20 great chef-owned hotels
ENGLAND
1. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
Sat Bains has been dubbed the most inventive British chef since Heston Blumenthal thanks to his extravagant take on French cuisine at this Nottingham restaurant with rooms. The converted farmhouse on the banks of the River Trent may be close to an industrial estate, but the ugliness ends there. The seven rooms are decorated in shades of chocolate and cream with huge wooden four posters, roll-top baths and fireplaces.
Must try Beef cheek with seaweed, oyster cream, sprouts and radish
Details Dinner, B&B from £135 per person (0115-986 6566, www.restaurantsatbains.com)
Dinner Seven-course tasting menu, £69
2. Robert Thompson The Hambrough, Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Tucked away on the Isle of Wight, this gourmet bolt hole comes as a complete surprise. Robert Thompson has worked hard with local producers on the menu — ravioli of lobster with lobster cappuccino and monkfish, and the most delicious chocolate and banana cake with banana ice cream. Considering it has one Michelin star, the food is good value, at £55 for three courses. House wine costs from £20 a bottle.
Must try Anjou squab with oak-smoked gnocchi
Details Two-night B&B breaks from £200pp with return crossings with Wightlink (0871 3760013, wightlink.co.uk). Book direct on 01983 856333, thehambrough.com
3. York & Albany, London
After conquering the French, the Americans, the Japanese and the gastropub, it was only a matter of time before Gordon Ramsay took on the humble hotel. And he’s made a pretty good fist of it too. The York & Albany, with views over Regent’s Park, is all you would expect of a boutique hotel: exposed beams, chunky dark-wooden furniture and big leather sofas; the kitchen is overseen by long-time Ramsay cohort Angela Hartnett, with Colin Buchan in tow as head chef. Nonna’s, in the hotel’s converted stable, is reminiscent of a rustic French or Italian deli.
Must try Braxted Park saddle of lamb, confit belly, Puy lentils with red pepper
Details Room-only doubles from £205 (020-7387 5700, gordonramsay.com)
Dinner Three courses from about £45
4. L’Enclume, Cumbria
Simon Rogan’s restaurant is often called the Fat Duck of the North, but that does a disservice to his magnificent creations, which are in a league of their own. The remoteness of the North’s finest restaurant means that booking one of the 13 available rooms makes perfect sense. Thanks to the age of the buildings (it is in an 800-year-old smithy) they may be a little on the small side, but they are tastefully decorated.
Must try Warm-glazed pig’s cheeks, shallot and sweetcorn with Love parsley squirt
Details B&B doubles from £148 (01539 536362, www.lenclume.co.uk)
Dinner Eight courses, £60
5. Simpsons Restaurant With Rooms, Birmingham
In an era where the phrase “boutique hotel” conjures images of minimalism and neutral tones, it’s lovely to see someone bucking the trend by bathing their chambers in a warm glow. The four rooms at Simpsons have rust, lemon and taupe-coloured walls, soft lighting and huge beds with plump pillows. Downstairs, the food’s not too bad either, thanks to former Dorchester and Ritz head chef Andreas Antona.
Must try Belly of suckling pig, creamed and grilled baby artichoke
Details B&B doubles from £160 (0121-454 3434, simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk)
Dinner Three-course set menu, £32.50
6. Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, Oxfordshire
Raymond Blanc calls himself a micro-idiot and it shows in the rooms in Le Manoir, which are as carefully crafted as the meals in his gastronomic two-star restaurant. He has saved the best for last though and has just opened four new suites, including the stunning white “Blanc de Blanc” and the sexy “Lace”. It’s worth paying extra to try the ten-course Menu Découverte in the restaurant, which shows Blanc’s masterful use of fresh produce. Don’t opt for breakfast in your room — check out Le Manoir’s impressive buffet table, with its serrano ham, nuts and berries, which Blanc spent a year perfecting.
