Three unique hotels that will elevate your next getaway
With more than 5,600 hotels across the globe, the Accor hotels group is one of the leading experts in delivering world-class hospitality. Its portfolio spans everything from coveted luxury brands such as Fairmont and Raffles to fuss-free and convenient properties designed for the budget-conscious traveller.
There's one theme which runs throughout all Accor hotels: they provide memorable experiences to guests, while helping them connect to the traditions and history of their destination. This is why it made complete sense for British Airways Holidays, one of the UK's most trusted tour operators, to offer curated holiday packages to some of the best Accor hotels around the globe. Book your getaway with British Airways Holidays and you can expect a great-value holiday with quality and peace of mind, along with Atol protection from the moment you book, access to a dedicated 24/7 support helpline during your trip and a generous checked baggage allowance per person.
These exceptional hotels, carefully selected by British Airways Holidays for their unique style, stories and sense of place, offer the perfect opportunity to enjoy the Accor experience.
Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol
Located in Spain's southernmost region of Costa del Sol in Andalusia, a premier golf destination that's just 30 minutes from Gibraltar airport, the Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol will steal your heart with its coastal elegance and contemporary Andalusian design.
It features two exceptional 18-hole courses – which select guest rooms look onto – plus a scenic links course with seven seaside holes. The property's soothing, neutral-toned (and exceedingly spacious) guestrooms come with beautiful marble bathrooms and dreamy Mediterranean Sea views, while some of the largest suites and 47 standalone villas spoil you further, with plunge pools, fluid indoor-outdoor spaces and serene, secluded gardens.
When a pamper session calls, unwind with a bespoke wellness treatment in the natural light-filled spa. If it's culture you're looking for, explore the educational programmes offered to families. You can also try an olive oil tasting or flamenco night via the hotel's bespoke cultural tours.
Let's not forget the epicurean excellence you'll find across the property's five culinary venues: whether it's the hotel's Beach Club refreshments or the menu that's been specially designed with a rising Michelin star chef, you'll find Andalusian tradition and seasonal ingredients shining throughout.
Raffles Singapore
Thank goodness for British Airways Holidays' generous checked luggage allowance, because you'll want to dress to impress at this Singaporean landmark which ranks sixth place in the list of the World's 50 Best Hotels.
Its 115 plush suites come with 14ft-high ceilings, teak wood floors and shuttered windows, with some paying tribute to its past illustrious guests by way of curious memorabilia and photos. Its exceptional Raffles butler service provides local insight into the city-state's vibrant neighbourhoods and attractions, and will curate magical moments throughout your stay.
The hotel's seven drinking and dining spaces offer everything from Chinese delicacies at Yi by Jereme Leung to avant-garde wood-fire experiences at Butcher's Block. You can also sip a legendary Singapore Sling from its Long Bar or bespoke cocktails that pay tribute to literary luminaries with its intimate Writers Bar. Don't miss the chance to visit its glamorous shops at Raffles Arcade, home to retail concepts such as AP House and Secret Garden by Van Cleef & Arpels. Nor should you miss the rejuvenating body or facial treatments offered from its tranquil Raffles Spa. However you spend your time, this stunning hotel will stay with you long after you leave.
25hours Hotel The Trip
From its museum-filled Museumsufer district to its historical Römer town hall, Frankfurt has some fabulous attractions and sights. And this centrally located hotel in the multicultural Bahnhofsviertel neighbourhood – just steps away from the city's main train station and with a fleet of Schindelhauer bikes that you can hire – allows you to reach them all with minimal effort.
Within the hotel itself, the fun and quirky design by Michael Dreher and Morgen Interiors begins as soon as you hit the eclectic and colourful lobby. The rooms take you on a journey through the Arctic, mountains and tropics via its design features, including wall maps, expedition photos and globally inspired fabrics. The restaurant, Bar Shuka, takes you on a culinary adventure with its zaatar-seasoned pittas, grilled kebabs and other Middle Eastern-inspired dishes. The Shuka Bar ups the elegance with saké-based drinks and its rooftop obstacle course lures in calisthenics and parkour fans. Sound too energetic? Soak up the city views from its inviting sauna, also on the top-floor.
All holidays with British Airways Holidays include a generous checked baggage allowance for each customer and come with full Atol protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your holiday to Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol, Raffles Singapore or 25hours Hotel The Trip with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*.
