New Boutique hotels
This month, we’ve set our sights upon eight seductive new stays, spread across cool coasts, colour-rich countryside and snow-kissed slopes. First up, we discovered two Greek treats on the idyllic islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca – a peaceful portside mansion with colourful, quirky interiors, and a cypress- and cedar-fringed haven styled with chic simplicity.
If, however, the Caribbean’s calling, eye-up our two new Jamaican jewels in peaceful Port Antonio: an eco-friendly treehouse hotel flanked by 100-foot banyans, and a music mogul’s pad tricked out with cabins and a recording studio. Continuing the ravishing rainforest theme, we tracked down a hidden hideaway on Brazil’s Santa Catarina coast, its boutique bungalows boasting dazzling lagoon look-outs.
Alternatively, eschew heat for height and don your skis for the slopes of Rhône-Alpes, the setting for our latest luxury-laden Alpine escape. Our other French find is a much more flowery affair – an old water mill surrounded by stream-laced gardens in bountiful Burgundy. Last but most certainly not least, we stumbled upon some tempting treehouses poised above bold Big Sur.
Next month, we’ll be rummaging in our hotel-shaped box of tricks to bring you a hip Hampshire hideaway, some lady-like London stop-offs and an American dream or two...
We've found 17 Smith-approved new arrivals
Alpaga
Rhône-Alpes, France
- Style
- Perfectly lodgical
- Setting
- Megève’s mountain playground
Perched above Megève, this chic Alpine hotel laces luxurious chalet style with concierge service, a restaurant and five-star spa.
Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa
Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Style
- Northern Thai splendour
- Setting
- Three-country crossroads
Set in the jungle hills of northern Thailand, with magical views of the Mekong River, Myanmar and Laos, this rustic yet elegant hotel boasts an elephant camp on…
Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa
Krabi, Thailand
- Style
- Tropical contemporary
- Setting
- Secret Si Kao seaside
There are few places still to be discovered in Thailand, but Si Kao is one. Occupying a remote sandy peninsula south of Krabi with glittering sea views, the…
Diamant Hotel Canberra
Canberra, Australia
- Style
- Heritage-meets-modern design den
- Setting
- Lakeside urban village
Blending a revamped Twenties building with cutting-edge contemporary furniture and art, Diamant Hotel Canberra is a must for design fans in search of a culture…
Emelisse Hotel
Kefalonia & Ithaca, Greece
- Style
- Mod Med resort village
- Setting
- Elegant northern coast
At Kefalonia’s spa-enhanced Emelisse Hotel, teak four-posters and a colour scheme inspired by nature reflect stunning sea views and lush landscaped terraces…