Must try Pan-fried Cornish line-caught sea bass fillet, with Scottish langoustine, smoked mash potato and star anis jus
Details Rooms from £460 for two, B&B, suites £920. Menu Découverte, £125 (01844 278881, manoir.com)
7. Yorke Arms, Ramsgill
Frances Atkins is a rarity among British female chefs — a holder of a Michelin star (there are only five other British women who share the accolade). Her liking for tradition with a light, modern twist is evident in the 14 rooms as well: these are immaculate — plushy and traditionally decorated without being overdone — in pale neutrals and Regency stripes.
Must try Something from the hotel’s “classics” menu, such as saddle of venison with oxtail sausage, rowan jelly, anchovy, cabbage and pommes purée
Details Doubles on a Saturday night from £300, including dinner for two (01423 755243, yorke-arms.co.uk)
8. Waterside Inn, Bray
The rooms with the river views are the ones to go for at this inn, owned by Michel Roux and his son Alain. The decor is elegant with smart watercolours, colourful bedspreads and neat table lamps. Some rooms have river views. The restaurant has three Michelin stars.
Must try This week’s Menu Exceptionnel, which includes roasted Challandais duck. The full five-course meal costs £112.50
Details B&B doubles from £220 (01628 620691, waterside-inn.co.uk)
WALES
9. The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
There are two cottages offered for overnight stays at Shaun Hill’s restaurant, The Walnut Tree — the Old Post Office Cottage and Ivy Cottage. Each has two double bedrooms and can sleep four. The style is simple and neat. The restaurant has one Michelin star.
Must try Wild sea trout with sorrel sauce
Details A three-course meal is about £40. Cottage for four people £240 a night, for two £160 (01873 852797, thewalnuttreeinn.com)
10. The Foxhunter, Monmouthshire
Matt Tebutt’s Welsh gastropub has won praise for classy, unpretentious modern British cooking. Tebutt, a regular on TV, produces beautiful, slow-cooked dishes and is devoted to local produce. The Foxhunter has two self-catering cottages — one sleeps three, and the other two.
Must try The meat is famously good. Try the lamb with buttered spinach, peas, broad beans and mint.
Details Two-course set lunches from £17, excluding wine. Doubles from £145 (01873 881101, thefoxhunter.com).
FRANCE
11. Georges Blanc, Vonnas
Legendary chef Georges Blanc has turned a family-run inn into a multi-faceted business that defines the village of Vonnas, in Bourg-en-Bresse, eastern France. Today Blanc presides over a three Michelin-starred restaurant, a hotel and spa, one of the world’s best wine cellars, with about 130,000 bottles, and boutique food and culinary shops.
Must try The crêpe parmentière au salmon et caviar
Details Five-course set menus at the Restaurant Georges Blanc from €120 (£100). Rooms from €180, or £150 (00 33 4 74 50 90 90, georgesblanc.com)
12. Maison Troisgros/ La Colline du Colombier, Roanne
Michel Troisgros comes from a famous dynasty of French chefs, and runs two restaurants with accommodation in and around Roanne. Maison Troisgros has three Michelin stars. La Colline du Colombier, outside Roanne in Iguerande, is a more rustic creation, overlooking the Loire. The accommodation is stunning — such as the striking cadoles, or cabins, designed by Patrick Bouchain. Simple, surprising and glorious, just like the food.
Must try Maison Troisgros’s fried rabbit and king prawn, with a “touch of bitterness”. At La Colline, try the fattened chicken with crayfish and Nantua sauce
Details Maison Troisgros offers a full “spring impressions” food and wine pairing menu at €340. Doubles from €290, excluding breakfast. La Colline du Colombier has three courses from €36, excluding wine, and doubles in the cadoles from €500 for two nights (00 33 4 77 71 66 97, troisgros.com)
13. Maison Pic, Valence
Take a morning train from Paris and arrive in time for lunch prepared by Anne-Sophie Pic, the first French female chef in half a century to receive three Michelin stars. Bedrooms are large and unfussy, with rich brown sycamore panelling and huge downy white sofas.
