We've learned the hard way that a hotel can make or break a trip, so anytime we're planning a new trip, we spend countless hours searching for the coolest place to stay.
We typically find that our most memorable hotel experiences are not in larger cities, but rather in remote destinations and small towns. This makes sense since you're spending much more time at the hotel when there is less action going on around you.
The hotels we typically seek out are mid-range, locally-owned, with a limited number of rooms. We find that this combination provides the best service and allows us to connect with the owners/staff and learn more about the culture of the place we are in. If the hotel is not within walking distance to restaurants, then we always make sure there is an amazing (not just good) restaurant onsite.
So we've compiled a list of our absolute favorite places we've ever stayed in Europe! These are places that we would go back to in a heartbeat and we hope this list will inspire you to stay at one of these places in the future!
SarAnd Relais Farmhouse, Fondi, Italy
Quinta do Bosque, Douro Valley, Portugal
Isle of Skye Airbnb, Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Le Terre dei Cavalieri, Cortona, Italy
Castello di Monterone, Puglia, Italy
Mynd Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Hotel Monverde, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Hotel Villa Giona, Valpolicella, Italy
Hotel Villa Cheta, Maratea, Italy
Rhein Hotel Bacharach, Bacharach, Germany
Gratteri Resort, Gratteri, Sicily, Italy
Fondi, Italy | $$$
Our stay at SarAnd Relais was one of the best hotel experiences we've ever had! It's a beautiful family-owned farmhouse resort with only 15 rooms situated on the top of a hilltop in Fondi with an incredible view overlooking the countryside and ocean.
We initially chose this hotel because its restaurant was highly recommended, and we can confirm, the restaurant was amazing (good thing, because there's no other dining options around for dinner!). Every afternoon, we looked forward to coming back to SarAnd to enjoy sunset by the pool and then a relaxing multi-course dinner outside on their terrace. It's one of those places that you just want to stay at forever!
Check out SarAnd Relais in our Southern Lazio itinerary.
Douro Valley, Portugal | $$
We went to the Douro Valley several times, but it wasn't until we stayed at Quinta do Bosque that we really fell in love with this region. It's one of the most special places we've ever experienced, perched high above the Douro River, making it a bit nerve-racking to get to, but the views are breathtaking.
They have a stunning pool overlooking the river below where you can easily spend an entire afternoon just relaxing with a glass of wine. They also have a delicious dinner served every night so you can relax for the entire evening and not have to worry about driving. Sunrises from this hotel are magical, with the clouds filling the river below, and the sun rising behind the valley.
Check out Quinta do Bosque in our Douro Valley itinerary.
Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland | $$$
This was the best Airbnb we have ever stayed at, in any country! It's a beautiful 2-bedroom house just a 5-minute walk from the main town of Portree. The home itself is stunning, with huge windows looking out over the harbor, giving the most incredible sunrise views. There's tons of hiking trails right outside the front door and the overall vibes couldn't be better!
The Airbnb hosts were super attentive, had plenty of great recommendations all around Isle of Skye, and they even helped us make dinner reservations. It's the most "stocked" Airbnb we've experienced, with every amenity and extra you could possibly think of—there was a welcome package for us with wine and snacks, tons of spices and basic essentials for cooking, a few bottles of whisky in the cabinet to try, literally every kitchen utensil and gadget you could think of, board games, and tons of books. It's a perfect place to stay and you'll immediately feel at home here!
Check out this Isle of Skye Airbnb in our Scotland itinerary.
Cortona, Italy | $$
The winner for the most incredible sunset we've ever seen goes to this hotel. It's situated about a 10 minute drive from Cortona, right in the middle of sunflower fields as far as the eye can see, and let us tell you, it's absolutely stunning! It's a small agroturismo-style accomodation with only a handful of rooms. The building itself is a beautiful old farmhouse and it's immaculately decorated.
There's a restaurant onsite with amazing home cooked Italian food and a beautiful terrace to enjoy meals looking out over the sunflower fields. And the pool is the perfect spot to enjoy and aperol spritz in the late afternoon.
Note: Be sure to come during sunflower season (June to August) otherwise you'll just be surrounded by fields of dirt.
Check out Le Terre dei Cavalieri in our Tuscany itinerary (coming soon).
Puglia, Italy | $$$
Who doesn't want to stay in an actual castle?!?! Our ideal Italian vacation really does revolve around the hotel - we want someplace that's set in the countryside with beautiful grounds to walk around, amazing views, and most importantly, fantastic food! Castello di Monterone ticked all the boxes and more. It's a historic castle and so incredibly well preserved. There's tons of common areas to hang out, drink a glass of wine (Montefalco red for the win!), play some board games, or relax in the pool, hot tub, or sauna. It's also perfectly located so you could easily grab a taxi into Perugia for dinner and drive to other towns to explore.
