The 2026 hotel hot list
Catch your breath during the busy season in hotels that steal it right back
- Words: Sophia Baccanello
It feels as though summer 2026 has begun at full pace – and the hotel world is no exception, with the season already shaping up to be a rich time for new escapes. With so much activity, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Fear not, we have sifted through the noise to bring you 10 destinations worth packing a bag and booking a flight for. From a private island in the south of France to the return of a much-loved conservation sanctuary in the Seychelles, it is safe to say that this year is delivering on every front.
Casa Bonavita - Attard, Malta
The island of Malta has long been overshadowed by its more famous neighbours, but those days are behind us. With a growing movement favouring restoration over development, 18th-century Casa Bonavita is leading the charge. The 17-room boutique hotel is set in one of the island's most romantic quarters, surrounded by jasmine-scented gardens.
Family heirlooms sit alongside frescoed interiors that gently transport guests into the past. Linger in the kitchen as fresh pastries emerge from the oven, watch handmade pasta being shaped with care, or settle in the courtyard beneath orange trees. Casa Bonavita embodies the good life in its simplest form. You know it instantly: this is la bona vita.
The Corinthia - Rome, Italy
Rome was not built in a day, and neither was The Corinthia. The city's most highly anticipated new opening has finally made its debut. On the historic Piazza del Parlamento, a grand neo-classical palazzo has opened its doors. Through meticulous restoration, original mosaics, cornices and painted ceilings have been uncovered, framing a sense of quiet grandeur across its 60 rooms and suites.
Look out through tall windows onto the inner courtyard or the Roman streets beyond, watching daily life unfold and absorbing the rhythm of the Eternal City. Descend to the subterranean spa, inspired by ancient bathing rituals. Then settle into Ocra Bar and reflect on the artful enclave that surrounds you.
The Vineta Hotel - Palm Beach, USA
European hospitality has officially arrived on the banks of Palm Beach, with Oetker Hotels doing what they do best, this time Stateside. It marks the revival of a landmark, with the hotel paying homage to its legacy through the return of the Vineta name. Embracing Palm Beach's island lifestyle, rich in nostalgia and glamour, you might find yourself sipping piña coladas beneath pink, scalloped-edged umbrellas after a long, arduous day of retail therapy along Worth Avenue.
Try some al fresco dining before an evening martini at the bar and dinner at Coco's, where Riviera glamour meets a touch of American charm. It's a retro return to glamour, and with a little Oetker magic the hotel has returned to its true form.
Six Senses - London, United Kingdom
It has long been the envy of the UK that a Six Senses has never graced our shores. However, the wait is over: this year it makes its British debut in the former Art Deco department store, The Whiteley. Set between Hyde Park and Notting Hill, its signature wellness and sustainability ethos remains at the core, as it reimagines a West London landmark while honouring the heritage of British craft.
Across 109 rooms and suites and 14 residences, it evokes a slower pace to the city, framing a stay as a reset for mind and body. Its spa, with 13 wellness spaces and six treatment rooms, is designed to coax even the most tightly-wound city dweller into relaxation. It is exactly what we have been dreaming of, if not better.
Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi - Maldives
The Maldives has long perfected the art of escapism, its castaway islands and impossibly clear waters continuing to set the benchmark for luxury travel. This year, a new arrival raises the bar once again. Set within the Raa Atoll, Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi brings the house's Italian glamour to the Indian Ocean, unfolding across a private island with 54 villas and the exceptional Bvlgari Villa occupying its own secluded isle.
Days here drift between four signature dining destinations, uninterrupted stretches of white sand and lagoons framed by palms. Yet beyond the polished elegance lies a quieter sensibility, with sustainability and a respect for the surrounding landscape woven thoughtfully into the resort's ethos.
Zannier Île de Bendor - Bandol, South of France
After a five-year transformation, the highly anticipated opening of Zannier Île de Bendor brings a private utopia to the coast of Provence. The seven-hectare isle reimagines the Provençal-style village as an elegant 93-key boutique hotel spread across three locations, complete with all the amenities needed to begin a new life on the French Riviera, or at least for as long as your stay.
Guests will find a holistic wellness spa, beach club, diving centre and eight dining venues. The oasis is divided into three settings: Delos, which captures the spirit of the 1960s' French Riviera; Soukana, dedicated to wellbeing and reconnection; and Madrague, where former fishermen's houses lend themselves to multigenerational stays.
Finca La Bobadilla, Único Hotels - Andalusia, Spain
Freshly redesigned, this Andalusian country estate is a love letter to rural Spain. Nestled between olive groves and pine forests, it cannot help but slow the pace of life and reconnect guests with nature. North of Málaga, it sits within a sprawling 350-hectare estate, evoking the spirit of a traditional cortijo while remaining firmly rooted in Andalusian heritage.
Wander through arched walkways among the whitewashed buildings, try your luck at a game of boules, or discover shaded Moorish-inspired courtyards where fountains invite a moment of quiet reflection. It is the kind of place where days dissolve gently into one another, perhaps ending with a sunset horse-ride across the estate.
Fregate - Seychelles
Since 2022, a notable silence has lingered over the shores of the Seychelles following the closure of Fregate Island. The retreat stepped away from the spotlight to invest in the island's future, implementing ambitious sustainability initiatives designed to protect its extraordinary wildlife, alongside the powder-white beach so often hailed as one of the finest in the world.
Now, at last, it returns with an ethos even more deeply rooted in respect for the planet, introducing an elevated road system, minimised energy consumption and upgraded infrastructure, while 17 villas blend seamlessly into the landscape. Here, exclusive luxury meets utter seclusion, yet never at the expense of one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems.
Luura Cliff - Paros, Greece
Mykonos is out, and its quieter neighbour Paros is firmly in. For years, the island lingered in the shadow of its counterparts, but with the golden beaches and whitewashed villages of Naoussa and Lefkes, it has now firmly entered travellers' orbit. Perched above the bay of Agia Irini, Luura Paros Cliff offers views across the Aegean towards Antiparos, guided by a vision that explores the intersection of dream and myth.
Drawing on the timeless purity of Cycladic architecture, the hotel unfolds as a village-like constellation of buildings, interwoven with works by artists chosen for their connection to the island's elemental landscape. It is a celebration of Paros itself, inviting travellers to explore, transform and find refuge.
OKU - Bodrum, Turkey
On the northern shore of the Bodrum Peninsula, OKU's latest opening offers a true escape: an adults-only boutique retreat. Perched on a dramatic cliffside, the hotel is framed by Bodrum's rugged hills on one side and the vast Aegean on the other. Private access to the bay below provides a welcome reprieve from the Turkish heat, along with a gateway to the nearby islands.
This is a stay centred on slowing down. Hammams, a hilltop yoga terrace and interiors grounded in warm, earthy tones create a calming rhythm, while the spa invites you to retreat fully into its treatment cabanas if sunbathing becomes too taxing. OKU Bodrum offers what so many seek yet rarely find: the chance to pause life, if only for a moment.