Must try Frog legs and Lapsang souchong tea, followed by raspberry and red-pepper sorbet with gold leaf
Details Doubles from £242. Weekday lunches from £71 (00 33 4 75 44 15 32, pic-valence.fr)
14. Bras, Aubrac
Built in the rugged and rural Aubrac plateau is this surprisingly modern Japanese-style building. Menus reflect Michel Bras’s love of nature and feature as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. Bedrooms have white walls and are decorated with iron artworks.
Must try Gargouillou — baby vegetables with herbs and flowers from the area cooked in a buttery sauce
Details Doubles from £209. Five-course set menu from £93pp (00 33 5 65 51 18 20, michel-bras.com)
15. La Bastide Saint Antoine, Grasse
This typically Provençal hotel is all flagstone floors and shutters; there is also a contemporary annex, with a stunning apartment for four. Jacques Chibois loves to experiment with aromas in his two Michelin-starred restaurant — specialities include turbot with artichokes in citronelle juice and wild strawberries with a mandarin sorbet with jasmine jam.
Must try Papillon of langoustine on orange pulp with olive oil and basil
Details Rooms from €315, ten-course dinner €160 (00 33 4 9370 9494, jacques-chibois.com)
SPAIN
16. Hacienda Benazuza El Bulli Hotel, Seville
Ferrán Adrià’s less well-known sister property to El Bulli is housed in a 10th-century farmhouse. This 44-room property fulfils every escape-to-Andalusia fantasy. Rooms are full of antiques and there are idyllic grounds and gardens with a pool.
Must try The tasting menu, which features 22 small dishes such as tuna ventresca with tuna mayonnaise (€115, excluding wine)
Details Room-only doubles from £260 (00 34 955 703 344, elbullihotel.com)
ITALY
17. Don Alfonso 1890, Sant Agata sui due Golfi
There are only eight rooms at this hotel in the centre of the village, close to lemon and olive orchards between Sorrento and Positano, which give it an intimate feel. Signore Iaccarino cooks with his son Ernesto, and there is a culinary school.
Must try Deep-fried lobster in a sweet and sour sauce with infusion of citrus fruit and a Julienne of summer vegetables
Details B&B doubles from £242. A three-course meal is €150 (00 39 0818 780026, donalfonso.com)
18. Villa Orsogrigio, Ronzone
Two siblings, Christian Bertol, a chef, and Renzo Bertol, a sommelier, owning a hotel could be a recipe for disaster, but here it’s a recipe for fantastic food complemented by well-chosen wines — 35,000 bottles of them. The villa has ten rooms, with a pool.
Must try Deer with blueberries
Details B&B doubles from £115. Three courses €50 (00 39 0463 880 559, orsogrigio.it)
19. Da Caino, Montemerano
More a restaurant with bedrooms (there are only three), this is one of Tuscany’s finest places to eat. Co-owner Valeria Piccini uses seasonal produce and says she learnt to cook out of sheer passion and was never formally taught, learning from her mother and grandmother.
Must try Onion soup with snails, tortelli and spring vegetables
Details The seven-course tasting menu is €130. B&B doubles from £190 (0039 0564 602817, dacaino.it)
20. L’Andana, Tuscany
Alain Ducasse and wine producer Vittorio Moretti came together to open this hotel in the Maremma region. Decadent rooms are furnished with ruby taffeta silk curtains and kingsized beds. One has a mosaic whirlpool. Help yourself to the cakes in the old kitchen, where the cookery classes are also held.
Must try Herb-crusted veal chop and gnocchi cooked in tarragon
Details Doubles from £460. A three-course dinner from £67 (0039 05 64 944 800, andana.it)
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30 chic hotels in budget flight destinations
1 Château de Bagnols near Lyons, France
It’s sort of demeaning to call the Château de Bagnols a sexy hotel. It’s a grande dame of a building: a 13th-century, painstakingly cared-for castle with important Gothic fireplaces and priceless frescoes. It’s a mini-fortress in a picture-perfect hamlet just north of Lyons surrounded by beaujolais vineyards.
This hotel isn’t thread-count-and-scented-candles sexy (though the sheets are the finest linen). The château has a moat and a drawbridge. It’s like saying Michelle Obama or Anna Ford are hot. But they are. And it is.
