5 CLASSIC EUROPEAN HOTELS TO BOOK NOW

Mykonos Promo

5 CLASSIC EUROPEAN HOTELS TO BOOK NOW

Mykonos based Office

May 15, 2021

BELMOND SPLENDIDO MARE, PORTOFINO

While big sister the Splendido towers cinematically above pretty Portofino, the Mare has bobbed along quietly on the sleepy village’s waterfront, low-key and lovely with just 14 bedrooms. Flower-clad balconies frame views of the harbour, and the understated facelift has been faithful to the hotel’s roots as a fishermen’s guesthouse while adding mid-century touches. The DaV Mare restaurant – helmed by the foodie Cerea family – celebrates the riches of the coast via Santa Margherita Ligure shrimps paired with Tuscan whites and gold-standard people-watching along Piazzetta di Portofino.

Address: Belmond Splendido Mare, Via Roma, 2, 16034 Portofino GE, Italy
Price: Doubles from about £515
BOOK YOUR STAY Belmond Hotel Splendido review: a romantic retreat with a retro-glam vibe

PLACES TO STAY

Belmond Hotel Splendido review: a romantic retreat with a retro-glam vibe

VILLA IGIEA, SICILY

Lording over the Palermo shoreline, this feels like a relic of the Sicilian capital’s golden age. Since launching in 1900, the belle-époque hotel and its sun-soaked gardens have hosted illustrious guests including Sophia Loren. And while the frescoes, chandeliers and dynastic antiques remain, a brush of modernism has been injected by Olga Polizzi in cahoots with Paolo Moschino to bring it into the Rocco Forte fold. When it opens in June, its commitment to locality will be clear, from the pasta ingredients to the artworks nodding to the island’s raw edges. A grand revamp in step with the city’s renaissance.

Address: Villa Igiea, Salita Belmonte, 43, 90142 Palermo PA, Italy
Price: Doubles from about £430
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MANDARIN ORIENTAL RITZ, MADRID

Having been passed on from Belmond like a precious heirloom, this grande dame is one of the year’s most anticipated reveals. The pomp has been softened with smooth furniture and orderly shapes by Spanish architect Rafael de La-Hoz and French studio Gilles and Boissier – less so in the frescoed, time-capsule royal suite. Menus are overseen by Quique Dacosta, whose hidden chef’s table is set to be the ultimate post-lockdown treat, as are the first-rate Champagne Bar and new spa. But the Ritz’s unbeatable asset is its location – right in the middle of the Golden Triangle where top art museums nudge up against the Paseo del Prado.

Address: Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Plaza de la Lealtad, 5, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Price: Doubles from about £555
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First in at The Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid

THE WOODWARD, GENEVA

Some stellar name-dropping here for sure: Pierre-Yves Rochon has waved his wand in the post-Haussmann-style bedrooms to polished effect; L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon has brought its Michelin-starriness to the restaurant; and Maison Guerlain heads up the spa. But few Swiss properties can lay claim to such knockout panoramas of Lake Geneva and snow-capped Mont Blanc from Parisian-like balconies or the longest indoor pool in the city. Come September, lean into the building’s new groove with digestifs and cigars in the reimagined bank vaults and gluten-free lunches at Le Jardinier, a locavore ode to the vegetable.

Address: The Woodward, Quai Wilson 37, 1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Price: Doubles from about £850
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CHEVAL BLANC, PARIS

This opening wins the prize for being the most drawn out in memory, but now at last LVMH’s hotel brand is coming home to roost, inhabiting the Art Deco and Nouveau bones of Right Bank department store La Samaritaine, later this summer. The food, teed up by chef Arnaud Donckele, honours a farm-to-fork culture. On the seventh floor, a pastry-filled brasserie spills onto a terrace with rooftop views. Peter Marino’s apartment-style rooms will be lavish yet subdued with the occasional avant-garde artwork. Underground, a mosaic-lined pool shimmers in the Dior Spa. This signals a new era for Parisian classics, where the flamboyance is fine-tuned.

Address: Cheval Blanc, 2 Rue de Lagny, 77600 Jossigny, France
Price: Doubles from about £980
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