Set your out-of-office message to ‘gone surfing’ and step away from the laptop. As luck would have it, we’ve cut down your commute with our pick of the continent’s luxury hotels a stone’s throw from the sea. From Greece’s too-cool resorts to cosy Cornish boltholes, find your next beachfront stay here.
GREECE
Domes Noruz Kassandra, Halkidiki
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether the party’s over or just getting started in Halkidiki, but whichever end of the day sees you crashing back bedwards, Domes Noruz Kassandra is your luxury landing pad. Super-soft duvets and a spoiling spa ward off any symptoms of a no-holds-barred night out, and the hotel’s all-white design goes easy on worse-for-wear eyes.
Closest beach
If moving is absolutely not on your agenda, bed down on Chaniotis beach, right in front of the hotel. From your parasol-shaded lounger, drinks are only ever a button-press away. But when the pull of the party scene gets the better of you, it’s the out-size pool you want to head to. By day, settle there for sea-gazing swing chairs and straight-to-your-sunlounger cocktails. Stay after hours, and things rev up with live DJ sets and till-sunrise parties.
Where to eat
Topos, the hotel’s beachfront restaurant, is the best place to eat within walking distance. Executive chef Dionysis Pliatsikas is big on Greek classics, so load up on mezze platters, lakerda (pickled bonito) and pita stuffed with calamari and sundried-tomato aioli.
Dexamenes Seaside Hotel, Western Peloponnese
Many a Greek hotel has made claims to the approval of the gods, but it’s hard to imagine a stay more up Dionysus’ street than Dexamenes Seaside Hotel. Set in a former winery, this oenophile’s dream makes ingenious use of the original structures. Wine tanks have been transformed into stylishly industrial suites – a repurposed stone slab here, an upcycled water pipe there. You’ll find an elegant Greek restaurant in the engine room, and concrete grape-crushing silos are now the setting for art exhibitions, private dinners and (what else?) wine tastings. And just as intoxicating is the Western Peloponnese wilderness, where there’s an abundance of ancient forest and antiquities to explore.
Closest beach
The hotel borders a quiet stretch of Kourouta Beach, where a line of thatch-roofed parasols are laid out on the golden sand. If you’re willing to hop in the car, the wide, flat sands of Agios Ilias beach are a few kilometres to the south.
Where to eat
It’s hard to beat Dexamenes own restaurant, where you can gorge on contemporary Greek and Mediterranean cuisine from chef Gikas Xenakis. The hotel’s a former winery, too, so you can expect a vast selection of local varieties. In Kourouta, you’ll find laid-back beachfront options – we like Cabana and Remoundos – serving just-caught fish and hearty Greek meat dishes.
Meraviglia Slow Living, Epirus Coast
If you’re into the Greek classics, Epirus will appeal. Sure, this northwestern corner of Greece is home to the door to Hades and shores that star in Homer’s Odyssey, but we’re more talking golden beaches, sun-warmed sea and straight-from-the-surf seafood. And these are the Hellenic staples that Meraviglia Slow Living has in spades. If you ever needed evidence that patience is a virtue, it took local constructor Aris Tzimas two decades to perfect his vision. The payoff? Seven striking suites, each with a private pool, garden and eye-popping Ionian views.
Closest Beach
Mooch down to Monolithi beach to work on that tan. It’s Europe’s longest stretch of sand, so you may want to explore a little – the staff can also guide you to lesser-known coves where the crowds will be thinner.
Where to eat
A short walk north brings you to Akrotiri, a seaside restaurant with verdant gardens and views of the lighthouse at Mytikas. It’s a hit for dinner, when you’ll have a fine view of the sunset. Try the Plaki sardines, sea bream tartare and the slow-cooked beef cheek, served in a tomato sauce with spices and wine.
Numo Ierapetra Beach Resort, Crete
Ready to pull an Irish goodbye on the Greek island party scene? Numo Ierapetra Beach Resort has you covered. At this adults-only stay on Crete’s quieter southern coast, soothing interiors fall in step with the scenery – influences include the volcanic grey of the beach, the tamarisk trees’ earthy greens and the honey tones of the mountains beyond.
Don’t hang up your dancing shoes just yet – down at the pool and beach bar, mixologists are hard at work and DJs spin deep house beats. But when a gentler rhythm calls your name, abscond to the spa or slip away to the secluded second pool.
Closest Beach
Ierapetra’s beach is a relatively slender stretch of volcanic sand, but the hotel has extended their portion on the landward side, adding a landscaped area with striped sunloungers and thatched parasols.
