Discover the world’s best luxury and boutique hotels: The 60 Greatest Hotels of All Time (part 2)

Get ready to get swept away as we take you on a journey to uncover part 2 of the world's 60 best luxury and boutique hotels. These famous and some not-so-famous hotels are more than just places to stay; they are true wonderlands filled with life-changing experiences, perfect service, delicious food and gorgeous settings that will leave you breathless. These top-rated hotels range from luxurious urban retreats to beach hideaways and luxury riads, which are the height of luxury.

So come along with us on this exciting journey, whether you're looking for ideas for your next holiday or want to enjoy the luxury of some of the most amazing hotels on earth. Visit Lulu's Luxury Lifestyle and Travel for even more insider information and carefully chosen content on all things relating to hotels and travel.

The 60 Greatest Hotels of All Time

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc

Cap d'Antibes, Côte d'Azur, France

This magnificent 19th-century home on Cap d'Antibes, a throwback to the F Scott Fitzgerald era, features 117 rooms and two villas with beautiful Louis XV and XVI furniture, gilded mirrors, and lighting. The recently renovated culinary Eden-Roc Restaurant serves traditional fare such as roasted sea bass and lobster with tarragon; the Grill serves gambas in Provençal style at the beachside pavilion. There are five clay tennis courts, a Sisley spa, and a seawater pool carved out of the rock all situated amongst nine hectares of beautifully planted grounds. A beach is available for visitors arriving by boat, and there are diving boards and an overwater trapeze right on the beach. The 33 beach cabins, where the famous and notorious congregate, are the best. Marc Chagall painted on these clifftops, Roger Moore waterskied here, and Johnny Weissmuller famously yelled "Tarzan!" as he dive into the water here.

Rates start from £614 per night

Belmond Castello di Casole

Casole d'Elsa, Tuscany, Italy

At the height of his filmmaking popularity in the 1960s, Luchino Visconti knew a spectacular set when he saw one, and he chose this hilltop Tuscan estate from the tenth century as his country home. The 360-degree vista of the countryside between San Gimignano and Siena is unmatched in a country of breathtaking panoramas. Old farmhouses strewn amongst the surrounding vineyards, olive orchards, and flower meadows have been converted into luxurious villas over the past four years, while the castle and the collection of buildings around it have been turned into a hotel. The 50 or so guestrooms still have their original beamed ceilings, terracotta flooring, and exposed stones, and the proprietors, Timbers Resorts, have done a fantastic job combining antique furnishings with luxurious Italian fabrics and first-rate amenities. With delicious meals with a regional flair, handcrafted kinds of pasta, fresh local meats, and estate-produced wine, Ristorante Tosca, which extends onto the main courtyard, hits the mark. The most opulent amenities at this lovely, immaculately maintained hotel include an Essere Spa and a luxurious pool

Rates start from £693 per night

La Bastide de Gordes

Gordes, Provence, France

The hard part of Provençal has long provided the backdrop for the well-off and elegant. settlements perched on hills. Castles. Ramparts. When the criminals are gone, they are ready for luxury. Thus, France's most upscale perched community, Bastide de Gordes, was clinging to the cliffside. The more secretive billionaires, French media celebrities, and tourists who need Provence to be cushioned into a five-star experience can all be found here amongst the narrow alleys and steep staircases. Their home is The Bastide. A magnificent hotel that underwent an £ 18 million refurbishment last year, making it a global contender for the best boutique hotel in the world. Where the ramparts formerly stood, a succession of stone terraces with grey-green Mediterranean flora, two bathing pools, and sunlight nooks extend down the slope. The Luberon Hills can be admired from every angle. The 40 rooms and suites evoke the opulent side of the 18th century with stairs, corridors and salons full of treasures reinforcing the feeling of elegance. Young staff members have the energy and grins of a US musical comedy while costumed as though for a celebration in 1912. Additionally, the Sisley spa is located downstairs. Pierre Gagnaire, a Michelin-starred chef, oversees the fine dining experience; a less expensive brasserie is located on the same patio. Provence is at your feet when you finish the rosé, complete. It has been there for a while.

Rates start from £609 per night

D-Maris Bay

Marmaris, Turquoise Coast, Turkey

D-Hotel Maris, which overlooks the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, is surrounded by imposing volcanic rocks and hillsides covered in almond trees. For the greatest views and to cruise those turquoise-hued waters on the resort's 100-foot yacht Pasa, returning visitors know to ask for a room with a harbour view. Five beaches offer variation, the watersports centre can arrange for kayaking, diving, and other activities, and a spa provides shelter on infrequent wet days. Dinner can be eaten outdoors at the Japanese restaurant Zuma in London or at one of the other five restaurants throughout the summer. Wherever guests end up, they will find genuine service, an elegant crowd, and a relaxed atmosphere. A further benefit is that the distance from Dalaman Airport is about two hours by car or a 25-minute helicopter transfer.

Rates start from £308 per night

Les Fermes de Marie

Megève, Rhône-Alpes, France

The old timber chalets dotting the Alpine pastures enchanted Jean-Louis and Jocelyne Sibuet as they strolled through the mountains above fashionable Megève. A few years later, in 1989, the pair opened their first hotel in Megève, Les Fermes de Marie, using elements from those identical cottages that had been relocated and carefully renovated a short distance from Megève's centre. The nine chalets, which resemble a small rural village and are connected by winding walks and bubbling streams, have 70 comfortable rooms and suites, three restaurants, a ski shop, and the original cowshed-chic spa. Guests bathe their ski-weary legs in the outdoor hot tub while enjoying the cover of snow resting over the wide timber eaves, the fragrant pine swags, and the neatly stacked logs used to heat the hotel's restaurants, comfortable snugs, and free-standing chalets. Mont Blanc, the smallest of the chalets, is unquestionably one of the nicest suites in the entire world. It is picture-perfect, with a private garden, a cosy sitting area with a large open fireplace, and a charming double room.

