Lazing lakeside on the shores of these gently lapping natural pools, surrounded by mountain-swept vistas and lush meadows, is no ordinary countryside holiday escape. These sunshine gilded chillax spots of natural cool look as good in autumnal russet red as they do in the summer's vivid verdant green - a retreat fit for some serious you-time.
These boutique hotel abodes range from the ultra-luxe glam to designer, hand-crafted style dens, to spots where farm-to-table is as natural as going for a morning dip and where you can paddleboard as easily as treat yourself to the spa - this is lakeside living made easy.
Browse our Lakeside Edit awash in cerulean blues, cloud-like whites and tonal watercolour greens, each a countryside canvas of freshwater cool – no salt added. This is all about H20-yes please, with possibly some gin, bubbles and a wedge of lime on the side.
For so long Poland’s fairy-tale expanse of dense woodland and its treasure trove of interconnected lakes upon lakes upon lakes was kept secret from many eyes. But now, the flight path to Poland’s quietly hidden Lake District, Warmia Mazury, has opened up and more eyes are beginning to look upon the wonder that is up to 2,000 lakes, surrounded by dense, verdant green forest.
read moreOnce a remote shooting lodge home to the Duke of Sutherland, Kinloch
Lodge now provides a remote and inviting retreat into the vastness of
nature. Boutique, urban touches meet a rustic, countryside canvas so
striking and so open, it is as if you are in floating in an earthy infinity
pool. Embrace the mountains and the sky with family, friends, the clan, or
just yourself.
A modernist, geometric structure, Filario Hotel stands as a beacon of the new, while cosying up against matriarchal mansions of Como and locking into the traditions of the locale – there’s a new way to do Como.
read moreA groovy icon from the seventies, Seehotel Ambach presides over the shores of Lake Caldaro in Italy’s South Tyrol with its perfectly formed, curvaceous marshmallowy walls of laid-back glamour and a canvas of tangerine, vert and oxide reds which drape mid-century furniture pieces.
read moreWith the feel of a hip in-the-know club for lido-lovers, Aqva Boutique Hotel’s modular alabaster white building is fronted by a turquoise pool surrounded by sleek decking. Like a pointing finger, a private pier juts out onto the lake - perfect for those celeb moments.
read moreA sleek modernist base that is both rustic and sophisticated in its design simplicity – conceived to mirror the surrounding vineyards and Arco Mountains of Trentino, this rural idyll is an architectural bolthole that gives nature a stylish makeover, irresistibly close to Lake Garda.
read moreClose to the natural beauty of the Neusiedler Lake lies one of Austria’s best kept foodie secrets, a place famed for making the humble, wonderful.
read moreWildland is one of Scotland's largest conservation projects, returning the Highlands back to nature and re-growing the pine forests.
read moreWhen thinking of Italian architecture, what’s most likely to come to people’s minds are the iconic Roman structures and ruins Italy is strewn with. But contemporary Italian architecture is not to be underestimated – on the contrary, one of the world’s most famous starchitects is Italian: Renzo Piano.
read moreA crafted narrative of art, design and nature that sits lakeside wrapped in a dense forest cloak of the Polish Lake Districts of Warmia and Masuria. A decidedly laid-back designer escape, Galery69 is a working creative hub for artisans, a nature-loving nest for adventurists and a bolthole for urbanites seeking lush downtime on Lake Wulpinskie.
read moreA fabulous foodie haunt, this chilled riverside hotel in Upper Austria is a traditional modernist that plays with heritage, the arts and nature between the Bohemian Forests and the Danube.
read more