What Makes a Hotel Special? Our Well-Travelled Writers Share Their Most Memorable Hotel Stays

Featured image: Finding the right place to stay makes our travels more memorable and meaningful | Photo by Farknot on Envato

10 hotels worth travelling for 

Curated by Carolyn Ray

Nothing ruins a vacation faster than choosing the wrong hotel — or getting a room that doesn’t meet your expectations. We’ve all experienced that moment when, after hours of searching for the perfect hotel stay, you arrive only to discover your view is of a wall, or worse, level with the parking lot (yes, that happened to me at a seaside resort in Croatia).  

The truth is that with thousands of properties, fluctuating rates, and unreliable reviews, it’s hard to know what you’re actually getting until you arrive. Additionally, crowdsourced reviews on many sites can be manipulated, and using a search engine or AI to find a hotel? Forget it. We know how important customer reviews are to making travel decisions – in fact, our latest survey showed that reviews from women are THE most important criteria when booking travel.

At JourneyWoman, we believe that the best advice comes from women who actually travel, so we asked our well-travelled writers to share their unbiased favourites with you. But there’s more — we also invite YOU to share your favourite places to stay in our expanded Women’s Travel Directory, which also includes hotels. Let’s use our voices to help other women travel safely and well. You can do that here.

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10 unique hotels recommended by our travel writers

1.  Sweden: Ett Hem, Stockholm

Recommended by Juliet Kinsman

I have a handful of all-time favourite hotels, but when it comes to an utterly perfect boutique experience, Ett Hem at Sköldungagatan 2, Stockholm 114 27 — tucked into the upmarket Lärkstaden neighbourhood of Östermalm — is my favourite for aesthetically-pleasing mysig — meaning cosiness, the Swedish take on hygge. The name means simply “a home” in Swedish — but believe me, it’s a home of your wildest dreams. Owner Jeanette Mix is not one to boast; fitting for a place of such understated elegance. Across 25 rooms and suites — spread across two interconnected houses — she has also curated an extraordinary modern art collection and filled every corner with furniture and objects hand-picked with the kind of taste that stands out in a world of cut-and-paste, could-be-anywhere chain-hotel blah.

As founding editor of Mr & Mrs Smith, I spent years obsessing over which boutique hotels were truly special. Ett Hem always ranked top after initially opening with only 12 rooms in 2012, a charming Arts and Crafts residence given extra texture through Ilse Crawford’s sensitive interior design. When I finally got to stay, I shared it on Instagram and the response was instant — it was clear many have longed to sleep here for years. The kitchens in each house run in a way that feels like an upscale private household: they offer a daily menu of classic Swedish flavours, built on locally sourced, organic and fair-trade produce and a dinner-party vibe. Breakfast at what feels like a family kitchen table, and coffee in the glasshouse conservatory is a context which reminds us why spending time in design-hotel contexts is such a treat. And since Ett Hem is set in Stockholm, you know the ethics and green creds will show a respect for the environment from a team that is rigorously professional yet genuinely down-to-earth and human.

2. Morocco: Riad Villa Garance, Essaouira

Recommended by Diana Eden

Riad Villa Garance lies in the heart of Essaouira medina, steps from the Atlantic ramparts, souks, the beach, and a top restaurant, Dar Baba. A huge bouquet of multi-colored roses greets visitors in the entrance court. My room, located on the third floor (no elevator, but there was plenty of help with luggage), opened onto a rooftop terrace with ocean views. There we enjoyed a delicious, freshly cooked breakfast while watching seagulls, who, as we learned, loved a pat of butter!

Although the room was small, it had an additional cozy sitting area, was very clean, and beautifully decorated in traditional Moroccan and Berber style. Like all riads, Riad Garance is built around a central courtyard. The front door was always locked and opened only by the host, providing a sense of safety and protection for women.  It is a family-run riad owned and managed on-site by Marie and Pierre, and rooms run between $80 and $110 per night. I stayed at this delightful riad two years ago and would happily return.

3. Spain: Casa Doñano, Vilelea

Recommended by Jules Torti

Upon arrival at Casa Doñano, I was ready to stay forever and prune the roses, do dishes or learn how to dry-stack stone walls for the lovely Brazilian expat innkeeper, Maria. After a particularly tiring stretch of bunk beds along the Camino del Norte, it was easy to fall into the boutique hotel’s hug of history, thoughtful curation and Maria’s natural-born generosity. There were shirt-shined apples and foil-wrapped truffles at the bedside and the library was stocked with books that would keep me satiated for a lifetime. This serenity-soaked rural property in Vilela is an easy seven-kilometre walk from Ribadeo (and the cappuccinos were pure velvet). Distilling in the overwhelming peace of Casa Doñano makes for a perfect reset.

