17 traditional Hotels

Naries Namakwa is a retreat in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, that really stands out for its beautiful, secluded location. For most of the year, the area is a semi-desert featuring mainly drought-resistant plants such as succulents and aloes. Between August and October, however, the unwelcoming landscape is completely …

Stay in the famous caves of Guadix in Spain’s famous Granada province. While most of the world’s caves are ancient, agricultural workers carved these from soft stone over the last 200 years. Today you can stay in any one of these luxuriously appointed grottos. They keep a comfortable temperature all …

Hotel Schafbergspitze was built in 1862, 5,840 feet (1,780 meters) above sea level. It was the first mountain hotel in Austria. It is perched on the summit of the Schafberg and has a view that will fry your breath. Originally patrons accessed the hotel by stagecoach and using local chair …

This traditional Swiss mountain hotel has been given a modern makeover to create a unique hotel set in the forests and snow-headed mountains of the Alps. The air is so fresh you’ll want to expand your chest to capture all its revitalizing goodness. The Villa Honegg has been operating since …

This hotel consists of three Cappadocian cave houses each with seven rooms. The cave houses are unique to the area of Cappadocia in Turkey which has been inhabited for thousands of years. Different minerals in the rocks have over time eroded to create a mysterious landscape consisting of what has …

This hotel is located on a secluded clifftop that overlooks the Greek island of Santorini. The island is part of a circular archipelago formed from volcanic rock following an ancient eruption that is fabled to have destroyed the city of Atlantis. Today, the island's edge is around the crest of …

Northern Peru - the sun sets like an Orange half disappearing behind the blue punch of the ocean. It’s a popular beach but you have privacy because you are staying in the Eco Lodge Mancora. This small but perfectly formed hotel is part of the eco-lodge movement. Therefore it is …

The Son Gener hotel is an 18th Century farmhouse lovingly restored set in acres of private property in a very rural and quiet area of Majorca. Far from the madness of the tourist-thronged beach and thong-bottomed festivities of the south; the beaches nearby are as if you stepped back in …

Alta is the northernmost city in the world that has over 10,000 inhabitants. Its location in a valley along the banks of the river Alta means it is sheltered from the vicissitudes of the climate to the extent that its land does not develop permafrost. It is one of the …

Six Senses have a commitment to the SLOW LIFE (sustainable, local, organic, wellness – learning, inspiring, fun, experiences). This resort is designed around a traditional village structure. So you can walk from your luxury villa to a central plaza, perhaps to meet friends, maybe to eat and drink among the …

The Atacama Hotel is a stylish and modern lodge in the heart of a historic landscape. Indeed, the area has great archaeological significance, so all you history lovers make sure you pack your boots and shovels. Nature lovers will want to explore the Licancabur Volcano, dream over desert landscapes, and …

The Royal Crescent, Bath, was built in the 1770s by noted architect, John Wood. A keen occultist and freemason, when viewed from above, the crescent represents the moon as part of a series of buildings that mimic Masonic symbols. Shapeshifting Lizards notwithstanding, The Royal Crescent Hotel is a fine place …

You are balancing on a mountain bike at the top of a slither of rocky trail running steeply down a mountainside. Everything is focused on your next maneuver. Your behind hovers behind the saddle for balance, feet in firm contact with the pedals, white knuckles on the handlebars, you choose …

The ages have been kind to Cappadocia (Hittite for ‘land of beautiful horses’). Because of the particular mineral composition in the rock, mountains have been eroded into monoliths, valleys, and chimneys. People have lived there, amongst the caves and crannies, ever since mammoth skins were the latest must-have fashion accessory. …

Luckily this isn’t Walworth Castle in London which is a real, non-converted prison. No this is Walworth in County Durham, one of England’s most rural and beautiful counties. Parts of the castle date back to the 12th Century when a string of fortifications were erected around the country by the …

You can get involved with the spiritual side of life while staying in this magnificent cave hotel. Located in a converted Byzantine chapel, the area has a rich history that stretches back for thousands of years. The chapel was first carved out of the rock 1000 years ago and to …

When you wake up in the Utter Inn, you will think you are still dreaming. After all, fish should not be swimming past your window, and that cloud is actually a jellyfish? What’s going on here? Then you remember you booked a room in the unusual underwater hotel by Swedish …