The Best Luxury Hotels in the Mediterranean to Visit by Superyacht

Forget clinical-looking boot camps: after a challenging 2020, this year’s approach to wellness is all about joie de vivre. And when it comes to healing the soul, you can hardly do better than heading to Airelle’s South of France retreat. Situated in the hilltop village of Gordes in the heart of Provence, La Bastide is set in the 16th-century former stately home of painter Marc Chagall, just a 40-minute scenic ride from Avignon.

Designer Christophe Tollemer led the €33 million (£30m) renovation project, which earned it the coveted Palace status in 2016. The interiors forego modern lines and neutral palettes in favour of a quirky, well-studied French maximalism consisting of period furniture, antique floor tiles, rich tapestries, ornate wallpapers, vintage books and more than 2,000 paintings.

For the look of its Sisley spa, Tollemer took inspiration from the nearby Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, the 12th-century Cistercian abbey built in Romanesque style and set in the middle of picturesque lavender fields. The spa reception is styled to resemble an old apothecary, and the indoor swimming pool, hammam and treatment rooms can be reached by way of vaulted stone corridors and through heavy walnut doors, each opening to reveal stunning views on the surrounding Luberon mountains.

Days are not spent fasting, but feasting on Mediterranean fare, lounging by the pool and venturing out for e-biking tours. Nights are for honey-coloured sunsets, open-air film screenings and stargazing. Welcome to le sud.

Since it first opened its doors over 100 years ago, this grand hotel in the heart of Barcelona has had to endure more than its fair share of trials. Scarcity of materials after the First World War slowed construction, a general strike in 1919 jeopardised the inauguration, and the civil war meant that rooms where royalty had dined were used as hospital wards. Yet El Palace, founded by César Ritz as part of his group of luxury European hotels, weathered them all, becoming a favoured haunt for the great, the good and the fun-loving, from Ella Fitzgerald to Roger Moore and Salvador Dalí, who once hauled a stuffed white horse up the grand staircase to surprise his wife, Gala, in their suite. 

The venerable hotel is only two kilometres from Port Vell marina, and its 1,500-square-metre rooftop gardens set the stage for special events, from yoga classes to screenings of modern classics at an open-air cinema.

Built on the site of an 18th-century monastery in Fira’s maze-like backstreets, Katikies Garden offers sanctuary from the seasonal crowds that besiege the island’s well-trodden clifftop pathways. The building’s hushed, reflective atmosphere has been thoughtfully preserved, with whitewashed and scented corridors leading to 40 suites. 

Some feature terraces, spa pools and sea views, while others overlook the hotel’s focal point: a graceful courtyard with Moroccan-style arches, subtle lighting and marble-topped tables. Here you can dine under the stars on 10-day dry-aged Challans duck with mustard dolce and Périgourdine sauce, to the sound of a chilled-out Latin playlist and a bubbling fountain. Of course, every self-respecting monastery keeps a well-stocked cellar, and master of wine Yiannis Karakasis has curated an impressive selection of volcanic whites and powerful reds to choose from. 

The next morning, blow away any wine-induced cobwebs on Frog, Katikies’ Riva 63, moored a short drive away in Vlychada marina. Once on the water you can marvel at the island’s dramatic topography and swim above a submerged volcanic crater before rehydrating at a taverna on one of Santorini’s hidden beaches.

A 12th-century villa once owned by Italian nobility, the blush pink Palazzo Avino perches 350 metres above a dramatic stretch of the Amalfi Coast. Spread across a series of flower-filled terraces, it was once used as a hideaway by Hollywood high-flyers (with varying degrees of success – Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini were spotted cosying up here during their scandalous affair in the late 1940s). Today, the property’s vaulted ceilings and graceful balconettes allow guests to relive this glamorous golden age.

Tender in to its recently renovated cliffside beach club – where cocktails are delivered to your sunlounger – before the meandering drive up to the town of Ravello. Dinner is served on a candle-lit terrace overlooking the bay at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Rossellinis, where guests can sample the best of Italian haute cuisine (don’t miss grilled scallops served with their coral and the Vesuvio apricot soufflé). Afterwards, retreat to the Infinito Suite where you can watch new yacht arrivals from the spa pool on your private terrace.

This family-owned property cascading down the hills above Elia Bay looks, at first glance, like a traditional sun-bleached Greek hotel. But inside, the lobby is modern and stylish with wood and wire sculptures and gleaming white sofas that enhance the airy atmosphere, while black and white daybeds line the saltwater infinity pool outside. Leave your yacht in Mykonos Old Town or land at the resort’s helipad to discover the 69 private villas, many of which have their own balcony infinity pools, offering unparalleled views of the Aegean. If you want to explore, there’s a regular shuttle to the nearby private Elia Beach and Mykonos Town. Then, after the sun sets, head down to the restaurant to find pink sofas and Serax glassware, and indulge in a fine-dining menu featuring seasonal creations by chef Thodoris Kyriakidis.