*Full balance is due four weeks before departure for short-haul holidays and seven weeks for long-haul. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply
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Bangkok has a new luxury hotel — next to the city's most peaceful park
Bangkok took the title of the world's most visited city in 2024, with 32.4 million travellers taking a bite of the Big Mango last year. Its recent starring role in The White Lotus season three has boosted its appeal further, and now the Thai capital has the ultimate luxury endorsement: an Aman hotel. Aman enjoys cult status within the hospitality industry. The brand invented the high-end boutique hotel concept almost four decades ago and has since expanded to 36 properties that remain the byword for exquisite taste. Aman is also famous, make that infamous, for charging truly eye-watering prices — just the thought of the £150,000 joining fee and £11,500 annual subs for gym membership at its New York property puts me in a cold sweat. Bank managers look away now, devoted Aman fans from Mark Zuckerberg to Kate Moss gather round: there's an argument that despite rates starting at £830 a night, its new Bangkok property is actually a relative bargain, at least compared with the group's two other urban properties. Rooms in New York are rarely less than £2,000 and those in Tokyo are north of £2,500. In Thailand you'll arrive in style because the rate includes a limousine transfer and fast-track service through Suvarnabhumi airport, where it can sometimes feel like 32 million of those 32.4 million visitors are in front of you in the immigration queue. The hotel throws in a complimentary minibar, restocked daily with everything from champagne to kombucha, and breakfast — the kimchi omelette is delicious. If that sounds something like sufficient bang for your buck, the question is: can this place deliver an authentic Aman experience? Aman, after all, is a Sanskrit-derived word meaning 'peace', and the group's enduring appeal hinges on its minimalist aesthetic and seamless service, conjuring a state of uncomplicated calm in even the most contrary guest. I did indeed feel ridiculously relaxed from the second I stepped into Amanyara's cathedral-like lobby in Turks and Caicos. I was perfectly chilled at the Acropolis-style Amanzoe in Greece and soporifically content amid the airy splendour of Amangalla in Sri Lanka. But peace and quiet in Bangkok, that 24/7 hot mess of belching traffic, human ant trails, go-go bars and general bedlam? Squirrelled away, though, in Pathumwan, the Mayfair of Bangkok, is a wondrous anomaly: Nai Lert Park. It is seven serene acres of botanical beauty and birdsong over which now tower the 36 sparkling storeys of the new Aman Nai Lert Bangkok. It's a promising location to give peace a chance. In the early 20th century Nai Lert, full name Lert Sreshthaputra, was Thailand's answer to Richard Branson, Conrad Hilton, Harry Gordon Selfridge and Willy Wonka rolled into one. He pioneered the city's public transport systems, cut the ribbon on Hotel de la Paix, one of Bangkok's first luxury hotels, opened its best department store and established its first ice factory, paving the way for all manner of sweet treats. Nai Lert's great-granddaughter Naphaporn Bodiratnangkura, who now runs the family business that includes the park, wanted to honour her ancestor's incredible legacy with an appropriately remarkable hotel, so she turned to Aman. Four and a half years and £144 million later and I'm greeted at the hotel's discreet entrance by a welcoming committee that has the poise and grace that ten years at a Swiss finishing school couldn't top. It's April 10, eight days after the launch and just two weeks after the Myanmar earthquake that brought Bangkok to a temporary standstill. I suspect there's a fair bit of swan action behind the scenes, but with an 'Amansanti'(eg staff member) to guest ratio of more than 4:1, there's never any hint of paddling in public. I'm whizzed up to the vast light-flooded lobby on the ninth floor, where the stunning triple-height atrium is anchored by a 12m sculpture, inspired by a century-old chamchuri tree in the park below and adorned with 6,000 gold leaves. It's a wildly impressive but surprisingly warm, unintimidating space. This area sashays into the glamorous 1872 bar (the year of Nai Lert's birth), which serves tea-infused martinis from a 3D-printed miniature replica of the entrepreneur's old water tank, and beyond to Arva, a romantic Italian restaurant where the truffle pasta is worryingly moreish. • Bangkok's best cocktail bars The fingerprints of the architect and interior designer Jean-Michel Gathy, renowned for his artistic interpretation of local heritage, are everywhere. Thoughtful details include the 3,000 spinning tops behind the reception desk that form the Thai numeral one in a nod to Nai Lert, the country's numero uno, tactile barklike bronze light fittings that echo the park's persimmon trees, while hundreds of metallic 'lasagne' sheets are suspended from Arva's ceiling. The 52 suites, on floors 11 to 18, are a masterclass in clean-lined understatement, a symphony of cream, toffee and taupe tones, with