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Q Station Sydney, NSW As the Manly ferry makes its way to Circular Quay, out of the left window you will see, scattered among the native shrubs and ghost gums of North Head, the heritage buildings that once made up Sydney's iconic Quarantine Station. Between 1837 and 1984, some 13,000 immigrants were detained here – in rooms that one First-class passenger described in 1930 as "pretty dingy". Today, after painstaking restoration work by the Mawland group, the basic accommodation has been transformed into stylish hotel rooms which would impress the most demanding First- class passenger. Neutral tones, wall-mounted flat screens and high-speed Internet are reminders of which century you are in, but step through your French doors onto the original shaded verandahs overlooking Sydney Harbour and you step back 100 years. For larger groups, there are also five beautifully restored, spacious cottages. A full buffet breakfast is served in the former Second-class passenger lounge and down on Quarantine beach, the original boilerhouse is now one of Sydney's leading restaurants and adjoining it is the Engine Room Lounge and Terrace – the perfect spot for a sunset drink. Yet the biggest quirk of Q Station is its ghostly past. Around 572 immigrants succumbed to outbreaks of smallpox, typhus fever and other diseases here and the hospital precinct has long been one of Australia's most haunted sites. Guests can brave a ghost tour after dark or for hardcore fans of the paranormal, each month there is a Spirit Investigator tour with a medium using special equipment to detect the property's former guests. www.qstation.com.au The Liberty Hotel Boston, USA Guests of the 1851-completed building today are a far cry from its original inhabitants: this now luxury property was once the Charles Street Jail. Innovative even when it was first built, the prison was constructed of granite and comprised a stunning cruciform-shaped structure with a 30-metre central rotunda topped by a cupola. Today, the rotunda houses the hotel lobby and is fitted with Gothic-style chandeliers, huge artworks, massive windows and brightly lit catwalks which ring the lobby. As much of the original brick and stone work as possible has been preserved, as well as some cell block facades that are now a feature. Renovation of this landmark building took some five years and now guests are comfortably accommodated in 298 luxurious rooms, including 10 fabulous river-view suites. As for the hotel's restaurant, Clink, it gets the thumbs up from celebs such as Mick Jagger. Modern American cuisine is served in the original gaol cells, which make for cosy little dining nooks. www.libertyhotel.com 64 www.travelandliving.com.au