As life expenses go up and up, our holiday budgets are feeling the squeeze. But at these cool stays, stylish rooms cost from around £85 or less — especially if you’re flexible on the dates you stay.
Brody House, Budapest, Hungary
Long before Europe was awash in boho hotels, Brody House was setting the standard for the faded-grand, neglected-chic aesthetic in Budapest. Opened in 2009 in a neoclassical Palace District building with stylishly crumbling plaster walls, the boutique hotel feels like a creative’s hideaway with its contemporary-art-splashed rooms and vintage touches. And for all the years it’s been popular, it still keeps room prices reasonable — starting rates are just a squeak over £150 a night.
From £154, brody.house
Mama Shelter Rennes, France
In Britanny’s capital, known for its Medieval architecture, this quirkily designed outpost from the Mama Shelter group offers chic accommodation under £100 with a stylish rooftop and brasserie overlooking the city. Upping the luxe factor for the affordable price tag is a basement spa, hammam and sauna nestled into a stone vault, as well as a pool and gym next door. For those that way inclined, there’s also karaoke rooms in a variety of sizes. Well, when in Rennes?! When it’s time to head to bed, expect boudoir style interiors and historic features such as original mouldings and fireplaces in the 119 rooms, which range from compact Mediums for two all the way up to XL family rooms.
From 99 euros for a medium room. mamashelter.com
Plaza 18, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain
In whitewashed Vejer de la Frontera, a hilltop town on the Andalusian coast south of Cádiz, six-room Plaza 18 fuses Moorish atmosphere with contemporary patterns in timeless appeal. Over a two-year period the building was meticulously renovated, with original floor tiles lifted and carefully relaid. Choose from balcony-fringed rooms overlooking Vejer’s 15th-century tower or ones opening up to mountain and sea. The best views though, are arguably from the rooftop terrace, where on sunny days you can sip your morning coffee while gazing out over the lot.
From £140, califavejer.com
BUNK Hotel Amsterdam, Netherlands
With its street art-splashed wharfs and cutting-edge builds, the Noord district doesn’t follow the staid style rules of Amsterdam’s nearby historic core. Case in point is BUNK, a funky stay in a converted church that is the perfect cool base for thrifty explorers. Sleeper pods with blackout curtains are a design-y step up from a hostel for solo travellers (or budget-conscious twosomes), while those with a bit more money to burn can book compact, cleverly designed rooms from just £48. There is a lounge area and all-day restaurant with sprawling patio for remote working, too.
From £21, bunkhotels.com
Dexamenese Seaside Hotel, Peloponnese, Greece
While lovely hotels can cost a bundle on certain Greek islands (we’re looking at you, Mykonos), the underrated Peloponnese peninsula has just as much Mediterranean appeal — and more affordable places to stay. Take industrial-cool Dexamenes, a former winery turned resort on a stretch of delicious beachfront by Amaliada. It’s architectural and austere, with former towering wine tanks featuring in a riot of concrete, steel and glass. A refreshing alternative to the oft-favoured white-and-teal hotel colour palette.
From £154, dexamenes.com
Hotel SP34, Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen’s lively Latin Quarter is your backdrop at SP34, a design hotel that comes with real local flavour. It’s not just the on-point Scandi decor — curvaceous wood headboards, leathery chairs and geometric-dream bathrooms tiling — but also the greenhouse-y bistro attracting real-life Copenhageners (locals like the onsite burger and cocktail bar, too). If that’s not enough to draw you, there’s also a daily complimentary wine hour *and* a nightcap hour; together that makes the entry price point feel great value.
From £132, brochner-hotels.com
Hotel Motto, Vienna, Austria
Hotel Motto’s central location, near the MuseumsQuartier, is good — but its parquet is to die for. Despite the affordable lead-in rates, this sleek spot overdelivers on the interiors front, from those polished wooden floors to its effervescent wallpapers and 1920s Paris-inspired detailing. Like with much of Vienna, there’s history here. Music buffs will love that the building was once home to composer Johann Strauss (though, in his day there probably wasn’t a rooftop terrace bar with tassely parasols...).
From £131, hotelmotto.at
Venissa Wine Resort, Venice, Italy
Set on a verdant vineyard-striped isle in Venice’s lagoon, this five-room hotel gives you the full Italian experience without the city’s signature crowds or eye-watering prices. Blue, green and white hues in rooms mirror the waters outside your door, while the adjoining Michelin-starred restaurant lets you splurge your saved cash on a seven-course menu of local produce (it includes veg from the estate’s own garden, and their own wine too). And when you’re ready to tackle the sights, Venice’s core is just a ferry ride away.
