Of course, I do try to be the best boutique hotels website 😉 but I’m very conscious that many others are really providing great information and are actually my first source of finds.

Below is a list of the top ones. I also have a full list with rentals websites by location that you can get by subscribing to my mailing list.

So seriously if after all that you still end up in a crappy hotel with dodgy bed covers, stains on the carpet and bad breakfast, I can’t be held responsible for it 🙂

Enjkey

We start with a French one and the most recent of this list. It was launched about three years ago with a different premise: you enter your location and it will show you the nice hotels and B&B at 1, 2 or more hours from there.

The selection is really well thought out with a mix of boutique hotels, chic B&B, unique escapes and glamping. A must try if you want to visit France.

Website

Welcome Beyond

I thought I would not start with the obvious ones (see below) to sustain your interest.

Welcome Beyond is a German-based website but their properties are from all around the world.  They have a rather small collection (about 140) of hotels, B&Bs or self-catering houses.

What sets them apart is the personal involvement of the owners behind them and Welcome Beyond interviews all of them to get a real sense of what the property will offer you.

Some true gems here.

Website

The Aficionados

A really really careful selection of boutique hotels.  There are only 40 featured there because they really have been handpicked by them.

They all look very special and you have to admire the unusual way of displaying the information on the site. Only criticism is that you have to go search for more info on the hotel website itself as White Line is a  bit concise in its description.

Nonetheless, a really great site to check regularly.

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i-escape

I saw the site grow steadily over the years to the point that they now have more than 1400 properties !

They offer a really good mix of affordable to expensive hotels with the common characteristic of all being independent and with a unique style. You can also find rental accommodations there.

What I particularly like about i-escape is their frank reviews and in particular their section “lows” that doesn’t hide the things that could be a problem. Although most of the time, they are not that much of a problem.

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Mr and Mrs Smith

I credit them and Mr Big for introducing me to the concept of boutique hotels actually. About 11 years ago, when I moved back to London , their books were starting to be prominently displayed in bookstores.  We bought all of them and they have been our bible for some time now.

Initially focused on the UK and Europe, they have now extended worldwide and seem to have more than 700 places on their site.

Always a good one to start with.

Website

Tempting Places

This is the French equivalent of Mr and Mrs Smith. It launched only in 2010  and they have, like Mr and Mrs Smith, also recently published a book.

Their collection is still being built with so far only 130 properties around the world with surprisingly not that many in France (only 13) but this could be an indication of the careful selection they make.

Website