Intimacy, authenticity, style, value for money – travellers these days demand a lot from their accommodations. These new boutique hotels around the world are ready to deliver.
Coombeshead Farm, Cornwall – Celebrated chefs Tom Adams and April Bloomfield have set about transforming an 18th-century dairy farm in the Cornwall countryside into a bed and breakfast of epically idyllic proportions. With only five ensuite rooms, guests have the 66-acres of meadows and woodlands practically to themselves, and can take part in workshops on seasonal farming and cooking methods, from sausage making to preserving and bread baking. When your hosts are chefs, the highlight is of course mealtime: guests can tuck into a communal dinner of farm-to-table fare planted, grown, pickled, cured and butchered on-site by Adams and Bloomfield – or, when necessary, other local community producers. coombesheadfarm.co.uk
1/22
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No.15 Great Pulteney, Bath – Swank and quirk have never lived in such harmony as they do in this boutique hotel, occupying three Grade I-listed Georgian houses on Bath’s grand thoroughfare. Taking in the 22 guest rooms, cocktail bar and café, observant visitors will notice intriguing curiosities in art and design, from tea and coffee stations in dollhouses to a chandelier made from thousands of lost earrings. Every unique mirror, lamp and trinket has been meticulously chosen by hotel owners Ian and Christa Taylor, or the local interior designers they appointed. The top floor rooms are reserved for art lovers, each sporting a one-of-a-kind mural by an area artist. no15greatpulteney.co.uk
2/22
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ODDSSON Ho(s)tel, Reykjavík – If you have to ask yourself whether you’re cool enough to stay here, you’re probably not. Occupying the top floors of a 1940s warehouse with views of Faxaflói Bay, ODDSSON bills itself as “a hotel with a hostel atmo, a hostel with a hotel service”. Translation: Depending on your wallet, you can either bunk with 11 other travellers, live the high life a luxury suite, enjoy glacier views in a private pod, or nab a double room with its own record player and vinyl collection. There’s a rooftop hot tub, a karaoke room, a yoga space, an Italian restaurant and – like any self-respecting hostel/hotel – a bar. oddsson.is
3/22
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Hotel Magnolia, Santiago – Located in a 1929 manor house just a short walk from the city centre, this intimate 42-room inn is an amalgam of past and present, industrial and elegant – Santiago’s first “urban design hotel”. Think winding marble staircase, harlequin-tiled floors and stained-glass windows, but also geometric light fittings, wiry metal bookshelves and guest rooms so sleek, they’re practically Scandinavian. Lounge about in the inviting library before heading upstairs to the rooftop bar with its glass floors and views of Cerro Santa Lucía park. hotelmagnolia.cl
4/22
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Casa Bonay, Barcelona – We’re not sure what we love most about this buzz-worthy opening in the Dreta de l’Eixample district, housed in a mid-19th-century building that’s been revamped by Brooklyn designers Studio Tack alongside Barcelona-born owner Inés Miro-Sans. Could it be the guest rooms’ thoughtfully curated Catalan interiors? Perhaps it’s café Satan’s, attracting neighbourhood creatives with coffee creations from local barista legend Marcos Bartolomé, or maybe the inviting rooftop space with sweeping city views. If your budget leaves a little leeway, book a ‘Courtyard Large Terrace’ room, which will get you a sunlit patio with an outdoor shower, hammocks and a yoga kit. casabonay.com
5/22
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OFF Paris Seine, Paris – We know, we know; you’ve been dreaming of staying in a 19th-century Haussmann edifice dripping with Parisian glamour. But hear us out, because this new hotel floats. Moored on the Left Bank of the Seine at Quai d’Austerlitz, OFF Paris Seine offers 54 rooms of varying categories, from basic bijou to edgy Designer Suites, as well as a happening tapas bar sporting river views, and a sundeck with a plunge pool that appears to drop off into the Seine. It’s a whole other side of the City of Lights. offparisseine.com
6/22
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Atemporal, Lima – Located in a 1940s Tudor-style house in a residential area of the Miraflores district, Atemporal is perfectly suited to travellers seeking an intimate, effortless kind of comfort as well as pure tranquility. Each of the nine unique rooms features carefully curated photographs, trinkets and heirloom pieces, giving the impression you’ve arrived in the home of a refined world traveller. Though the hotel’s compact size means there’s no gym or on-site restaurant, they haven’t forgotten to include thoughtful perks: bicycles and even a Mini car are free to use, and guests receive a small hotspot device that allows them to connect to the internet from anywhere in Lima. atemporal.pe
