The American-born dancer Loïe Fuller was a sensation from her first appearance at the Folies Bergère, her swirling silk robes memorably captured in works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Auguste Rodin; Miss Fuller — the new boutique hotel — celebrates her legacy and the Art Nouveau movement she personified.

At the foot of Austria’s Wilder Kaiser mountain range is a collection of four villages, all excellent bases for exploring the region’s hiking and skiing areas. The smallest village, Scheffau, is considered the most scenic of the four, and one of its best hotels is Kaiserlodge. It’s only a few years old, and it looks like it.

If Mexico City is a whirlwind of colors, sounds, and flavors, Octavia Casa is a calm refuge in which to recover from the sensory overload. Located in Condesa, one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods, this boutique hotel is stylish yet refreshingly down-to-earth; its interiors are light-filled and minimalist, almost ethereal.

For nearly two centuries, Chania’s historic tanneries processed leather on a stretch of rocky shoreline on the outside town, overlooking the Aegean Sea. The old stone factories were largely abandoned after World War II — until recently, that is, when an industrial-chic boutique hotel called the Tanneries Hotel and Spa moved in.

Opened in 1936 as a remittance house, the landmark structure at 21 Carpenter was where the first generation of Singaporean immigrants sent money home. Thanks to strict rules around historical restoration, the main structure, now a hotel, remains as it was, while a contemporary extension provides a host of modern amenities.

Just inside the ancient city wall that encircles Anatalya’s old town, Casa Sur is a beautifully rendered retro-modern boutique hotel, each of whose six rooms combines contemporary colors and design with antique elements and one-of-a-kind objects. The result is unique in the most literal sense of the word.

High on a cliff over the sea, on a remote, pine-forested stretch of Menorca’s southern coastline, Cap Menorca Relais & Chateaux is a rare example of a hotel built out of a former military base. And why not? The setting is spectacular — and the hotel’s designers have transformed the place into an idyllic getaway.

Il San Corrado occupies a sprawling estate that was once a nobleman’s residence, and although painstaking renovation efforts have been made, the place still has a regal air, from the decorative entrance gates to the ivory-walled architecture to a pair of oversized aquamarine pools encircled by palm trees.

Lodgings in Lima’s popular oceanfront neighborhood of Miraflores run the range from luxury chain hotels to small inns. Fausto falls squarely into the latter category. Housed in an elegant 1920s townhouse on a tree-lined street just off the coastal promenade, the guesthouse has only five rooms but lots of local character.

On the island of Bornholm you’ll find a low-key little boutique hotel that’s a perfect exemplar of Scandinavian hospitality at its coziest. Allinge Badehotel comprises just 24 rooms in a beautifully renovated 18th-century house, updated with furnishings and decorative elements by contemporary Danish designers.

Located midway between the port and the peaceful beaches of Plage Les Salins, Hôtel La Tartane is an idyllic retreat modeled after a Provençal hamlet. A collection of traditional stucco houses, each named after a prominent figure in the French Riviera’s 1920s scene, contain the guest rooms and suites.

Perched on a high mountain slope, the verandas of Jaskółka Dom i Spa face an expanse of pine forests and snowcapped peaks. This landmark inn opened in 1894 and served a variety of purposes over the years, before undergoing extensive renovations and reopening as a luxury boutique accommodation.

Some other Swiss Alpine towns seem to exist solely for the pleasure of the wealthy and glamorous, but Adelboden is less about opulence and more about the classic pleasures of a mountain town. It’s fitting, then, that the Brecon, Adelboden’s top luxury hotel, is as substantial as it is stylish.

The second hotel to open on St. Barth is back after a thorough renovation, and is barely recognizable. Le Tropical Hotel St. Barth aims for nothing less than to bring the spirit of the French Riviera to the Caribbean, and it’s perhaps more Saint-Tropez than Cannes, set back a few steps from the beach in a lush garden setting.

Located in the village of La Mongie, Hotel La Voie Lactée is directly across from the ski lift and the cable car to the Pic du Midi observatory, offering staggering views of the mountains from the airy ground-level lounge, restaurant, bar, and all of its guest rooms — some of which include private balconies overlooking the ski slopes.

Standing at shoreside on the Bay of Cascais, Villa Cascais is a repurposed 19th-century dwelling whose tasteful accommodations celebrate the luxury of years past while urging guests to indulge in the present. Old-world details have been thoughtfully preserved, but the new look is decidedly modern.

It takes something special to stand out among Phuket’s crop of luxury boutique hotels. Part of what sets Noku Phuket quite literally apart from the competition is its inland setting — it gives up direct beach access for a unique elevated infinity pool, as well as a number of private pools attached to the larger units.

