(c) La Villa Calvi
Sunshine, sea and good food: an unbeatable combination, and even better if you add spectacular scenery and excellent service to the list. Select the perfect place to stay for your beach holiday from The Good Hotel Guide's collection of Europe's Best Beach Hotels - below is a list of their 10 favourite places.
1.La Villa Calvi, Corsica, France
(c) La Villa Calvi
A luxurious hilltop hotel, La Villa Calvi stands in lovely grounds above the fortified harbour town of Calvi. The design is part Roman villa, part Corsican monastery, with cloisters, mosaics, tiled floors, and a superb terrace for outdoor meals. There's also a more casual pool bar serving light dishes. At the beach, about 20 minutes' walk down the hill, the hotel has a restaurant that serves good, reasonably priced snacks. Some of the elegant rooms are in villas with private pools.
2.Manoir du Sphinx, Brittany, France
(c) Manoir du Sphinx
Built as a private villa in the early 20th century, Manoir du Sphinx, on the north Brittany coast, has a dramatic location above pink granite rocks that lead to the sea's edge. Some of the classic rooms have balconies with views of the bay. The restaurant has an emphasis on seafood and offers panoramic views from two terraces.
3.Le Corps de Garde, Charente-Maritime, France
(c) Le Corps de Garde
The Île de Ré, offshore from La Rochelle, is a popular bolthole for wealthy Parisians. It has miles of glorious sandy beaches, an interior of pine forests and vineyards, and plenty of charm. In the port, Le Corps de Garde, in the former harbourmaster's house, is now a supremely stylish hotel. Rooms are decorated with light colours, natural fabrics, seagrass matting and plain wood. All have a view; most have a sitting area and sofa. The salon, in the former boathouse, has an open fire.
4.Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi, Liguria, Italy
(c) Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi is built on the site of a villa once owned by the aristocratic Dogi family. It stands above the sea in spacious grounds with pine trees and exotic plants, at the southern end of a fishing village on the Ligurian coast south of Genoa. The views are enchanting, there's an excellent seawater pool, plus spacious lounges and terrace. Bedrooms have marble bathrooms; balconies face the pool or garden.
5.Hotel Bonsol, Spain
(c) Hotel Bonsol
On a pine-covered hillside overlooking Palma Bay, Hotel Bonsol is a large holiday hotel full of colour, warmth and homely luxury. Low, white, green-shuttered buildings spill down terraces and subtropical gardens to a tiny private cove and beach (a lift and tunnel bypass the road). There are three swimming pools on different levels, and a wellness centre. Bedrooms are airy and spacious. In the candlelit restaurant, or on a terrace by the cove, Spanish and international dishes are served.
6.Hotel Llevant, Costa Brava, Spain
(c) Hotel Llevant
Run by the same family since 1935, Hotel Llevant is set on the beach in an unspoilt small Costa Brava resort. Bedrooms vary in size and are generally light and well furnished, with lovely wood floors, good beds and linen. Meals are served in the immaculate dining room facing the sea, or under huge parasols on the attractive dining terrace. There is always fresh fish on the daily-changing table d'hôte dinner menu.
7.Hotel Grotta, Naxos, Greece
(c) Hotel Grotta
On a hillside, about seven minutes' walk from Naxos harbour and within a short distance of the Venetian castle, Hotel Grotta is a charming, family-run B&B hotel with modern rooms. Each bedroom has a fridge and a balcony or terrace (most face the sea), and there is a large indoor spa bath. Transport is provided free of charge to the ferry, and excursions around Naxos and to neighbouring islands can be arranged.
8.Hotel Miranda, Hydra, Greece
(c) Hotel Miranda
Valued for its relaxed atmosphere, Hotel Miranda is set in a listed 19th-century sea captain's mansion. It has some hand-painted ceilings and a collection of 18th/19th-century furniture. Front rooms have a large balcony facing the sea, and excellent breakfasts are served in a flowery courtyard. There is a gallery where art exhibitions are sometimes held.
9.Villa Vilina, Croatia
(c) Villa Vilina
On the small island of Lopud, 45 minutes by ferry from Dubrovnik, the family-run Villa Vilina stands on a bay next to a medieval Franciscan monastery. Bedrooms in the front have wonderful views over the small port, and meals are taken on a terrace with this view. The speciality for the en pension dinners is fish, freshly caught, and the family promise figs, grapes, tangerines and olives from the garden, and a cup of homemade rose brandy.
10.Palmiziana Meneghello Reservation, Croatia
(c) Palmiziana Meneghello Reservation
On a small private island off the coast of the island of Hvar, Palmiziana Meneghello Reservation offers accommodation in stone villas, each one different, each with a terrace, in a subtropical botanical garden. There are no cars on the island; numerous taxi boats run from Hvar, or you can anchor your boat in their harbour. The terrace restaurant serves some of the best food in the country.
See more hotel recommendations from The Good Hotel Guide's European Hotels here.