24 European hotels for design lovers
Wildly handsome places to stay in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain
Hello hello, this week has flown and yes I do say that every week but I also stand by my suspicion that time has accelerated to 2x its normal speed, robbing me of the remainder of my 30s before I’m ready. Rude.
Anyway, we got home to a freezing cold flat from a slightly rainy yet relaxing fly-and-flop to Menorca at around 4am on Monday morning (the flight was delayed because of storms). I didn’t get a tan because I’m A) ginger and B) a passionate sun dodger but I did bring back a beautiful selection of angry red mosquito bites on my milk-white legs, so thank god it’s not warm enough for shorts this week.
To get straight into it, design-led hotels are the reason I travel. I choose a place to stay based on aesthetics (and reputation – style needs to be matched by substance) and then the destination comes second in the priority ranking. I don’t choose a location because I want to hike the volcano or navigate the ancient streets. I’m not completely uncivilised (only a little bit), so I enjoy those things too, but the motivating factor that pushes me to pick one destination over another will always be the digs. It’s the textiles, the interior architecture, the floor tiles, the colour scheme, the Italian task lamp by the reading chair, the branded matchboxes and the custom glassware. Details matter.
My surroundings often dictate my mood, which is quite inconvenient because I will never enjoy cheap rent in a flat I don’t care about, or sleep in an affordable yet hideous hotel. I often feel out of my mind with the rush of endorphins when I check into a really ravishing and thoughtfully designed space – it’s like I’ve taken all the party drugs that I’m far too sensible and nervous to ever try. Boutique hotels get me high, truly. To the degree that one of my life goals is to design the interiors and curate the guest experience for a small hotel or holiday home. Side note: if you’re an investor reading this and you want to hire me to spruce up an ugly duckling – slide into my DMs, my friend!
If a physical reaction to a room sounds relatable and you also like to take your weekend break with a side of decorating inspiration, here are 24 good-looking hotels from my growing saved list. I’ve stayed in three of them, the rest I’ve only admired on a screen, so these are not tried-and-tested reviews. Also, I should acknowledge how pricey some of them are. The cost of hotels is wild these days but don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just a fan of bedrooms that aren’t mine.
This edit includes places to stay in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. I narrowed it down to those four or I could have gone on forever. It’s funny to notice how many details feature multiple times below. Brutalist furniture, box-pleated chair skirts, toffee tones, rattan, wrought iron, abstract paintings, verdure tapestries and Mid-Century palettes are my recurring dream it seems. Do I have a type or do they?
Unusually for Chief Waffler here, this is an image-heavy post to save for later. Either for your travels or just for your living room redecoration. My first nine picks are for everyone and the full list is for my dearly beloved paid subs, whose support is the sole reason I’m able to continue with this newsletter, so they have my eternal appreciation!
If you also believe that writers and editors deserve to be paid for their time and knowledge, you can upgrade your subscription below and make a genuine difference. And if you’d rather not do that today (I appreciate the choice on Substack is overwhelming), thank you for reading regardless and you can still help me reach more people by giving this post a like or a repost. These edits take forever to put together (IYKYK) and any engagement gives me a better chance of being discovered by new readers.
1. Château Voltaire / Paris, France
I can’t believe I still haven’t stayed here – it’s been on my wishlist for years for the perfect colour palette and bedroom carpet. I’m well and truly priced out now (it’s upwards of £650 a night) but I’ll continue to appreciate it from afar. The design was executed by Franck Durand and Festen and it has a perfect location, five minutes from Palais-Royal.
2. Maison La Minervetta / Sorrento, Italy
I stayed here for two nights in 2011 – pre-Instagram – and it remains one of my favourite and most memorable hotel stays of all time. The colours and the way the interior designer owner curates his collections of paintings and decorative objects is so fresh and inspiring. 13 years after my stay, it still looks timeless, and my word, the Bay of Naples views from the huge windows are unmatched.
3. La Roqqa / Tuscany, Italy
This hotel in Porto Ercole is about a million miles from rustic Tuscan farmhouse style – it’s minimalist-leaning and it’s not in the rolling hills - it has sea views from the balconies. It caught my eye because of *that* staircase and the privacy screens in the bedrooms.
4. Tuba Club / Marseille, France
When we were in Provence this summer and I asked on Instagram for local area tips, Tuba Club was recommended more often than any other place. We flew in/out of Marseille airport so I did look into an overnight stay (or even just lunch) but we only had a week and ran out of time. It looks great though and as an aside, have you noticed everyone seems to be in Marseille at the mo?! I think 50% of Instagram went in the past two months.
5. Maison Salix / Vallabrègues, France
I came across Maison Salix when I was looking at Atelier Vime’s Provence shop. This is in the same town. Not really a traditional hotel, it’s a selection of large suites that share a garden, breakfast room and swimming pool.
6. Portella / Palma, Mallorca
I stayed at Portella earlier this summer and it was perfect – a great location but also so peaceful. The details in each room – right down to the light switches – are exquisite. If it feels familiar, it’s because the interior design was by Festen, who also worked on Château Voltaire. A heads up that the position of the rooms makes some lighter than others, so check with the hotel if you need yours to be bright (mine was too dark to take any photos of the space).
7. Cristine Bedfor hotel / Mahón, Menorca
I’ve always wanted to stay here and I really wish I’d been able to when I was just in Menorca last week. The layers of colour and clashing textiles look so cosy and in 20 years from now, I think it would look just as timeless and not over-designed.
8. Le Prieuré Saint-Nicolas / Campagnac, France
This one is verging on a bit too sparse and minimal for me but I still think it’s an interesting conversion of an historic 12th century priory. Plus, there’s more to the hotel than just the rooms – there’s a restaurant, gardens and programme of events.
9. Hôtel du Couvent / Nice, France
I’m completely and utterly obsessed with this hotel and cannot stop thinking about potential travel opportunities to get back to France so I can stay there. From what I’ve seen in the images I’ve ogled online, the interiors are flawless. It would be my current top pick from this edit. And if you’re thinking the vibe feels familiar, it’s Festen design studio yet again.
