The ultimate list of all the hotels that opened in 2024 + a little gift
The 18 new hotels for 2024 that are worth booking for 2025 and wrapping up the year with gratitude #95
Well, here we are—the last newsletter of the year! I didn’t quite manage to send one every single week, but I think I’ve shared enough stories and insights to keep you company throughout the months. I hope they’ve been enjoyable.
As we close out 2024, I want to start with a heartfelt thank you. Thank you to those of you who have been with me from the beginning, and to those who’ve joined along the way. Every like, comment, or note of encouragement makes my day. Your presence and loyalty mean the world. Writing about my travels, musings, and discoveries wouldn’t be the same without knowing you’re out there reading along.
A little christmas gift 🎁
With the festive season upon us, I’ve decided to give you a small gift: from now on, I’m removing the paywall on the newsletter archives. You can still support me through paid subscriptions if you wish, but I want to free myself from the relentless race for paying subscribers. Let’s face it, it’s a bit exhausting to open a newsletter and hit a paywall afer a few lines, isn’t it?
Access to the Google Map with all my finds will remain exclusive for now, to honour existing annual subscriptions, but I’m also working on a new directory that I hope will be even more useful and exciting for you.
Reflecting on 2024: inner travel
This time of year often brings annual reviews, and I’m no exception. At the start of 2024, I set a few bold intentions: a new job, a house on the Île de Ré… But here we are, and neither of those dreams came to fruition.
Instead, the year turned into something more introspective. It was a year of inner travel, one of rethinking how I see myself, my goals, and my life. While I didn’t achieve everything I envisioned, I’ve found clarity and peace in areas I hadn’t expected.
All the hotels that opened in 2024
For those of you dreaming about 2025 travels, I’ve listed below all the hotels that opened this year from my initial list of January. As it could be a bit long, I only list here those with a pool. It’s packed with boutique gems that I think you’ll love—whether for their unique style, serene pools, or idyllic locations. This is ahead of the publication of the 2025 expected new openings that I share every January.
Thank you again for being here. Your support, kindness, and curiosity fuel everything I do. Enjoy the holidays and see you in 2025.
All the new boutique hotels with pool that opened this year
I revisited my list of 40 new hotels with pools set to open in 2024 to give you only the best. Often when I revisit them, I note that some of them are actually not finished yet or that their actual design or style doesn’t match my taste. As a result there are a few that I deleted from my database too. And out of the 40, there are now 18 that are opened and can be worthy of a mention in From the Poolside!
So below are the best ones, small unique hotels with no more than 45 rooms usually and all with a pool and a certain je ne sais quoi. Enjoy!
Close to the beach
Arev St Tropez, France
From 590 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Located five minutes from the heart of Saint Tropez village, the hotel has adopted a palette of joyful bright yellows, reds, and deep blues. There are 50 rooms The outdoor pool has “A Rev in the Sun” spelled out in tiles.
Santa Ana, Menorca
POA - Check latest prices and availability
Santa Ana, a six-room private home in the south of Menorca is now available for rental. Set within a huge 210-hectare estate, ensuring complete privacy the building was meticulously restored and has impeccable styling. Its location within walking distance of Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta, considered two of Menorca’s best beaches, means that in the early morning or later in the day guests can have their turquoise waters and white sands almost to themselves. Outdoors there are pretty gardens and majestic pine forests rising all around and a tranquil pool.
Odera Tinos, Greece
From 300 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
This 77-room resort perched above a pristine beach, is offering the kind of K2 studio design seen everywhere in a luxury way. Rooms have either private or shared pools and a view to the beach. The spa uses small-batch products made from Greek honeys and herbs.
Villa Camille, Banyuls, France
From 120 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Banyuls sur-Mer is a small town on the Mediterranean coast at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Villa Camille is the only 4-star hotel right in the center of Banyuls-sur-Mer. Facing the port, the villa, built in 1888 has been completely renovated with the rooms having soft and calming pastel tones and now offers a swimming pool and spa.
