The current spa trend for longevity treatments is all well and good, but gemütlichkeit—the Viennese version of hygge—is a whole lot more fun and life-affirming. Rather than a cryotherapy chamber, it’s best experienced in a grand café with a coffee and cake in hand, along with the time to stretch out for half a morning. That’s the mood at the Mandarin, where life revolves around the glass-roofed court at its heart. The coffee splutters from the shiny Modbar machines on one side; the cakes are courtesy of pastry chef maestro Christian Grübler, who fizzes like baking soda while describing his creations. In place of the expected schnitzel, however, is a clever, seafood-forward menu from Thomas Seifried, who brings a little Caribbean sunshine from his time in the Cayman Islands. Once a rather fusty courthouse in the historic first district, the building has been subtly transformed by the London-based Goddard Littlefair studio, which set out to soften its austerity and pay homage to the Vienna Secession Art Nouveau period. The result is a luminous space etched and furnished with geometric design riffs, from the piano-key motifs on the molding and marble sunbursts on the floor to the ’20s-style club chairs and hand-tufted rugs, while a celebratory Champagne-pop of a chandelier greets guests in the lobby. Striking abstract works by some of Austria’s top female artists are sparingly displayed—such as the hypnotic Op Art paintings by Barbara Piller in the bedrooms. Below all this is the spa, quite as neat and reassuring as a Chanel perfume box, where still waters reflect the plumes of grey onyx on the walls and treatments include sound therapy. Many of Vienna’s grand hotels are operatic in their outlook; this is more like chamber music—a symphony of quiet luxury. From £595. Rick Jordan

Florence can get a bit hectic. It’s not just the cavalcade of artistic treasure; it’s also the crowds surging along the banks of the Arno and through the galleries of the Uffizi. Which is what makes the Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Collection, such a delight. Sitting on the first hills above the city, it’s a spacious retreat on a quiet street in a residential neighbourhood and yet barely a 10-minute taxi ride from the Piazza della Repubblica. The building seems to have had nine lives, from aristocratic palace to prestigious private school before its stunning revival in 2025 as one of Florence’s most sumptuous hotels. The design team, ArchFlorence, has managed the neat trick of creating spaces that feel both palatial and intimate. Through every doorway there is another discovery: the wonderful Conservatoire, once a courtyard and now full of books and sofas, natural light, and midmorning pastries; La Gamella, now one of the top restaurants in Florence, overlooking formal gardens; even a theatre that hosts dinner dances and concerts. Every room has arresting original pieces – paintings, sculpture, ceramics – from the owner’s impressive contemporary collections. But the real star here is Florence. The Collegio offers what visitors have wanted in Florence since the days of E.M. Forster, namely, a room with a view. Open your curtains in the mornings and there it is: a panorama of red rooftops, palazzi, campanili, and Brunelleschi’s incomparable dome. From £995. Stanley Stewart

Of all the smart new hotels that have recently opened in the Dolomites, Castel Badia—set in a manor house that dates back to the year 1000 – is at the top of the pile. The hotel, an Alpine counterpart to ­Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia, was created by Ian Schrager’s protégé Aldo Melpignano, who brings a new sense of cool to high-end Italian hospitality. The building has served as a courthouse, a convent, a private castle, and, since the 1970s, a hotel. A recent renovation saved everything that could be saved: The floors, wood ceilings, stuccoed vaults, and frescoes remain. A painting of an abbess gazes down from the wall of the show kitchen at the casual, traditional Stube, where chef Andrea Ribaldone prepares dishes like grilled pumpkin served with truffles and olive oil; he will also open a fine-dining restaurant in the coming year. Silence reigns in this ancient castle, where life, as it did in the Middle Ages, revolves around the courtyard. Through that nexus you access the garden, swimming pool, guest rooms (there are 28 in total, along with a three-story chalet), basement spa with frescoed relaxation rooms overlooking the mountains, and crypt of San Lorenzo, a ­protected site that, like the rest of the castle, is open to the public. This remains a sacred place, even as guests enjoy its sybaritic offerings. From £477. Sara Magro