Check out Castello di Monterone in our Umbria itinerary.
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | $$
Hands down, if you're coming to Tenerife, you must stay at Mynd Adeje in Callao Salvaje. The hotel itself is beautiful and the service was top notch. They have tons of common areas to hang out—a massive roofdeck with pool, bar, and DJ, a larger ground level pool, a basketball and volleyball court, and a large living room area by the front entrance with loads of board games.
We loved their focus on sustainability and helping local small producers by showcasing their products throughout the hotel. They also host tons of free activities to help their guests learn about the Canarian culture - from cocktail making classes using local spirits to Canarian wine tasting and a Barraquito coffee class (local coffee based drink).
We loved the location in a small town just outside of Costa Adeje with some great restaurants and bars within walking distance. It felt much more authentic and less touristy than the larger towns of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos.
Check out Mynd Adeje in our Tenerife itinerary.
Vinho Verde, Portugal | $$
The most relaxing! Hotel Monverde is the perfect place to go to just escape from reality and relax for a few days. They're located right on a vineyard, so of course everything revolves around wine—they offer several different wine experiences to help you learn a bit more about the winemaking process and feel more connected to the delicious wines they produce.
They also have an incredible spa with massage services, sauna, and an indoor/outdoor pool all overlooking their stunning vineyards. And to make things even better, they have a great restaurant right on site. There's literally no reason to leave this place (unless of course, you want to drive down into the Douro to try even more wine). We recommend coming for 2-3 days to just unwind!
Valpolicella, Italy | $$
The hotel is so beautiful, it was featured in a Netflix romcom (the movie was terrible, but that's not the point). It's a 16th century villa with perfectly maintained grounds that makes you feel like absolute royalty. They have everything you need to never leave the property—a pool, a wine bar and cellar, and an amazing restaurant with the most delicious food and attentive service.
The location is also perfect for exploring other towns in the area. You can easily get over to Lake Garda, Verona, and all the amazing wineries in Valpolicella.
Check out Hotel Villa Giona in our Dolomites & Valpolicella itinerary.
Maratea, Italy | $$
We loved this hotel! It's an old (very large) home that has been beautifully converted into a hotel with a stunning pool, restaurant onsite, amazing gardens, and plenty of beautiful outdoor spaces to relax and enjoy the views. There's also a secluded beach is just a quick walk down the hill (we were the only ones on the beach when we went!).
The location is very private and quiet, but it's only about a 10 minute drive into the main town of Maratea. And fun fact, the road leading up to the hotel was in the opening scenes of the recent James Bond: No Time to Die movie.
We still dream about the relaxing nights we spent here starting with apertivo on the terrace, then dinner in their super cozy dining room, followed by digestives and dessert back on the terrace overlooking the ocean.
Check out Hotel Villa Cheta in our Puglia & Basilicata itinerary.
Bacharach, Germany | $$
This hotel (and the town of Bacharach) was such an unexpected surprise! The combination of the adorable little hotel and the even more adorable little town are what made this such a memorable experience.
Bacharach is the most perfect fairytale town with half-timbered houses, nearly vertical vineyards, and virtually no tourists (this is because the river cruises don't stop here)! It exceeded all our expectations, so much so that it ruined all the places in Germany we went to before and after because they just couldn't compare to the perfection that is Bacharach.
The hotel has an incredible 5-day package (booked directly through the hotel's website) that includes a 4-night stay in the hotel, dinner 3 nights (the food here was so good!), a boat tour along the Rhine, and free bike rentals. The rooms were lovely, and even though the hotel is next to the train tracks, we never had any issues with noise.
Check out the Rhein Hotel Bacharach in our Rhine River Wine Region itinerary.
Gratteri, Sicily, Italy | $$
If you want to escape from the chaos of Palermo and the tourist crowds of Cefalù, then let us introduce you to Gratteri Resort. It's nestled in the tiny mountaintop village of Gratteri, which is only about a 20 minute drive from Cefalù, but feels worlds away. It's the perfect place to spend a few nights of relaxation – we still dream about how amazing it was to sit on our private balcony with a glass of wine and a good book during sunset.
The resort has a great restaurant onsite for breakfast and dinners, a pool in the back, and a small spa. The village of Gratteri is also super cute to wander around the narrow alleys, and if you're feeling up to it, there's also a few hiking paths that provide amazing views of the coast below.
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