The Reserve, Madeira, Spain
From €663 per night - Check latest prices and availability
The Reserve is an exclusive luxury boutique hotel located in Funchal, on Madeira island. The property is high end and maybe a bit modern and has 71 rooms in total but there are not that many luxuryry options in Madeira so worth considering. The hotel features impressive water amenities including an infinity pool and jet pools in its solarium area. Guests have access to the Laurea Spa and exclusive dining at the Jacarandá Club which provides daily à la carte breakfast. What sets The Reserve apart is its highly personalized service, including a 24-hour Guest Experience Personal Assistant (GEPA) and dedicated airport greeting service.
Dunas de Formentera, Spain
From 550 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Simplicity and elegance are the ethos of Dunas de Formentera on this idyllic Balearic Island. The 44-room property sits on Mijorn Beach, and features interiors by Antonio Obrador, the same interior designer behind the company’s award-winning Cap Rocat in Mallorca. Rooms and suites - some in the main building, others in bungalows - are connected by pathways and boardwalks that weave through the dunes. The hotel enjoys a privileged location with direct access to the longest beach on the island. There's also an infinity pool.
Masseria Donna Menga, Puglia, Italy
From 325 euros - Check latest prices and availability
Masseria Donna Menga is a beautifully restored 16th-century farmhouse located in Nardò, Puglia, just minutes from the Ionian coast and the white sandy beaches of Porto Cesareo. The property is surrounded by 12 hectares of Mediterranean landscape, including olive groves, orchards, and an organic garden that supplies the restaurant. The property offers 15 elegant rooms and 6 suites designed with local materials like Lecce stone, featuring an essential yet refined style crafted by local artisans. The masseria features an outdoor swimming pool nestled in Mediterranean vegetation, with a pool bar for refreshments.
Hotel Valldemossa,Mallorca, Spain
From 425 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Valldemossa Hotel, an adults-only luxury retreat (14+ years) is set in a stunning natural sanctuary within the mountains, offering a peaceful escape. The intimate hotel features 12 unique cobblestone villas, each with private verandas and yoga mats. The interior design blends 1950s French aesthetics with contemporary art, featuring original furniture by renowned designers like Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier. The property houses "De Tokio a Lima," a unique restaurant that fuses Japanese and Peruvian cuisines using local Mallorcan ingredients. The property boasts both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, with the outdoor pool area offering stunning views of the surrounding almond, olive, and orange tree groves.
Countryside retreats
Hôtel Bellevigne, Burgundy, France
From 150 euros - Check latest prices and availability
Bellevigne Bourgogne is a hotel located in the heart of the Chambolle-Musigny village, nestled in the renowned Côte de Nuits wine region between Beaune and Dijon. The establishment offers a restaurant that highlights local cuisine and of course a wine experience. The location also offers cultural explorations like visits to local artisans, the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin, and the historic Hospices of Beaune. There will be a spa and pool opening in the near future.
The pig-and The Village Pub, Cotswolds, UK
From £275 - Check latest prices and availability
The Pig Group has now finished refurbishing the 17th century Barnsley House hotel in the quintessential Cotswold’s village of Barnsley. We stayed there at the time and it was really lovely. It comes with its very own village pub and has a small but perfectly formed spa with a small heated outdoor pool.
Saltmoore, United Kingdom
From £570 - Check latest prices and availability
Saltmorore is a new luxury wellness-led retrea in North Yorkshire. The property has 72 bedrooms in total, a state-of-the-art spa, and a gourmet restaurant, a relaxed Brasserie, and a Wellness Café. Bedrooms are decorated in ocean-inspired palettes and beach-tones, such as deep teal tiles for the bathrooms, as well as soft greens, pastels and pale blues. The state-of-the-art spa has an indoor heated pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, relaxation room, as well as six treatment rooms and a modern gym. Also located within Saltmoore is ‘The Beach House’, a charming 29-bedroom property more focused on families and pet owners. The former chef of the Fife Arms leads the kitchen.
Les Bains Gardians, France
From 225 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Located in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, adjacent to the Camargue Regional Nature Park, the property features 67 accommodations, including 50 authentic Gardian cabins and rooms in a traditional farmhouse overlooking the ponds. For activities, guests can enjoy equestrian experiences with Camargue horses, tennis courts, and regular artistic and musical programming. The property's restaurant, Le Pont des Bannes, serves authentic local cuisine, and there's a cocktail bar featuring live music. The resort offers two swimming pools (one with a '70s style design and views of flamingos in the surrounding pond). The hotel currently features a spa with one treatment room, a jacuzzi and sauna, and will unveil their completed spa Les Bains Guerbois in summer of 2025.
