From Patagonia to Paris: 6 boutique hotels on our editor’s wish-list

In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and automation, there remains something oh-so-sweet about the art of personalised hospitality. For the discerning traveller, it’s not just about where you go — it’s about how it feels to be there. The following six hotels — each distinct in location, culture, and character — are united by their attention to the tiny details. Whether cradled in the Andes or a hidden corner of Tokyo, these properties offer intimate experiences with in-the-know teams at hand.

1. Villa Beluno Hotel & Spa, Río Negro – Argentina

Perched on the azure shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi in Bariloche, Villa Beluno Hotel & Spa blends Patagonian grandeur with the soul of an Italian palazzo. Marble floors and gilded chandeliers meet panoramic mountain views in a property where every suite opens onto a private terrace. The onsite patisserie whips up family recipes for teatime, infusing the space with warmth from the kitchen and butter-rich aromas. Sip a glass of Malbec by the fire, indulge in a cedar-scented sauna session, and warm up with a wood-fired Argentine steak in Avellana, the hotel’s artisanal restaurant, after skiing snowcapped peaks or kayaking across the lake.

4. Zelda Dearest, North Carolina – USA

A poetic ode to the American South, Zelda Dearest feels like stepping into the pages of a Fitzgerald novel, only reimagined by a Brooklyn-based interior designer. Tucked away in North Carolina’s Asheville, this soulful property is spread across three Art Deco mansions, each inviting you into an era of cinematic nostalgia — velvet sofas, record players, clawfoot tubs, and dark floral wallpapers. Morning pour-over coffee is served with handwritten poetry, and evenings hum with jazz by candlelight — this has long been a deeply immersive retreat for lovers, artists, and dreamers, and now adventurers come to hike the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains.

6. Marquis Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris – France

Just steps from the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré — Paris’ legendary boulevard of fashion just off the Champs Elysées — Marquis Faubourg Saint-Honoré is a discreet, all-suite sanctuary housed in an 18th-century mansion once home to nobility (the Marquis de la Fayette, if you’re interested). The interiors whisper of neoclassical elegance, blending parquet floors and Louis XVI furnishings with modern indulgences. With only 15 suites, personalised attention reigns supreme. Begin your day with a decadent Parisian breakfast under the vaulted glass ceiling, then stroll into the Golden Triangle, moments from designer boutiques and the Jardin Tuileries.

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