Of all the questions levelled at me as a travel journalist, where to go that’s chic and won’t break us financially comes top.
It’s the holy grail, where taste trumps expense, and bragging rights shift towards hidden, wholly affordable gems. There are plenty of these under-the-radar stays on the fringes of places associated with haute holidays, sometimes even hiding in plain sight (The Italian Lakes and The Balaerics, for example).
So here is a guide for those who live for a bargain without compromising on style. From stylish, contemporary-classic stays in Baroque Sicilian cities to Como alternatives, here are eight ways to have the European holiday of a lifetime… for less.
Lago d’Orta, The Italian Lakes
Lake Orta is essentially what Maggiore and Como once were — free of selfie-sticks and Clooneys. It’s calm, wildly beautiful and highly underrated, with pastel-painted town of Orta San Giulio serving up the right dose of culture. Piercing the blue, glassy lake is the pocket-sized isle of Isola San Giulio with its Brothers Grimm-esque turrets, monastery and houses that appear to tumble into the water. Days under Orta’s spell typically begin with an invigorating dip, pastries on a terrace and reading to the faint hum of a motorboat breaking the still water.
Afternoons can be spent exploring Orta San Giulio’s array of galleries and boutiques, and sampling Piedmontese bounty at Pan & Vino, or perhaps visiting Fondazione Calderara’s contemporary collection in Vacciago di Ameno. The horticulturally inclined will float through the Gardens of Villa Motta, while walkers can head up via a string of chapels following the life of Francesco d’Assisi to Sacro Monte di Orta, perched on a promontory overlooking the lake. In the evenings Pull up a chair at the unbuttoned Osteria Speranza Omegna for modestly priced dishes such as mushroom gnocchetti or shrimp ravioli.
Where to stay
La Darbia is living proof that the Italian Lakes’ genteel shores and natural splendour aren’t solely the preserve of film stars and wealthy Americans. Here is a stylish lakeside retreat that won’t break the bank. Contemporary rooms don their own kitchenettes and terraces, with views over vineyards that braid on to meet the shoreline. Guests can also wallow in the heated salt water pool. It’s worth staying in at least once to cook, having scoured the local towns and villages for superlative Piedmontese ingredients (cheese, truffles, wine).
From £250 per night, ladarbia.com
Modica and Scicli, Sicily
Since The White Lotus implored Netflix’s audience to make a beeline for Noto (and since Mario Testino, Mick Jagger and the like began snapping up its hilltop houses), the Baroque city and its surrounding prairie-like countryside has hoiked up its hotel rates. Modica will do, in time. But for now, the hilly Baroque city, crowded with ornate churches against a Hyblean mountain backdrop and famed for its chocolate, is gloriously affordable. You’ll find crumbly, cold-pressed chocolate at Antica Dolceria Bonajuto (Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory).
You’ll also find an art and design movement, egged on by the cheap rents and thumping beauty of the place. Works of upcoming artists line the walls of Galleria Lo Magno. In nearby Scicli, crumbling aristocratic palazzi (such as Palazzo Beneventano) remain eerily silent and fantastical inside. Saunter down Via Francesco Mormina Penna for its Baroque good looks then order the raviolini at Verace (near San Giovanni). Sampieri’s blonde, sandy beaches, its bars and fresh seafood are a five-minute drive away
Where to stay
A design-savvy duo have preserved the resplendent character of this pretty Modica building, keeping its original 18th-century stone floor yet adding subtle contemporary layers for a stylish stay. Outside, a terrace offers a knockout view of Modica’s honey-baked jumble of Baroque buildings. In Scicli, San Bartolomeo Casa e Putia is the guest house to drop your bags at. Minimalist rooms with concrete floors blink out towards the hotel’s namesake church, their balconies lined with Sicilian tiles (and pastries for breakfast).
The Sicilian Escape from £149 per night, airbnb.co.uk; San Bartolomeo Casa e Putia from £95 per night, sanbartolomeocasaeputia.it
The Lofoten, Norway
The Lofoten islands can be reached with a connecting flight from one of Norway’s main cities, and once in Narvik, it’s worth hiring a car and taking the famously scenic E10. Along the way, Leknes, Reine and Moskenes await, where hikes are generously rewarded with dramatic landscapes and little falu-red houses hugging the shores of archipelagoes.