warm woods, baby-soft leather furniture and a mesmerising contoured installation, a sort of sexy spin on an Ordnance Survey map, across one wall. While the circular tub in the swanky bathroom is so huge, it probably should have a lifeguard on duty. Most overlook the park canopy. Mine also looks across to apartment blocks where I watch one well-groomed woman 'walk' her fluffy purse pooch on her balcony. Another more harassed female flounces into a hammock on hers while her toddler amuses himself underneath it. The fabulously cool 25m outdoor infinity pool's centrepiece is an intriguing elliptical void through which bursts an ancient sompong tree, thought to be Bangkok's third-tallest tree. Its branches create natural protection that throws every flavour of shade on your standard sun umbrella and contrasts spectacularly with a horizon of high rises. I do miss watching the procession of long-tail boats, water taxis and canal barges glide along the Chao Phraya River available from other luxury waterfront properties such as the Mandarin Oriental, but, in compensation, Pathumwan is close to upmarket dining and shopping malls such as Siam Paragon and Gaysorn Village. • 21 of the best hotels in Bangkok With such great Thai food on the doorstep, the hotel has decided not to compete. Apart from the excellent Italian cucina, the Aman also has Hiori, a lively teppanyaki restaurant with a carefully curated list of sakés and Japanese craft beers, and Sesui, an intimate eight-seat omakase counter where I'm entranced by the two chefs as they create 19 tiny courses of perfection before my eyes, including surgically sliced goldeneye snapper, delicately flavoured black throat sea perch and matcha ice cream. Wellness is a central pillar of the Aman ethos. In Bangkok it has partnered with the Hertitude Clinic, responsible for tweaking Thailand's rich and famous, to offer jet lag-slaying cryotherapy and IV infusions, while the main Aman spa menu offers a lullaby to blissful sleep. I have to peel myself off the treatment bed after my jasmine-scented Lert Siam massage. I don't have time for the three-day detox devised by the tennis star Novak Djokovic, Aman's recently appointed and first global wellness adviser. His programme includes Pilates, yoga, a circulation-improving beating with birch sticks and … flower meditation — you make a garland to lay at a spirit house in the park. • 10 of the best things to do in Bangkok Djokovic is undoubtedly a brilliant athlete but he's only ever one dodgy line call away from an on-court hissy fit so I'm not convinced he has ever made a floral tribute for the gods. But if he manages to remain in a state of uncomplicated calm at Wimbledon this year, I'll take that back and give thanks to Aman. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Susan d'Arcy was a guest of Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, which has B&B doubles from £830 ( Fly to Bangkok
Times
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A week on the Amalfi Coast in August for £532pp? Here's how
With its Mediterranean sunsets, beach clubs and exquisite gelati, Sorrento is a delight in August. Hot sunny days in the early 30s are perfect for exploring more of Amalfi's coastline on boat trips to surrounding islands or for swimming in the town's natural cove and snorkelling in the nearby Punta Campanella Marine Reserve. There are also plenty of easily reached historic sites and a lively old town full of restaurants for alfresco lunches on days off the water. Prices soar in August's peak season, but the Amalfi Coast can still be affordable if you stay just outside Sorrento's centre at the Hotel Villa Igea Sorrento. Seven nights' B&B, including flights from Stansted with Ryanair, costs £532pp with Thomas Cook, departing on August 27, or you can upgrade to half-board for an extra £212pp for the week. A small under-seat bag is included or check in a 20kg suitcase for an additional £75 return. Naples airport is about an hour from Sorrento and taxis cost at least £80, but an hourly bus runs to Sorrento's railway station (£11; where you can take the same company's blue or orange line bus to Capo di Sorrento, right outside the hotel (£1). The three-star hotel overlooks the Bay of Naples and has a smart white marble lobby and 60 bright, buttercup-yellow rooms with tiled floors and traditional carved wooden beds. Some have sea views. There's a seasonal outdoor pool, an all-day snack bar and a restaurant serving dinner. It's a 40-minute walk to the centre of Sorrento but there's also a free shuttle bus. • Read our full guide Amalfi The turquoise natural pool at Bagni Regina Giovanna, on the site of a ruined 1st-century Roman villa, is a 15-minute stroll from the hotel. The town's main beach, Spiaggia di Sorrento, is a five-minute drive and lined with beach clubs providing loungers and plenty of Aperol. In Sorrento's old town, stroll the main square, Piazza Tasso, then wander the cobbled side streets to stock up on leather gloves, limoncello and hand-painted ceramics. Pop into the 11th-century Basilica di Sant'Antonino, home to the tomb of Sorrento's patron saint, and ogle the elaborate frescoes at the 15th-century Palazzo Sedil Dominova (both free entry). The nearby Museo Correale di Terranova houses a vast art collection donated by a noble Neapolitan family, including Roman artefacts discovered in the town itself (£13; Afterwards, people-watch over seafood pasta on the patio at Da Gigino (mains from £7; Via degli Archi) then finish with artisan ice cream at Fresco Sorrento (cones from £2; • 23 of the best things to do on the Amalfi coast The Unesco-listed ancient Roman city of Pompeii (from £15 entry; is 40 minutes away by train (£21 return; while ferries to the island of Capri run regularly from Sorrento's Marina Piccola port (£36 return; You can visit the best snorkelling sites at the protected marine reserve on a boat trip with a marine biologist on board (£50; • Return Stansted-Naples flights, departing on August 27• Seven nights' B&B at Hotel Villa Igea ( If you're inspired to visit Sorrento and have more to spend, you could try… This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Perfectly placed for day trips, Hotel Michelangelo is two minutes' walk from Sorrento's railway station on the main shopping street, Corso Italia. The salmon-pink four-star property is built around a 16th-century tower and has an outdoor swimming pool, a bar with live piano music and a roof terrace with views of the Bay of Naples. A restaurant serves dishes from the Sorrentine Peninsula and has a patio overlooking the pool. Simply decorated rooms feature terracotta-tiled floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and pale blue soft furnishings. Most have balconies and one recently renovated modern suite has its own hot tub. Details Seven nights' B&B from £1,000pp, including flights ( • 25 of the best hotels on the Amalfi coast It's all about the views at the four-star Grand Hotel President which looks out over the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius and the Sorrento coast from its hilltop perch. A glass-walled cocktail bar, rooftop sun terrace, outdoor pool and main restaurant all make the most of the panoramic location. There's also a small fitness centre and spa with Turkish bath and whirlpool, while flower-filled gardens are ideal for sunset strolls. Rooms have ornate Vietri-style tiling, inlaid wooden furniture and warm touches of peach, lemon and sea-blue. The centre of Sorrento is two miles away and a free shuttle service is provided. Details Seven nights' B&B from £1,438pp, including flights and hold luggage ( • The in-the-know Amalfi coastal spots that don't cost the earth
Times
an hour ago
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Sometimes an easy family ‘fly and flop' is just what you need
For ages I've been wanting to take my four small grandchildren away, partly for the fun of it and partly to give my daughters a break. So where do you go that is going to please children who are aged between two and six as well as my grown-up daughters and partner, who are very 'foodie', and me, who is less foodie, more, er, 'cocktailie'. While I do a lot of solo travelling and dragged my own kids all over the world when they were small (India, Cambodia, Egypt, for starters) I remember them begging, 'Please, Mum, can we have a normal holiday with no artefacts?' So I knew for this trip we needed something as easy as possible. This is where a good all-inclusive comes in and the snobbery around them is silly. A break from shopping and cooking is a boon to parents of little ones. A place where everyone can eat and drink what they like without having to think about bills is relaxing. My experience is you get what you pay for, because I have done cheap all-inclusives where the food was inedible except for the roast dinners people had around the swimming pool alongside huge rum and coke floats at 11am. Yes, really. • More great all-inclusives in Mallorca The Iberostar Selection Albufera Park resort in northeast of Mallorca appealed to us because the flight is short. We were all excited. One of my grandsons told his mum, 'Tell Grand Suzanne not to take weapons to the airport.' Smart advice. One imagines the perfect family holiday but families are complicated and life happens. Or, worse, it stops. A couple of days before we were due to go my son-in-law's mother died suddenly. She was an amazing woman and integral to my grandchildren's life. We were all in shock. Do you go on holiday while grieving? What is the right thing to do? The little ones didn't understand, of course. It was obvious my son-in-law could not come, but could he join us halfway through the week? Everyone was brilliant. The hotel staff were understanding and I changed his flight with easyJet. I was amazed to get through on the phone and talk to a guy who was sympathetic to our plight. • Best beaches in Mallorca We arrived determined to make the best of it despite the sadness. Small children keep you in the present and my grandsons, who are five and six years old, were excited we were picked up by a minibus. The reception at the hotel is genius as there is a large slide for tired and fractious kids (keep that as a surprise). It's brilliant because it makes check-in fun. The resort had upgraded my room, but we wanted to be together as that was the point of the holiday. As it