Harbor Court Hotel is the rare San Francisco hotel that evokes the the colorful, slightly gritty history of the Embarcadero. This stately Spanish Colonial Revival-style structure was built in 1926; today the landmark is a stylish boutique hotel, but a range of details are reminders of its past, both inside and out.

For a destination that attracts so many outdoor adventurers, Peru was late to the luxury camping trend. But Puqio, the first tented camp in the country, doesn’t disappoint — in fact, when it opened, this stylish safari-style hotel quickly became one of the most buzzed-about places to stay in the Colca Valley.

The new generation of Caribbean resorts has learned the lessons of the boutique-hotel age; the best of them are more intimate and more full of character. This is true of Lovango Resort — it’s unpretentiously stylish, tastefully luxe, perfectly laid-back, and showcases a wild side of the Caribbean that’s increasingly hard to find.

In a medieval hilltop village, a collection of old houses has been turned into Monteverdi Tuscany. Here, ancient cobblestoned streets lead between guest rooms, a stone-walled swimming pool, gardens, a spa, a library, a bar, galleries, a culinary academy, and a 14th-century church used as a concert venue.

Manhattan’s iconic Battery Maritime Building, a 1906 Beaux-Arts ferry terminal, is the venue for Casa Cipriani, a members’ club and luxury boutique hotel by the legendary Italian restaurateurs and hoteliers. Inside is probably the purest dose of contemporary Italian luxury design available this side of Milan.

What began as a coaching inn in 1786 is now a beautiful little boutique hotel called Auberge du Bon Laboureur. It combines the personable atmosphere of a private residence with the style and service of a professional lodging, and the location, in Chenonceaux, a lovely Loire Valley village, is splendid.

In 1925, a local businessman purchased a pair of side-by-side chalets a short stroll from the beach in the fishing village of Cascais, then renovated them and gifted them to his two daughters. They remained in the family until the 1980s, when one of the chalets was turned into the town’s very first hotel, now called the Pergola.

Litchfield was home to the country’s first law school, and its old county courthouse is now a stylish hotel, the Abner. Like all hotels from the Salt group, it’s small-scale and design-focused. The landmark building contains just twenty guest rooms and a handful of common spaces that lean into the law and order theme.

This 18th-century Dutch Colonial mansion, set on a park-like estate with a private lake, was once the country home of a wealthy family. Now it’s Hasbrouck House, a luxury boutique hotel with elegant guest quarters in the old carriage house and stables, a chic farm-to-table restaurant in the main house, and a swimming pool.

Le Domaine des Prés Verts & Spa started out with a single treehouse-style suite overlooking the hills of Burgundy. In a little over a decade, this unusual luxury hotel has expanded to include an eclectic collection of lodgings across four locations in wine country, all focused on relaxation and harmony with nature.

On a picturesque road that leads past apple orchards and cider mills, ARTIEM Asturias is a sophisticated escape that overlooks the Asturian countryside. The hotel has a state-of-the-art spa and wellness retreat, and the design, with its clean lines and plentiful wood and glass, is both modern and classic.

The designers of V Villas opted for space and exclusivity. Instead of squeezing in as many rooms as possible at the hotel’s remote hilltop location overlooking Phuket’s Ao Yon Bay, they built just nineteen villas, all with dazzling views, private infinity pools, and personal butler service around the clock.

San Miguel de Allende is the perfect setting for an unassuming, historically inclined boutique like Hacienda El Santuario. In a Spanish colonial residence from the 16th century, the hotel has been effectively yet subtly modernized, while retaining the intimate, personalized feel of a Mexican bed & breakfast.

Boca de Agua fully immerses you in the Yucatán, plopping you right on the banks of the Bacalar lagoon and its outrageously clear turquoise waters. Rooms come treehouse style, lifted on stilts to minimize their footprint while also affording sweeping vistas of the jungle — and, if you’re lucky, a spider monkey.

Halfway from Turin to the Ligurian Sea, on a hillside in Piedmont’s Langhe wine country, Il Boscareto Resort & Spa sets out a vision of food- and wine-focused hospitality that’s on a level with anything in Italy. In contrast to the weathered old villas of Tuscany, however, Il Boscareto is proudly contemporary in style.

Not only is Hôtel Balzac set on the Rue Balzac, but it’s built on the site of Honoré de Balzac’s final place of residence. It’s been a hotel for a while, but was reborn in 2024 under the guidance of hotelier Olivier Bertrand, whose Saint James Paris is a local institution. The Balzac seems destined for just as lofty a reputation.

