Phāea Blue, Crete, Greece

The words ‘luxury hotel’ evoke thoughts of great comfort and elegance, with the certainty of delicious food. Phāea ticks all these boxes – and then some. Its bungalows and suites of natural stone and wood surround a secluded bay on Crete’s north-eastern coast. From your terrace, watch the sun rise...read more

Bodmin Jail Hotel, UK

Bodmin, Cornwall

Not all themed hotels are equal. Especially when the theme is the building’s former life – in this case, an 18th-century prison whose inmates were guilty of the worst crimes, which even had its own gallows. Bodmin Jail Hotel, on the edge of Cornwall’s Bodmin Moors, manages to tick both...read more

Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista, Italy

Valpolicella, Italy

Art may be integral to many boutique hotels but few feel quite like this. More museum meets art dealer’s private home, Byblos tops the list of Italy’s more unusual stays, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and ancient wine cellar adding culinary finesse. The manicured gardens and 16th-century villa don’t look out...read more

Kurhotel Skodsborg, Denmark

Denmark

The art deco-influenced architecture of seaside Kurhotel Skodsborg speaks to a long-standing tradition of relaxation and wellbeing. The first to fall under the charm of this place was King Frederik VII, who chose it as a summer residence. A few decades later, in 1898, its doors opened as one of...read more

Hotel Christopher, St Barth

St Barth

With its name an ode to the Italian explorer who revealed St Barts to the western world in 1493, Hotel Christopher St Barth is ripe for 21st-century discovery. Set against a blanket of white sand and deep blue waters, the elegant and modern design of the hotel – 42 rooms...read more

Le Jardin Des Dourars, Morocco

Essaouira, Morocco

Tucked into the hills outside Essaouira, this Moroccan retreat just a three-hour flight from London, feels both intimate and deeply in tune with its surroundings. The independent boutique hotel is set among botanical gardens, where bougainvillea spills over terracotta walls and dragonflies skim the surface of two heated pools...read more

Cap Masion, St Lucia

St Lucia

Atop a picturesque cliff overlooking a secluded sandy cove, Cap Maison Saint Lucia provides an intimately private Caribbean escape on St Lucia’s northern coast. Notice Spanish colonial architecture blended with the island’s distinct Caribbean flair as you walk through the harmonious mix of warm wood and tiling, brimming green gardens...read more

Nantipa, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Three pals pooling resources to build their own luxury beachfront boutique hotel is the stuff of dreams, and exactly what Costa Ricans Harry, Luis and Meni did to create Nantipa. The result? An independent destination that redefines bare-foot luxury over the chain-led alternatives in this rugged Central American country. Hard...read more

Babylonstoren, South Africa

South Africa

Babylonstoren has it all – it’s a place where history, nature and gastronomy intersect. Sprawled over 200 hectares in the heart of Cape Winelands, it may be a working farm but for guests, slow living takes the form of days spent taking in dramatic mountain vistas, filling up glasses of...read more