Be it for its eternal cities such as Paris and Venice or off-the-beaten-track destinations like Montenegro and Douro Valley, Europe always makes for an amazing holiday. Europe is not short of beautiful hotels however there are some which would leave even the most jaded of travellers awestruck.
There is the Ritz Paris, of course, where the likes of fashion icon Coco Chanel and Marcel Proust stayed for many, many years. Then there are the stylish boutique hotels of Santorini where vistas of the Aegean Sea are as gorgeous as they come.
Here is the list of our top picks of European hotels.
Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, Imerovigli, Greece
This cliff-top hotel on the quieter side of Santorini is a stunning, white-washed resort. It offers sweeping views of both the Aegean Sea as well as the surrounding blue and white buildings. (Elegant rooms mirror the colour scheme, which gives a flawless look and feel to this hotel.)
The minimalism is continued throughout the modern restaurant, fitness centre as well as outdoor spaces. Only the massive infinity pool diverts attention from the sea.
Palé Hall, Llandderfel, Gwynedd, Wales
Queen Victoria and Churchill have both stayed at this fantasy Victorian mansion which is situated on the edges of the Berwyn Mountains and Snowdonia National Park.
This hotel is furnished with flawless style. Diners are wowed with inventive takes on regional and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant holds Wales’ first Michelin Green Star.
Anassa, Polis, Cyprus
Life feels incredibly comfortable in this series of pristine white buildings which tumble down the hillside to the coffee-coloured beach below. Owned by a Cypriot family, the 23-year-old hillside hotel has always been classically styled.
This is even after a renovation in 2016, when Parisian interior designer Joelle Pleot stuck mainly to elegant creams in addition Hamptons nautical stripes.
In addition, Anassa offers babysitting services and a family photographer however none of it feels forced.
Rather, this is a place to dangle your feet over the edge of a sun-warmed pool, or meander through fragrant gardens against a soundtrack of crickets, wood pigeons, and the gently lapping sea. It is a place, in other words, to keep coming back to.
Ballyfin Hotel, County Laois, Ireland
Splendid Ballyfin is one of Ireland’s best country houses. It has now been restored to an elegant and graceful life and was reopened as a luxurious hotel. The magnificence of the gorgeous house and its expansive demesne and lake. The boundless standards of hospitality here make this hotel a truly remarkable place.
Le Bristol, Paris
Le Bristol is definitely grand with its polished marble, the Louis XVI armchairs and the boiserie-panelled walls. However, it has never felt cold or stuffy.
This grande dame has had a stylish carefreeness ever since it opened its doors on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1925. It held on to its gilt soul after a six-year facelift which was unveiled in 2018 by her owners, the Oetker Collection.
Suites are all about chandeliers, Pierre Frey fabrics as well as a very pure devotion to comfort where you can play at Cash Cabin Bingo. Our favourites overlook the perfectly serene, enclosed garden by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, with its symmetrical lawns, fountains, and osmanthus topiaries.