The Balearic Islands are plentifully endowed with rocky cliffs, pristine beaches, evergreen forests, and rugged mountains, but only a singular occurrence of natural hot springs. Fontsanta Thermal Spa & Wellness is the closest hotel — so close that its spa is built around the springs’ mineral-rich thermal waters.

When it opened in 2020, Caerula Mar Club was the first new hotel on the Bahamian island of South Andros in decades. And there’s no question that the property is stylish — clean lines, earthy hues, bright white umbrellas around a sparking aquamarine pool with sweeping views of the Caribbean.

Grand Hotel Belvedere’s name suggests a classic grand hotel from over a century ago, and that’s what it was before it was acquired — and thoroughly renewed — by France’s Beamier hospitality group. No mere restoration, their reimagining of the Belvedere leaves it as modern as any luxury hotel in Switzerland.

A pair of New Yorkers set out for Alentejo in search of their dream home. After they found it on a forested hillside near the beach, they didn’t keep it all to themselves. This is Quinta Camarena, a sustainability-focused boutique hotel that doubles as a laid-back retreat for surfers and yoga enthusiasts.

Once the private vacation home of a prominent Greek family, Nelya Suites is an island escape that’s both luxurious and down-to-earth. Offering some of the best panoramic views in the area, the hotel feels deliciously hidden away on Santorini’s caldera cliffs, yet it’s surprisingly easy to access.

Orange was originally called Richland, and its newest boutique hotel borrows both a name and stylistic inspiration from the town’s past. The Richland occupies a beautifully restored residence in Old Towne that includes a two-story wooden house, freestanding cottage, and stylish bar and lounge, all set amid olive trees.

Highfield, a country house in the scenic Yorkshire Wolds, has long been imbued with a romantic atmosphere. The original owner, who oversaw its construction in 1864, dedicated this country house to his wife; another husband-and-wife duo restored and reopened it in 2022 as a luxury boutique hotel.

Located in Cuenca’s UNESCO-protected historic center, Hotel Cruz del Vado offers a glimpse of the city’s past grandeur. The opulent French-inspired façade is made entirely of locally mined pink marble, the windows feature colorful stained glass, and the wrought-iron balconies encircle an elegant interior courtyard.

The touristy side of Venice is long forgotten once you enter Violino d’Oro, a family-owned and -operated boutique hotel not far from Piazza San Marco. The family in question is a tasteful one, for sure; the atmosphere here is glamorous and eclectic, and feels almost residential in its pervasive sense of calm.

Domaine Les Oliviers de Palombaggia serves as a refreshing antidote to the contemporary hotels that have opened on Corsica in recent years. Instead of conventional rooms, the hotel has stone cottages inspired by the island’s traditional architecture. And it’s not just family-run, it’s family-built.

Crossing Manzoni occupies two floors of the neoclassical palazzo that was once home to the writer Alessandro Manzoni; inside are a mere six units, each one stylistically distinct from the others, each one decked out in classic designer furniture, unique modern artworks, and subtly luxe comforts.

“Guesthouse” slightly understates the scale, but it captures the concept: Kinn Guesthouse looks and feels like a design-forward boutique hotel, but with a slightly low-key, all-suite residential vibe. This means a self-guided check-in with no traditional front desk, and a set of fully stocked kitchens for guest use.

Before Beyoncé shot a music video on the main square, the town of Trancoso was a place to get away from it all. These days, you’ll have to go further afield to avoid the crowds — a few miles down the coast, for instance, to Fasano Trancoso, tucked between tropical forest and a quiet stretch of Itapororoca Beach.

Cappadocia is famous for its ancient cave dwellings, some of which have been turned into hotels. The striking Tafoni Houses Cave Hotel is one of the best. The name refers to the bird nests that form at the tops of the region’s naturally occurring rock pillars, and the hotel takes inspiration from the concept.

Many travelers visit Otavalo on day trips from Quito, but staying overnight has its benefits, from exploring the nearby crater lakes and waterfalls to the indigenous craft traditions at the town’s famous market. There are some lovely lodges in the surrounding area, but the stylish Hotel Otavalo is the finest option in town.

La Borde en Solgone is an elegant 18th-century estate that’s been in the same family for generations. Now a hotel, its current custodians have wisely left the best features alone: French and English gardens, a private lake, a working farm, and the stone castle’s original hand-painted murals and grand fireplaces.

There’s nothing else in Ireland quite like Ballyfin Demesne. This spectacularly well-preserved Regency house sits on 614 acres of parklands and woodlands. The interiors are a contemporary-classic evolution of the house’s original style, an opulent fantasy to rival any country-house hotel you could name.

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