From the Riviera to the Amalfi Coast and the Greek islands, the prospect of sun, sea and sand never loses its shine, tempting us back year after year. Offering blue skies and glittering sea views, these new coastal destinations promise serious summer glamour.
Cosme Hotel, Paros
The lucky occupants of this new retreat’s 40 suites may have access to an exclusive slice of Agioi Anargyroi beach, and even a private jetty, but they could be forgiven for not making it past the swimming pool. Its semi-circular layout, the genius idea of the hotel’s architects and designers ID Laboratorium, ensures an unobstructed view of the Aegean sea for every sun worshipper.
Pull yourself away from the loungers, and you’ll find an interior inspired by the quaint fishing-village style of the more traditional parts of Paros, plus work by Greek artists including Margarita Myrogianni and ceramicist Terpsichore. From approx £315 per night, cosmehotelparos.com
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No 42 Guesthouse, Margate
Hot on the heels of the reopening of Fort Road Hotel is the nearby No 42 by GuestHouse – a boutique hotel set within a Victorian building situated along the old Margate promenade. GuestHouse has drawn on the seaside character of the town, creating a nostalgic ambience throughout the 21 bedrooms, Pearly Cow restaurant (with an alfresco terrace looking out to sea), rooftop bar, spa, oyster bar and beachfront café.
Quintessentially British but with a contemporary twist, the interiors are bright and airy, opening out onto seafront balconies and the fast-changing Margate High Street.
Among its seascape references are chalky whites, shell-shaped lighting and recurring scalloped motifs that appear in the bathrooms. From £155 per night, guesthousehotels.co.uk/no-42-margate
Montesol Experimental, Ibiza
This iconic 33-bedroom hotel is a masterclass in Ibiza’s bohemian magic. Dorothée Meilichzon of French interior-design studio Chzon has drawn on everything that makes the island unique – from its Mediterranean waters to its laid-back atmosphere – for its interiors.
‘We played with the bohemian side of Ibiza, using a lot of fabrics, patterns, fringes and pompoms,’ says Meilichzon. Alongside the more playful trimmings, you’ll discover natural materials set against a backdrop of cool marine blues and solar oranges.
The redeveloped hotel is one of three recent hotel openings by Experimental Group, which was founded in 2007 by Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros and Romée de Goriainoff. From £245 a night, montesolexperimental.com
The Georgian, Santa Monica
There’s something of a Wes Anderson film quality about the exterior of The Georgian – an art deco jewel of a hotel that overlooks Santa Monica Bay and Malibu. Inside, London- and LA-based interior-design studio Fettle has brought its hospitality expertise (the studio is responsible for many of The Hoxton’s branches, as well as Munich’s Schwan Locke) to the hotel, with a careful restoration.
All 84 rooms have a bright and fresh feel, while communal spaces give a glimpse into the building’s 1930s heyday by celebrating traditional elements – think chandeliers and original decorative reliefs. From approx £555 per night, thegeorgian.com
Arco Suites, Crete
For those who don’t like to share, the hidden luxury of the premium cave suites in this wellness retreat may be the ultimate treat.
Set into the cliffside, with uninterrupted views of the sea, they are decorated in a neutral palette. Plus, the natural shade provided by the setting is ideal for escaping the heat of the day. Cave Suites, from £783 per night, acrosuites.com
Vermelho Melides, Melides
What with Jasper Conran’s recent renovation of Yves Saint Laurent’s Villa Mabrouka in Tangier and now Christian Louboutin’s Vermelho Melides, the fashion pack are going through a hotelier phase. Born of the desire to create a secret getaway in one of Portugal’s prettiest but lesser-known villages, Vermelho Melides is a 13-bedroomed hotel that has the soul of a maison de vacances.
Louboutin has filled the space with antiques and objects he has purchased from his travels over the years, creating an eclectic, maximalist yet intimate vibe. Finding a home away from home is no easy feat, but this well-heeled new destination could just be the solution. From approx £350, vermelhohotel.com
Borgo Santandrea, Italy
The newest opening on the Amalfi Coast, Borgo Santandrea, took four years to complete, but it was worth it.
Led by architect Rino Gambardella, the renovated 1960s building has an airy blue-and-white colour scheme and is filled with work by local artisans as well as Gio Ponti furniture, making it an authentic Italian labour of love. From £772 per night, borgosantandrea.it
Cali Mykonos, Greece
As the Greek islands’ allure shows no signs of dimming, Cali Mykonos will be on many holiday wish lists. Nestled between two mountains on the island’s eastern edge, its 40 white-stone villas seem to dance down the hillside to the sea.
This minimalist haven is the work of Athens-based architectural studio STFN Lab, which used centuries-old materials and methods to root the hotel in its landscape, even filling the pools with salt water drawn straight from the Aegean Sea. From £678 per night, calimykonos.com
Maybourne Riviera, France
Once loved by the likes of Coco Chanel and Le Corbusier, the Côte d’Azur is synonymous with glamour and great design, and a new star is adding extra lustre to the scene. Perched above Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is The Maybourne Riviera, a sleek, modernist hotel with 69 rooms and a fleet of striped open-topped cars to whizz guests to its chic private beach club.
