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100 Small Romantic Hotels & Places

Come discover 100 of the most romantic small hotels and places in the world.

  1. Unique Experience

    If you’re looking for a look-alike hotel that could be found anywhere, then this is not the right guide for you. We favor one-of-a-kind unique, hand-crafted hotels.  Our heart quickens with maximalist decor, not minimalist.

  2. Historic Old World Districts

    We’ve a soft spot for historic old-world districts with their centuries-old inns, cobblestoned streets, ancient cathedrals and fortified walls.

  1. Romantic Settings

    We love a stunning setting. From the North Pole to Patagonia, and the Scottish Highlands to the Japanese Alps, we’ve uncovered secluded romantic hotels in some of the world’s most spectacular settings.

  2. Bohemian Neighborhoods

    We’re partial to authentic lived-in neighborhoods filled with artists and galleries, musicians and late-night clubs, chef-owned restaurants and ethnic diversity.

Guidelines to getting on our small romantic hotel list

Only a few years ago, it was so easy for us to pick out a romantic hotel. We favored stunning settings, good food and an authentic sense of place. A creative owner’s quirky, stylish, whimsical and playful imprint was prized.

Small was beautiful.

But now some beautiful natural settings are being developed by hotel groups & developers that are a bit too focused on selling corporate retreats, condos, villas and time-shares for our tastes.

So we’ve updated our guidelines, adding two new ones:

We’re unambashedly in love with and search out artistic, talented one-of-kind, creative amateur hoteliers.  Bottom line, if it is clever and unique enough, a motel-chic place could get listed here.

We’re drawing the line on condo-hotels & time-share properties, however. We just don’t think kitchens and all they entail — food shopping, cooking & cleaning up — belong in a romantic place.