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Read The Latest ReviewsFrank Camel's Top Ten for September Sun
September is a perfect month to travel. The French, Germans and Italians have all gone back to work and there are deals to be had as hoteliers strive to fill their beds and make a final few shekels before heading off on their own winter holidays.Here are 10 top hotels to visit this month.
Grand Villa Feltrinelli on the shore of Lake Garda was recommended to me by a very wealthy global traveller who described it as the best hotel he had every visited. He is notoriously tricky and hard to please. If he raved it was worth a look. Feltrinelli is fabulous but very expensive. Stay in Il Poeta suite or, if you’re feeling really extravagant, book Il Lago, but it will set you back around €2000 a night.
Villa San Michele sits above Florence with stunning views over the city and it’s Basilica. The hotel was a monastery in a past life and is built on a hillside. A visit to the swimming pool involves a touch of mountaineering but the view is worth the effort. We stayed in a junior suite with private garden which sounded lovely but the garden was pointless as a huge hedge sat between our room and the city below.
Hotel Caruso in Ravello also has a fabulous location with far reaching views across the surrounding Amalfi coastline. The infinity pool regularly appears in glossy travel mags and the suites all look out to sea. Aficionados of toiletries will love the basket of goodies in the bathroom which has every piece of Bulgari and Penhaligon pampering imaginable.
Hotel Arts is by the beach in Barcelona but just a short taxi ride, via Las Ramblas, from the city centre. It is described as a ‘boutique’ hotel but operated by Ritz Carlton who have successfully diversified from their usual clinical formula. The spa is run by Six Senses. Enjoy a massage on the terrace of the 43rd floor, probably the highest open-air massage on the planet.
The Hurricane Hotel in Tarifa on Spain’s Atlantic coast is a totally different affair. It’s shabby, very basic and certainly not luxurious, but the Hurricane is very popular with ‘Ad Man’ types and other London trendies. Enjoy world-class kite surfing whilst sipping a glass of rose in the beach bar. One word of warning – book an ‘Ocean side’ room. The ‘hill side’ rooms are beside a very busy and noisy road.
La Reserve Ramatuelle, close to St Tropez, is probably the best new hotel on the Med this year. The futuristic design is more suited to a Bond villain than over fluffied tourists looking for a break from partying in St Tropez. The suites are huge, as is the pool, which must be close on Olympic length so you won’t have to fight Fritz for a lounger. If you do decide to go the beach, Club 55 is only 10 minutes away.
Le Chateau St Martin is at the other end of the Cote D’Azur sitting in the hills behind Antibes and close to Vence and St Paul de Vence. Formerly home to Dan Brown’s Knights Templar, this is now an exceptionally good Relais & Chateaux hotel. The suites are spacious as is the pool area and dining is also very good. Lunch is served on the grass by the olive trees and dinner is on the terrace where one can survey the world below including the planes coming & going from Nice airport. Have another glass of wine and be glad you’re not on one.
Grace Hotel in Mykonos opened last year. It is a cool and sophisticated establishment which offers peace and tranquility. However, many people visiting Mykonos want buzz, action and nightlife. Situated 1.5km from Mykonos town, where parking is worse than Westminster, it's best to use the hotel shuttle which is the only downside of a hotel that is probably the best on Mykonos.
La Residencia in Deia is indisputably the best hotel in Mallorca, an island of two very distinct halves where the sleaze of ‘Shagalluf’ is a million miles removed from the serenity of Deia. Andrew Lloyd Webber lives around Deia and Michael Douglas is also a long term resident. Make sure you book one of the Tramuntana suites which sit at the top of the hill, all with private garden and incredible views across the island.
Ca’s Xorc is a few kilometers from Deia, down the hill towards Soller and, unlike La Residencia, won’t melt your credit card. Hidden down a long dust track, this small hotel has a mere 12 rooms, although only 5 are particularly desirable as they have either a private terrace or balcony. The restaurant is exceptional and you’ll probably decide that you don’t want to leave.
Grand Villa Feltrinelli: +39 365 79 80 00
Villa San Michele: +39 055 567 8200
Hotel Caruso: +39 089 858 801
Hotel Arts: +34 932 211 000
Hurricane Hotel: +34 956 68 4919
La Reserve Ramatuelle: +33 4 94 44 94 44
Le Chateau St Martin: +33 49 35 80202
Grace Hotel: +30 22 890 26 690
La Residencia: +34 9716 36046
Ca’s Xorc: +34 971 63 82 80
