#1 A bed by the sea

Avant Mar, Paros/Cyclades
Greece has superseded the coastal regions of the western Mediterranean as the most important driving force in the luxury hotel industry. The more calm Greek islands in particular are on the rise. Paros, for example, this rocky island in the center of the Cyclades is 21 kilometers long and no more than half as wide. It displays a cool ambience - perhaps a bit like Mykonos did thirty years ago. The only thing Paros has lacked so far is good accommodation. Recently however, this shortcoming has been convincingly remedied. The “Parīlio” and the “Cosme” marked the beginning of a refined hotel culture, and now the Avant Mar near Piperi Beach in the harbor town of Naoussa has been added. Everything is manageable and yet somehow large in the freshly shining 38-room complex in typical island cube architecture - after all, you can choose from various restaurants (including the “Matsuhisa Paros” with Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine), an Olympic-sized 55-metre pool and a wide range of spa treatments. 

#2 It doesn't always have to be Santorini

Gundari, Folegandros/Cyclades
The neighboring island of Santorini is 45 minutes away by ferry, but on Folegandros - you can feel it immediately - things are decidedly more relaxed. The noise, hustle and bustle of the tourist hotspots seem light years away. With its snow-white villages, shimmering turquoise ocean and sun-bleached rocky landscapes, Folegandros is a picture-book Aegean, just without the crowds. Here you can experience the authentic Greek feeling in no time at all. Since the opening of the Gundari in the beginning of June 2024, there has also been a reason for hotel lovers to visit the island. Secluded in the cliffs on the southwest coast, the design of the 27 pool suites offers a sophisticated interpretation of Cycladic simplicity. The team is highly motivated, the food made from local production and the hotel's own organic farm is excellent. The carefully planned excursion program will leave you wanting more with every day of your vacation. 

#3 High-end retreat on a quiet island beauty

One&Only Kéa Island
“Let me tell you about the super-rich”, wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald in the year of 1926. “They are different from you and me.” This differentness is particularly clear when it comes to vacation habits. While the best price-performance ratio counts for travellers like you and me, those with more money than time, face a different challenge: finding a haven where they are invisible to the public and, if possible, can avoid the ordinary rich as well. Welcome, to the Onepercenter’s world. For well-heeled travellers, fabulous places off the beaten track are very popular, and One&Only has found one of these very special spots on the Cycladic island of Kéa. The luxury hotel group opened its newest resort here in June 2024. 63 puristically styled villas, each with an eight-meter-long infinity pool, are spread out on the hillside above Vroskopos Bay on the rugged west coast. You get the feeling like you're in a James Bond villain's lair, but with lovely staff. The most convenient way to get here is by private boat from the sister hotel One&Only Aesthesis, which opened last November on the Athens Riviera (transfer takes around 80 minutes).

#4 Box seat above the promenade 

La Pérouse, Nice/Côte d’Azur
Although many cities lie by the sea, none is as beautiful to stroll along the waves as Nizza, which was italian until 1860. It is seven kilometres from the airport to the promenade de Anglais, which visual presence evokes eternal summer and effortless savoir-vivre. Further back is the Colline du Château hill and park, which is no longer home to a castle. Instead, you can look down from there to the two centers of the city, here the famous waterfront promenade, on the other side the harbor district. Halfway up this city park lies the newly renovated, lovingly tended boutique hotel La Pérouse, which radiates a lively mix of Provençal charm and maritime flair. Most of the 53 rooms have panoramic terraces, the restaurant “Le Patio” with its hidden terrace under citrus trees is worth the hotel visit alone, and those who prefer to jump into the sea rather than the hotel pool only need to cross the beach promenade.

#5 Fresh life in old monetary walls

Hôtel du Couvent, Nice/Côte d’Azur
The old town alleyways around the Cours Saleya- the picture-perfect Market space that “Smells of the ocean and the Midi every morning” (Gilbert Bécaud) invite you to stroll around and lose yourself. On the upper end of the historical town Center stands the former monastery Sainte-Claire which dates back to the 17th century. It has recently become a hotel- and the pride of Valéry Grégo, the maverick entrepreneur behind other trend-conscious hotels such as “Les Roches Rouges” in nearby Saint-Raphäel or “Le Pigalle” in Paris. Although a certain monastic austerity and the architectural sparseness of the resort with its meditative cloisters and inner courtyards were retained during the renovation, the 88 rooms, the two restaurants and the Roman-inspired spa area make you feel completely at ease. The Spa treatments are partly based on the healing practices of the former nuns, although you can also simply attend a yoga group lesson, enjoy a Croissant in the In-house Bakery and Café or stroll through the herb and vegetable garden, before plunging back into the hustle of the city. Hôtel du Couvent

#6 Côte d’Azur without the fuss

Château de Théoule, Théoule-sur-Mer/Côte d’Azur
Théoule-sur-Mer is one of those places on the Côte d’Azur that is somewhat underestimated and less-known, but offer a relaxed Ambience and always have the “Grand Bleu” insight. Located twelve Kilometres south from Cannes and near the glowing red esteral mountains, this ambitious hotel newcomer attempts to position itself in the upper sea league with serene elegance and superior service excellence and to provide guests with enough reasons to turn away from the surrounding, often overcrowded tourist centers. The historic building was once a soap factory, but a Scottish lord converted it into a magnificent castle-like building with turrets and crenellated ramparts a hundred years ago. Now the Château de Théoule has undergone another incarnation and opened as a hotel with 44 rooms in March 2024 - some of which are located in directly adjacent villas. The complex has a sandy beach with 90 sun loungers and its own beach bar, and there is a small spa in case the weather is bad.

