STAY SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT
Modern hotels offer all the creature comforts you could want – but they can be a little, well, boring. So how about choosing somewhere a bit different for a holiday in Europe? Here are some great ideas…
Milos Windmill, Milos Island, Greece, is a charming, self-catering converted windmill that sleeps five. It stands close to local beaches on a rocky ridge near the spot where the famous 2,000-year-old statue of Venus, now in Paris, was found. To get here, you fly to Athens then on to a short domestic flight to Milos airport. The windmill costs from £136 per night, based on five adults sharing.
Milos Windmill
Actually on the water rather than beside it, you’ll find CPH Living, a small hotel on a converted barge moored in trendy Christianshavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has just 12 rooms with fl oor-to-ceiling windows. A highlight is the outdoor deck, where you can relax day or night. Double rooms from £134 per night, including breakfast.
How about a luxury house in the woods? Le Clos Saint Saourde, tucked away in a vineyard in Provence, France, comes with a private terrace and outdoor hot tub, all mod cons, such as a fl at-screen TV, internet access, heating and air con, and bread and pastries are delivered every morning. The hotel also has four rooms built into the side of a rock face. House in the woods from £315 per night; double rooms from £153 per night, both including breakfast.
The Château de Saint Paterne in Normandy, France, has a secret datcha, or log cabin, hidden in its woods. The two-level cabin has an outdoor hot tub and indoor sauna, as well as a comfy, cosy interior. The chateau’s 25 acres of grounds are perfect for long strolls, or lying by the swimming pool, too. You can get there by train from London’s St Pancras to Le Mans, then it’s a 30-minute drive to the village of Saint Paterne. The datcha costs from £239 per night, for accommodation only.
Hoopoe Yurt Hotel
If you really want to get away from it all, book into a cave. Le Grotte della Civita in rural Italy is a romantic cave hotel in the Unesco-listed town of Matera, an hour from Bari airport. The hotel has 18 individual cave rooms and the Tasting Room restaurant in a rock-hewn church.
Matera has doubled as Jerusalem in several fi lms, thanks to its alleys and cave churches. Double rooms from £85 per night, including breakfast. Finally, glampers will love the Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Ronda, in Spain. There are fi ve double-bedded yurts to choose from, each with its own shower and toilet and individually styled. The yurts cost from £110 per night (based on two sharing), including breakfast.
To book any of the accommodation featured here, and for hundreds more unusual places to stay around the world, visit www.i-escape.com
Contact Wendy at wendy.gomersall@lady.co.uk
Milos Windmill, Milos Island, Greece, is a charming, self-catering converted windmill that sleeps five. It stands close to local beaches on a rocky ridge near the spot where the famous 2,000-year-old statue of Venus, now in Paris, was found. To get here, you fly to Athens then on to a short domestic flight to Milos airport. The windmill costs from £136 per night, based on five adults sharing.
Milos WindmillActually on the water rather than beside it, you’ll find CPH Living, a small hotel on a converted barge moored in trendy Christianshavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has just 12 rooms with fl oor-to-ceiling windows. A highlight is the outdoor deck, where you can relax day or night. Double rooms from £134 per night, including breakfast.
How about a luxury house in the woods? Le Clos Saint Saourde, tucked away in a vineyard in Provence, France, comes with a private terrace and outdoor hot tub, all mod cons, such as a fl at-screen TV, internet access, heating and air con, and bread and pastries are delivered every morning. The hotel also has four rooms built into the side of a rock face. House in the woods from £315 per night; double rooms from £153 per night, both including breakfast.
The Château de Saint Paterne in Normandy, France, has a secret datcha, or log cabin, hidden in its woods. The two-level cabin has an outdoor hot tub and indoor sauna, as well as a comfy, cosy interior. The chateau’s 25 acres of grounds are perfect for long strolls, or lying by the swimming pool, too. You can get there by train from London’s St Pancras to Le Mans, then it’s a 30-minute drive to the village of Saint Paterne. The datcha costs from £239 per night, for accommodation only.
Hoopoe Yurt HotelIf you really want to get away from it all, book into a cave. Le Grotte della Civita in rural Italy is a romantic cave hotel in the Unesco-listed town of Matera, an hour from Bari airport. The hotel has 18 individual cave rooms and the Tasting Room restaurant in a rock-hewn church.
Matera has doubled as Jerusalem in several fi lms, thanks to its alleys and cave churches. Double rooms from £85 per night, including breakfast. Finally, glampers will love the Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Ronda, in Spain. There are fi ve double-bedded yurts to choose from, each with its own shower and toilet and individually styled. The yurts cost from £110 per night (based on two sharing), including breakfast.
To book any of the accommodation featured here, and for hundreds more unusual places to stay around the world, visit www.i-escape.com
Contact Wendy at wendy.gomersall@lady.co.uk