Rates start from £401 per night

Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli

Lake Garda, Italy

The most renowned Italian lake is probably Lake Como, yet the best hotel in the area is located in Garda. Villa Feltrinelli, formerly the getaway of lumber baron Faustino Feltrinelli's sons, served as Mussolini's residence from 1943 to 1945 during the Sal regime. On the western edge of the lake, the turreted, wedding cake-pink villa is surrounded by eight acres of gardens that are shaded by olive, oak, and magnolia trees. Overnighting here is like staying at a friend's country house because there are only 21 rooms, all of which are furnished with antiques and old prints. Nothing beats playing a game of croquet on the green, relaxing by the pool, or taking a stroll through the lemon garden on a sunny afternoon. Service is unmatched thanks to a staff-to-customer ratio of three to one. Stefano Baiocco, who holds two Michelin stars, creates innovative recipes that combine premium ingredients with fare from Italy's cucina povera. Breakfast is available all day and may be enjoyed anywhere, much like it would be at a friend's house.

Rates start from £957 per night

Claridges

Mayfair, London, UK

The 230-year-old opulent Mayfair hotel, was a favourite lunch place of Queen Elizabeth II and host to celebrities like Mick Jagger and Winston Churchill. As the epidemic choked off revenue, Claridge's and the Maybourne Hotel Group, which controls it, claimed furlough money to pay its waiters, porters, and managers' salaries. Claridge's is the hotel that would make the ideal, spoiling present. It was once the formal residence of kings and dowager duchesses, and it is now at the height of its 160-year history. Slip past the paparazzi outside, through the rotating entrance, and into the ice-cold Front Hall with its glacial marble floor, which was formerly a turning circle for horse-drawn carriages. Take the wrought-iron lift to your room or suite, which may have been created by David Linley or Diane von Fürstenberg. Enjoy the magnificent sunken tub that fills up quickly in the art-deco bathroom's marble and chrome decor. See and be seen when having breakfast or tea in the elegant lobby, enjoying champagne in the flashy Claridge's Bar, or slipping into Fera, the exclusive restaurant from Simon Rogan, or the ominous Fumoir for a few cocktails. Claridge's is an exquisite, opulent hotel that comes in a ribbon-tied gift box and is supported by consistency and depth of service.

Rates start from £840 per night

Finca Cortesin Hotel Golf & Spa

Malaga, Andalucia, Spain

At Finca Cortesn, an Andalusian idyl where jessamine and roses fill the air, it's all about cool tranquillity. This is the Costa del Sol without the glitz but with a lot of understated splendour, located on the slopes of the Sierra Bermeja, between Marbella and Sotogrande. It is actually less than ten years old but appears to be a traditional country house since renowned interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho sourced antiques from Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and other countries. It is situated in a sizeable estate with one of the best golf courses in Spain and a fantastic spa. There are 67 spacious and quiet suites and villas with four bedrooms. As soon as visitors arrive, they have the impression that everything will be taken care of as they relax in a chair under an old olive tree or plunge into one of the four pools, one of which is at the Beach Club. The Mediterranean fare at El Jardin de Lutz is deserving of a Michelin star, as is the Kabuki Raw restaurant, which recently received one.

Rates start from £553 per night

Amansara

Siem Reap, Cambodia

The original Amansara was a French modernist mansion built in the 1960s at the request of King Sihanouk as a summer getaway for his high-profile visitors. After restoring the structure in 2002, the Aman company added 12 new rooms with terrazzo floors, wooden fixtures, sandstone reliefs, and private courtyard plunge pools, as well as a spa and lap pool. Sally Baughen and her employees now manage this beautifully restored architectural treasure with sparkling efficiency, offering the ideal haven from the busy streets of Siem Reap's central business district. What's more, the hotel is right outside the Khmer Empire's jungle-covered ruins and Angkor Wat, a Unesco World Heritage Site. To experience the rich legacy just outside the simple doors of the hotel, guests are given access to their own tuk-tuk and driver. After a day of seeing temples, the friendly hotel staff welcomes guests back with afternoon tea served in the swanky 1960s dining room to the sounds of traditional Khmer music. A wonderful blend of 10th-century culture and mid-century architecture.

Rates start from £1,309 per night

Riad de Tarabel

Marrakech, Morocco

Just off one of the main shopping streets of the refurbished medina in Marrakech, this fairytale riad is one of the city’s best luxury riads. Beautifully put together by its French owners Riad de Tarabel is romantic, chic and luxurious. It is as pristine now as when it first opened a few years ago and GM Laurent is the most personable GM I’ve come across, soon to move on to Tarabel in Lisbon which opens in September 2023. French interiors exude romance and riad lovers will appreciate the space that Riad de Tarabel affords each guest. Press the button on the gilt mirror in the courtyard and you’ll be transported to a world of well-being and pampering - Les Bains de Tarabel - the hotel’s spa - complete with heated beds and underfloor heating the pampering experience begins as soon as you enter. Breakfast on the roof terrace is a highlight of your stay with far-reaching views across the medina and Atlas Mountains. If you’ve time enjoy the afternoon by the pool with some mint tea or something a little stronger. Great for romantics, couples or friends looking for a sophisticated sojourn in Marrakech.