Europe’s secret beach hotels

published 18 August 2014

Six Keys, Thessaly, Greece

At the bottom of the garden is the hotel's private Kalifteri beach, "a long sand-and-shingle stretch with sun loungers and umbrellas that dips into shallow, clear waters, ideal for those children and adults who aren't strong swimmers". Active sorts are well-catered for the hotel also offers horse riding, hiking and mountain biking.

Suites from €150 (Sixkeys.gr; 00 30 242 303 3720).

Prima Donna, Kalkan, Turkey

The Hotel Prima Donna is a "hip hideaway with boho Turkish dcor, a poolside honesty bar and a complimentary shuttle to Patara beach".

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Doubles from £250 (Hotelprimadonna.com; 00 90 532 543 6181).

Don Ferrante, Monopoli, Italy

Don Ferrante, now a ten-bedroom townhouse, started life as a fortress "carved into the ancient defensive walls that surround the town". Behind the front door lies a "maze of narrow stone steps and corridors all leading to the same Adriatic panorama".

The sea is always visible and the bedrooms are "simple, sun-filled and very comfy". The tiny pool is a minor drawback given that "some of the best beaches in Italy are just minutes away".

Doubles from €145(Donferrante.it; 00 39 0 8074 2521).

Chateau de Valmer, St Tropez Peninsula, France

Chteau de Valmer is a "peerless" hotel with its own private stretch of the beach, as well as "its own vineyard, a new pastis bar and two luxurious treehouses".

Doubles from €230 (Chateauvalmer.com; 00 33 4 9455 1515).

Can Simoneta, Mallorca, Spain

A winding staircase takes you down to the water. "Hot tubs are dotted around the manicured lawns, and crocheted cotton hammocks swing from umbrella pines." There is also a spa and a restaurant that serves locally sourced suckling lamb or Iberian pork.

Doubles from €210 adults-only (Cansimoneta.com; 00 34 971 816 110).

Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings accounts and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.

Ruth started her career at MoneyWeek after graduating with an MA from the University of St Andrews, and she continues to contribute regular articles to our personal finance section. After leaving MoneyWeek she went on to become deputy editor of Moneywise before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ruth writes regularly for national publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Mail on Sunday and Good Housekeeping, among many other titles both online and offline.