casapueblo, which looks like melted candle wax running down the hillside, was designed and built – by hand – over 36 years by the late artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, with the help of local fishermen. This part-building, part-sculpture features 13 terraced floors, with the hotel rooms identified by symbols drawn by Páez Vilaró himself. On-site attractions also include a restaurant, spa and museum. Vilaró, who was an ardent traveller and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Brigitte Bardot, picked this spot for its epic sunsets; the sun symbol was a theme of many of his works.

Go tropical with a stay at the stunning Jade Mountain resort. The luxury hotel, meticulously designed by architect and owner Nick Troubetzkoy, is nestled atop a dramatic sloping cliff amid lush jungle overlooking St Lucia’s Pitons World Heritage Site. As for accommodation, there are 24 suites with private infinity pools, and the fourth wall of each room is missing so that guests can fully embrace the views of St Lucia’s distinctive peaks and the shimmering Caribbean Sea. There are also five Sky Jacuzzi Suites, which have open-air hot tubs instead of pools; these are located lower down the hillside. The restaurant curves around the resort’s main infinity pool and there is a spa on-site, with Forget The Outside World and an Einstein head massage among the treatments on the menu.

Priding itself on being the finest small luxury five-star hotel in Ireland, Cliff House Hotel, close to Cork and Waterford, seems to defy gravity, with the building clinging to a cliff. There are 39 sunny rooms and suites, which overlook Ardmore Bay where there has long been a fishing village. For extra seclusion, a cottage and beach house are available to rent. The privately owned hotel also features an intimate spa as well as a one Michelin-star restaurant. As for activities, hiking, archery, sea kayaking, river kayaking, snorkelling, surfing and powerboating are all on the menu.

Set into a cliff edge over tiered lemon and olive groves, Belmond Hotel Caruso seems to float above the ocean. The elegant 11th-century hotel was built by a wealthy family and with its lofty location is now considered one of the best spots on the Amalfi Coast. The simple yet stylish room and suites, complete with antique furniture and metal four-poster beds, make the most of the stunning views, with balconies overlooking the coastline below. Other highlights include a very Instagrammable infinity pool and a private Krug Table terrace where diners can eat al fresco on decadent Emilio Pucci chairs with grass underfoot and a chilled magnum of Krug champagne to hand.

Embracing a dramatic swathe of the California coastline, Post Range Inn offers 39 guest rooms and one private home, with either an ocean or mountain view. The Cliff House is particularly impressive, with an outside deck suspended over a vertical cut of rock. The secluded glass-walled bedroom features a wood-burning fireplace and heated floors for the cooler winter months. And, so that guests can truly soak up the watery views, there is an outdoor stainless steel hot tub. Amenities at the resort include two heated infinity pools with expansive views, and a fitness centre. On the activity front, there are plenty of options, including guided nature walks, stargazing sessions, falconry lessons and yoga classes.

Nestled in Cappadocia’s magical landscape of fairy chimneys, in the ancient village of Urgup, is a unique cave hotel carved into a cliff. The Yunak Evleri has 10 cave houses and 120 guest rooms dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, and the hotel’s lobby is contained within a 19th-century Greek mansion. All of the traditionally decorated chambers are connected via a labyrinth of narrow passageways and curved stone stairway. Amenities include two outdoor swimming pools, a spa and a hilltop restaurant overlooking the surrounding valleys.

When it comes to luxury, the Bvlgari Resort Bali cuts no corners. The hotel, which merges traditional Balinese design with a splash of Italian flare, boasts a spectacular position high on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. There is private access via funicular to a pristine stretch of beach. There are 58 villas, five mansions offering up to five bedrooms and a sprawling villa. All rooms have private plunge pools and secluded tropical gardens. Facilities include Italian and Indonesian restaurants, a lounge bar, spa and cliff-edge swimming pool.