Europe, but make it affordable & adorable. From London to Budapest, and Florence, read on for our favorite stays across the pond with starting rates under $250/night.
One Hundred Shoreditch (London, United Kingdom)
Starting Nightly Rate: $224 | 4 Stars | Website | London City Airport
258 | Free WiFi; Fitness center; Room service | 1
Sky Garden; Tower of London; Tower Bridge
Set in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood, One Hundred Shoreditch is the area’s premier design-centric boutique hotel. Protruding oriel windows give way to minimalist interior spaces: neutral palettes, Berber carpets, and bespoke artwork dress each guest room and suite. Slide down to the debonair basement bar, Seed Library, which sought-after mixologist “Mr Lyan” (aka Ryan Chetiyawardana) helms.
Brown Lighthouse Athens (Athens, Greece)
Starting Nightly Rate: $105 | 4 Stars | Website | Eleftherios Venizelos Airport
223 | Outdoor swimming pool; Fitness center; Spa | 3
Monastiraki Square; Temple of Hephaestus; Ancient Agora of Athens
Lighthouse Athens ideally sits in the Greek capital’s buzzing Omonia Square. Inside, guestrooms boast modern stylings and Baroque design elements: dark wood floorings paired with bright furnishings contrast ornate gold-framed fixtures and swarthy-toned trappings. Spend your days here at the hotel’s panoramic rooftop, where you’ll find a sushi bar, pool & hot tub. Nights should begin and end with dancing at Lighthouse Athens’ trendy in-house nightclub.
Hotel Calimala (Florence, Italy)
Starting Nightly Rate: $135 | 4 Stars | Website | Florence Airport
38 | Fitness center; Bar; Free WiFi | 1
Piazza del Duomo; Rucellai Palace; Pitti Palace
Situated in Florence’s lively Centro-Storico neighborhood, Hotel Calimala is an urban-chic boutique hotel spruced up from its original 19th-century build. Within the 38 guestrooms, contemporary fashion seamlessly blends with original interiors: untouched brick walls complement poppy-yellow-hued bedframes and modern trappings. Witness breathtaking Florence sunsets from the onsite romantic restaurant ANGEL Rooftop Bar & Dining, where Southern-Mediterranean dishes are served amongst a garden terrace.
Tenuta di Murlo (Umbria, Italy)
Starting Nightly Rate: $202 | 5 Stars | Website | San Francesco d’Assisi Airport
6 | Outdoor swimming pool; On-site shuttle; Breakfast | 1
Perugia; Palazzo dei Priori; National Gallery
Perched on a hill overlooking the Italian countryside, Tenuta de Murlo is the epitome of a private family estate (seriously, the home and its 18,000 acres of land have been part of the Carabba Tettamanti family since the 16th century). The three deluxe rooms here sport a refurbished design: terracotta tiled floors, wood beam ceilings, and bright bedding adorn each space. Not to miss is the outdoor terrace featuring a glistening 60-foot-long outdoor pool, which turns our romantic Italian getaway dreams into a reality.
Hotel Sookie (Paris, France)
Starting Nightly Rate: $177 | 4 Stars | Website | Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport
31 | Free WiFi; Room service; Breakfast | 1
Pompidou Center; Sainte Chapelle; Louvre Museum
Hotel Sookie imbues Parisian charm from the French Capital’s coolest neighborhood, Le Marais (some of the best fashion boutiques in Paris are here). Guestrooms and public spaces bear a neutral palette with pops of punchy reds found in furnishings, pillows, and drapes. Fine wood finishings and contemporary art hanging from the walls add an effortless “je ne sais quois” touch to the posh stay.
Sir Adam Hotel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Starting Nightly Rate: $140 | 4 Stars | Website | Schiphol Airport
108 | Free WiFi; Fitness center; Room service | 2
Our Lord in the Attic Museum; Beurs van Berlage; Dam Square
In Amsterdam’s trendy NOORD neighborhood, Sir Adam is one of the city’s hippest affordable boutique hotels. Warehouse-cool aesthetic embeds its 108 rooms: glass framework, orthogonal millwork, white-grey bedding, orange rugs, and eye-catching artwork conjured via local artists adorn exposed-concrete walls. The river-facing floor-to-ceiling windows allow you to wake up scenically — if you need a soundtrack to get ready to in the morning, each room has its own Crosley record player. Vim for music influences swaths of the décor: paintings of musicians, a communal area vinyl collection, and a resident basement nightclub surprise guests. Grab burgers at the onsite Butcher Social Club and sip cocktails at hotel bar The Hub, where meals and drinks accompany a clutch of arcade games such as ping-pong and foosball.
Telegraphenamt Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
Starting Nightly Rate: $186 | 4 Stars | Website | Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt
97 | Free WiFi; Bar; Breakfast | 1
German Historical Museum; Gendarmenmarkt; Berlin TV Tower
An erstwhile telegraph office in a storied baroque building, the 97-key Telegraphenament stands a short walk away from Berlin’s attraction-abundant Museum Island and Monbijou Park. The space imbues nods to the 1960s with its retro-age lamps and headboards, among other splendors. You’ll spy doses of a pared-back aesthetic, from pallid parquet floors to nude brick walls. The hotel’s restaurant & bar Root sports an atrium roof with hanging pendant lights enveloped in scribbled motifs — in addition to the space’s head-turning design, the eclectic menu equips a wide range of items: You’ll find carnivorous delights, Japanese-inspired dishes, and vegan fare, among other offerings.
Brown’s Avenue Hotel (Lisbon, Portugal)
Starting Nightly Rate: $145 | 5 Stars | Website | Humberto Delgado Airport
44 | Outdoor swimming pool; Free WiFi; Room service | 1
Rossio Square; Santa Justa Elevator; Carmo Fountain
This 44-room chic boutique hotel takes a seat on Central Lisbon’s buzzy Avenida da Liberdade. Our favorite part? It’s a tie between the rooftop cactus-lined pool peering out at the Portuguese capital’s cityscape and the Library Lounge, which comprises sleek woodwork and a finely-curated selection of colorful coffee table books.
Hotel Rum Budapest (Budapest, Hungary)
Starting Nightly Rate: $86 | 4 Stars | Website | Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
38 | Fitness center; Bar; Free WiFi | 2
Blaha Lujza Square; Gellért Hill; Citadella
This Budapest bolthole melds history with the present: 1920s-era vestiges harmoniously coexist with colorful artwork and furnishings that evoke a contemporary feel. The glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant is a great place to drink wine due to its views of Hungary’s capital and the resident Danube River. The cherry on top: Hotel Rum Budapest has a Michelin-starred Hungarian restaurant on its first floor, Salt.
Tótem Madrid (Madrid, Spain)
Starting Nightly Rate: $205 | 4 Stars | Website | Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport
64 | Fitness center; Bar; Room service | 1
Sorolla Museum; Retiro Park; Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Totem Madrid is a boutique hotel in Madrid’s Salamanca neighborhood. Design-centric from corridor to corridor: A marble-floored lobby supports walls swathed in muted greens, a communal lounge breeding conversations between guests wear grey-meets-blue furnishings, and rooms feel clean & crisp with their slick millwork and uncluttered arrangement. The hotel bar Malditos wins over guests with its stylish blue banquettes and speakeasy atmosphere, accompanied by a DJ playing an eclectic range of music, from jazz to bossa nova.
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