These hotels are the antidote to madding crowds this summer

Summer is here in the northern hemisphere, as is the lure of sun loungers, lake dips, rolling wildflower meadows and crisp rosé. For those seeking refuge from the crowds, we’ve rounded up a selection of intimate stays with just a handful of rooms against heady, sun-drenched backdrops and blissful countryside. Whether you’re seeking wellness, gastronomy or historic provenance you’ll find it on this list, alongside striking design, compelling art and affable hosts.

What’s in this summer? Decelerating, decluttering, being present, and consistent cultural programmes. What’s out? Overcrowding, over-planning, overclaiming. Phones on tables, live updates, internal flights and performative gestures.

Which brings us back to boutique hotels; discreet, stylish sanctuaries where tailored service and unique design coalesce. You’ll find a sauna without a pool; a lounge in the lobby and the concierge making your coffee; thoughtful spaces where excess, crowds and queues are not.

Feeling inspired? Here are our recommendations for where to check in this summer season.

Boutique hotels in the US

Prospect Berkshires, Berkshires, Massachusetts

Why is it interesting? Creative programming, engaging wellness and authentic support of likeminded local brands, all set around a secluded lake in the southern Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
Address: 50 Prospect Lake Road, Egremont, Massachusetts 01230, USA
Price: From 380 USD per night

This lakeside retreat is hidden within the Berkshires’ pine-covered hills. Cedar-clad cabins are dotted along the shoreline, with kingsize beds and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the surrounding forest. Thoughtful amenities celebrate the local area, from Sister Moons bed linen to coffee from Irving Farm Coffee Roasters.

Guests can cool off in the saltwater pool, traverse the water by kayak or paddleboard, and join weekly yoga and tai chi classes. Wellness extends to lakeside saunas, while a programme of workshops and seasonal events encourages deeper engagement with the landscape. There are Friday forest sessions for children aged seven and above, and many of the region’s cultural attractions are within easy driving distance. In the evening, settle in for aperitivo overlooking the lake, followed by a meal at Cliff House, shaped by what is grown just outside.

This summer welcomes an artist residency programme with sound artist Monte Weber, who will present a series of performances inspired by the surrounding landscape, exploring how sound is experienced in space.

Hotel El Roblar, Ojai, California

Why is it interesting? A slow stay at Ojai’s oldest operating hotel, lovingly revived as an art-filled boutique base with views of the Topatopa mountains.
Address: 122 E Ojai Avenue, Ojai, California 93023, USA
Price: From 550 USD per night

Hotel El Roblar dates back to 1919, originally opening during Ojai’s Spanish Revival transformation. It reopened in 2025 following a six year restoration, standing as a tribute to the Ojai’s artistic spirit. The original Mission Revival architecture has been carefully preserved, infused with locally made furniture and more than 1,000 artworks and antiques.

Socialising takes place around the sun-drenched swimming pool, framed by sunny retro-striped loungers and parasols, with Topatopa mountain views stretching beyond. Guests are given complimentary bicycles for exploring Ojai town and nearby trails, before returning for dinner at the atmospheric Condor Bar, set beneath a mural by artist Stefano Castronovo.

A creative mix of guests and locals gather in the lobby bar, which has an air of the Old West. Keep an eye out for the hotel’s longest standing residents, a pair of Aldabra Giant Tortoises.

Boutique hotels in Europe

Numeroventi, Florence, Italy

Why is it interesting: A hotel, artist residency and cultural programme, housed in a Renaissance palazzo.
Address: Via dei Pandolfini 20, 50122 Florence, Italy
Price: From 250 EUR / 345 USD per night

Creativity thrives at Numeroventi, where a modern cast of artists, musicians and designers come together within the 16th-century Palazzo Galli Tassi. The result is a living gallery space, where guests can encounter exhibitions spanning clay sculptures, jewellery and contemporary design.

Light pours into capacious studio rooms, which unfold in stone, marble and handcrafted wooden furniture, while a ground floor space is wrapped in frescoes.

A classical courtyard forms the heart of the palazzo, while elsewhere a communal kitchen and evolving programme of activities encourage guests to connect. Check in with the Numeroventi team for insider recommendations on local exhibits and events.

Oasyhotel, Tuscany, Italy

Why is it interesting? Luxury lodges within a conservation project in Tuscany’s Apennine Mountains, with a wellness programme is shaped by the surrounding nature reserve.
Address: Via Ximenes 662, 51028 San Marcello Piteglio (PT), Tuscany, Italy
Price: From 600 EUR / 692 USD per night

Tuscany is more known for its vineyards and villages, but Oasyhotel makes a compelling case for a woodland escape. Hidden within the Oasi Dynamo Nature Reserve, the hotel is surrounded by protected forests, meadows and lakes in the Apennine Mountains. Its elevated position offers respite from Tuscany’s summer heat, drawing both international visitors and Italians escaping the intensity of the city.