Prague is the city of alchemy, of medieval dreamers trying to transform base metal into gold – but also of Communist-era creatives turning repression into art: those twitchy animations of Jan Švankmajer; the novels of Milan Kundera. That’s one of the periods celebrated by this thrillingly reborn landmark on the banks of the Vltava River. Many view the city through a baroque and gothic lens, but this is a brutalist glamourpuss with Star Destroyer lines and low-slung pavilion spaces, coated with gilded ceramic tiles and textured concrete. When it first opened, in 1974, as the InterContinental Prague, it was an aspirational arrival for the Pan Am generation, drawing in guests such as Elton John and Carlos the Jackal. But the Fairmont name doesn’t reveal the story of the local entrepreneurs behind the hotel’s revival, who were determined to rescue a favourite hang-out and use it to showcase Czech heritage, contemporary design and cuisine. The bar, Coocoo’s Nest, pays homage to director Miloš Forman; artist Martin Janecký’s sculptures of the city’s symbols line a wall; and glass-maker Lasvit is behind the sliding doors in every bathroom. The spa and indoor-outdoor pool ramp up the wellness credentials, but the crowning achievement is the rooftop restaurant where Maroš Jambor plates up dishes such as fallow deer loin with celeriac and pine cone – best experienced at golden hour overlooking painterly sunset views of the Prague skyline. From £302. Rick Jordan

To understand Madrid’s idiosyncrasies, you must first learn the word castizo. It refers to something typical, genuine, authentic…and also to a spirit of Madrid that everyone imagines and no one wants to lose. The Palace was, is, and always will be castizo. Now it is also luxury. And that’s because, after a complete and thorough renovation, Madrid’s grande dame has returned. The meticulous revitalisation of the façade, carried out by Ruiz Larrea Arquitectura, involved working on more than 8,000 square meters through in-depth scientific analysis to recover the original aesthetics and materials. The iconic “Palace colour,” a soft beige that contrasts with the terra-cotta-painted ornamentation, has also been restored. Inside, the building’s other great treasure is its wrought-iron-and-glass dome, designed by Eduardo Ferrés i Puig in 1912. It now shines after painstaking refurbishment, which was no small feat: 1,875 pieces of glass were restored one by one after dismantling and cataloguing the dome, thanks to the work of more than 100 specialists in a workshop set up on-site. Lázaro Rosa-Violán designed the interior of the common areas, 20 event halls, and the 470 rooms and suites, having drawn clear and logical inspiration from the hotel’s legendary history and some of its most famous guests, such as Picasso, Mata Hari, Dalí, Lorca, and Hemingway. From £433. David Moralejo

On opening week at 1 Hotel Copenhagen, the check-in counter was already buzzing. In the plant-filled lounge, couples, and families were sprawled across blond-wood Danish modern furniture, eating cardamom-laced buns, and warming their hands by a hygge-worthy fireplace. Not surprising, because the hotelier has gained a large American (and increasingly European) following for its biophilic design and commitment to sustainability. Fans love it because they know exactly what they’ll get, whether in Miami or Melbourne: reclaimed materials, earthy textures, and greenery used as architecture rather than ornament. For its newest outpost, the brand feels intentional about also being of its place. The hotel is housed in the refurbished former Skt. Petri Hotel, once the celebrated Daells Varehus department store, and sits slap-bang in the middle of the Latin Quarter. In the spacious, sun-lit rooms, there are signs of a more Nordic interpretation of decor. At Fjora, the menu is anchored by slow cooking that’s mindful of waste and sourcing: Nordic trout, fermented drinks, and other produce from nearby purveyors. Other hints follow: Rows of bicycles—the preferred local mode of transport—are at the ready, and the backyard is surrounded by apartment buildings, where life carries on. It’s these locals that 1 Hotel hopes to lure with open-invitation sauna events and lobby DJ sets, a marked counterpoint to the city’s grandes dames. From £233. Arati Menon