Where to eat
Vira Potzi (82 Samouil Street) is an enticing tavern right by the harbour, next to the 17th-century Venetian Kales Fortress. Expect just-caught grilled sardines and calamari, rainbow salads and cumulus-fluffy feta doused in peppery olive oil. Pelagos has excellent sunset views, an extensive Greek wine list and dishes like fennel-paired squid and grilled goat, smoked over a wood-fired oven.
SPAIN
Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay
You’d think the namesake restaurant would be the headline act at Nobu Hotel, but top billing is hotly contested at this luxury Ibiza resort. Chef Matsuhisa’s miso black cod has competition in the form of a Six Senses spa and the scene-y white sands of Talamanca Bay beach. Here, sun-drenched days are dawdled away on plush double day-beds, supplemented, perhaps, by a frankincense-scented treatment at the spa or some beats-a-tea-towel souvenir hunting in the artisanal boutique.
And when big names band together in Ibiza, a bells-and-whistles night out is all but guaranteed. First stop, the John Frieda salon to fine-tune your look, followed by the Nobu bar for some see-and-be-seen sake sipping. From there, the hotel can sort club tickets, but DJ-spun beats keep the cool kids at the pool bar till late.
Closest Beach
Talamanca Beach, on the hotel’s doorstep, will satisfy all your sand-dusted desires, but if you want to mix things up, the neighbourhood has an embarrassment of beautiful beaches. Sail over to Formentera to enjoy the luminous Caribbean-like waters lapping Playa de Ses Illetes, or drive 10 minutes to secluded cliff-sheltered cove S’Estanyol.
Where to eat
It goes without saying that dining at Nobu is a must, and the hotel’s second restaurant, Chambao by the Beach, is all set for lingering lunches featuring grilled fish, paella and sluggable Spanish wines. A short drive along the coast is Jul’s Ibiza, where the DJs spin house and the fare is fine – the lobster risotto with squash and truffle is a favourite. La Torreta in the old town plays fast and loose with Ibiza’s produce, serving delights such as scallops with ginger panna cotta and cod with tomato marmalade and wasabi aioli.
El Vicenç de la Mar, Mallorca
Sculptural ridges and the electric-blue Balearic form the backdrop for El Vicenç de la Mar, a boutique stay on Mallorca’s dramatic north coast, where the Serra de Tramuntana plunges into the sea. Between the pool with heart-pattering views and the resident master mixologists, there’s a persuasive case to be made for indefinite rooftop lounging. But really, this is scenery best seen on two wheels – and the hotel has bikes to rent and a repair shop on-site, so you’re all set to hop in the saddle. The rewards for returning cyclists are plenty: the spa is your recovery pitstop, where a Turkish bath and cramp-banishing treatments beckon. Aches averted, restorative treats await in the two restaurants, where the Mediterranean menus are overseen by a Michelin-starred chef.
Closest Beach
Cala Molins, a small but attractive beach in a cove, is 40 yards from the hotel. Also within walking distance is Playa de Cala Barques, where the water is a clear aquamarine and you’ve a view of rugged coastal cliffs off to the side.
Where to eat
There’s not a huge amount in the immediate area, but Amazo, in Puerto Pollença, is a modern restaurant that plates up traditional ingredients in novel ways: black-pork bao buns with hoisin glaze; tuna tataki okonomiyaki with orange ponzu, and Ibérico secreto with hummus, vanilla oil and dates.
Puente Romano Beach Resort, Marbella
If ever a hotel called for a massive floppy hat and your most outrageous sunnies, it’s Puente Romano. On Marbella’s Golden Mile, this sprawling resort is the biggest name in town – or rather, a collection of the biggest names. Nobu and Coya number among the 20 restaurants and bars, and there’s an award-winning spa by Smith favourite Six Senses.
But there’s no need to be starstruck. Despite its size and celeb-luring credentials (Djokovic is a regular at the tennis club), the resort’s whitewashed buildings and strollable sub-tropical gardens lend it a laidback village feel. Active sorts can try their hand at surfing, stand-up paddle boarding or skippering one of the hotel’s private sailing boats, but really, it’s the super-luxe slow life where Puente Romano’s star quality shines.
Closest Beach
It might be called the Golden Mile but there’s actually five kilometres of sand to loll on here, connected by a promenade running from the west of Marbella town centre to Puerto Banús. There’s a multitude of places to stop off along the way, from no-frills seaside cafés to ritzy beach clubs where you’ll rub shoulders with Spain’s suntanned elite.
