Stone terrace of a Mediterranean retreat in evening light overlooking the sea

A signature collection

Where We Would Stay Ourselves

A personal selection of hotels in which atmosphere, character and a genuine sense of place come together.

About the selection

Not a ranking. A point of view.

This collection is neither a ranking nor a list of remarkable addresses. It gathers addresses that show particularly clearly what we look for when we make a recommendation at all.

A property is not included because it is widely discussed or because a brand stands behind it. It belongs here when atmosphere, character, location, service, design and a feeling for its own place add up to something that stays with you — and when that impression does not depend on the weather or the season.

These assessments rest on our own travel experience, on conversations with hotels and their directors, and on careful research. They are deliberately subjective. Anyone reading this selection should be able to see how we judge — and whether that judgement matches their own idea of a good journey.

Scope — 17 hotels across 8 chapters

The selection

Addresses we would choose ourselves

From Lake Como to the Serengeti — what defines each property, and what is worth knowing beforehand.

Italy

Three retreats showing how different Italian hospitality can be — lake, lagoon, coast.

01 — Moltrasio, Comer See

Passalacqua

An eighteenth-century villa of twenty-four rooms with gardens falling towards the lake.

Why this retreat

The family who run it brought the address back themselves over many years. Frescoes, fabrics and furniture were kept rather than recreated — and that is exactly what a stay feels like.

How it feels

You inhabit rooms that were living rooms first. Mornings belong to the garden; by evening the lake lies still beneath the terraces.

Suits: Couples and small parties who prefer to inhabit a property rather than use it
Best season: May to June, September

Note

See the gardens early — before the first boat.

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Piano nobile eines venezianischen Palazzos am Canal Grande mit Fresken und hohen Fenstern

02 — Canal Grande, Venedig

Aman Venice

A sixteenth-century palazzo on the Grand Canal, twenty-four rooms behind Tiepolo frescoes.

Why this retreat

The restraint of the conversion is remarkable: the historic halls remained halls, the interventions are barely visible. For anyone who knows Venice, this is the rare retreat that need add nothing to the city.

How it feels

The noise of the city stops at the water gate. Two gardens, a quiet courtyard — and a view of the canal no one else has.

Suits: Travellers seeing Venice for more than the first time
Best season: April to June, October to November

Note

Arrive by boat from the airport — the first impression sets the rest.

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03 — Amalfiküste, Kampanien

Borgo Santandrea

A 1960s property on the cliff, brought back by the family who own it — with a private beach at the foot of the lift.

Why this retreat

Rather than staging the Amalfi Coast, the family took the region's vocabulary seriously: more than two hundred hand-painted tile patterns, terrazzo, rattan, no ornament without provenance.

How it feels

Direct access to the water changes the rhythm noticeably: no boat logistics, no waiting, only stairs, lift, sea.

Suits: Couples and families who want the coast without daily arrangements
Best season: May to June, September

Note

Rooms on the lower floors sit closer to the water and are quieter.

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Greece

Three addresses that take Greek building seriously — lime and light, stone and rock, and a colonnade above the Aegean.

04 — Naoussa, Paros

Parīlio

A retreat of lime plaster, arches and shade, translating Cycladic architecture into a calm present.

Why this retreat

Paros has gained many new addresses; few sustain the craftsmanship. Here the proportions, materials and scale hold — and the hotel stays remarkably quiet even in August.

How it feels

Broad white surfaces, a single olive tree, generous shade. The day is shaped by light rather than by a programme.

Suits: Couples and friends who want the Cyclades without the crowds
Best season: May to June, September

Note

Naoussa is worth it late in the evening, once the day boats have gone.

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05 — Folegandros

Gundari

A retreat of local stone on a bare southern slope, high above the Aegean.

Why this retreat

Folegandros is one of Greece's quietest islands, and this address uses that rather than working against it: few suites, architecture kept almost invisible, a kitchen that works with the island.

How it feels

Nothing but rock, thyme and horizon. At night it stays almost entirely dark — a feeling that has become rare.