It’s not the antique four-poster beds, the Michelin-starred restaurant or the architectural details heaving with significance (though they all help), it’s the fact that the château feels intimate and discreet despite, on the face of it, being hugely imposing.
Simple pleasures are encouraged: in spring you might walk through its cherry orchard and allow the blossom to caress your cheek. In summer you could just sit in the shade of the renaissance courtyard or dive into the circular outdoor pool on the lawn. In winter you might take a whisky in front of your stone fireplace in one of the 21 rooms.
I thought I didn’t like the sort of service that means white tablecloths and too many types of cutlery. But here those jobs that, after all, have to be done are undertaken quietly, impeccably and are so artfully dealt with, you can’t call it fussy.
Hotness factor: All that Gothic stone and marble — darkly sexy.
Details: mrandmrssmith.com; tel. 0845 0340700; Doubles from £415, excluding breakfast. EasyJet has flights to Lyon from Stansted from £50
by Lesley Thomas
2 Axel Hotel Guldsmeden Copenhagen, Denmark
Trendy eco-hotel with a cool basement spa and minimalist rooms decorated in a Balinese style with bamboo furniture. There’s an excellent restaurant that uses fresh organic ingredients and has lots of vegetarian options. The superb penthouse has a roof terrace with great views and a secluded hot-tub.
Hotness factor: Organic food and superb penthouse.
Details: hotelguldsmeden.com. B&B doubles from £125. EasyJet flights from £49.
3 Three Sisters Hotel Tallinn, Estonia
Part of the Design Hotels group, Three Sisters consists of three 14th-century townhouses that have been transformed into a boutique hotel within Tallinn’s ancient city walls. Rooms are big, with exposed beams and large baths and all the high-tech gadgets that you could want. It feels a bit like a James Bond love-nest hideaway.
Hotness factor: Boutique love nest in the Old City.
Details: threesistershotel.com;balticholidays.com has two nights’ B&B from £193pp. Easyjet flights from £54.
4 Hotel Sacher Vienna, Austria
Sheer opulence in one of the most romantic cities in the world. Rooms manage to be seductively ornate, yet modern and slick at the same time. The blue-themed bar is candle-lit and discreet. The hotel is bang opposite the opera house, too.
Hotness factor: Seductive candle-lit bar.
Details: sacher.com. B&B doubles from £338. EasyJet has flights from Gatwick from £64
5 Il Salviatino Florence, Italy
The best reason to stay at Il Salviatino, an historic 15th-century palazzo in Fiesole, in the hills above Florence, is that you can see the sights and make a quick escape — on the complimentary shuttlebus — and find yourself on its peaceful terrace 20 minutes later with a glass of prosecco in hand, enjoying fabulous city views.
The hotel has large, high-ceilinged rooms and a handsome, central staircase. The overall feeling is understated and quiet — almost scholastic (the villa used to be the Italian offshoot of Stanford University). But I grew to like its sobriety and it only goes so far. What student has Bose speakers embedded in the ceiling of his study? Everything, from the linen on the beds to the solid-oak flooring, is top quality. No bling, no ostentation, no gimmicks: just beautiful materials.
A spa, offering the usual Thai treatments, and an outdoor pool, will be completed later this year. Food, delivered by the Florentine chef Saverio Sbaragli, is delicious. Typical dishes include home-made spaghetti and the tenderest beef I have ever eaten, braised in chianti. Your own “service ambassador” can be called for anything: breakfast, room service, even to accompany you to Florence — should you be short of a date.
Hotness factor: Luscious food.
Details: salviatino.com. B&B doubles from £433. Ryanair has return flights from Stansted from £34.
by Kate Quill
6 Hotel San Francesco Al Monte Naples, Italy
The views across the rooftops of Naples onwards to Mount Vesuvius in one direction and Capri in the other from this hotel on the slopes of San Martino hill are quite spectacular — especially from the rooftop pool. The hotel is in an old monastery and rooms have ornate, traditional decorations. Not flashy, but classy.