The best part is that all this natural beauty is free — just load up on cheese and charcuterie picnics in the main towns then set off for untamed beaches such as Unstad and Haukland, or clamber up Offersøykammen to marvel at the vibrant mottled waters and rugged landscape from up high. Try to book ahead for Polarhagen’s foodie evenings, where an Oslo escapee couple’s Arctic Circle life is laid bare, and their homegrown veg is showcased on the menu. And in place of the pricey Holmen Lofoten, spend an afternoon at Hov Farm, riding horses through the film set landscape.
Where to stay
Not far from Lofoten’s sleepy hamlet of Kvalnes lies a cluster of gently respun fishermen houses. The style is pared down and traditional, with wooded, wonky plastered interiors evoking the simple life — warmed by a log burner and embroidered cushions. Sleeping 2-6 people, five cosy self-catered huts are sheltered behind the harbour wall. From this hygge hideout, guests can break the cool, glassy water with kayaks, hike to nearby mountain lakes, or drive to the bone-white beaches of Kvalvika and Skagsanden.
From £160 per night, villalofoten.com
Douro Valley, Portugal
The budget-conscious tend to avoid wine country like the plague, but the beauty of Portugal’s Douro Valley is that some of its most intriguing, family-run wineries and boutique hotels are not too expensive. The affordable wine tasting experiences to book include Quinta da Pacheca, Quinta de la Rosa and Quinta do Tedo, with its panoramic views over the river. For a hike with foodie pit stops, head up to the Miradouro of Casal de Loivos from Pinhão via D’Origem for its olive oil and, at the top, the family-owned Quinta do Jalloto for its superlative port and honey. It’s worth loading up on cheese, meats and bread in Pinhão’s delis and markets for picnics, although unbuttoned roadside restaurants such as Sais da Foz serve up classic Portuguese food for more-than-modest prices.
Where to stay
Rescued from decay by winemaker Philippe Austrey, Quinta da Côrte is the sort of elusive hideout couples will spend days scouring the internet for, and only discover through a friend of a friend. People return year after year for its go-slow rhythms, communal suppers and the simple joy of a poolside book.
From £170 per night, quintadacorte.com
Athens with Folegandros, Greece
For an affordable, unforgettable European holiday, Greece really is the word. Just ensure you book a little off season, for milder temperatures and cheaper flights. One of Europe’s most underrated cities, Athens has an infectious, creative, and slightly chaotic energy.
Of course there’s the Parthenon-topped Acropolis, but the real joy of modern day Athens is the scene filling its ancient bones. Creatives flock here for the cheap, post-crash rents and artistic communities forming — you’ll find it at The Breeder (a reimagined Metaxourgio ice cream factory showcasing works by Greek artists), or in hip Themistokleous where small-plate restaurants such as Frater & Soror thrum with young energy.
Most of the trendy spots are wholly affordable, such as Mnisikleous Street in Plaka, where cafés dot the stairs. The form, after a few days wiggling through photogenic streets is to make a break for the Greek isles. Folegandros is the freckled and shy Greek cousin, an introvert cast adrift from the rest of the family, who prefers a book in the shade of an olive tree to a beach party, any day.
Where to stay
Athens’ The Perianth Hotel is a neo-modernist, five-star oasis, hiding in plain sight in Agias Eirinis square, close to all the hot ticket attractions, yet off the beaten path. Its mood is endemic of Athens’ burgeoning creative scene, with guests booking in for yoga and meditation sessions at the Zen Center Athens (they share the same space), and walls dotted with contemporary Greek artists.
Once anchored in Folegandros, Anemomilos Boutique Hotel’s Mamma Mia-style minibus will chug you up vertiginous cliffs, where pared-down blue and white rooms exhale onto balconies with views across the Aegean.
