New Boutique hotels
We stayed on Gallic ground this month and so French is the flavour as we travel from north west to south in search of stylish stays throughout France.
Washed up on the shores of southern Brittany, we found a cosy portside cabin in the sailing centre of La Trinité-sur-Mer. Across in Normandy, we hand-picked a laid-back and luxurious guesthouse in historic Honfleur.
Dropping in on Paris as we headed for the warm south, we discovered some extravagantly elegant serviced apartments with Eiffel views on Place de la Trocadéro.
Provence revealed Alain Ducasse’s heavenly hilltop hideaway, and a glorious golden villa perched on the edge of Aix’s old town.
We filled our pockets on the gold-lined shores of the Côte d’Azur, finding a majestic manor house in fragrant Grasse and a minimalist, modernist Riviera retreat in Cap d’Antibes. In St Tropez, we’ve welcomed a celebrity-filled spa by the seaside.
For good measure, we’ve cast an eye Stateside to keep up with the latest movements of UK boutique-hotel heroes, Firmdale – allow us to introduce their sparkly debut in New York.
Finally, for those of you bound for Thailand, we’ve got a seductive new Bangkok bolthole in bar-packed Sukhumvit.
Next month, we’ll be showing Italy some love with a few finds in Florence and one or two in Umbria, plus a spicy mix of fresh Thai hotels in the pipeline. Francophiles don’t fear – we’ll be back with a chic chalet in Rhône-Alpes and a remastered water mill in Burgundy.plus a spicy mix of fresh Thai hotels in the pipeline for December).
We've found 10 Smith-approved new arrivals
Le Lodge Kerisper
Brittany, France
- Style
- Castaway cabin
- Setting
- Portside perch
Le Lodge Kerisper on the shores of southern Brittany is a breezy and beachy boutique hotel in La Trinité-sur-Mer.
Ma Du Zi Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand
- Style
- Classy-meets-sexy sanctuary
- Setting
- Sukhumvit's bar-fuelled shopping hub
Unassuming, masculine and clubby, Ma Du Zi Hotel is a sublime mix of Chinese, Moorish and modern design and a suitably sexy place to sip cocktails in flattering…
La Petite Folie
Normandy, France
- Style
- Grand, gregarious guesthouse
- Setting
- Historic Honfleur
La Petite Folie is a stately residence on a narrow cobbled street, its stone exterior punctuated by sparkling windows, its garden home to the beautiful,…
La Réserve Ramatuelle
St Tropez, France
- Style
- Celebrity seaside spa
- Setting
- Sun-speckled hilltop heights
When the brightly lit bustle of St Tropez gets too much, La Réserve Ramatuelle is your release, offering heart-stoppingly magnificent views over the Med from a…
La Villa Gallici
Provence, France
- Style
- Grown-up grandeur
- Setting
- Edge of old-town Aix
Honey-coloured Villa Gallici on the edge of Aix-en-Provence is a lavish and luxe boutique hotel with a decadently decorated interior.
