Autumn has arrived, and these hotels showcase the season at its best
Shoulder season travel yields nourishing rewards, from spellbinding Swiss scenery to a crowd-free city break. These characterful hotels offer a front row view of autumn in full splendour, along with top-notch amenities and thoughtful design
There is a lot to love about autumn: from ochre leaves underfoot and vermillion views across Europe, the US and Japan, to pleasantly warm climes in Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Off-season, you’ll find relaxed hikers, surfers and cyclists. Cities grow cooler and calmer, with fewer crowds and more room for spontaneous restaurant reservations.
Autumn is also a period of reflection and renewal; a time to slow down, catch up and harvest ideas. We’ve handpicked our favourite hotels for the months ahead. High on environmental aesthetics, they’ll beckon you indoors with crackling fires, glowing cocktails and menus built around the season’s finest local produce.
PURO Warszawa Stare Miasto, Warsaw, Poland
Why we rate it: A boutique charmer in the Polish capital
Address: Canaletta 4, 00-099 Warszawa, Poland
Price: 92 GBP per night
Experience ‘golden Polish autumn’ in Warsaw – a period when sunny, mild weather meets amber foliage. Wander through the city’s many parks, then curl up in a Krakowian cafe – we like Camelot. The place to stay is the new PURO hotel, located in the heart of the Old Town. Drawing on the aesthetic of a Scandinavian home, it stands in cool contrast to the area’s more historic stays. Natural materials such as stone, wood and linen create a soothing, reflective space, curated with works by Polish artists. You’ll find natural Boreal toiletries in the rooms and locally made ceramics and candles available to buy in the lobby. Book an evening at the adjacent Grand Theatre, home to the Polish National Ballet, and drop by Bar Rascal for a glass of natural wine. PURO is Poland’s leading hotel lifestyle brand, with seven additional hotels across the country.
Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina, Switzerland
Why we rate it: A historic bon vivant
Address: Via Maistra 130, 7504 Pontresina, Switzerland
Price: From 352 GBP per night
Autumn is the oft-overlooked yet mesmerising Swiss season, when the Engadine valley’s larch forests turn from green to golden. Bask in sunshine and blue skies on street level, while a snow-covered winter wonderland is a cable car ride away. While St Moritz and Gstaad draw a glitzy crowd, the mountain village of Pontresina is where you’re more likely to find Swiss locals and a low-key clientele. Grand Hotel Kronenhof is one of few luxury hotels to remain open through the autumn season. Frescoed ceilings are offset by contemporary furnishings, including an impressive collection of Eames chairs. In the spa, soaring floor-to-ceiling windows frame undulating mountain views, and the programme extends to yoga and sound-healing workshops. In the wood-clad Kronenstübli restaurant, waistcoated waiters serve seasonal game such as venison and wild boar, accompanied by vegetables grown in the hotel’s garden.
Arrive from Zurich on the Bernina Express, considered one of the most beautiful train journeys in Europe.
Fforest, near Cardigan, Wales
Why: An elevated farm stay in the Welsh countryside
Address: Cambrian Quay, Cardigan, SA43 1EZ
Price: From 250 GBP per night
Fforest is a multifaceted Welsh farm stay spread across 200 acres of rural terrain, between the river Teifi gorge and the Teifi marshes nature reserve. Families and hip couples stay in bell tents, glamping domes, cottages and crog loft cabins, emerging in the morning for homemade granola, jams and locally baked bread in the Lodge. As autumn takes hold, guests warm up in the wood-fired sauna and outdoor hot tub, overlooking the russet landscapes of west Wales. During October, fforest also runs a forest camp for school-age explorers. Atmospheric evenings bring guests together in the Cedar Barn for a candlelit evening of local fare, cooked up by a guest chef in the kitchen. Among the UK’s autumn getaways, fforest stands out for its creative spirit, warm hospitality, Welsh textiles and immersive connection to nature.
Ett Hem, Stockholm, Sweden
Why: A revered address in the Scandinavian capital
Address: Sköldungagatan 2, 114 27 Stockholm
Price: 481 GBP
Stockholm in autumn is bathed in an ethereal light, with foliage blending into the city’s Falu red buildings. This fleeting interlude before winter is perfect for long walks, fika and the odd ferry ride, umbrella possibly in hand. Stay at Ett Hem, set across three renovated arts and crafts townhouses owned by Swedish hotelier Jeanette Mix. The hotel is designed to feel more like a home, eschewing the formal front desk in favour of an intimate check-in, where staff greet guests in Toteme uniforms. Join daily yoga classes in the spa, sip wine by a fire pit in the outdoor courtyard and enjoy seasonal crayfish, corn soup with roasted hazelnuts and wood-fired langoustines in the acclaimed restaurant.
If you can’t book one of 12 rooms at Ett Hem, try Villa Dagmar or its recently opened sister property Villa Dahlia, both of which balance Swedish craftsmanship with contemporary design.
Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens, Greece
Why: Good-time vibes in the Greek capital
Address: Artemisiou 1, Glifada 166 75, Greece
Price: From 140 GBP per night
Autumn is Athens’ sweet spot, with fewer visitors but still plenty of sunshine. Travellers can visit the Acropolis without the intense heat and heaving crowds, and the sun’s lower angle casts an atmospheric glow over the city. Ace Hotel & Swim Club opened in 2024 and has already earned a reputation for its good-time vibe and eclectic events programme. It is one of only two Ace hotels with a swimming pool – the other being Palm Springs – and, like its desert counterpart, the hotel mixes retro modernist style with contemporary flair. Guestrooms each feature a turntable and a stack of vinyls by Greek artists, while balconies look out to the pool and beach. You’ll find DJs playing in the lobby, where you can also pick up branded merch created in collaboration with Greek Visions founder Takis Zontiros. Think past autumn leaves and fires with this one, it’s all beachside relaxation in temperate weather, local culture and creative energy.