Suits: Travellers who prefer seclusion to a choice of restaurants
Best season: June, September to early October

Note

Plan arrival via Santorini or Milos; the ferries decide the travel day.

Pavillons mit hellen Säulen auf einem Hügel über der Ägäis, umgeben von Olivenbäumen

06 — Porto Heli, Peloponnes

Amanzoe

Pavilions of pale stone on an olive hill above the Aegean, three hours by road from Athens.

Why this retreat

Island travellers often overlook the Peloponnese, which is exactly its appeal: no ferries, no crowds, and Epidaurus and Nafplio within reach. The estate is large but feels empty — each pavilion stands alone.

How it feels

Wide stone terraces, cypresses, a private pool to each pavilion. Mostly you hear wind and cicadas.

Suits: Families and couples who want Greece without island hopping
Best season: May to June, September to October

Note

The beach club sits down at the water and is a journey of its own — with children, take a pavilion near it.

Spain

Two Mallorcan properties of very different character — a fortress at the sea, an estate in the hills.

07 — Bucht von Palma, Mallorca

Cap Rocat

A nineteenth-century fortress above the bay of Palma, cut into the rock rather than placed on it.

Why this retreat

The conversion took nothing away: rooms sit in former gun emplacements, paths run through tunnels. Architecturally it could not be repeated.

How it feels

Fifteen minutes from the city and entirely private. The sea lies below; the silence comes from the stone.

Suits: Travellers who know Mallorca and want its quietest corner
Best season: May, June, September to October

Note

Rooms along the upper rampart are quieter than the suites at the water.

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Mallorquinisches Landgut aus honigfarbenem Stein mit grünen Fensterläden und Olivenbäumen

08 — Puigpunyent, Mallorca

Son Net

A seventeenth-century estate in the Tramuntana, surrounded by olive groves and old walls.

Why this retreat

The hotel has kept the scale of a private home. The restoration respected floors, beams and proportions rather than smoothing them — Mallorca away from coastal logic.

How it feels

Gravel courtyard, cypresses, mountain air. It becomes clear quickly that no one here is trying to prove anything.

Suits: Travellers who prefer landscape and quiet to the beach
Best season: April to June, September to October

Note

A car is worthwhile — the Tramuntana villages are close.

Portugal

An estate in the Alentejo, showing how much calm a landscape can give.

Weiss gekalktes Gut im Alentejo mit goldenem Gras und Korkeichen im Abendlicht

09 — Monsaraz, Alentejo

São Lourenço do Barrocal

A two-hundred-year-old family estate, carefully restored and still farmed.

Why this retreat

The family has held the estate for generations and invented nothing in the restoration. Lime walls, stables and vineyard remained what they were — simply made habitable.

How it feels

Distance, dry grass, cork oaks, barely a sound. In the evening the Alentejo sky stays light longer than you expect.

Suits: Families and couples who want to stay a week in one place
Best season: March to June, September to October

Note

Monsaraz at sunset; then back to the estate for dinner.

Indian Ocean

Two islands with distinct attitudes — one barefoot and grown over time, the other precise in its design.

10 — Baa-Atoll, Malediven

Soneva Fushi

A wooded island of large villas in timber, sand and shade — grown over more than twenty years.

Why this retreat

Soneva did not invent barefoot luxury, but has sustained it longest. The island feels lived in rather than laid out, and sustainability here is operating practice rather than narrative.

How it feels

Sand paths instead of paving, plenty of green between the villas. Children find their rhythm at once; adults usually by the second day.

Suits: Families and couples who prefer space and forest to a pool garden
Best season: January to April, November to December

Note

Villas inland are cooler and quieter than those on the beach.

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11 — Raa-Atoll, Malediven

JOALI Maldives

A small island where art and craft are the design principle rather than the decoration.

Why this retreat

Included because someone made design decisions here and stayed with them: work by artists and makers shapes the villas without overwhelming the place.

How it feels

Calm, precise, warm in tone. The view faces west in the evening, and the day ends very quietly.

Suits: Couples who value design and service in equal measure
Best season: January to April, November

Note

Sunset-facing water villas sit at the far end of the jetty — the walk is worth it.

