La Casa Azul, Valencia, Spain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Practically every hotel is a “boutique” nowadays. Appropriated by a growing number of 100-plus room properties, the “boutique” tag may be the most outworn moniker in the hospitality industry. So where are the lodgings that reflect the style, intimacy and personal attention of a true jewel-box hotel? Here are our picks for the world’s top 10 “ultra boutique” hotels — all of which have a dozen rooms or less.

Helsingfors
LATIN AMERICA | ARGENTINA | PATAGONIA
Quite simply, Patagonia’s ultimate temple of isolation. The stylish Scandinavian hideout is set at the foot of a dirt road, hugging the shores of a glacial lake, over 100 miles from the nearest town. With only eight rooms and views of the fabled Fitz Roy massif, you’ll feel like you’ve entered your own private wilderness.

Riad Meriem
AFRICA & MIDEAST | MOROCCO | MARRAKECH
Custom-made lanterns scatter the walls with “constellations” at this five-suite riad owned and decorated by Manhattan designer Thomas Hays. Life here centers around the courtyard with its plunge pool and lounge, while a jasmine and bougainvillea clad roof terrace is just the place to catch the sun set over the medina.

Inn at Coyote Mountain
LATIN AMERICA | COSTA RICA
A standout among Costa Rica’s premier eco-lodges, Coyote Mountain is perched 4,000 feet atop the Cordillera de Tiláran, with 360-degree vistas of the mountain, forest and Pacific Ocean. The 70-acre property commands its own hiking trails, orchid house and tropical gardens, while four ultra-luxe rooms feature handcrafted wooden furnishings and towering beamed ceilings.

Serinn House
EUROPE | TURKEY | CAPPADOCIA
Set against the lunar-like landscape of Cappadocia, Serinn House is a luxe cave-hotel open this year with five individually designed guestrooms (think minimalist furnishings and glass-walled showers carved into the mountainside). From the terrace, enjoy a breakfast of homemade breads overlooking the volcanic rock terrain.

La Casa Azul EUROPE | SPAIN | VALENCIA
Converted from a tiny 19th century townhouse, this former cod-fish shop has only three rooms — each occupying its own floor, and conceived by a different designer. The exquisite rooftop terrace boasts the best views in Valencia — over the art-nouveau Mercado Central, just a few feet away.

The Pitcher Inn
US & CANADA | US | VERMONT
One of only two Relais & Chateaux hotels in the state, the Pitcher Inn’s 11 rooms each reflect a different flavor of Vermont. There’s a “ski room,” with a duvet made from ski jackets, and a “school room” with a headboard fashioned from an old blackboard. Choose right and you’ll also score a wood-burning fireplace and views of the Green Mountains.

The Eugenia
ASIA | THAILAND | BANGKOK
If you’re seeking refuge in bustling Bangkok, make it this 19th-century colonial house. Hand-beaten copper tubs and four-poster beds lend the dozen plush suites a period elegance. And when you’re ready to battle the big city, several vintage Jaguars can chauffer you at will.

Katitche Point Greathouse CARIBBEAN | BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Think of Katitche Point Greathouse as your own private villa on the verdant bluffs of Virgin Gorda. Four suites and a master guestroom overlook Sir Francis Drake Channel — where the warm waters of Caribbean meet the Atlantic. And from the “crow’s nest” at the top of the pyramidal main lodge, you can stargaze from a swaying hammock.

The Outpost AFRICA & MIDEAST | SOUTH AFRICA
Set on the northern fringes of Kruger National Park, The Outpost is a sleek, contemporary hotel in the thick of South Africa’s great wildlife. A dozen rooms boast plush free-standing tubs, king-sized beds and terrace lounges — and, after you’ve rolled back the canvas walls, majestic views of the Makuleke floodplains.

JapaMala Resort ASIA | MALAYSIA
A dozen teak villas crouch beneath the jungle canopy, a few steps from the beach on Tioman Island off Malaysia’s eastern coast. Opt between a Jungle Sarang villa with outdoor pebble showers and a waterview loft; Sea View villas overlooking the South China Sea; or Treetop villas offering ultimate seclusion from their stilted perches.