From £141, venissa.it
BABEL, Paris, France
In multicultural neighbourhood Belleville, BABEL is inspired by the myriad global influences of its surrounds — North African earthy and brassy tones outfit the compact rooms, Silk Road spices ripple through the menu. Belleville born-and-bred head chef Sofiane Sadi Haddad has brought natural wines into the mix and supports the Refugee Food Festival. On weekend evenings, Parisians pour in to sip cocktails at the bar and socialise. You’ll feel right in the thick of French capital life, without stepping foot anywhere near the Eiffel Tower.
From £125, babel-belleville.com
Casa C’Alma, Lisbon, Portugal
The clue is in the name: this little stay, set on a green in Lisbon, is all about finding peace away from the city rush. Bright and airy rooms overlooking the trees are soothingly minimalist and white-washed, with only the essentials you need — like bed, statement pendant light and chair for curling up with a good read. Right on your doorstep there’s a load of enticing eating and drinking to discover, from wine bars to Peruvian restaurants.
From £106, quietude.pt
The Syntopia, Crete, Greece
‘Cheap all-inclusive’ and ‘chic’ aren’t words usually found together, but this new-gen stay on the Greek isle of Crete proves it isn’t just a fantasy. Bohemian-glam style is given serious priority at adults-only Syntopia, from a pool area landscaped with daybeds and pouffes to bedrooms with Aztec-style throw cushions and rattan lampshades. There’s often a minimum stay of around five nights to bag the cheapest rates — an astonishing £141 per night for two people — but for such Instagrammable looks that feels more than fair.
From £141, thesyntopiahotel.gr
Hotel Sablon, Bruges, Belgium
Chocolate, canals, fairytale architecture — romantic Bruges is known for many things, but affordable modern hotels isn’t one of them. But enter Hotel Sablon, where right in the heart of the medieval centre a suitably 2020s room can cost as little as £150 a night. Elegant armchairs in jewel hues and backlit headboards provide refreshing contrast to the city’s historic mood of cobbled streets and worn-wood pubs. Some of the bedrooms have freestanding tubs steps from the bed; others are large enough for families.
From £150, hotelsablon.be
Les Cabanettes, Arles, France
Love the modernist vibe? This one-of-a-kind hotel in Arles is the real deal — a 1960s time capsule designed by sculptor Armand Pellier that was built decades before the look took over social media. Austere concrete and half-moon curves meet electric orange hues (a colour scheme best described as ‘marmite’; but the charm is that they’re not trying to crowd-please). Mod facilities are dialed down, which hardly matters given rooms come with both terraces and access to a communal pool. Dive in, kick back and applaud yourself for snagging such style for under £100 a night.
From £84, llescabanettes.com
RUNO Hotel, Porvoo, Finland
Only a hop from capital Helsinki, charming little coastal city Porvoo is an easy overnight stop before plunging into Finland’s Lake District. But lovely RUNO — which means ‘poem’ in Finnish — will make you want to linger longer (and, with lead-in rates under £120, you can probably afford to). Set in a historic building, its 56 rooms are beacons of calm with taupe hues, earthy woods and warm lighting, but also original features (one has a gorgeous tiled stove). Among the facilities is the most Finnish of additions: a wood-lined communal sauna.
From £119, runohotel.com
The Circus Hotel, Berlin
While (thankfully) not as dazzling as an actual circus, this hotel just outside the U Rosenthaler Platz metro isn’t afraid of a flamboyant use of colour. Rooms are splashed in blocks of red or green, offset with funky art pieces — and outfitted with Bluetooth speakers and desks for WFH. An in-house events calendar ranging from quiz nights to karaoke nights in nearby sister property Circus Hostel gives you the option to get social, if that’s your thing. If it’s not, just kick back in the leafy garden courtyard with a cocktail and tune out the world.
From £114, circus-berlin.de
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Dubrovnik, Croatia
For families that want a wallet-friendly option but don’t fancy staying in a kiddie-kitsch resort, this seaside stay in Dubrovnik ticks all the boxes. The amenities are all there: three pools, multiple restaurants overlooking the sea, a shingle beach and walks through pine woods. (And, for parents in need of R&R, a proper spa with sauna and hot tubs.) Rooms spacious enough for a brood are fresh and calming too, with sea views and balconies.
From £140, adriaticluxuryhotels.com