Nestled unobtrusively on the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio shoreline, the recently renovated Hôtel Casadelmar showcases Corsica’s natural beauty. Two hectares of lush, perfumed gardens afford privacy and space to the French politicians, musicians and sports stars who visit, while each of the 31 rooms offers a sprawling vista of the sea and mountain villages beyond. The interior is just as impressive, with tasteful artworks and sculptures adding pops of colour to the rosewood-and-glass decor. Anchor out, arrive by tender at its private jetty and grab a cocktail to accompany the Mediterranean sunset, followed by dinner at the island’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant. Head chef Fabio Bragagnolo emphasises fresh local produce in his spectacular dishes: hazelnuts, game, honey, cheese and seafood all feature heavily. And if you overindulge, don’t worry: Casadelmar’s gym has floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can work o those extra calories while the island continues to bewitch you from the treadmill.

Perched on a dramatic hillside looking out over the rugged coastline and deep blue waters of the Ionian Sea, the secluded Ultima Corfu offers 1,000 square metres of tranquillity and privacy. Bridging the gap between five-star luxury hotel, private home and charter, this seven-suite villa, which opened in the summer, comes with its own 24-metre yacht. 

It can host up to 14 people in pure-white Grecian interiors divided between two levels to make the most of the 180-degree views. Take the glass lift down to the waterfront terrace and gaze across at the Greek and Albanian coastlines from the two-level infinity pool or the sunbathing areas carved out of the rocks. Once you’ve dined on a feast prepared by the villa’s private chef, step on board the Ultima Beach and let the captain and crew take you out into the Ionian for a sundowner. Or, if you can bear to, choose to stay away a little longer – the yacht can sleep seven guests for overnight trips.

Encircled by granite mountains and backed by bottle-green swathes of cypress, Porto Montenegro lies at the heart of the UNESCO-protected Bay of Kotor. Significant investment in recent years has transformed this old naval shipyard into a sparkling superyacht marina, luxury village and five-star spa hotel.

Start by mooring in one of Porto Montenegro’s 138 superyacht berths before taking your pick between relaxing in the softly lit Regent Spa or a dip in the yacht club’s Instagrammable infinity pool. The shipyard’s old syncrolift now serves as an events venue – hosting fashion shows, plays and concerts – and a polo field is in progress for this summer’s inaugural tournament. Once the sun slips behind the surrounding mountains, wind your way through the Italian garden to sink into a corner of the hotel’s Library Bar. Furnished with dark wooden panelling, it offers groaning bookshelves, a live pianist and cigars at the ready.

Mallorca’s most spectacular vistas make picture postcards out of clifftop windows at the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa, from sunsets burning into the Mediterranean to lights twinkling across the Tramuntana mountains. Moor at the local marina, which takes yachts up to 35 metres, or at Port Adriano to the south, which accepts bigger yachts. Enhance the view from the infinity pool with a new pair of Taylor Morris shades – the hip London brand’s first international outpost is here, complete with sunglasses butlers to buff your lenses.

Wander through scented gardens to the spectacular Talise Spa with its open-air heated hydropool and melt away stress with a salt steam bath for immune rejuvenation and fragrant treatments with olive oil, lemons and almonds. The hotel is infused with Spanish culture, from Mallorcan artwork to the churro server who visits tables at breakfast. There’s plenty to eat here: stop by the Sunset Sushi Lounge for cocktails and maki, and for inventive tapas with the finest panoramas try Es Fanals, at the top of the hotel.

Tucked away on a quiet southern peninsula, with few distractions other than idly watching a superyacht cruise along the horizon, at Santa Marina it is easy to forget Mykonos’s party reputation. Arrive by yacht, helicopter or plane to find a scattering of 101 sugar cube suites and rooms, and 13 villas cascading down the granite hill towards the Aegean.

The resort has undergone a multi-million-euro refurbishment and is now the ultimate retreat in which to relax, whether on a double sunpad by the saltwater infinity pool, in a woven-backed, cushioned cabana above the clean ecru sand of the island’s only private beach, or in the calming surrounds of the new Gingko spa. After the sun sets, drop back down to the beach for dinner – Buddha-Bar serves pan-Asian sharing plates such as scallop sushi and aromatic duck salad. Twice a year the famous bar group’s head mixologist flies in to mix cocktails such as the White Princess, with gin and sake infused with lemongrass essential oil – and after that, how much of a party vibe you feel in Mykonos is up to you.