The Perianth Hotel from £173 per night, perianthhotel.com; Anemomilos Boutique Hotel from £195 per night, anemomiloshotel.com
Puglia, Italy
Along with its raw edges and unfiltered, coastal light, the transcendent beauty of Puglia lies in its simplicity. Its towns and cities such as Ostuni are a balmy, coffee-scented maze of affordable boutiques selling makers’ wares, galleries (visit Orizzonti Arte Contemporanea), and restaurants baking everything from scratch, (try La Pastasciutta for affordable pasta and Il Vizio del Conte for morish on-the-go pizza). First-timers are blown away by the city’s panoramic views which tug at hearts from all angles, with the Adriatic winking ahead, and some of Puglia’s most ravishing beaches less than a 10-minute drive away.
Where to stay
Masseria Cervarolo feels deeply rooted in the sun-baked land, with its 16th-century architecture and cone-shaped trulli. The old farmhouse is enveloped in surprisingly green countryside for Puglia. Inside, the prevailing sense in the main vaulted manor house is one of home — where the absence of a bells-and-whistles design overhaul has spared the building its character. Much of it has been upcycled, such as the old farmhouse doors (now headboards), and its timber repurposed as towel racks. At its centre lies a lagoon-like pool, though its beating heart (true to Puglian form) is the restaurant, where guests can peer across to the tiled, open plan kitchen for the ever-shifting menu.
From £179 per night, masseriacervarolo.com
Montmartre & the Parisian countryside, France
Paris is always a good idea, but usually your credit card thinks otherwise. On your next trip, leave the Golden Triangle’s haute hotel rates behind and venture north to Montmartre, where tree-lined streets recall a Wes Anderson film set, with brasseries and cafes spilling onto the cobbles in the dappled light. Spend a few days here and allow its bohemian character to really get under your skin. Start with hipster-pastiche Hardware Société for a slap up, French toast breakfast before scaling the steps (and braving the tourists) for the heart-tugging views from the Sacré Coeur.
Scramble down to Hotel Particulier, for a glass of rosé in its bourgeois, walled garden. It’s an elusive spot that requires you wiggle through affluent residential backstreets, then buzz on what appears to be a private house gate. For a lunch that is guaranteed to be great, Le Poulbot serves up classic French fare (your snails and cheesy onion soup). And for an affordable, cultured afternoon, Musée de la Vie Romantique houses various artefacts and exhibitions celebrating the romantic period, with unmissable cake and coffee in a pretty, wisteria-clad orangery.
For cocktails, slide into deli and wine bar, les Piqueurs’ prohibition-esque bar at the back, or nurse a pricey cocktail for an hour or so at Terrass (worth it for the twinkling sweep of the Parisian skyline). An entire day can be devoted to Le Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen —a sprawling flea market easily reached from Montmartre to Porte de Clignancourt, with 14 districts to explore, with venders flogging everything from antique jewellery to vintage handbags. It’s a sensory assault, antique hunting aside, and runs on weekends from 10am and Mondays (except August) from 11am-5pm.
Where to stay
For a hip, wholly affordable take on Paris’s hotel scene, drop your bags at Hotel des Grands Boulevards in the second arrondissement. Lying just below Montmatre, yet close enough to Le Marais or the first arrondissement, the hotel is the ultimate launchpad for scaling Paris by foot, just without the price tag. The style is polished bohemia — scalloped headboards, glossy marble bathrooms, lacquered joinery and dried flowers. And everything is centred around a light-filled atrium bar-restaurant, where a cool crowd sip good coffee. The petite rooftop bar is buzzing by 6pm — a fun spot where the Experimental Group’s cocktail-making muscle is duly flexed.
The 10th Arrondissement’s Les Deux Gares is an even more affordable option, dressed head-to-toe in Luke Edward Hall’s hallmark eclecticism and a few steps away from Gare du Nord.
Having explored Montmartre, rather than head back to Gare de Nord for the Eurostar, hop on the local train to Rambouillet, then take a quick taxi to Le Barn. A favourite bolthole with the Parisians, the hotel is wrapped in 500-acres of watercolour green, and guests are encouraged to trot through it on horseback, when they’re not wild swimming or stewing in the Nordic baths. Unusually for these hip hotels, the room rate include breakfast, as well as a full raft of activities and use of bikes. Hot tip: children up to four go free on Eurostar, so to avoid hefty plane tickets with young sprogs and all the airport stress, a Eurostar trip to Paris with Le Barn tacked on could just be the holy (and more sustainable) grail.
