Our adventures this month began in Tuscany’s rural hills, where rustic-luxe La Bandita has jaw-dropping views from its infinity pool; then, beautiful Basilicata made us an offer we couldn’t refuse: Palazzo Margherita, the once-crumbling palatial home lovingly restored by Francis Ford Coppola. Then, we were off to meet a duo of lakeside stars: Relais Villa Vittoria by Lake Como and BellaRiva on Lake Garda.
After that, we (island) hopped our way to Spain for Torralbenc, a minimalist whitewashed farmhouse stay with panoramic Mediterranean views. Down in Greece, on the edge of the Aegean, Ekies All Senses Resort in Halkidiki caught our eye with its sun-drenched beach, palm-fringed pool and eco spa… all that lazy luxury wore us out so much we were glad our next stop, discreetly decadent Muse St Tropez, had Bentleys to ferry us around and ‘sun butlers’ on hand to rub in our factor 15. Our final Euro destination was beachy British beauty Trevose Harbour House in Cornwall, with its chicly updated take on seaside blue-and-white decor.
Then, we hotfooted it over to California, where the Viceroy Palm Springs and Viceroy Santa Monica set our design-loving hearts aflutter; in Beverly Hills, at l’Ermitage, we coolly pretended not to notice our A-list neighbours as we lounged by the rooftop pool. Meanwhile, in Maine, the Inn at English Meadows and Danforth – both in Kennebunk – and the Pomegranate Inn in Portland all delighted us with there East Coast charm.
Next up, we ran off to Australia’s Mornington Peninsula, where the three-room Big Blue Backyard and its well-travelled chef awaited; then we were off to Bangkok to stay in the tiny and very stylishly 1920s-inspired Cabochon Hotel. Then we went beachily off-radar in Vietnam at the Anantara Mũi Né Resort & Spa for a while, before ending our month of adventures on a white-sand private island in the Maldives, at the magnificently indulgent Soneva Fushi.
Check back next here a month from now to see our latest global favourites…