Hotness factor: Rooftop views of Vesuvius.
Details: laiholidays.co.uk. Three nights from £245pp, airport transfers included. EasyJet has flights from Gatwick, Stansted and Liverpool from £54.
7 Maison Moschino Milan, Italy
The hottest new hotel in Italy’s fashion capital has outlandish rooms with four-poster beds and scrumptious purple rooms with ballgown-shaped lampshades. Created by the Moschino fashion house.
Hotness factor: A red, dress-shaped bed for a scarlet woman.
Details: hotelphilosophycom. Doubles from £225. EasyJet has flights from Luton, Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh from £60.
8 Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg, Germany
Set in an old municipal gasworks with fabulous loft rooms and giant penthouse suites with vast beds, vibrant decorations and exposed beams. There’s a chilled-out spa and a lively restaurant and bar.
Hotness factor: Loft life with vast beds.
Details: gastwerk.com. Loft doubles from £134, suites from £245. EasyJet has flights from Luton and Gatwick from £54.
9 Propeller Island City Lodge Berlin, Germany
Perhaps the wackiest of our choices, this hotel has rooms with beds designed to look as though they are “flying”, a diamond-shaped room covered with mirrors (“caution: very sexy,” says the website), circular beds and sunken beds (you step down into them).
Hotness factor: Impossibly sexy beds.
Details: propeller-island.de. Doubles from £87. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £6.
10 Stage 47 Düsseldorf, Germany
An OTT, swanky hotel with a film and theatre theme: arty black-and-white pictures of stars are dotted throughout. The public rooms have a boudoir-like feel, with red sofas, black lampshades and hidden nooks for drinks. Rooms are large. Round the corner from the Savoy Theatre.
Hotness factor: Film star cachet.
Details: stage47.de. Doubles from £139. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £6.
11 Villa Kennedy Frankfurt, Germany This elegant five-star hotel, close to the River Main, is based in a mock Gothic palace built in 1904. The rooms are large with muted colour schemes and tasteful splashes of modern art. There’s a huge indoor infinity pool and a snazzy spa.
Hotness factor: Classy, Gothic love nest.
Details: villakennedy.com. Doubles from £207. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £17.99.
12 Hotel Haven Helsinki, Finland Opened last year, this stylish new hotel has a plush upmarket interior with marble floors, original modern art, cool fireplaces encased in glass and a quirky edge. Each of the bedrooms comes with underfloor heating (for the bitter winters). There are Elemis toiletries and Bang & Olufsen stereos. All very cutting edge.
Hotness factor: High tech hideaway.
Details: hotelhaven.fi. B&B doubles from £127. Easyjet has return flights from Gatwick and Manchester, from £59.
13 The Augustine Prague, Czech Republic
Not so long ago it was monks in robes wandering along these hallways. Now it’s guests in bathgowns, heading for the bijou basement spa, where “spiritual bliss treatments devoted to delivering purity, energy and balance” are on offer.
The Augustine, part of the Rocco Forte Collection and a year-old this week, is based in monastic buildings full of vaulted ceilings, parts of which date back to the 13th century. One detached wing, not open to guests, still houses a handful of Augustinian friars (none of whom we spot, although we can’t help wondering what they think of the swish new hotel).
Our room feels as though thought has gone into every detail — Olga Polizzi, the renowned designer and sister of Sir Rocco Forte — is responsible for the interiors. There are stylish chairs with V-shaped backs next to amber lights on sidetables on which the works of Dostoevsky and books of love poems are placed just so. Music by the Czech composer Dvorák is playing gently as we arrive and walk across a symmetrically patterned carpet and plain wood floor to a bedroom with a giant bed in the centre.
The ceilings are high and, this being a former monk’s cell, the walls thick, so there’s no worries about noise. After a day’s sightseeing — the Augustine is just below Prague Castle — the downstairs Brewery Bar, with its flickering candles and sense of (monastic) peace, is a great place to relax.
Hotness factor: Classical music in sumptuous converted old monk’s cells.