 

#7 A few steps away from the hustle and bustle 

Arev St Tropez, Côte d’Azur
The fact that well-heeled pleasure-seekers from all over the world go into raptures and use the word « dreamlike » without hesitation, is particularly common on the Saint-Tropez peninsula. The region is considered guarantee for the most lovely feelings of happiness- and thank the strict building regulations it is (still) nowhere near as built up as some other stretches of coastline on the french Riviera. This unobtrusively elegant feel-good cosmos, designed by the Spanish interior designer Luis Bustamante, opened in March 2024 is just a few minutes' walk from the dazzling harbor town, surrounded by pine trees and Mediterranean gardens. The 43 rooms create a nautical flair with their blue, white and red splashes and stripes, even though the kilometre-long sandy beach of Pampelonne is a 15 minute bike-ride away (smaller beaches near the hotel offer the oppertunity for a quick-dip). In the Arev you can indulge in sweet idleness, eat and drink excellently, play Pétanque or padel tennis, start the day with Pilates at sunrise by the picturesque pool or get up to speed on a peleton bike in the gym. The young and cheerful hotelstaff team ensures, that the hotel guest want for nothing.

#8 In the centre of Italy's highest sand pile

Le Dune di Piscinas , Costa Verde/Sardinia
This authentic beach hotel on the west coast of Sardinia was already an insider tip 30 years ago. It was created from three warehouses of a former ore mine and is situated in a wild and romantic secluded location in the middle of the extensive shifting sand dunes of Piscinas, a Unesco World Heritage Site. During the total renovation, those responsible showed great respect for the exceptional context and the surrounding nature reserve - and did everything right. The sandstone floors and whitewashed roof beams in the 28 rooms have been retained, but the simple, beautiful design is now completely contemporary. There is an open-air ‘Silent Cinema’, a pool, a library, a cosy bar and two restaurants. You'll find everything you need here, but nothing nonsensical on top of that. Refined naturalness is the style of the hotel and its cuisine. This individuality appeals to those quietly yearning for the sea as well as sporty windsurfers and kitesurfers who are not interested in the ostentatious luxury of some illustrious hotels in Sardinia. Guests are welcome from the age of 12.

#9 Most exciting new addition to the Balearics

Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor, Mallorca
Built in 1929 as one of the first balearistic Hideaways with a high-glamour factor, the Formentor Hotel, which is formidably located on Mallorca's northern tip, will rise like a phoenix from ashes in August 2024 as the “Four Seasons Hotel Mallorca at Formentor” after decades of slumber. The four-storey building with its modernist cream slice architecture may not be a thing of beauty, but this drawback is quickly forgotten as soon as you enter the huge park or one of the 110 rooms and look out over the dreamlike backdrop of the wildly rugged Formentor peninsula. Wherever you are in this legendary hotel, you can hear, smell and see the sea. In the park, which is flanked by a kilometer-long public beach in the crescent-shaped bay (accessible to hotel guests through a secure garden gate), every guest will find enough space for themselves and, above all, their own personal favorite spot in the shade of hundred-year-old pines and palm trees. It is a retreat whose magic you will never forget. And one that you will always long for.
By the way: On the opposite side of the island, on the Costa d'en Blanes in the southwest, the opening of the “Mandarin Oriental Punta Negra” has been announced for the second half of the year - the former four-star hotel “H10 Punta Negra” is currently being completely renovated on its own small peninsula.

#10 Stylish barefoot hideaway

Dunas de Formentera, Formentera/Balearic Islands
The Balearic island, which has remained largely unspoilt, is the antithesis of all the hustle and bustle and chic, but is a natural paradise - perfect for slow travelers and anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the decelerated Spanish lifestyle. The Dunas de Formentera opened here in spring 2024 with the aim of offering an even quieter alternative to its sister establishment, the Gecko Beach Club. The 45 rooms are spread across a series of one- and two-storey houses in the dunes behind Playa Migjorn beach, hidden between Mediterranean scrubland and shady pine groves. “The design was inspired by the local culture and surrounding nature,” says interior designer Antonio Obrador. “Because we built in the middle of the sand and a gentle scent of juniper and sea salt wafts through the rooms, the interior merges with the exterior.” The style offers simplicity at its finest, the color palette is white, sand and terracotta. The restaurant serves freshly caught fish a la plancha, seafood, Mediterranean vegetables and pizzas from the wood-fired grill. The hotel is run by the smart Marugal hotel group, which also operates the “Cap Rocat” on Mallorca and the “Vermelho” in the Portuguese Alentejo village of Melides.

#11 Reincarnation of an architectural legend with rooftop-paradise

Grand Hotel Central, Barcelona
The Central in the Hotel name is absolutely justified: The iconic Building from the Golden Twenties of the last century is located in the proverbial heart of the Catalan metropolis, between the Gothic Quarter and the medieval district of El Born. During the recently completed renovation, the interior designers drew heavily on the original Catalan Noucentisme style, which emerged at the time as an alternative to modernism and shaped the original aesthetic of the building. Its design focal points- symmetry, harmony, vertical lines and natural material- are easily recognizable in the 147 rooms. The abnsolute highlight of the hotel is the top floor: here, you will find the Mediterranean restaurant “Terraza del Central”, a small spa, and an Infinity-pool, in which you can swim directly towards the Barcelona skyline.