5. Canada: Metis Crossing (owned by the Metis nation), Smoky Lake, Alberta

Recommended by Jennifer Bain

Just 90 minutes northeast of Edmonton, the Lodge at Métis Crossing is a 40-room boutique hotel set on historic Métis river lots on the North Saskatchewan River. It anchors a cultural interpretive centre owned and operated by the Otipemisiwak Métis Government that celebrates the post-contact Indigenous people born from First Nations women and European fur traders. During fall and winter stays, I’ve paddled a voyageur canoe while singing, beaded, polished archery skills, marvelled at rare white bison on a wildlife tour and learned from Indigenous knowledge holders.

6. Hotel Rumi Punku, Cusco, Peru

Recommended by Pat Lee

Set in a quiet but historic neighbourhood within easy walking distance of Plaza de Armas and the traditional San Blas barrio, the boutique Hotel Rumi Punku offers clean and comfortable accommodations as you are most likely, as I was, acclimatizing for further explorations in the Andes, such as Machu Picchu.

Each day when you head out the traditional Inca doorway of the hotel, you can easily explore the city, formerly the head of the Inca Empire and a World UNESCO Heritage site, on foot after a hearty breakfast shared with other guests. Later, find solitude in the hotel’s peaceful colonial-style courtyard. Staff were particularly friendly and accommodating, helping with errant transfer services and ensuring the stay was seamless.

7. The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Old Town, Thailand

Recommended by Carolyn Beasley

Phuket, Thailand, is famous for its beaches, but the nightlife can sometimes be seedy. The original settlement, Phuket Old Town, with its historic Sino-Portuguese shophouses, is a pretty and quieter alternative. The Memory at On On Hotel was the first hotel in Phuket, opening in 1929 to serve the tin mining industry. The now modernized hotel retains many original features, like a tiled courtyard open to the sky, and sitting rooms with quirky collectibles, including a stuffed peacock. The staff are friendly, and from around CA$77 per night, it’s great value.

8. Remota Lodge in Patagonia, Chile

Recommended by Claudia Laroye

The Remota Patagonia Lodge exists a calm refuge from the windy vastness of the epic landscape of Chilean Patagonia, complete with panoramic views of the spectacular Adean Alps and the Ultima Esperanza Fjord north of Puerto Natales. Crafted from local wood and clay around a central courtyard in homage of the historic barns that dot this region, Remota reflects its surroundings while sheltering guests in the warmth of well-appointed, comfortable rooms, a large communal dining space and a hydrotherapy area with indoor pool and sauna, ideal for relaxing sore muscles after a day’s trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Staff are friendly and hospitable, and the complimentary buffet breakfast is varied and substantial to fuel a day’s worth of active adventures in this signature region.

9. Oban Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada

Recommended by Maureen Littlejohn

The Oban Inn & Spa is my go-to place when I want to relax in a property made for warm friendships. Located in Southern Ontario’s Niagara-on-the-Lake, the historic inn (rebuilt to the original plan after a fire in 1992) features a restaurant with local dishes and wines, plus there’s the plaid-carpeted Shaw’s Corner bar area that is perfect for a tipple after a Shaw Festival theatre performance. Another reason I love it is the spa, which has a steam room you can relax in after a treatment. I can’t forget the library where you can curl up in a comfy chair and read for an hour. Plus, there’s plenty to do in this safe, walkable town full of boutiques, restaurants, theatres, and horse-drawn carriage rides.

10. Riad Fès Center, Fes, Morocco

Recommended by Tanzila Khan

This Riad turned hotel in Fes is in the heart of the old town, Medina. In this Riad, you wake up not feeling as a tourist in some hotel but as part of a large family who are having breakfast in the courtyard and you can’t wait to join them. For just USD 40 per night, I enjoyed the traditional Moroccan room and breakfast. There are spacious rooms on two floors and while I couldn’t go up to see the tiled courtyard below, I did enjoy the whole arrangement of the place. What I loved most was that despite being in the middle of the chaos of Fès, the riad felt calm, safe, and deeply personal, with staff who genuinely cared for your special needs and one step outside would take you to most major landmarks of the beautiful Fes.

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