10 most breathtaking hotels from around the world
The Leela Palace Udaipur, India
A ‘palace within a palace’, Arq at Pichola comprises three ultra-private, luxury villas in the gardens of The Leela Palace Udaipur on Lake Pichola. Arrive on a private electric boat with a detailed tour of the lake’s breathtaking surroundings courtesy of your own personal butler. After a soothing foot ritual, choose your activities, including floating breakfasts in your villa’s pool, high tea and yoga. Each Arq villa has a dedicated chef to tailor menus to your exact liking and skilled mixologists are on hand to craft your favourite cocktails. The villas are lavishly decorated with brass inlaid wooden floors, traditional Thikri artwork and rare lapis stones, with private plunge pools offering lake views.
From £2,000. Check rates and availability at theleela.com, booking.com or expedia.co.uk
La Mamounia, Marrakech
La Mamounia can rightly claim to have invented luxury tourism in Morocco. In its 101-year history, this storied hotel has welcomed the great and the glam. Set in 16 acres of fragrant gardens, guests enjoy a huge outdoor pool, tennis courts, spa and hammam and a quirky games room. Dining is world class; feast on traditional Moroccan dishes at Le Marocain; choose between Asian and Italian restaurants overseen by culinary luminary Jean-Georges Vongerichten; the buffet breakfast served poolside is the stuff of legend; Bar Majorelle is the place to see and be seen in Marrakech, while the Le Churchill is an intimate, chic space designed in the style of a Pullman carriage. Bedrooms and suites are richly ornate, with colourful but calming Moroccan interiors and marble clad bathrooms. Out in the gardens are three-bedroom private riads for exclusivity and the services of a private butler.
From £442 per night. Check rates and availability at mamounia.com, mrandmrssmith.com or expedia.co.uk
Atzaró Agroturismo, Ibiza
White-washed buildings, manicured gardens and glistening swimming pools surrounded by huge, pristine day beds all create a gorgeous first impression. Discrete, secret VIP deluxe suites attract celebrities determined to holiday with complete privacy. So far, so luxe. But a stroll through the orange groves to the hotel’s vast vegetable plot reveals how sustainable and farm-to-fork this family-owned estate is. Herbs and botanicals are used in rejuvenating spa treatments. Figs, tomatoes, cucumbers and pomegranates are picked that day and served just minutes and metres aways in the hotel’s sunny, vine-covered veranda. Solar panels and an on-site well supply power and water to the gardens, pools, spa and rooms. Design at Atzaró Agroturismo references Ibiza’s natural beauty with a profusion of plants, natural wicker and wood, bright whites, with bursts of colour provided by vibrant-pink bougainvillea and swimming pool azure.
From €245. Check rates and availability at atzaro.com or booking.com
Hotel Lutetia, Paris
Oozing Parisian style, this is an impossibly handsome Art Nouveau meets Art Deco building on the corner of St Germain’s Boulevard Raspail and Rue de Sèvres. Luxurious in-room touches – monogrammed pillowcases, lavish fruit plates, chocolate sculptures – speak to its reputation as one of the city’s finest addresses. Its food and wine credentials owe much to its connection with long-time previous owner champagne house Taittinger. The partnership lives on in its own Cuvée Lutetia, enjoyed in the frescoed Bar Josephine, or with an indulgent brunch of truffled scrambled eggs under the stained glass in salon Le Saint Germain. During Fashion Week Lutetia is home to the great, the good and the famous, its serene Akesha Spa being a major pull. Year round, Brasserie Lutetia provides unequalled people-watching opportunities on its perfectly placed outdoor terrace serving caviar, smoked oysters and lobster with black truffle.
From €1445. Check rates and availability at hotellutetia.com or booking.com
Heckfield Place, Hampshire
The lines between inside and out are beautifully blurred at this contemporary Hampshire estate, where guests can rejuvenate in natural surroundings while enjoying food from the hotel’s biodynamic, organic farm and orchards. Two restaurants, overseen by culinary director Skye Gyngell, serve seasonal produce, much of which is grown on the estate. In summer, meals are served on the Italian terrace overlooking the gardens and woodlands, with fire pits and sheepskins to keep you cosy on chillier nights. Hearth, open for dinner and lunch on Saturday, focusses on fire cooking with lobster, sirloin and grilled farm veg. In line with Heckfield’s biodynamic ethos, cocktails in the Moon Bar are influenced by the lunar phases and made with unique tinctures and bitters. Interiors focus on muted shades and natural materials along with dramatic flower displays and modern art. The mobile-free Bothy offers spa treatments by exclusive Wildsmith skincare.