Inness, Accord, New York
Why: The Catskills’ unofficial country club
Address: 10 Banks Street, Accord, NY 12404
Price: 686 GBP
The Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York lay claim to one of the world’s most magnificent autumn displays, ablaze with fiery gold, copper and bronze hues from late September through October. Crisp, mild days are perfect for hiking, and on Halloween the Hudson Valley glows with more than 7,000 illuminated jack-o’-lanterns.
Between the Catskill and Shawangunk mountain ranges is Inness, a high-end boutique stay that blends a Scandinavian aesthetic with a rustic Borscht Belt-Americana vibe. Stunning surroundings are met by thoughtful interiors and slow-living ethos, whether staying in the Dutch colonial farmhouse or one of the Nordic-inspired cabins dotted across the grounds. The resort’s sport and wellness membership means you’ll find a local crowd milling by the heated swimming pool, golf course and pickleball courts, as well as the recently unveiled spa and yoga studio. The restaurant serves rustic dishes made with produce from the three-acre organic farm, followed by fireside chats in Adirondack chairs at sunset.
Tourists, North Adams, Massachusetts
Why we rate it: Art, music and adventure in the Berkshires
Address: 915 State Road, North Adams, MA 01247
Price: 355 USD per night
Tourists is a reimagined motel along the Mohawk Trail in North Adams, set against the soaring Berkshire Mountains and Hoosic River. Sink into leather Togo chairs in the lofty wood-beamed lounge, where windows frame red maples and American elms. The hotel hums with a laidback creative crowd, drawn by its eclectic programme of yoga, creative workshops and live music. After a day on the trails, gather around firepits to toast s’mores and sip local craft beer from Hot Plate Brewing, just a short drive away.
Twin Farms, Barnard, Vermont
Why we rate it: An ultra-luxe all-inclusive for affluent leaf peepers, plus an exceptional art collection
Address: 452 Royalton Turnpike, Barnard, VT 05031
Price: 3,300 USD per night in high season
An autumn road trip through New England is flanked by a blazing display of copper, crimson and even purple foliage, considered one of the world’s most spectacular seasonal displays. Farmhouses and church steeples nestle amongst the trees and valleys, alongside renovated inns and saltbox houses-turned quaint lodgings.
The jewel in the crown is Twin Farms in Barnard, Vermont. The adults-only hotel and resort is owned by Lark Hotels, which has built its reputation transforming historic buildings into sleek, contemporary stays. Guests will want for nothing at this all-inclusive resort: multi-course farm-to-table meals, gourmet picnics to enjoy on the grounds, evening cocktails, champagne and . It also extends to activities such as canoeing, fly fishing and biking, and a same-day laundry service.
Accommodation ranges from treehouses and cottages, dotted across 300 acres of countryside, as well as four farmhouse suites. These are no ordinary treehouses though – expect luxurious decor, a hanging fireplace, handcrafted touches and a freestanding bath. Look out for the a prestigious art collection hung displayed the property, including works by Ed Ruscha, Cy Twombly and Roy Lichtenstein.
Maana Kiyomizu, Kyoto, Japan
Why we rate it: Sensorial Japanese design and a thoughtful creative programme
Address: 427-18, Myohoin Maekawacho, Higashiyama
Price: 285 GBP per night
In Japan, the changing colour of autumn leaves is known as momijigari, with peak foliage varying by region and altitude. In Kyoto, this occurs from mid-November to early December. For a front row view, stay at Maana Kiyomizu, a restored timber machiya townhouse in the city’s historic district. Traditional features such as tatami floors, washi-paper walls and shoji screens blend with contemporary design for a modern take on a traditional Japanese stay. Guests can also visit POJ Studio, the property’s retail space and workshop, where this autumn they can create an art panel using tsuchikabe, a traditional clay material used in machiya walls. The Kiyomizu-dera Temple’s gardens are a short walk away, renowned for their fiery maples.
The hotel also runs pottery, culinary and tea harvest retreats, with itineraries that blend workshops, creative discussions and excursions.
Villa Laba, Sidi Kaouki, Morocco
Why we rate it: Pursuit of an endless summer in a peaceful Moroccan guesthouse
Address: 963G+5FM, Piste pour ID Mbarek, Sidi Kaouki 44125, Morocco
Price: 137 GBP
Villa Laba is owned by Swedish fashion designer Filippa Knutsson, founder of Filippa K, and her architect husband Thomas Fourtané. The nine-key hotel is more like a guesthouse, located in the Berber village of Douar Ichaouine, overlooking Sidi Kaouki beach on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. In autumn, the summer winds ease, for warm sunny days and a gentle breeze. The weather is perfect for surfing and galloping along the shoreline on horseback. Rooms feature vintage cedarwood doors and handcrafted furniture for a peaceful, rustic stay, while private terraces overlook the garden and pool. Guests gather in the spacious kitchen for a set meal, which reflects the season’s harvest. Candles and lanterns replace electric lighting in the evening, lit throughout the property for a wonderfully ambient setting.