Expect Michelin-level cuisine, spectacular views at every turn and interiors shaped by the likes of superstar designer Pierre Yovanovitch. From £1,020 per night, maybourneriviera.com
OKU, Ibiza
Ibiza is increasingly a tale of two islands. While many still make the pilgrimage for the promise of sun-kissed hedonism, a growing faction is far more concerned with farm-to-table cooking than anything that resembles clubbing. Set on a stretch of Cala Gracio bay, this first hotel under the new OKU name might just win over both camps – with 189 rooms and suites, it’s big enough to be buzzy, but is striving for something altogether more soulful.
Spaces inside and out offer a contemporary take on Balearic bohemia, with plaster walls and plenty of dark wood alongside artisanal woven furniture from Papua New Guinea. Expect the palm-dotted pool area to be a magnet for much of the action. From approx £323 per night, okuhotels.com/oku-ibiza
Ekies All Senses Resort, Greece
By the time Greece had become a beacon for new design hotels, Ekies had already won over those-in-the-know with its considered boho flair, family friendly hospitality and sustainable ethos. Set on an idyllic strip of sandy beach on Sithonia, Halkidiki’s prettiest peninsula, it’s steadily built on this well-earned reputation. Last season saw the addition of 10 new suites and five renovated rooms, and this summer a new villa is set to be the jewel in its crown.
All are a joint effort from owner Alexandra Efstathiadou and Agarch+ Architects, who found inspiration in the ascetical tranquillity of local monasteries on a trek in the foothills of Mount Athos. Sleek furniture from Driade, Magis and Muller Van Severen adds design heft, while handmade ceramic floors encourage barefoot living. There’s also a new-look pool area, lobby and shop. From £128 per night, ekies.gr
Strandhotel Zoomers, Netherlands
Purists might balk at the prospect of a beach holiday in the Netherlands, but those who strike it off the shortlist could be missing a trick. New Strandhotel Zoomers is set directly on the golden coastline of Castricum beach, among the undulating dunes of a nature reserve certified under the protective Natura 2000 scheme.
Conceived by creative studio The Other Season, its 12 rooms pay tribute to the tones of the surrounding sands and grasses, with a warm palette that makes generous use of wood, linen and bamboo. Illustrative details and the odd pop of pastel add pep. From approx £113 per night, strandhotelzoomers.nl
The Royal Senses, Crete
As arguably the best-loved Greek island, new ventures on Crete have something of a captive audience – though plenty of competition, too. The Royal Senses has made a strong start with its 74 private infinity pools, but it’s an earnest desire to draw on Cretian resources that really separates the hotel from similar resorts.
‘I found a wealth of excellent craftsmanship and local techniques that informed the design as we went along,’ says creative director Constantina Tsoutsikou, who launched London-based practice Studio Lost last year. Rooms feature furniture handcrafted by makers more familiar with building traditional fishing boats, and an on-site ‘marketplace’ will proffer products from regional farmers and artisans. Opens April, from £189 per night, theroyalsenses.troulisroyalcollection.com
Hospedaria, Portugal
It takes a certain kind of creative mind to spot a dilapidated former post office and roadside store, left to decay for some 30 years, and see a guesthouse. Hospedaria owners Rui Liberato de Sousa and Nuno Ramos, who run the nearby and now-cult hotel Pensão Agrícola, seized on its potential as a sister property, reenlisting Portuguese practice Atelier RUA to coax the crumbling building into a boutique hotel.
Interiors suggest the same surefooted simplicity as the name – Hospedaria means ‘guesthouse’ in Portuguese – with whitewashed walls, natural materials and a smattering of eclectic art. Each of the five bedrooms has its own private patio, and there’s a bijou plunge pool for respite from the heat. Unusually for the Algarve, it’s open year-round. From approx £155 per night, hospedaria.com.pt
Panoptis Escape, Mykonos
Swift passage to the shore is naturally the big draw for beachfront hotels, but you’ll often find the most exclusive hideouts nestled among hills nearby. Such is the case for new Mykonos retreat Panoptis Escape, with its cluster of 19 boutique villas perched on the cliffs above the island’s expansive Elia Beach.
Though stays include access to a private section of the sands below, the sweeping sea views from the terraces and personal pools might just trump a daily descent. Opens May, from £585 per night, panoptisescapemykonos.com
Maslina Resort, Croatia
Settled just along the shore from the cobbled streets of Hvar island’s sleepy Stari Grad, Maslina’s series of wood-fronted pavilions are designed to create ‘a vertical rhythm’ with the surrounding trees. And it’s here that Léonie Alma Mason sought inspiration for the interior, too, layering the subtler shades of blue and dark grey found in the pines with Iroko wood and stone from neighbouring Brač.
The holistic, natural approach is heartfelt – think restorative spa treatments powered by herbal goodness from the organic garden – earning Maslina a Green Pearls eco stamp of approval. While the low-slung, landscaped approach minimises intrusion, its happy byproduct is maximised views of the crystalline Adriatic, which stretches out from every room. From approx £270 per night, maslinaresort.com