Atop the rocky peak of Sancerre, the medieval Loire Valley village famed for its crisp mineral wines, a privately-owned family château has stood for 150 years. In July 2025, it became Les Hauts de Sancerre, a serene eight-suite hotel with sweeping views of the vine-striped countryside, a pop-up restaurant, and a wine library housed in the 12th-century cellar. Interior designer Jérôme Lescrenier brings a contemporary sensibility to the historic structure by incorporating natural stone, wood, and muted fabrics into the light-filled guest rooms. Artistic direction is led by Stanislas de Poucques, former head of the Brussels Museum of Contemporary Art. For its inaugural season, the hotel debuted an exhibition on its lawn that drew more than 30,000 visitors, and each guest room features a work by Dutch painter Roan van Oort. The sleek 16-seat, pop-up restaurant La Table de Arnaud is housed in the bright salon, punctuated with grand views through the windows. Twenty-one-year-old Brussels-born chef Arnaud Munster serves a tasting menu inspired by the terroir of Sancerre; in 2026, the property will open his new immersive dining concept, L’Atelier des Cèdres. Dumont and Chicard have dreamed up a range of experiences, like visits to the Charlois Cooperage, which offers a rare glimpse into the art of barrel making; wine tastings at the château or in the medieval cellar of La Tour des Fiefs; and encounters with the potters of La Borne village. From £220. Maria Yagoda

Frankfurt hasn’t exactly been dripping with glamour since several of its grandest hotels quietly closed in recent years. Little wonder, then, that The Florentin is one of the city’s most keenly awaited openings. Formerly Rocco Forte’s Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt’s best-known hotel has been reimagined with a sleeker, more worldly sensibility by Singapore-based studio Unscripted, whose past credits range from Aman Tokyo to the Chedi Andermatt, and Atelier Zurich of Switzerland. Italianate flourishes in chestnut wood, bronze, and blush-veined European marble have given way to a more grown-up restraint; the room count has been trimmed to 147 and the spa doubled in size, all in the service of turning the hotel into an urban sanctuary. The operation is overseen by Althoff Collection, one of Germany’s most respected hotel groups, especially for its culinary pedigree. For the bar, it tapped Maxim Kilian, an early mover in the country’s craft-cocktail scene (his white vermouth, peach and rosemary-vodka signature alone is worth settling in for). Over in The Dune, the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Niclas Nussbaumer, whose work earned Restaurant Mühle in Schluchsee two Michelin stars, marries classic French technique with subtle Asian inflections, making a persuasive case for the imminent return of those stars. From £433. Florian Siebeck

This latest Corinthia has revitalised the historic 1920s former offices of the Bank of Italy in Campo Marzio, a district that’s full of life and landmarks, giving Rome back a part of its heritage that had been closed for more than two decades. Its new incarnation is as a modern hotel with 60 spacious and bright rooms with exquisite inlays, mosaics, frescoes and in some categories, lounges and terraces. The Theodoli Heritage Suite on the piano nobile includes the Sala de Consiglio, the room where the bank’s board would meet, and the spa is in the basement, where the vault once stood. The space is now an urban retreat inspired by ancient Roman baths and with treatments that use both natural and hi-tech products. Throughout the hotel, the best advice is to look up: the ceilings are a series of stuccoes, details in gold leaf and frescoes, such as the spectacular one in the Sala de Consiglio that illustrates the history of Italian coinage from the Etruscans to the early 20th century. Travellers and resident Romans alike flock to Viride restaurant to sample chef and TV star Carlo Cracco’s contemporary Italian haute cuisine, such as his famous marinated egg and caramelised Russian salad; while at open-air bistro Piazzetta, the standout dish is the wonderfully light carbonara. In both the restaurants and the Ocra bar it’s easy to bump into Italian politicians on a break – the Italian parliament meets in the building facing the hotel, the Palazzo Montecitorio. From £1,130. Sara Magro

Elephant in the room? If only! Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s obelisk-bearing elephant waits patiently outside, as it has done for the past three and a half centuries. And – without wishing to cast any aspersions on the impeccable door staff of La Minerva – surely this magnificently sculpted elephant is the grandest ornament to grace a hotel’s entrance, anywhere, ever. Rooms on the piazza side all have a view of the pachyderm (along with the Pantheon, just over one of its shoulders, and the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, over the other). Built as a private residence in 1620, La Minerva became a hotel in 1811 and has remained a beloved Roman institution ever since. Accor reopened the property under the Orient Express flag in spring 2025, when it also launched its iteration of the Orient Express train, operating out of Rome’s Ostiense station. Designer Hugo Toro has juxtaposed Art Deco, midcentury-modern, and tobacco-toned contemporary elements in a manner that brilliantly evokes a stile di vita that has, in our time, become unfamiliar. It is a trumpet call to action, to live and to travel well. From £866. Steve King

