Western Estonia & the Islands
If money’s no object, here’s where to part with it. This manicured bayside estate encompasses the restored manor house (14 rooms and a fine-dining…
Must-see hotels in Eastern Europe
Ohrid
By far the most charming place to stay in Ohrid, this 1856 mansion offers nine rooms in the heart of the Old Town. There are old-world furnishings, creaky…
Tirana
Albania's first-ever hostel continues to go from strength to strength. Housed in a charmingly decorated house, with a 1970s air of hazy hippy backpacker…
Lviv
Lviv’s first real boutique hotel is a delightfully intimate 29-room place, accessed through an inconspicuous entrance in the historical centre. Rooms ooze…
Murmansk
Slap bang in the very centre of the city, the Murmansk branch of this international hotel chain boasts spotless rooms with underfloor heating and flat…
Kyiv
Kyiv's most happening hostel is this gleaming 100-bed affair superbly located at the bottom of Andriyivsky uzviz. An attached cafe-bar, a basement kitchen…
Kharkiv
This freshly minted, extravagantly fashioned boutique hotel hides away on a tranquil courtyard just off traffic-plagued vul Sumska. The 24 rooms are a…
Skopje
Accessed through an alley just off the main square, this is a stylish, beautifully designed place, with modern and elegantly decorated rooms, and an…
The Carpathians
The extended Pavliuk family continue to wow guests with their legendary hospitality, making this not only the best place to stay in Kolomyya, but one of…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
This dreamy villa is by far Borovets' most charming place to stay. The Swiss-style building is enclosed by a private garden, which bursts with…
Cluj-Napoca
A labour-of-love restoration project has transformed a 1920 building, abandoned for a decade, into something between a hostel and an ecotourism retreat…
Ohrid
This property has two studio apartments, both of which sleep four, set in the heart of the Old Town. Each is well equipped and comes with a shady balcony…
Braşov
Less than five minutes' walk from Piața Sfatului, these individually decorated apartments allow you to live like the most glamorous of Braşov locals…
Suzdal
Vlad and Lena offer three nicely furnished rooms in their wooden dacha-style house with a lovely garden on a quiet side street. It's a great option for…
Eastern Ukraine
This really is a villa with exquisitely designed rooms (think huge beds, comfy armchairs, many useful lamps and whole array of designer toiletries) that…
Maramureş
Five colourful rooms (only one with private bathroom) are enlivened by richly coloured rugs, wooden ceilings and wall hangings, as well as cable TV…
Novi Sad
The super-central designer digs at Narator do indeed tell a story; four of them, in fact, one for every themed, individually decorated apartment. With…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Airy apartments in this welcoming all-season hotel have oodles of space, and many overlook evergreen forests. The restaurant oozes Rodopi atmosphere with…
Bay of Kotor
Tucked away on a 300-year-old olive farm with views to the Adriatic, this gorgeous B&B is one of Montenegro's most romantic getaways. The spick-and-span…
Southern Latvia
Live like Duke Ernst Johann and stay at Mežotne Palace, about 2km north of Rundāle, on the far bank of the Lielupe River. The palace was built in a…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Mock-Tudor villas sit serenely beneath the Rodopi Mountains at this luxurious spa complex. Villas have balconies, polished wooden floors and plenty of…
Moldova
As well as creating some of Moldova's finest vintages, Purcari winery offers luxurious accommodation in its eight-room boutique hotel overlooking a small…
Kaliningrad Region
This decadent hotel offers elegance to the max. Its renovated, snow-white mansion was once the hunting lodge of Prussian King George Friedrich and today…
Nida
Overlooking a peaceful garden, this immaculately maintained guesthouse is decked out in Curonian blue-and-white and filled with elegant furnishings,…
Vladivostok
It's quite a leap to believe you're in a 'traditional Russian hostel' given Izba's location in a thoroughly Soviet tower block, but the charming staff at…
Lviv
One of the historical centre’s finest places to catch some Zs. Every guest room in this 18th-century edifice is different, but all have a well-stocked…
Ohrid
This excellent hostel is a bustling hub for backpackers. Though it could be more spacious, nobody cares because they have such a good time here. The…
The Carpathians
Just a few metres separate this new 11-room hotel from the synagogue from which it takes its name (meaning ‘Below the Temple'). Rooms are woody and…
Maramureş
Friendly Cobwobs sits down a leafy lane in a pleasant house whose garden is so crowded with fruit trees, flowers, chickens and goats that you may forget…
Sakha Republic & Magadan Region
Magadan's shiny new hostel has a giant sign, meaning that you won't be tramping around for ages trying to find it, as is often the way. Dorms are spick…
The Carpathians
This superb B&B near the market maintains its position as one of the Carpathians' most traveller-friendly halts. Rooms are fragrant with pinewood and…
Sighişoara
You’ll feel some trepidation as you tread down stone passageways and up a creaking wooden staircase to tiny Casa Baroca. Despite this ominous beginning –…
Moscow
Nothing short of an art nouveau masterpiece, the 1907 Metropol brings an artistic, historic touch to every nook and cranny, from the spectacular exterior…
Chişinău
This fashionable hotel on the main walking street in town is popular, so book ahead to enjoy its bold, bright rooms, crisp English-speaking service and…
Berat
This transformed traditional house in the Gorica quarter is home to one of Albania's friendliest hostels. The vine-clad establishment contains a basement…
Tirana
The owners could not have picked a better name for this inspirational hotel. The eight rooms are bright, modern, colourful and all have light summery…
Bulgaria
This whimsically named guesthouse offers comfortable rooms in a spotlessly clean house on Tryavna's main drag. Rooms are immaculate, there's a tranquil…
Slavonia
In the heart of the old town, this superb guesthouse is run by a hospitable, English-speaking team. All 14 rooms in the historic 1860 building are cosy…
St Petersburg
Since 1830, when Carlo Rossi united three adjacent buildings with the grandiose facade we see today, little has been allowed to change in this heritage…
Old Town
Behind the pretty powder-blue facade of this boutique hotel you'll find 15 richly furnished rooms scattered along a rabbit warren of corridors. All make…
