The DNA: At ground level, it is Tel Aviv’s neat rows of bright white Bauhaus buildings that feel most indicative of this metropolis on the Mediterranean. The serrated skyline meanwhile, is dominated by vast contemporary shards of glass and steel. Slightly at odds with both is the Migdalor – or Lighthouse – tower, a 16-storey, 1970s office block that, until recently, was wallowing in grim disrepair. But as is now frequently the case in a newly booming city, a bright young hotelier stepped forth to drag the Brutalist-style building back from the brink, and reimagine it as a sprightly, design-led hotel, Brown Lighthouse Tel Aviv. Interiors are a curated vision of peculiarity and whimsy, rather fitting for a building that is itself something of an outsider. A birdcage swing hangs in the lobby, antlers are mounted on walls and on the colour front, flashes of flamingo pink and marigold bring a sense of vitality to moodily-lit hallways. Bedrooms are larger than average for the city, and some feature vast terraces with outdoor Jacuzzis, garden walls and clear views to the Mediterranean Sea or panoramic vistas of the Tel Aviv skyline.

Seen: design milk, Wallpaper*

✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 180 rooms (16-45m2) (172-484 sq ft) • hotel opened: 2018 • interior design: Nestor Sandbank • bathroom amenities: Molton Brown • parking possible on-site (charged) ✅ pets allowed on request, no charges • 24-hour front desk • wheelchair accessible