Hotel Reviews

Reminiscent of an ancient Omani fort, Alila Jabal Akhdar clings to the side of its namesake mountain. Beyond its spectacular infinity pool, you can indulge in an array of wellness activities including yoga, and meditation before evenings spent beneath the stars. Its locavore fare and eco-conscious initiatives attract those looking to harmonise themselves with the impressive natural surrounds.

If Gordes is the darling of Provence, then we’ve fallen head over heels for its most romantic hotel, Airelles Gordes, La Bastide. Gazing across the Luberon Valley from medieval ramparts, its lavender-strewn terraced gardens, clubby bar and vaulted spa draw bon vivants summering in the South of France.

As perfect for outdoor enthusiasts as it is for those who want to go off-grid without forgoing modern luxuries, The Duncombe Arms, a Michelin-accredited pub with rooms, brings together country-chic design and a great Sunday roast on the southern fringe of the Peak District.

A polished-concrete symbol of Stratford’s urban regeneration, The Stratford hotel is a Scandi-style rule breaker that draws city-break guests and those after long-term loft apartments with world-class design credentials, a spectacular sky terrace, a fine-dining farm-to-table restaurant and easy access to central London and beyond.

Floating pools. Technicolour design. Gardens overflowing with flowers. Gazing out over Lake Como, Italy’s most famous body of water, Grand Hotel Tremezzo deserves cult status. Expect an award-winning spa and a pizza-cocktail combo that’s hard to refuse.

Offering a laid-back, contemporary stay and a whole host of watersports beside one of Cornwall’s much-loved surfing beaches, the Watergate Bay Hotel is the benchmark in coastal retreats for city dwellers.

Framed by the rolling slopes and untamed landscape of the Scottish Highlands, this Victorian hotel in Wester Ross is a fairy-tale love nest where hiking, hearty fare and hot, hot baths are the order of the day.

Home to a welcome-all speakeasy, top-notch restaurant, nightly live music and East-meets-West aesthetics, this boutique hotel set in the former Oranienpalast Café is fast becoming an institution in edgy Kreuzberg

Monastic yet modern, irreverent yet elegant, this Parisian pied-à-terre makes for an intoxicating stay at the heart of Le Marais. Don’t be fooled by the ecclesiastical atmosphere, Sinner hotel lives up to its name.

Bon vivants congregate at this Upper Marais hotel where designer Dorothée Meilichzon has fashioned an art-deco pied-à-terre for the Instagram generation. Guests here revel in the bistro-style restaurant, velvet-clad bar and plenty of oh là là.

On the border of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, Ian Schrager's sleek Sunset Strip hotel draws a crowd of cool creatives and under-the-radar A-listers with its loft-like rooms, rooftop bar and sustainable credentials.

Bringing fun and affordability to the French capital’s Périphérique, Mama Shelter Paris West welcomes its guests like family, with a sharing-style restaurant, off-the-wall interiors and customisable souvenirs, all within a short journey from the city centre.

With easy access to Paris’s big-hitting attractions – the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the literary Left Bank – the design-forward Les Jardins du Faubourg hotel has a certain savoir-faire, drawing guests with its subterranean spa, sultry bar and unlimited crêpes.

The smart option for travellers looking for an affordable, big-on-kitsch-and-chutzpah overnighter slap bang in the city’s buzzy centre.

A refreshingly modern departure from Lake Como’s grand-dame hotels, Filario draws a fashion-forward crowd with its prime shoreside location, design-oriented rooms and a deathly good tobacco-infused chocolate mousse delivered straight to your bed.