Holiday Type / Top five hotel gardens

Conveniently located between Franschhoek and Paarl, Babylonstoren offers a unique opportunity to experience life at the heart of a three hundred year old working wine and fruit farm. Surrounded by vineyards and orchards, and overseen by majestic mountains, it’s a relaxed and welcoming place with a distinct village feel with Cape Dutch style cottages and new Farmers House suites. Central to the farm is the formally designed kitchen garden, brimming with seasonal herbs, fruits and vegetables – guests are free to wander through the gardens, perhap...

Tenerife not only enjoys more hours of sunshine than any other part of Spain, it’s home to Carrier favourite The Ritz-Carlton, Abama. Sparkling with five stars, it gets our vote for all-round appeal. Picture a spectacular Moorish-style private estate atop a hillside flanking the island’s highest mountain, with exuberant gardens stretching down to the sea and looking out to La Gomera. All is as you would expect from Ritz-Carlton, with attentive service and luxuriously appointed accommodation - all rooms and suites having marble bathrooms, floor-...

Bordered by no fewer than seven spellbinding beaches including the renowned Anse Victorin, and one which can be reserved for exclusive use, this private corner of paradise offers an exceptional eco experience. Guests seeking a true environmentally friendly escape will appreciate the resort’s dedication to the preservation of the unique flora and fauna that flourishes amid the incredible natural surroundings. The spacious residences boast living rooms with antique-style furnishings, bedrooms with four poster beds, two bathrooms with indoor and...

Set amidst twelve acres of flower-filled gardens leading down to its own sandy beach on La Brelotte Bay, this charming boutique hotel is stylishly furnished throughout. The private owners continue to add their unique touches whilst the hallmarks of friendly, personal service and fine dining remain. Indeed, the cuisine is of particular note, the award-winning chef preparing lobster grills and international favourites alongside a healthy option, all served in the open-air Flamboyant Restaurant and accompanied by a choice of fine wines. The air-co...

A haven of tropical sophistication, the property stands on the northern shore of beautiful Kaua’i, the ‘garden island’. Calming, contemporary interiors offer views of the lush gardens, mountains or ocean, the Mountain or Garden View Rooms resplendent in embroidered bed linens, sumptuous furnishings and cool marble bathrooms. Culinary choices encompass private candle-lit dining overlooking Hanalei Bay and freshly caught fish at the Kaua’i Grill – conceived by chef Jean- Georges Vongerichten. Local musicians play in the St. Regis Bar, famed for i...