7/22
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Casa Fayette, Guadalajara (Mexico) – Forget Cancun. If you’re into tequila, mariachi music and a more authentic glimpse of Mexican culture, head to Guadalajara. Your home base? This retro-chic 37-room hotel, housed in a 1940s Art Deco tower in hot-right-now Lafayette neighbourhood. It’s the ideal post-sightseeing retreat offering a spa, outdoor pool, rooftop film screening room, a solarium and an elegant restaurant serving “American comfort food cuisine with Mexican and local ingredients”. casafayette.com
8/22
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Hotel Oderberger, Berlin – If you’re into hotels that weren’t originally hotels, look no further than Berlin’s newest address in popular district Prenzlauer Berg: a 72-room hotel in a historic public bath dating to 1902. Rooms are outfitted in sensible modern style, ranging from 20-sqm Comfort rooms to full-on Apartment accommodations, all showcasing original (and purchasable) works from local artists. The original indoor pool was reopened in October 2016 after 30 years of disuse, a spa just opened in January, and in May 2017, the hotel will celebrate the debut of its own restaurant – housed in the striking surrounds of the former thermal power station. hotel-oderberger.berlin
9/22
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Book and Bed, Tokyo – There’s significant overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are well-travelled and people who are well-read. This brand new hostel in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro neighbourhood is for them. Accommodating 30 guests at a time in pod beds (with reading lights) hidden behind and among bookshelves, all in one long room, the hostel offers a warm bed and 1,700 books in English and Japanese – and that’s about it. But with prices per night starting at just €32, there’s not much more a book lover could want. bookandbedtokyo.com
10/22
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Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari Lodge at Chitwan National Park, Nepal – A safari lodge featuring 13 rooms with balconies overlooking vast grasslands and the Himalayas, plus 16 exquisite villas with private pools, as well as a main infinity pool and a communal lounge, all in the midst of a nature reserve that’s home to elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, Bengal tigers and more than 500 native species of bird – sound heavenly? What if we told you it’s actually affordable, too. Offering canoe trips on the Rapti river, forest excursions on elephant-back, and walking safaris through 4m tall elephant grass, this is the luxury nature experience for much, much less – though it will take a bit of planning and cash to get there. taj.tajhotels.com
11/22
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Masseria Moroseta, Puglia – A stay at this modern interpretation of a traditional Pugliese farmhouse is like stepping out of real life and into a travel magazine of the most stylish sort. Communal spaces, including a spa, gym and lounge area, and just six guest rooms (half boast private gardens, the other half private terraces) are arranged around a central courtyard, set amid olive groves that stretch out to the sea. The best part, though, is the eco-friendly ethos from start to finish: the inn was built using local materials and green building techniques, and relies on solar power and insulation to minimise energy consumption. masseriamoroseta.it
12/22
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Amigo Motor Lodge, Salida (Colorado, USA) – A 17-room Southwestern-minimalist design hotel in a 1950s roadside motor lodge? This is the stuff of millennial road trip dreams. Husband-and-wife duo Kaitlyn Canfield and Philip Sterling have revamped the mid-century relic, doing the interiors themselves (with a background in graphic design, Canfield has an eye for aesthetics) and adding fun extras like a hot tub, sun room and teepee. Smack dab in the middle of outdoor country, it’s a snazzy yet cosy home base for the area’s world-class whitewater rafting, hiking, climbing and nearby hot springs. stayamigo.com[Photo:Brandon Lopez]
13/22
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Thousand Lakes Lodge, Tasmania – A 2-hour drive from Hobart will land you here …in the middle of nowhere. But then again, that’s exactly what you came for. Soak up the untamed wilderness at this brand new boutique hotel, offering just 9 rooms in a former Antarctic training facility, refurbished to exacting ecological standards. The look is simple-chic, the views (from every room) vast, and the activities many – think first-rate trout fishing, off-road biking, walks along the lakes and streams, and simply kicking back by an open fire with a good book. Peace and quiet come free of charge. thousandlakeslodge.com.au
