What are the Best Luxurious Intimate Hotels?

Intimate hotels — typically fewer than thirty rooms — offer a calibre of personal attention and exclusivity that larger properties simply cannot replicate. In these small-scale establishments, the general manager knows every guest, the service adapts to individual rhythms, and the atmosphere carries a sense of privileged seclusion. Our reviews cover the world's finest intimate hotels, from private villas in Bali to discreet townhouse properties in European cities.

We evaluate what makes a small hotel genuinely special rather than merely small: the ratio of staff to guests, the quality of personalised service, the character and comfort of individually designed rooms, the dining experience at this intimate scale, and whether the limited size translates into a heightened sense of care. These are hotels where you are not one of hundreds but one of a handful — and our reviews help you find the addresses where that intimacy creates an experience of remarkable quality.