GENRE

This is our edit of luxe-cool countryside lake hotels, from farm-to-table fare to the Michelin-starred, from exclusive glam to bring the whole clan.

JOURNAL

Looking 200 years into the future. Wildland is one of Scotland's largest conservation projects, returning the Highlands back to nature and re-growing the pine forests.

JOURNAL

Burgenland's Gut Oggau winery is Austria's famed and finest biodynamic vineyard, famous also for its association with Austria foodie institution, Taubenkobel.

Guesthouse - Donegal, Ireland

A short drive northwards from the wild sandy beaches, the eco-design guesthouse lies secluded within the Horn Head peninsula. Created to blend seamlessly in with its surroundings of County Donegal’s mountainous yet green landscape.

Guesthouse - Vals, Switzerland

A fabulously humble basecamp of good design for kindreds of style, Brücke 49 is a collection of rooms, suites, studios and apartments in the high-in-the-mountains creative enclave, Vals.

Hotel - Durgerdam, Netherlands

Creativity, nature, heart, design, deep comfort and food fuse at this house hotel and restaurant on the other side of Amsterdam, along the wild shores of Durgerdam, 20 minutes from downtown.

Hotel - Alcácer do Sal, Portugal

With a handful of rooms, suites and studios to opt for, it is tough to know which one to fall in love with - they each have a distinct identity and are all infectiously gorgeous.

Guesthouse - Tuscany, Italy

A restoration den of raw genius – a weathered Tuscan house close to Montefollonico that has been allowed to expose her weathered elements and complemented with chic salvaged interiors. An imaginative retreat of utter, rustic romance.

Private Rental - Aran Islands, Ireland

An elemental experience awaits at these natural designer dens, private-hire holiday houses for small groups, where cashmere hugs, rock walls shield, and simplicity is elegant.

Hotel - Valdres, Norway

Hotel - Alstad, Norway

An unfussy architectural gem that floats above a bed of the greenest and most delicate fauna like a scene from the latest Hobbit epic, this is total immersion in nature from your spectacular viewing pods – here, less is definitely more.

Private Rental - Sutherland, Scotland

In a toned-down material palette of stone, timber, metal and glass, the brutal stone exteriors are hushed by Danish functionality: each piece of furniture carefully considered so as to embellish nothing but the raw landscapes, framed in oak.

Guesthouse - Kingussie, Scotland

A tiny weathered Scottish farmhouse plays host to Scandinavian contemporary design and Scottish crafted pieces from the Highlands - an irresistible combo of old and new, heritage meets the design - affectionately known as the 'Scandi-Scot'.

Hotel - Sutherland, Scotland

This reclusive stopover will give you reason to pause and take in the stillness of your environment while revelling in the perfectly blended alchemy of Scottish and Scandinavian style.

HOTEL - Arco, Italy

Once the home of devout Sisters, its aged cloistral heritage has been recast following an exacting narrative of preservation, reframing the monastic aesthetics for the modern nomad without corrupting the patina of austere beauty and timeworn touchpoints.

HOTEL - Beskydy, Czechia

Set against the forested Beskydy (Beskids) range in the Carpathian Mountains, this 200-year-old designer hideaway fosters modern Czech country living whilst giving heritage a hug, decked in whites, linens and twisted rafters.

Hotel - Tuscany, Italy

Curated architecture, restoration, rolling hills, wellness and food are the gorgeous tangents of this once-dilapidated hilltop village - lovingly restored into a slow-down bolthole of romance, heritage and utter style.

Hotel - Pollença , Spain

A monastic designer den of rural appeal set in a 30-hectare estate, this rural sanctuary has clubhouse flair, a sleek modernist touch and loads of sun-kissed sophistication. Altogether, a chilled off-radar adaption of indulgent luxury.

Hotel - Neusiedler See, Austria

Nothing short of a foodie legend, Restaurant & Hotel Taubenkobel’s quirky 19th-century Austrian country cottage is the iconic culinary destination of Austria - and beyond. Serious pilgrims of food flock from far reaches of the globe to this tiny gourmet hub of creative flavour.

HOTEL - Umbria, Italy

Restored within a former monastery, this fabulous design hotel and foodie hotspot brings together the stone mason, blacksmith and wood worker with the artisan makers.

Guesthouse - Arco, Italy

A small designer outpost that is both rustic and sophisticated in its design simplicity – conceived to mirror the surrounding vineyards and Arco Mountains of Trentino, this rural idyll is an architectural bolthole that gives nature a stylish makeover, irresistibly close to Lake Garda.