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.

Next month, we’ll be showing Italy some love with a few finds in Florence and one or two in Orvieto. And Francophiles don’t fear – we’ll be back with a chic chalet in Rhône-Alpes and a remastered water mill in Burgundy.


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We've found 11 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.

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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…

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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,…

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La Réserve Paris

Paris, France

Style
Millionaire pied à terre

Setting
Eiffel-view Right Bank

Sleekly neutral and extravagantly roomy, La Réserve Paris is a top-drawer set of serviced apartments facing the Eiffel Tower, perfect for groups of family or…

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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…

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