Details theaugustine.com. Doubles from £200. EasyJet has return flights from Stansted, Gatwick, and Bristol from £50.
14 Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast, Northern Ireland
Next to the Grand Opera House, this is a slick contemporary hotel with rooms with lime green and striking zig-zag designs. Recently included in the Condé Nast Traveller’s “Hot List” of hotels. Highlights include a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Hotness factor: Slick design and Michelin starred restaurant.
Details: fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com. Doubles from £100. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £18.
15 Avalon Hotel Gothenburg, Sweden
Rooms at the Avalon have a retro 1960s look — lots of bright designer chairs mixed with high-tech minimalism. The penthouse is vast and there is a lively bar and a restaurant serving nouveau cuisine.
Hotness factor: Retro retreat, lively bar.
Details: avalonhotel.se. Doubles from £134. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £41.
16 Hotel Amanda Haugesund, Norway
This hotel with a film theme is on the waterfront of this small port — a short drive from the western fjords. Rooms are large with beautiful views. Pierce Brosnan and Ronnie Wood have stayed during Haugesund’s summer film festival.
Hotness factor: Lovely North Sea views.
Details: choicehotels.no. B&B doubles from about £115. Ryanair flights from Stansted from £54.
17 Casa Honoré Marseille, France
You could easily miss Casa Honoré: it’s tucked away a couple of streets from the waterfront. Inside, there is a courtyard with a small pool, around which are set four minimalist rooms with designer bathrooms. It feels like a secret hideaway.
Hotness factor: Minimalist hideaway.
Details: i-escape.com/casahonore.php, casahonore.com. Doubles from £131. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £48.
18 Hotel Continental Oslo, Norway
This is a stylish hotel with brilliant original art on its walls. The downstairs café was once given rave reviews by Joseph Heller ... and the only Catch 22 here is the room rate (it’s expensive).
Hotness factor Upmarket, wonderful art.
Details: hotel-continental.no. Doubles from £213. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £18.
19 Pousada do Porto Porto, Portugal An 18th-century Baroque palace that has been turned into an ornate design hotel. There are public rooms full of art and sweeping curtains. Bedrooms are slick and modern. There’s a terrific infinity pool.
Hotness factor: Baroque, with cool pool.
Details: pousadas.pt/historicalhotels. Doubles from £216. Ryanair has return flights from Stansted from £59.
20 Hôtel Le Saint-James Bordeaux, France
I’ve never shared a room with a Harley-Davidson (or ridden one), . But I can’t resist clambering on to the beast and pretending to zoom through Bordeaux’s vineyards. I may not ride into the French wine capital, but I can see the way through the vines from the light wood bed, which is perfectly positioned to look out through a wall of picture windows. If I tire of this stunning view, a press of the button and the shades come down over the window. All 18 rooms and suites have the same vista, some beds built low to look through the vines, others high to look over them, and also taking in the hotel’s sleek pool.
Designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, who took his inspiration from tobacco-drying sheds, the metal grille exterior of this hotel, ten minutes from the airport at Bordeaux, rises up starkly from the vines. Inside, there are more treats, most notably in the form of Michel Portos, a two-Michelin-star chef who serves up gastronomic delicacies using locally sourced produce in the restaurant.But nothing beats the Harley — except perhaps the hot-tub suite, at the top of the hotel.
Hotness factor Rev yourself up for a Michelin-starred treat.
Details saintjames-bouliac.com or relaischateaux.com. Doubles from £188, Harley Davidson suite from £385. EasyJet has return flights from £50.
by Jane Knight
21 Corral del Rey Seville, Spain
Hidden behind studded Moorish doors, this bijou six-room hotel is minutes from the cathedral. Rooms are elegant and have DVD players and iPod docking stations.
Hotness factor: Bijou Moorish rooms.
Details: i-escape.com, corraldelrey.com. Doubles from £245. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £73.