Everyone in Forte dei Marmi knows the Pensione America, a villa built in 1899 and turned into a pensione in 1922. It has long been a landmark in the chicest resort town on the Tuscan coast, one of those wonderfully reassuring places people return to year after year, finding everything exactly as they remembered it. Fortunately, Sara Maestrelli, who, together with her aunt, runs the family’s small collection of hotels, has a knack for infusing the delightfully retro with contemporary updates. Her exquisite taste is seen in the renovation and transformation – with the help of architect Piera Tempesti Benelli – of the old guesthouse into an impeccable five-star hotel. Notable details include hand-painted Sicilian majolica tiles by Nicolò Giuliano, wallpaper by Elena Carozzi, and uniforms by Loretta Caponi, a legendary Florentine business famous for its linens and embroidery made using a 16th-century technique. “Since we reopened, every day someone asks us if they can take a tour, as if it were a museum,” says Maestrelli, happily surprised by the interest. Her hope was that the new incarnation of the hotel would embody the timeless spirit of Forte: the breakfasts that stretch on for hours; the deck chairs facing the sea at Bagno Assunta, the Maestrellis’ beach club; the afternoon snacks and drinks under a beach umbrella; Sabrina Pucci’s spaghetti with clams; and matches at the tennis club – next year Pensione America will open its own courts. From £1,410. Sara Magro

There’s an understated new arrival in Milan’s fashionable heart, the Quadrilatero della Moda. In many ways it’s the epitome of the Milanese. Neither flashy nor maximalist, it eschews grand gestures and unnecessary embellishment and focuses instead on exceptional high quality and craftsmanship. Part of Rocco Forte Hotels, this is very much a family affair. Interior design is overseen by Sir Rocco Forte’s sister Olga Polizzi, who worked with Philip Vergelyn and Paolo Moschino to create calming spaces that whisper rather than shout. The suites with private terraces among the neighbourhood’s rooftops really do sing, though—they’re delightful on sunny mornings and evenings, and ideal for peering at the fashion action in the street below. Facing the silence of the inner courtyard, the rooms are conducive to the best night’s sleep, especially when one is cosseted by fluffy pillows and wrapped in silky smooth sheets. Additional relaxation comes courtesy of the bijou spa by Irene Forte, Sir Rocco’s daughter, where therapies use made-in-Italy products infused with apricot, horse chestnut, and hibiscus seed from her B Corp–certified skin-care brand. The food is equally wholesome, made with seasonal ingredients sourced from artisanal producers. And this being Milan, an aperitivo is a must. The Carlton Bar’s classics are reliable standards, but cocktail maestro Salvatore Calabrese’s signatures will keep guests sipping and chatting long into the night. From £1,150. Nicola Chilton

Amsterdam is well known for its Rembrandts and Vermeers—all those Old Master white ruffs and pewterish interiors that line the Rijksmuseum—but it has a contemporary palette too. When the Rosewood opened in 2025 on the Prinsengracht canal, its lobby flickered with swirling Dutch video art, fluctuating from floral still lifes to hypnotic dance routines, curated by the nearby Nxt Museum. An enormous blue vase turns out to be made entirely of Smurfs; a vending machine dispenses marble spliffs made by artist Casper Bratt; and keen-eyed guests will spot a cartoon cat dangling from a window, the work of street artist Frankey. Many of the city’s top-flight hotels are squeezed into conjoined townhouses, but the Rosewood, occupying the former Palace of Justice, has space to play with—thanks to its neoclassical façade, it’s easy to mistake for one of the city’s grand museums. Courtyard gardens have been planted by High Line designer Piet Oudolf, and the former courtroom itself is now an expansive library space with a grand piano instead of a stenographer’s keyboard. At Eeuwen, the main restaurant with a menu that changes with the seasons, one might find Dutch ingredients such as Zeeland mussels, sea vierge, and pork chops plated up bistro-style. Designer Piet Boon has made sure the bedrooms are cosily intimate, with soft fabrics and window-side bath tubs (many with canal views), though most dramatic are the five apartment-size Houses, one of which dangles a collection of Bibi van der Velden jewelry to wear. The subterranean pool and spa, meanwhile, feels like a minimalist hammam with Ayurvedic-inspired treatments; the Advocatuur bar, with its Anton Corbijn rock-star portraits and Indian dishes, was quickly adopted by locals. Rosewood has a knack for reimagining historically imposing buildings and making them fun—nowhere more so than in the former holding cell here, now a tasting room where guests are invited to graffiti the walls and take part in a genever gin ritual. From £737. Rick Jordan