From £550. Check rates and availability at heckfieldplace.com or mrandmrssmith.com
One and Only Palmilla, Mexico
Established as a luxury hideaway in the 1950s, this exquisitely-designed resort, with ocean-facing views and a classic-meets-minimalist Mexican feel, has more than maintained its reputation as a coveted place of rejuvenation and natural wonder. The rugged coastline of the Baja Peninsula allows for fishing, snorkelling, diving and whale watching. Deep relaxation is encouraged on the beach, among the palm-fringed gardens, azure pools and a world-class spa and wellness centre, honouring Majan rituals. A range of top-end dining options, from the freshest sashimi and sushi to seasonal Baja-inspired cuisine, completes the wow factor.
From £1.3k. Check rates and availability at oneandonlyresorts.com, booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com
Cameron House Resort, Loch Lomond
This couldn’t-be-more-Scottish resort on a prized spot on the banks of Loch Lomond is a wild, romantic tangle of towers and turrets. Guests have included Winston Churchill and Barack Obama, but Cameron House is delightfully unpretentious, built for comfort and relaxation. Rooms feature high beds, velvet headboards, plump pillows embroidered with thistle motifs and tartan blankets. There are plenty of pursuits to enjoy including champagne cruises, falconry, fishing, golf, country walks, spa treatments and the rooftop infinity pool. Take afternoon tea in the gloriously golden lobby bar, or head to the Cameron Grill for locally sourced Scottish produce – West Coast lobster and Orkney scallops – with stunning views over the Loch. One to four-bed self-catering lodges accommodate celebrations big and small.
Rooms from £350 in the hotel, from £229 per night at Cameron Lodges. Check rates and availability at cameronhouse.co.uk, booking.com or expedia.co.uk
REVIVO Wellness Resort, Bali
A luxurious forest garden resort is the magical setting for Revivo’s holistic wellness retreats. 22 Balinese-style luxury suites and villas, ranging from one to four bedrooms, include a private garden, courtyard, or pool, immersed in lush greenery and surrounded by 40 hectares of protected teak forest. Alongside grass-reared beef and local fish such as Balinese mahi-mahi, food offers many plant-based options, all using fresh, organic ingredients. All cooking methods used in the kitchen are designed to invigorate and nourish. The ultra-luxury four-bedroom Private Pool Villa comes with a private chef and butler to ensure every customised request is met. The Remissio Spa is inspired by Balinese healing traditions and combines state-of-the-art therapies with ancient treatments.
From £507. Check rates and availability at revivoresorts.com or booking.com
Palm Heights, Grand Cayman
Situated on iconic Seven Mile Beach, Palm Heights, a celebration of regional cuisine, culture, wellness, thinking and design, has 52 luxury suites. At the heart of the resort is restaurant Tilles, where head chef Jake Brodsky showcases Caribbean delicacies sourced directly from local farms and fisherman. Dishes such as whole red snapper stuffed with crab cooked over coals, conch fritters, jerk chicken and cassava crisps with seaweed dust show imagination and respect for local cooking traditions. Jake also oversees kitsch Italian trattoria Palm Heights’ Paradise Pizza, where cacio e pepe pasta is served in a giant wheel of parmesan along with Neapolitan style pizzas, shawarma flatbreads and natural wines.
From £650. Check rates and availability at palmheights.com, mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Ballynahinch Castle, Connemara
The west of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way is one of Europe’s most spectacular coastal landscapes, taking in sandy, deserted beaches, dramatic cliffs and mirror-like fishing loughs. Explore this rugged beauty at Ballynahinch Castle, set within 700-acres of native woodlands, lakes and rivers with spectacular views of the Twelve Bens and Maumturks mountains. Cycling, flyfishing and hiking are popular pastimes, and a new riverside sauna experience allows for forest bathing. Chef Danni Barry makes the most of the produce from its walled gardens and the freshest local seafood and game. Rooms and riverside suits have views of the mountains and grounds, and two luxurious lodges have five and six bedrooms to host bigger family celebrations.
From €315. Check rates and availability at ballynahinch-castle.com or booking.com
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