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Safari

Two retreats where the quality of guiding matters as much as the lodge itself.

Blick aus einer Villa der Sasakwa Lodge über die Ebene des Grumeti-Reservats

12 — Grumeti, Serengeti

Singita Sasakwa Lodge

A address in the manner of an Edwardian country seat on a hill above the Grumeti plains.

Why this retreat

Singita combines a private reserve with a standard of guiding that has stayed constant for years. The view from this hill is among the calmest starting points for a safari.

How it feels

The plains backlit in the morning, silence on the terrace at midday, animals below the hill at night.

Suits: Travellers who want safari with comfort and without convoys of vehicles
Best season: June to October, December to March

Note

Allow at least four nights — the first two go to arriving.

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13 — Thornybush, Südafrika

Royal Malewane

A small lodge in the bushveld at the edge of the Kruger area, with highly experienced guides.

Why this retreat

A team that has worked the field together for decades — that is the real difference. The suites are generous, but the early-morning drives remain the reason to travel.

How it feels

A deep shaded veranda, the plunge pool in front, grass and a river course behind. After the afternoon drive, darkness comes quickly.

Suits: First-time travellers as much as returning guests who value guiding
Best season: May to September

Note

Combines well with Cape Town — a short flight, a very different rhythm.

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Independent houses

Three addresses belonging to no group — and here for exactly that reason.

Pool und Schilfdach einer Residenz im Abendlicht, dahinter Dünen und der Indische Ozean

14 — Benguerra Island, Mosambik

Kisawa Sanctuary

Expansive residences in the dunes of an island off Mozambique, each on its own plot.

Why this retreat

One founder's project, thought through to the end — from the building method to the marine research institute that belongs to it. Hotels like this do not emerge within groups.

How it feels

A great deal of space, very little programme. You walk or cycle, and the day follows the tide.

Suits: Travellers who place privacy above infrastructure
Best season: May to October

Note

Arrive via Johannesburg and Vilanculos; the last leg is by boat.

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15 — Sumba, Indonesien

NIHI Sumba

Villas of timber and grass above a bay on Sumba, far from the usual routes.

Why this retreat

The address has grown with the island over decades and funds a local foundation. The place is raw, honest and emphatically not a resort.

How it feels

Horses on the beach, surf, few promises of comfort and in return a very clear sense of where you are.

Suits: Travellers looking for adventure and seclusion
Best season: April to October

Note

At least five nights — the journey asks for it.

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16 — Riviera Maya, Mexiko

Hotel Esencia

A former private estate on the Caribbean shore, with old trees and few rooms.

Why this retreat

On a coast that has changed considerably, this is one of the few properties to have kept its grown substance. The scale is small, the service personal.

How it feels

Shade, sand, quiet. The beach lies just beyond the garden, and evenings stay pleasantly empty.

Suits: Couples and families who want Yucatán without large resorts
Best season: November to April

Note

Combines well with a day or two inland.

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Arabian Peninsula

One address showing that Dubai can be quiet — if you choose the right corner of it.

Der runde Strandpool zwischen Palmen und Pavillons, dahinter das offene Meer im Abendlicht

17 — Jumeirah Bay Island, Dubai

Bulgari Resort Dubai

A low, Italian-designed house on its own island, with a private beach and marina.

Why this retreat

Dubai is usually told through height and scale; both are deliberately left out here. The buildings stay low, the scale is residential, and the city remains close — that is the combination we recommend.

How it feels

Teak, travertine, palms and water. In the evening the island reads more like a seaside neighbourhood than a resort.

Suits: Couples and families combining Dubai with a beach in winter
Best season: November to March

Note

We almost always plan Dubai as an add-on — three or four nights after a longer journey, not as a fortnight.

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And afterwards

Which of these hotels suits your journey rarely rests on the address alone.

Season, length of stay and what comes before and after matter just as much. That is precisely the conversation we prefer to have before anything is fixed.

Speak with the Concierge All Hotels

An Invitation

Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas

One hotel that convinced us. One new opening we are watching. And one travel idea for the right season. Carefully selected and reduced to the essentials.