The glowing summer evenings at Lilløy Lindenberg feel like an art house dream sequence: the soft orange light while watching from the outdoor hot tub on the edge of the island the Hurtigruten ferry drift past. Or the long slow nights of listening to Olafur Arnalds and playing Rummikub as Frisian host Antje De Vries works magic on Hella Sopperi mushrooms on the Aga in the shadow-streaked kitchen, where she waxes obsessive about the sea oak or dulce seaweed drying on the walls, which she dives for around the islands. Lilløy Lindenberg is less a hotel than an island reverie, in the curiously unsung archipelago around Bergen, with its rocky beauty and intriguing World War II history. It’s the fourth stay from the German Lindenberg group, which also has artsy hotels in Frankfurt and Pekutan, well off the beaten track in Bali (creative surfer types get misty-eyed about Lost Lindenberg). It sleeps 12 in the main house and the boathouse by the tiny island’s jetty, which has glass double doors that open onto the water. Local makers and untamed art abound on an island that feels magically untethered from reality. From £440. Toby Skinner

The arrival of Palacio de Tavira, the latest hotel from the Spanish group Marugal Distinctive Hotel Management, in historic Tavira, the Algarve’s loveliest town, is a game-changer for the region, finally putting it on the map for the discerning traveller. It follows Marugal’s last, higher-profile Portuguese opening: Vermelho in Alentejo’s Melides, owned by Christian Louboutin. This is an altogether quieter affair, perfectly suiting a town where, as Arnaud Laporte Weywada, a partner at Marugal, says, “life moves gently, people take their time, conversations flow unhurriedly, and a deep sense of authenticity lingers in every corner.” Twenty of the 36 rooms, in oatmeal hues and with floors of pale oak and limestone, are to be found in the old palace, where an original stone staircase takes centre stage behind the imposing 19th-century façade. Another 16 rooms in darker tones of burnt orange and brown, or else soft blue with brown and black, are housed in the newly added Medina, a jumble of dazzling white-washed Moorish-style cubes, with terraces in the local Santa Catarina tiles, an intrinsic part of Tavira’s heritage. Downstairs, Mirsal Restaurant serves richly meaty oxtail croquettes and the freshest of fish from the Atlantic Ocean. From £190. Mary Lussiana

Tarabel, with its pretty 19th-century façade of duck egg blue, is tucked away in Lisbon’s elegant Lapa district, where narrow cobbled streets are lined by embassies and the private palaces of wealthy Lisbonites. Step inside and a world opens up. Light floods in—that special white, Lisbon light. Astonishing views reach across the river Tagus, upon which boats pass by. Tidy terraces of verdant lawn run down to a bottle green pool, sun loungers shaded by white parasols trimmed with yellow, and a purple jacaranda tree spreading its branches over the wall. Tarabel has the feel of a private home, and its interiors have been carefully curated by designer Rose Fournier, following the success of her Riad Tarabel in Marrakech. Nine rooms, some with terraces but all different, house finds from Fournier’s travels: a mirror of shells here, a birdcage there. White dominates throughout: white stand-alone bathtubs in front of white wood trelliswork, white-linen-clad beds, long white curtains. Downstairs, elegantly mismatched plates offer up dishes of lime-cured scallops, roasted gazpacho with freeze-dried raspberries, and beef tartare. All with a view. From £390. Mary Lussiana

The Seville-born 20th-century architect Aníbal González’s most famous legacy is the grand semicircular Plaza de España in María Luisa Park, but he has many lesser-known Neo-Mudéjar designs dotted around the city too. One such building in the old town is a former art house theatre and cinema, dilapidated for two decades, that reopened after a three-and-a-half-year restoration as the third outpost of Cristine Bedfor hotels. The sheer scale of the space – it unfolds around a scene-stealing, glass-covered central courtyard restaurant with a performance stage – makes it feel quite different from the much-loved original in Menorca. What links the two is the interiors by Lorenzo Castillo. Here, the Spanish Golden Age and the paintings of Diego Velázquez are the inspiration behind the 28 rooms, each of which is decorated in a single colour (oxblood, lapis blue, emerald, mustard) with custom-made textiles from the Gastón y Daniela archive. Moorish-style fretwork on painted wardrobe doors and wall hand stencils references local landmarks. By day, the place to be is the rooftop terrace with its plunge pool and loungers; in the evenings, guests tuck into Spanish-rooted plates such as prawn tartare from Huelva with Málaga-style ajo blanco, Iberian pork stew, and mandarin ice cream. A grown-up evolution for the Cristine Bedfor brand. From £185. Emma Love