Where to Eat
There are no fewer than 15 restaurants at the hotel, including a Nobu outpost and Leña, an Iberian steakhouse helmed by Michelin-star-holding chef Dani Garcia. Further afield, we like the traditional Mediterranean cooking (and 150-strong wine list) of El Gran Gatsby and Restauranta Trocadero, dishing up the freshest of fish in a bustling atmosphere right by the beach.
ITALY
Verdura Resort, Sicily
A family affair in all senses, Verdura Resort is the joint effort of hotelier Rocco Forte and his designer sister Olga Polizzi. Interiors are, of course, supremely stylish – dark wood and daring patterns are paired with lashings of natural light. But Eleanor Pritchard prints don’t mean much to Little Smiths, so swing by the award-winning kids’ club – antics include art classes, beach trips and training sessions at the Juventus academy.
Juniors off your hands, head for the super-size spa, where soothing treatments are infused with Sicilian herbs and the hammam is spacious enough to hole up in for as long as your nerves need. Otherwise, hide out on one of the two championship golf courses, or go awol under the orange trees in the balmy gardens.
Closest Beach
Since this Sicily resort has just under two kilometres of private coastline, you’ll have plenty of beach to choose from, both pebbly and sandy. If it’s a tad too shingly for you, powder-soft perfection is just a 20-minute drive away along the coast.
Where to Eat
Amare is the hotel’s Olga Polizzi-styled beachside restaurant, dishing up Mediterranean favourites and barbecued seafood. Families will love the pizzeria, Liolà, Verdura’s colourful take on a traditional local trattoria and a golf-buggy-ride away at the in-resort ersatz village Torre Verdura.
Hotel Capo La Gala and Wellness, Amalfi Coast
Amore can’t help but flourish on the Amalfi Coast – those swoon-inducing views make sure of that – but Hotel Capo La Gala and Wellness, five miles from Sorrento, makes a more than worthy wingman. The hotel’s design is an ode to its seaside setting, full of navy stripes and nautical flourishes, but even so, the real star here is your plus one. Date nights follow a heart-fluttering formula: Mediterranean fine dining, followed by a Tyrrhenian-gazing tipple at the bar and a hand-in-hand stroll along the rocky beach – the scene, local legend has it, of a star-crossed love story.
Closest Beach
Typically for the Amalfi coast, there isn’t a sandy beach, but the hotel has a waterfront terrace on the rocks with sunloungers and a shaded osteria that’s open for lingering love-is-in-the-air lunches. There are shingle beaches within driving distance, particularly on the southern stretches of the coastline. We like Spiaggia di Maiori and the Marina Grande in Positano.
Where to eat
Down by the rocky beach, Taverna del Mare Nerea (8 Via Luigi Serio) is the place for a relaxed osteria-style lunch and evening menu of Neapolitan classics. Nearby beach club Il Bikini has a coveted hillside perch with panoramic coastal views and a lunch menu of local favourites like confit tomato linguine with crab meat, salt codfish and crunchy capers and classic cacio e pepe.
UK
Three Mile Beach, Cornwall
Three Mile Beach on Cornwall’s north coast delivers the classic Great British seaside holiday with a glamorous twist – packing list: bucket, spade and Bulgari shades. In each of the 15 beach houses, cheery-coloured clapboard (and a rainy-day board-game collection) deliver a dose of seaside nostalgia; out on your private terrace, a cedar-hewn sunken hot tub and barrel sauna nudge things into diva territory. Every house has a kitchen, too, but if you’re tied up with a sea-salt-scented soak on the deck, call on the private chef. Even better, pop out for an Atlantic-facing feast, courtesy of the tuk-tuk turned bar and food truck dishing out globetrotting tapas.
Closest Beach
The nominative miles of golden sand await on Gwithian Towan beach, mere steps from the hotel. There’s plenty for everyone here: grass-tufted dunes to picnic in, rugged cliffs to admire and rock pools for kids to poke around in. It’s also a hotspot for surfing, kite-surfing and seal-spotting – but chilling out with a book or chilled Cornish beer in hand is always encouraged too.
Where to eat
Masterchef star Adam Handling mans the kitchens at the Ugly Butterfly, overlooking Carbis Bay through floor-to-ceiling windows. Locally sourced produce is put to good use in the dishes, with zero waste, since offcuts reappear in drinks and creative bar snacks. Above the harbour in St Ives, Porthminster Kitchen adds a little global influence to its Cornish cooking – expect dishes such as crispy fried squid with miso and roasted cod with herb gnocchi.
Want to get off the beaten track? Seek out our pick of the world’s best hidden beaches