was, our 'family premium' room was big enough. A bunk bed arrangement in one part of the room with a sliding door and a big bed on the other side gave us what amounted to two bedrooms. We overlooked the main pool with its water slides and ladybird-style showers. Then there was the breakfast buffet, which is my middle daughter's favourite thing in the world. My eldest is not so keen on buffets and I don't get up for breakfast if there is coffee in the room, but the children adored it, ladling chocolate sauce on to potato waffles. Indeed, the food was pretty great all round. It was fresh and there was a huge variety, much of it cooked in front of you. Our favourite was the lunch beach grill restaurant, Tamarindos. Steak, chicken and fabulous sausages were barbecued there, and they offered beautiful salads too. The kids were happy with very good pizza and burgers, while the adults had lobster and paella. • What to do in Mallorca There are restaurants to book and it's nice to be served. The grown-ups tried the Greek (Kyknos) and Spanish (Martinete) restaurants but the food was not any better than the buffet. Apart from the main kids' pool, there are six other pools, which are calmer, and a superb beach. We all did different things at different times. My favourite was the rooftop pool, where you could help yourself to drinks and look out over the bay and Playa de Muro beach. It was peaceful and feels five-star luxe. As for booze, they knew how to do a proper margarita so I coped, put it that way. Much is designed around kids, especially small kids. There are trampolines and all kinds of activities. The swimming pool carpet was a hit, as were the giant Transformers appearing at dinner. Ours were too little for the kids' club stuff and I think kids' clubs require children who are extroverted. However, our lot were entranced by the shows. I know it's illegal, but I don't like Abba, never mind Abba imitators. Still, the children loved the acrobats and the 'I love the Nineties' night. • Mallorca's top family hotels We barely left the resort, but we did go up the road for pony rides. A Shetland pony is heaven if you're a three-year-old girl. And the Albufera Nature Reserve is nearby with the Balearics' largest wetlands. Oh, and we went on a boat trip from Muro beach into the bay and around the caves of Cap de Formentor with an hour's stop at Formentor beach — easy, as you can sit inside if the sun is too hot and there is a bar and snacks on board. But really you can do as little or as much as you like. My son-in-law eventually arrived and while sun and sea are not a cure for bereavement it was good to be together. • Read our full guide to the Balearics I had a terrific facial and a massage at the spa (treatments from £70), though the indoor pool is a bit underwhelming, but that's a niggle. The other niggle was the loudness of the shows. If your room is near the stage it's impossible to settle little ones to sleep as it's so noisy. It also seemed a bit much to have to have to pay for beach sunloungers (£18 a day for two), but these are, as I say, niggles. In our circumstances we could not have the perfect family holiday and we are far from a perfect family anyway, but it gave us some time out. The holiday fantasy is everyone gets on and no exhausted child has a temper tantrum. It's unreal, but the fact that each of us relaxed and had a few perfect moments at such a difficult time says everything about what Iberostar provides. The children even asked me if they could live there, so there you go … my grandparenting job was done. For Moore was a guest of Iberostar ( which has all-inclusive family rooms at Albufera Park from £246. Fly to Palma This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue By Siobhan Grogan Spread over low-rise buildings in a peaceful bay in the southwest of Kos, this all-inclusive hotel is directly on the beach in Lambi, with five pools, a mini-waterpark and a spa. There are seven restaurants including a gelateria and Greek taverna, plus swim-up rooms and suites with private pools for extra Seven nights' all-inclusive from £871pp, including flights, checked luggage and coach transfers A 20-minute seaplane ride west of Malé, Kuramathi was one of the first resorts to open on its own island in the Maldives's Rasdhoo Atoll in 1975 and has honed a winning fly-and-flop formula since. Waft between a mile-long sandbank lapped by the Indian Ocean, a beachside spa, a champagne bar, nine à la carte restaurants and a house reef, where the snorkelling is excellent. Details Seven nights' full board from £1,659pp, including flights ( Choose between seven outdoor pools or Portugal's longest golden sand beach at this five-star property at Praia da Falesia in the Algarve. There's no need to leave if you'd rather not, because this sprawling resort has 12 restaurants, a huge kids' club, a clifftop golf course, an impressive spa and rooms decorated in traditional Portuguese style with hand-painted tiled headboards and terracotta floors. However, the coastal town of Olhos d'Agua, with its waterpark, beach promenade and boat tours, is about a ten-minute walk. Details Seven nights' B&B from £626pp, including flights and checked luggage (