City escapes
91 Athens Riviera, Greece
From 473 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Located on the Athenian Riviera just outside Athens' city center, 91 Athens Riviera is a luxury wellness-focused property featuring 28 "luxents" (luxury tents) of 43 square meters each. The property offers extensive wellness and leisure activities including a tennis club, the Soma Spa offering premium treatments, a state-of-the-art fitness center, beachfront training, sunrise yoga, and sunset pilates. Dining is available at the celebrated Barbarossa restaurant, serving Mediterranean and Cycladic cuisine. The resort boasts two distinct swimming pools - a heated outdoor pool by the Soma Spa perfect for laps, and another pool near the Barbarossa restaurant ideal for leisure swimming.
Hotel Filigrane, Paris
From 240 Euros- Check latest prices and availability
The new Hotel Filigrane is situated on the historic Rue Vivienne near the Bourse and Bibliothèque de France. It features 43 rooms and suites, some with connecting options and balconies, each styled in distinct monochromatic color schemes including blue, black & white, red, bistre, and green. The design draws inspiration from encrypted banknotes and literature, incorporating geometric patterns and subtle motifs throughout. Located in a vibrant neighborhood, the hotel provides easy access to covered passageways like Galerie Vivienne and Passage Choiseul, as well as the rue Montorgueil market and Place des Victoires. The hotel's wellness area is a particular highlight, featuring a private-bookable pool, relaxation bath with resting bed, hammam with mosaic details, and a sauna.
Brach Madrid, Spain
From 425 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Located in the heart of the Spanish capital on Calle Gran Vía, this sophisticated urban hotel, designed by Philippe Starck features 57 rooms. The property showcases Mediterranean-inspired dining, a view-blessed rooftop terrace, and an impressive wellness facility called La Capsule spa. The spa is equipped with a heated pool, infrared sauna, hammam, ice bath, hyperbaric chamber, and two treatment rooms.
Palazzo Talìa, Rome, Italy
From 800 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Set in a former 17th-century palazzo-turned-school near the Trevi Fountain, this 26 rooms hotel has quite an air of grandeur and the prices matching it too! Dramatic decor offers a somptuous atmosphere. This restored palazzo offers eight different room categories, from Superior rooms to the exclusive Terrace Suite and Talìa Suite, each featuring elegant design and views of either the historic courtyard or Rome's characteristic rooftops and alleys. The hotel is home to the sophisticated Tramae Restaurant, which offers modern Italian cuisine, and the intimate Bar della Musa, featuring historic ceiling grotesques and craft cocktails. An iconic 33 sqm heated relaxation swimming pool, a sauna, a Turkish Bath, a fitness room and two treatment rooms.
Mountains delights
eriro, Austria
From 1550 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
eriro, a 9-bedroom retreat accessible mainly by cable car, has officially opened its doors in the Tyrolean Alps of Ehrwald, Austria. Derived from the Old German High word meaning “the entrance of the forest,” eriro’s philosophy is to connect guests with the surrounding natural environment. Guests have access to one of eriro’s three in-house guides who specialize in nature and wilderness journeys. The suites have a minimalistic design using organic materials such as stone and wood from the area. The eriro spa offers holistic treatments and massages, and guests can enjoy the property’s restaurant led by Chef David Franken. There are 3 pools! The meditation pool is located underground, bathed in dimmed light and heated at 36 degrees. The second pool is heated at 40 degrees and has a small window with a magnificent view of the Tajakopf mountain. The third pool offers a 360-degree view of the majestic Tyrolean Alp peaks through floor-to-ceiling windows.
BelArosa Chalet, Switzerland
From 695 £ - Check latest prices and availability
The BelArosa Chalet is a new luxury mountain retreat in Arosa, Switzerland. The concept is of 10 private chalets, each with pool, but with the service of an hotel and access to public spaces. The property provides dedicated spaces for skiing and e-biking equipment, and features multiple communal areas including a fireplace room. A standout feature is the sky pool that can be heated up to 36 degrees Celsius at the touch of a button.