Guests are given e-bikes to explore the estate, which spans around 2,470 acres. An art trail also runs through the reserve, culminating with the OCA Oasy Contemporary Art gallery, where an exhibit by Belgian artist Arne Quinze explores the relationship between humans and biodiversity.

Farm-to-table dining draws from the onsite farm and vegetable garden, while lakeside picnics can also be arranged. Families can partake in inclusive activities such as paper seed workshops, kayaking and tennis, while private yoga classes, meditation and guided excursions can be arranged at an additional charge, offering a deeper look at the reserve’s conservation efforts.

La Colombe d’Or, Côte d’Azur, France

Why is it interesting? This longstanding hotel is a living museum, where the great masters of the 20th century once paid for their stay with paintings.
Address: 1 Place du Général de Gaulle, 06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Price: 403 EUR / 440 USD per night

Live among modern masters at La Colombe d’Or, home to one of the most remarkable art collections in Europe. Previous residents including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger settled their bills with artworks that now hang throughout the property. Swim beside a striking mobile by Alexander Calder and dine beneath a Picasso in the restaurant. There are no plaques, so it is a delightful guessing game of whether you can tell your Chagall from your Miró.
Set between Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes in the hilltop village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the hotel is perfectly placed for exploring the region’s artistic heritage, including the nearby Fondation Maeght.

Owned by the Roux family, La Colombe d’Or remains refreshingly discreet: reservations are made directly with the hotel and it maintains no social media presence.

Hotel Corazón, Mallorca, Spain

Why is it interesting? A hidden artistic haven where everything is procured locally
Address: Carretera de Deià, km. 56, 7, 07100 Sóller, Balearic Islands, Spain
Price: From 498 EUR / 541 USD per night

British photographer Kate Bellm opened Hotel Corazón with her Mexican artist husband Edgar López Arellano in 2024. It is billed as ‘luxurious and wild. Run by artists for artists.’ Fifteen decadent rooms with soaring ceilings unfold in shades of terracotta, furnished with eclectic fabrics and furniture from the couple’s travels in Morocco and Mexico. There is a sheep-dotted farm, a pool with ocean views and an open-air restaurant, where almost everything on the menu is grown in the onsite garden or procured locally. The hotel is framed by cacti and mountain peaks, while guests can partake in guided hikes, yoga, reiki and sound baths. Hidden in the Tramuntana Mountains between Deià and Sóller, the hotel is a 40-minute drive from Palma airport.

Marqí, Sintra, Portugal

Why is it interesting? Retro-luxe interiors and cinematic gardens brought to life by a photographer-owner.
Address: Estr. do Rodízio 86, 2705-337 Colares, Portugal
Price: From 216 EUR / 235 USD per night

Perched on a hillside garden in Sintra, Marqí is owned by Danish photographer Mikkel Kristensen. It proudly refers to itself as ‘one strange hotel’, a reference borrowed from Bob Dylan’s 1975 song, Simple Twist of Fate, where he sings: “A little confused, I remember well / and stopped into a strange hotel.” However, we’d say it’s less strange and more supremely stylish, suffused with a louche, retro vibe. Interiors have all been handpicked by Kristensen and feature low-slung boucle chairs, emerald velvet seating, marble tables and a vintage Club Chair by Raphaël Raffel.

Spacious rooms and suites overlook the yucca-filled garden and swimming pool below, while the lobby bar serves drinks until late. The refreshingly quiet Praia Grande beach is a 15-minute stroll away, alongside a string of bars and restaurants. The hotel will collect you from Lisbon airport in a 1971 Mercedes-Benz, affectionately called Blondie.

Hotels in Japan

Shiguchi, Hokkaido, Japan

Why is it interesting: A sculptural retreat where Japanese farmhouses hover above the Hokkaido countryside, combining art, onsen and architectural precision.
Address: 78-5 Hanazono, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0084, Japan
Price: 226,000 JPY / 1,190 USD per night

Niseko is one of the world’s most renowned ski resorts but it is also a beautiful summer destination, known for its vibrant fields of flowers. For a stay like no other, Shiguchi is spread across five centuries-old kominkas (traditional Japanese farmhouses) reimagined by artist, collector and owner, Shouya Grigg.

Originally built in Tochigi, the structures were painstakingly deconstructed and relocated to Hokkaido, beam by beam. The result stands in deliberate contrast to Niseko’s glitzy resorts, radiating serenity. The name Shiguchil refers to the building’s skilful nail-free timber joinery and reflects Grigg’s philosophy of functional elegance and cultural preservation, as well as the symbolic importance of connection.

Each private villa features its own onsen and terrace with uninterrupted panoramic views. Impressive art hangs throughout, including two dedicated gallery spaces. Hokkaido’s larder looms large in the restaurant, where giant windows frame the forest and valley below.