14/22
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Quaint Hotel Nadur, Gozo (Malta) – Smaller and less travelled than its sister island Malta, Gozo is a haven for culture lovers and beach-goers who don’t much like sharing their space. Those looking to bed down in the hilltop village of Nadur should check behind the parish church to find this surprising new arrival – surprising because, for one, it’s not quaint, but rather quite contemporary; and two, it’s not so much a hotel as a set of guest rooms attached to an existing restaurant, a popular local hangout manned by a friendly Gozitan couple. Unexpected as the sleek rooms are – given the building’s 19th-century façade – they’re unique and inviting (some even have bathtubs in the room itself), and well-placed for discovering the island. quainthotelsgozo.com
15/22
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Drake Devonshire Inn, Wellington (Ontario, Canada) – It might be the younger cousin of Toronto’s buzzing Drake Hotel, but this rural lakeside retreat is a far cry from its big-city relative. Taking over a renovated foundry from the 1880s, the inn pulls off a look that’s somewhere between ‘summer camp’ and ‘Hampton’s summer home’ – eclectic furnishings, both modern and antique, rest beneath vaulted wooden beams, while room-height windows play up the breathtaking views across Lake Ontario. drakedevonshire.ca
16/22
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The House Hotel Cappadocia – Built in a complex of traditional homes and original cave dwellings, with parts dating as early as the 5th century or as late as the 20th, each of the 29 rooms in this charming hotel are unique and offer luxurious comforts, like deep-soaking tubs and rain showers. In between visits to Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, plan to check out the hotel’s stunning underground spa as well as its rooftop terrace. thehousehotel.com
17/22
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Homestead Stables, Longreach (Australia) – Quaint yet kid-friendly, these rustic lodgings in rural Queensland were inspired by the pioneer days, when stable boys would bed down for the night alongside their horses – but unlike them, you’ll get much more than a stack of hay and a 1-ton bedmate. The rooms can sleep 4 (though the kids might fight over who gets the loft bed) and come with a fully equipped kitchen and all the bells and whistles you could want from a modern stay. Join the ranch’s outback pioneer excursions, from stagecoach rides to campfire dinners and riverboat cruises, then end the day with a soak in a clawfoot tub on the traditional bathing terrace. outbackpioneers.com.au
18/22
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Limalimo Lodge, Simien Mountains National Park (Ethiopia) – Located in a UNESCO-protected park in northern Ethiopia, the dramatic landscape and chance to see incredible wildlife up close would be enough to draw adventurous travellers to Limalimo Lodge. But then there are the 12 well-appointed rooms, the mountain views from every vantage point, and the over-arching respect for the local land and people. Owners Shiferaw Asrat and Meles Yemata – both locals and former Simien mountain trekking guides – worked with the African Wildlife Foundation and surrounding communities to build a sustainable, low-impact lodge and provide employment opportunities for locals, from farmers to service staff. limalimolodge.com[Photo: Tom Broadhurst]
19/22
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Bisma Eight, Ubud – Venture into the jungle for a different kind of Bali vacation. Here, guests can choose from Forest, Canopy or Garden suites, all outfitted with traditional Balinese textiles and aesthetics – like woven rugs and ikat pillows made by local artisans – and designed to feel like your very own retreat from the world. When you’re tired of enjoying the sounds of nature on your terrace, you can check out the hotel’s other amenities, like the gym, the eco-friendly farm and the rooftop bar with an infinity pool overlooking the Batukaru mountains. bisma-eight.com
20/22
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Pepper Trail, Kerala – The setting: an 80-hectare colonial spice and coffee plantation in North Kerala. The room: a little house built in a jackfruit tree 12 metres above the ground, or a suite in a restored 140-year-old bungalow. Your choice. Either way, you’ll be able to take advantage of the on-site Ayurvedic spa and all the activities the plantation has to offer, from guided walks and birdwatching to jeep safaris, cycling tours and fishing on the resort’s reservoir. peppertrail.in
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