European summer is already in full swing, but for those of us playing the long game and looking ahead to September, we have fresh inspiration. This tail-of-summer month is when evenings are still light, sea temperatures at their most enticing, and balmy days are fuelled not just by loyal sunshine, but also by the warm glow of satisfaction that comes with booking a newly discovered treasure.
Here’s our pick of places with a scorchio reputation, known to only the most discerning of sunseekers.
LA CASA DE LOS NARANJOS
Lanzarote, Spain
Rehashed Ibiza sets, free shots and all-day hangovers: aah, Noughties Lanzarote, those were heady days. They’re also thankfully avoidable days, with upscale boutique boltholes such as La Casa De Los Naranjos on the scene.
This 200-year-old manor house is at the foot of the Peñas del Chache, Lanzarote’s highest point — a fitting locale for this pinnacle-of-charm stay, where the bedrooms are antique-adorned, the Canarian cuisine is refined, and drinks on the terrace are thankfully shots-free.
A CASA REALE
Corsica, France
Tucked into an awning-flanked back street in the lively port town of Bastia — a world-away from the French island’s beachy, west-coast trappings — traditional townhouse A Casa Reale has a nobility-studded past involving Flaubert, Napoleon, and a host of counts and marquises.
Yet its blue-blood credentials don’t intrude on its private-home-style charms, whether it’s homemade breakfast in the chandelier’d salon, or an hour with a good book on its sea-view terrace. Four individually dressed rooms add to the hotel’s sense of intimacy, too.
LA FONDA HERITAGE HOTEL
Marbella, Spain
Marbs: a single syllable that conjures glitter-framed snapshots of marina-side superyachts, of sun-visored golfers and golden-limbed tan-fans. And yet just inland from the Brits’ favourite costa is an ancient Andalusian settlement awash in historic charms — Marbella itself.
A stay at La Fonda Heritage Hotel puts you at the heart of the whitewashed terracotta-tiled Old Town — in a storied building where unearthed chapels, 18th-century murals and original brick colonnades juxtapose contemporary, neutral-hued suites; and an abundance of terraces, courtyards and balconies bolsters this historic hotel’s appeal.
ONAR ANDROS
Cyclades, Greece
Andros is the most northerly of the Cycladic Islands, and the archipelago’s counterpoint to southerly Santorini — with no airport, no jet-set and more countryside than cubical crashpads. In this wild paradise of forested hills and lush wetlands, you’ll find environmentally conscious retreat, Onar Andros — 14 stone cottages that stand as waypoints down to the sandy cove below.
Originally acquired as a private playground that proved too good not to share more widely, this is a rural idyll awash in lo-fi loveliness. And in September, it’s not too much of a leap to imagine having the hotel’s beatific beach to yourself.
CA’S XORC
Mallorca, Spain
Grounds shaded with ancient olive trees, a picturesque dining terrace and a scenic infinity pool in Tramuntana scenery: these are the alfresco reasons at any time of year to make a beeline for Mallorcan adults-only retreat, Ca’s Xorc. But come September, the pool is warm, the mountain trails sun-baked, and the island’s foothill towns are that much quieter.
Beamed ceilings, flagstone floors, and typically Mediterranean interiors are the rustic-luxe hallmarks of this converted 18th-century finca: our tip is to book a Deluxe or Garden Cottage for private outdoor space that’ll help you max out on late-summer rays.
LE JARDIN DES DOUARS
Essaouira, Morocco
Minibreaks to Morocco have been around as long as, well, minibreaks — and as a sun-sure destination, this North African nation needs no introduction. Even Le Jardin des Douars, an upscale retreat of rooms, suites and villas in Essaouira’s argan-tree-covered hills, is a firm favourite on the boutique-hotel scene.
Its inclusion here, then, is justified by its enduring low profile. Once you’re amid its bountiful walled gardens — relaxing in a shaded nook here, or legs dangling in a jade-green pool there — you’re sure to feel this bohemian hangout exists exclusively for you.
THE DOLLI AT ACROPOLIS
Athens, Greece
Picture Athens and you probably visualise the pillared Parthenon atop the Acropolis. And when you check in to The Dolli at Acropolis — a gleaming Smith addition in a converted 1920s private mansion — you can covet this precise panorama.
The Dolli puts not only this timeless view on your doorstep, but also the cultural delights of central Athens. And when you visit in the cooler months at summer’s end, suddenly this wealth of entertainment feels that much more doable. Just leave enough time to soak in the view from the rooftop pool…
GILLHAM VINEYARD HOTEL
Ilgaz, Cyprus
Vines arranged in neat rows processing from your suite terrace to the horizon, a gourmet restaurant and window-walled holistic spa: these may sound like the typical trappings of a French château stay, but this oenophile’s dream is in North Cypriot wine country.
Ilgaz is a 15-minute drive from the coast, but the pools, spa, restaurant and bar at Gillham Vineyard Hotel mean this won’t bother you. Spa treatments work with the grape and the good; rooms are light-filled and timbered, and the food is polished Israeli-meets-Cypriot fare. This is a gourmet stay worth keeping under your (chef’s) hat…
BACKSTAGE HOTEL
Stockholm, Sweden
Djurgården island is where the totems of Stockholm culture hang out, and Backstage Hotel‘s privileged position — within mic-drop distance of The Abba Museum — is an access-all-areas pass to art galleries both traditional and cutting-edge; immersive open-air history museums; an aquarium; The Vasa Museum’s mighty restored sailing vessel; amusement parks and enough concert venues to keep you singing till check-out.
It has a rock-star cocktail scene, photoshoot Scandi styling and Swedish eats (open-faced prawn sandwiches, salmon and dill, meatballs with lingonberries), plus a café for fikas (coffee and cake catch-ups). But if that’s not quite Swedish enough for you, the hotel’s Abba suite is a gold-disc-lined tribute to pop royalty, designed in conjunction with The Abba Museum — Smith guests also get two free tickets. And there’s a karaoke machine, so you can belt out all the hits after your visit. Voulez Vous? Why yes, we would, thank you.
SEATON HOUSE
St Andrews, Scotland
Tartan, leather, wood, whisky: Scottish sophisticate Seaton House is designed for summer’s dog days, when you want to ramble the lowlands’ greener pastures and picture-book villages, then curl up cosily through nights that are cooling off. Whether golfing’s your cup of tee, you want strap on wellies to fish or shoot at clay pigeons, or you want to know how it feels to be a laird or lady for the day, this stay has a ‘braw’ range of experiences to put you in the moment.
And in the stiller moments, too — savouring sea-fresh oysters as you gaze out over the dramatic sweep of West Sands beach; sipping a warming, peaty dram as you contemplate the 15th-century surrounds where soldiers once practiced archery — you’ll feel as warm and fuzzy as a Highland coo, even if the sun makes a scant showing.
BRIIG BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Split, Croatia
Croatia is blessed by clear seas and clement temperatures way past August. And although Split may be a well-known Dalmatian Coast outpost, out-of-this-world newcomer, Briig Boutique Hotel, is already making its mark.
A boutique stay with avant-garde architecture, it’s only moments from Bacvice beach, and has a sun-worshipper’s dream of a rooftop pool backed by Adriatic views. We can’t see much need to leave your sunlounger, but even city sightseeing here comes with a side of vitamin D.
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