22 Sumahan on the Water Istanbul, Turkey This opulent new design hotel overlooks the Bosphorus. Rooms have retro 1960s chairs and terrific views across the sea — some beds face out across the water. There’s a cool bar (appropriate as it’s set in an old alcohol factory), a lively seafood restaurant and a hammam spa.
Hotness factor: Lively, retro design hotel by the Bosphorus.
Details: i-escape.com, sumahan.com. Doubles from £170. EasyJet has flights from Gatwick and Luton from £66.
23 Hotel Misc Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This reasonably priced hotel has six funky, themed rooms. The Afrika room looks like it’s from Out of Africa, with colonial-style furniture. The Retro room has 1960s furniture and the Baroque room is OTT with chandeliers and gilded mirrors.
Hotness factor: Funky themed rooms.
Details: misceatdrinksleep.com. Doubles from £127. Bmibaby has flights from East Midlands and Birmingham from £39.99.
24 Hi Hotel Nice, France
Super-trendy icebox meets a living modern art installation. There are stand-alone baths, bamboo plants, spiral staircases, light projections on the walls of the bar (which attracts top Parisian DJs), and a minimalist overall feel. Cool rooftop pool.
Hotness factor: Hip hotel with DJ nights and marvellous minimalism.
Details: i-escape.com/hihotel.php, hi-hotel.net. Doubles from £191. Bmibaby from East Midlands from £77.99.
25 Il Sogno di Giulietta Verona, Italy
In the city of Romeo and Juliet, this is perhaps the most romantic hotel — complete with a balcony for tender exchanges of devotion. The ten rooms, named after lines in Shakepeare’s play, have elegant decorations and furnishings.
Hotness factor: O Romeo, Romeo!
Details: juliet-dream.com, kuoni.co.uk. Doubles from £177. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £56.
26 Hôtel Amour Paris, France
This hotel is a real love nest. Some of the boudoir-like rooms have ruby and black walls, others are lime-green or lilac with wacky modern art. The owner is a graffiti artist , which explains the art and the overall edgy feel. Close to Montmartre.
Hotness factor: Edgy Parisian love hideaway.
Details: hotelamourparis.fr. Doubles from £130. EasyJet has flights from Luton to Paris Charles de Gaulle from £49.
27 Hotel Rialto Warsaw, Poland
This Art Deco hotel, on a quiet backstreet, has a handful of rooms with neat 1920s and 1930s period pieces. Try the Big Apple or Black & White suites (the most romantic).
Hotness factor An Art Deco delight.
Details hotelrialto.com.pl. Doubles from £55, suites from £95. Wizz Air has flights from Luton from £75.
28 Arcotel Allegra Zagreb, Croatia
Wacky bedspreads and multicoloured lighting are to be found at this arty hotel. There’s also a top-floor hot-tub, a smart restaurant and a trendy cocktail bar. If it’s a special occasion, go for a suite.
Hotness factor: Trendy cocktail bar.
Details: arcotel.cc/allegra. Doubles from £56, suites £213. Wizz Air has flights from Luton from £51.
29 Mama’s Hotel Bratislava, Slovakia
From the rooftop hot-tub there are views across the Slovakian capital. Rooms are modern in a slick excecutive way with plenty of modern art. There’s a big indoor pool and an overall feeling of being tucked away from the hustle of the city.
Hotness factor: Giant indoor pool.
Details: hotelmamas.sk. Doubles from £145. Ryanair has flights from £30.
30 Hospes Palau de la Mar Valencia, Spain
This 19th-century mansion has been turned into a cool contemporary hotel in L’Eixample, the fashionable shopping district. Most rooms have splashes of purple art and big beds. There’s also a spa.
Hotness factor Fashion district retreat with a spa (and style).
Details hospes.com, i-escape.com. Doubles from £87. Ryanair has flights from Stansted from £47.
• All flight prices are for return flights and are correct as we go to press. See easyjet.com; ryanair.com; bmibaby.com; wizzair.com. Room prices are based on the cheapest rates in early summer.
• Tom Chesshyre is the author of How Low Can You Go? Round Europe for 1p Each Way (Plus Tax) published by Hodder, £7.99.