For over a century the Edificio Metrópolis—much photographed and admired but for years elusively inaccessible—has defined Madrid’s skyline. Now a distinct and ambitious renovation project, stewarded by Marta Seco and Sandro Silva’s Grupo Paraguas, has restored not only its architectural splendour but also its vital pulse. Reborn as Club Metrópolis, the landmark building’s eight floors now house an international private members club, a 19-room boutique hotel, and seven restaurants, and is set to host a roster of twice-weekly experiences. Hotel guests enjoy club membership and all-area access for the duration of their stay. Lázaro Rosa-Violán’s design brings coherence to the interiors, shaping the building as a single contemporary house where luxury lies in discretion and a sense of belonging and time shared. From the surprising Spa de Langostas restaurant to the rooftop overlooking the city and from the intimacy of the rooms to La Galería’s languid mood, Club Metrópolis comes together as a new way to experience Madrid. From £706. María Casbas

Perched in the green foothills of the Collserola mountains, the METT Barcelona places the city literally at one’s feet. Opened in 1925, the storied hotel ushered in a new era on its centenary under Sunset Hospitality Group’s flagship brand, METT Hotels & Resorts, with a complete design reboot across its shared spaces and 70 rooms and suites. The hotel now includes a Valmont Red Carpet Spa, previously exclusive to New York and Los Angeles, plus a pool club, elegant event spaces, panoramic terraces, and a lively dining scene that opens onto the city: Albarada serves refined Mediterranean cuisine paired with sweeping views and impeccable service. At the effortlessly chic 1925 Vermutería, cocktails, wines, and vermouths flow while dining on tapas day and night. Rounding it all out is the light-filled Florida Lounge by Lladró. From £351. Sara Andrade

“We need to put Gotland on the map,” says Sanna Rönn, who co-owns boutique Swedish farm stay Sibbjäns with her husband, Pontus, and their friends Jonas Nordlander and Kina Zeidler. Last summer the hotel was in stealth mode, but that didn’t stop it being fully booked with gorgeous, bohemian types. Even the king of Sweden – “a friend of a friend of a friend” – stopped by. There’s a sense that something is brewing on the southern tip of Gotland island. Sibbjäns spans 180 acres of grasslands, forest and coastline, its centrepiece a collection of unassuming stone buildings that have been revamped in cahoots with artisans. Paths hemmed by wild flowers lead to a natural pool with floating water lilies, and a nine-room, 19th-century farmhouse. Rooms have a soothing palette of pale sage, cream and chocolate, with shaggy sheepskin chairs. Some have bathtubs, others capacious showers with nifty displays showing how much water has been saved – one of several eco efforts at play. The hotel doubles as a regenerative farm that produces almost everything it needs; in the lively restaurant, chef Hanna Lukowiesky whips up a five-course dinner with its bounty (Wrangebáck cheese with cucumber marmalade; lamb with cabbage and burnt cream). Days are spent cycling gloriously flat roads, kitesurfing, canoeing or bird-watching; or dining at the Rönns’ secret alfresco lunch spot. This is just the start: plans for a tennis court, yoga pavilion, sauna, outdoor gym, farm shop and glasshouse are in the pipeline. From £235. Olivia Squire

