Our HAP editors are garnering major wanderlust with summer just around the corner. As travel-savvy, boutique hotel-loving beings, it’s only fitting that we highlight our favorite design-centric stays that we want (and need) in our lives. Read below to see our editors’ official hotel summer bucket list.
The Dolli (Athens, Greece)
While Athens’ modern cityscape might look grey, the Greek capital doesn’t feel grey due to its pulsating culture. Newcomer to the city’s hotel scene is The Dolli: a nifty monochromatic 46-key stay with awe-inspiring views of the Acropolis and Parthenon. We love the rooftop bar & infinity pool, which allows you to sip cocktails and tread water while admiring Ancient Greek ruins in the background.
– Brandon Berkson
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Mamula Island (Montenegro)
Ok, so we’re almost positive you’ve never stayed in a boutique hotel that used to be a military compound? Well, there’s a first for everything. Let us introduce you to Mamula Island in Montenegro: a brutalist 19th-century fort now a luxe 32-room stay sprouting up atop a minuscule isle amidst the Adriatic Sea. You’ll find exposed stone walls and Venetian plaster throughout the corridors, spruced up since its wartime epoch, from the spa, where you can heat up in an herbal sauna or salt yourself through and throughout the halotherapy room, to Kamena, a swish fine-dining establishment serving Montenegrin-inspired cuisine alongside a sculptural suspended fireplace.
– Brandon Berkson
Cirqa (Arequipa, Peru)
If you haven’t heard of the centuries-old Peruvian city of Arequipa, you should put it on your radar: It’s just as postcard-pretty as Cusco but with fewer people. From the chromatic volcanic stone suffusing the 1579-built Santa Catalina Monastery to the colonial quarters of Plaza de Armas, and volcanic summit El Misti in the background, the place is worth visiting during your next South American jaunt. Boutique hotel Cirqa is where you need to stay when here. Cirqa’s sillar-rock blueprint pays homage to the Middle Ages while brimming with modern features, from freestanding bathtubs to glass-sheltered rain showers and velvet chairs. The little courtyard plunge pool befits the unimposing 11-key room count here (no crowds, no problem).
– Brandon Berkson
Lost Lindenberg (Bali, Indonesia)
Lost Lindenberg gives us Eat Pray Love vibes, but rather for someone who is boutique hotel & design-obsessed (like us). The hotel greets you with a ceremonial prayer and a bracelet, then ushers you to one of the eight rooms, kitted out in Balinese stone floors, teak walls, and an up-in-the-trees feeling. Sybarites searching for an Indonesian splurge can book the Ocean Panorama Suite, with its spacious corridors and impressive sea views.
– Brandon Berkson
Hotel Cala di Volpe, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Costa Smerelda, Italy)
As the site of the legendary “007 The Spy Who Loved Me,” couture fashion shows, and society weddings, this hotel on Italy’s sweeping Emerald Coast transcends legend. Constructed in the 1960s by French architect Jacques Cou’lle, the property has undergone renovations that still preserve its original magnificence. Entering the 2023 season, the property celebrates its 60th anniversary by launching new partnerships, revamped interior stylings, and much more.
– Megan Shelton
Hotel La Compañía (Panamá City, Panamá)
In 2022, Panamá was ranked among the top destinations. We’ll be including Panamá on our bucket list until we are finally able to make it there. Just a stone’s throw from the sandy, tropical shores of Panamá City’s beaches, the historic district of Casco Antiguo is home to the city’s premier boutique property, Hotel La Compañía. Set in a former centuries-old Jesuit convent dating back to the 17th century, the restored 88-room hotel is now a part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection.
– Megan Shelton
Coqui Coqui Casa De Los Santos (Izamal, Mexico)
Nestled amongst the ancient cobblestone streets and golden-hued buildings of Mexico’s “Yellow City,” Izamal, this boutique hotel has been thoughtfully designed from head to toe. The past and present are melded through the interiors, paying homage to Izamal’s Mayan, colonial, and contemporary influences: Talavera tiles, an antique figurine saint collection, rustic wood beams, and a plunge pool sheltered under stone ruins, to name a few.
– Britney Eschelman
Villa Lena (Tuscany, Italy)
Imagine an enchanting villa hidden in the Tuscan countryside where artists flee to find their muse — that’s what you get at Villa Lena. This 19th-century bolthole hosts a wealth of accommodations, from 18 rooms and suites to two private casitas: the San Michele guestrooms in the main villa provide punchy-colored interiors dotted with hand-painted frescoes and French door windows overlooking the wild woods of Tuscany. If you need us, we’ll be basking under the Tuscan sun by the turquoise pool, practicing “La Dolce Vita.”
– Britney Eschelman
Amagatay Menorca (Menorca, Spain)
Amagatay, set on the alluring Balearic Island of Menorca, is a picturesque boutique resort packing an assemblage of thoughtfully-restored 19th-century buildings. The sophisticated, modern farm stay oozes Mediterranean luxury from its refurbished sandstone exterior and neutral-toned interiors, giving the original country house and old stables a chic look. Comprising 86 acres of Menorca’s rural terrain, you will be privy to an idyllic plunge pool, a farm-to-table restaurant, and a sanctuary for more than 8,000 native olive trees.
– Britney Eschelman
Marine Troon (Troon, Scotland)
Overlooking the Ayrshire coastline and the storied Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club (known as the “Birthplace of The Open”), Marine Troon is an 89-key boutique hotel excluding Scottish seaside charm. Elevated coastal-inspired design swathes the Marine Rooms and Marine Suites: vintage nautical paintings, powder blue toile wallpaper, and emerald green accents dress these spacious quarters. If you’ve ever lusted for a seaside getaway along Scotland’s bucolic coastline, this is the place for you.
– Britney Eschelman
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