When The Fife Arms hotel opened in Scotland in 2019, its owners – gallerists Manuela and Iwan Wirth – nailed the art hotel genre, filling a former coaching inn with around 16,000 artworks and an unabashed sense of place. The couple returned to their Swiss homeland to open their second hotel, Chesa Marchetta, a 16th-century inn in the Engadine Valley village of Sils Maria, where pieces like Paul McCarthy’s cartoonish sculpture Santa Long Neck share space with pencil­-drawn nudes by Alberto Giacometti and Alpine watercolours from 19th-century artists. But the star is the building itself, fragrant with local arven pine. Inspired by Alpine farmhouse parlours, Paris design studio Laplace has decorated it with gnarled-wood fireside chairs and linens hand-stitched by nuns in the Benedictine convent of St. John in Müstair. Balancing that rustic flair, the bar serves a mean cocktail (try Truffle, made with white rum washed with black truffle oil), and Davide Degiovanni’s menus list “mountain light” dishes such as buttery gnocchi and cavolo nero ragu. As for tiny Sils Maria, it packs a mighty cultural punch: Herman Hesse and Friedrich Nietzsche were once regulars. The latter’s thinking may not be to everyone’s taste, but hopefully the arms-wide-open philosophy of the Wirths will be. From £545. Rick Jordan

Recently, there has been plenty of talk about the rise of a new type of elevated UK farm-stay – some design-led, others with serious foodie credentials – but this retreat near Ugborough in south Devon nails it all. To diversify their 450-acre regenerative livestock farm, the Owens family launched 10 suites in their Victorian farmhouse and a pair of repurposed stone barns last year. All feel connected to the land through a palette of layered, natural materials: custom oak furniture, Welsh sandstone floors, and Naturalmat mattresses made with wool from their own flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep (the farm also has Boer goats and Tamworth-Berkshire pigs). Serendipitous moments might include a slice of lemon drizzle cake at teatime or a chat with head gardener Shelley about what’s growing in the garden, while a changing weekly program of activities rotates between farm tours, gin tastings, and yoga in the greenhouse. One of the biggest draws, though, is the informal, four-course suppers, eaten at the communal table in The Refectory, where executive chef Elly Wentworth plates up dishes such as shorthorn beef agnolotti or roasted wild bass from an open kitchen. It’s a truly spoiling yet authentic farm stay. From £638. Emma Love

The corner of Mayfair once known as Little America is now home to a Hong Kong–grown hotel brand spotlighting everything from Japanese cooking to French wellness. Centuries-old ties with US presidents (Adams, Monroe, Buchanan), plus its 60-year stint as the setting of the US Embassy, once made Grosvenor Square entirely impenetrable. Now, Rosewood door staff greet intrigued passersby who crane their neck for a look inside the lobby and invite them to take a look around, while diners sip wine on the umbrella-strewn terrace at street level. Theodore Roszak’s 35-foot gilded eagle—an original feature from the building’s embassy era—watches over the square from the newly added seventh-floor terrace bar. Multiple years of renovations transformed the former Chancery; three brand-new floors were made possible by the discovery of the original architect’s plans, which included them). This is an all-suite hotel: here are 144 of them, with textures, rather than gilding, that do a lot of the talking. A slick opening from sushi master Masayoshi Takayama, Tobi Masa is the standout among the five restaurants and bars, while the Asaya Spa, on one of the basement levels, has one of Mayfair’s biggest pools and offers techy skin-care treatments. From top-to-toe, this is a London landmark reimagined. From £1,405. Sarah James

With global wellness behemoth Six Senses’ first foray into the UK, Bayswater no longer languishes in the shadow of Notting Hill. The once faded Whiteleys department store is now a £1.5 billion -development that folds in the hotel and world-class residences. While the building’s assets remain intact – grand façade, towering windows, domed ceiling – the interiors have been transmogrified into a biophilic haven, where a thousand plants bring a magical realist feel to the lobby, flanking the spiral staircase and sprouting inside vitrines designed to look like those that once displayed handbags and gloves. Many of the 109 rooms and suites have terraces – the Whiteley Suite hogs a 1,345-square-foot roof space – and design studio AvroKO’s inky blues, deep orange accents and fresh herringbone floors create a cosily light-flooded interior world. The restaurant offering has rocketed Bayswater into the food stratosphere. Executive chef Eliano Crespi uses British ingredients for international dishes rolled out from his fermentation lab and open kitchen. But the pièce de résistance is Six Senses’ first members’ club, open to locals. A whole subterranean floor is devoted to biohacking hardware (for cryotherapy, red-light therapy and more) and there’s a thermal suite with a magnesium plunge pool, Finnish sauna, quartz crystal bed, and 20-metre swimming pool. There’s even a room where an alchemist leads workshops and conjures tinctures, and a resident crystal healer who can bathe stones in the moonlight for the best vibes in town. From £825. Sarah Bannerman