Selected Luxury Hotels — Five-Star Beach Resorts

The standard

What makes a hotel a genuine luxury choice

Marble in the lobby is easy. Four things separate a genuinely luxurious week from an expensive one.

Staff ratio, visible at breakfast. The clearest tell is whether the busiest service of the day runs calmly. We eat at half past nine, when it is hardest.
Restaurants you would return to. Not how many — whether one is good enough that you would eat there twice and pay for it at home.
Space per guest. Sunbed spacing, room size, how far apart the tables sit. Crowding makes an expensive hotel feel ordinary.
Something the resort actually owns. A private beach, a course, a headland, a purpose-built spa. Rented facilities never feel the same.

Where to find them

Luxury means something different in each of our five countries, and the differences are worth knowing before you compare prices.

Turkey

The most for the money, by a distance

Turkey builds resorts on a scale nowhere else in the Mediterranean attempts, and it does so at prices that undercut Greece and Malta for the same grade. the golf resorts of Belek is where it concentrates: Maxx Royal Belek Golf Resort, Calista Luxury Belek, Kempinski The Dome and Kaya Palazzo Golf Resort. Along the coast, the palatial Mardan Palace in Kundu is the theatrical one, and the Lujo Hotel Bodrum carries hotels on the Bodrum peninsula.

See the whole Turkey holiday programme.

Greece

Design over scale

Greek luxury is architectural rather than palatial: fewer rooms, better sightlines, a bill that reflects both. Abaton Island Resort and Nana Princess Suites sit on the resort of Hersonissos shore; Anemos Luxury Grand Resort anchors the Chania end of Crete. On Rhodes, The Ixian Grand & All Suites holds Ixia.

Browse the islands in our Greece holiday collection.

Malta

City luxury, not resort luxury

Malta's best hotels are urban five-stars with harbour views rather than sprawling beach resorts, and that suits the island — you are meant to go out. St Julian's and Paceville holds Corinthia St George's Bay, the InterContinental Malta hotel and the Hyatt Centric hotel. For Valletta on the doorstep, Grand Hotel Excelsior sits in Floriana.

See the full Malta and Gozo programme.

Morocco & Egypt

Palaces inland, suites on the Red Sea

Morocco does grandeur with a courtyard: Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial in the city of Marrakech, and the Royal Mirage resort on the bay at Agadir beachfront. Egypt puts its money into suites and villas — Rixos Premium Magawish Suites and Villas in the resorts at Hurghada — with the advantage of a season that never really closes.

See what we sell across Morocco and the Egyptian Red Sea coast.

Choosing

Choosing the right one

Luxury splits three ways, and the split matters more than the star rating.

Everything included, nothing to think about

Turkey's premium ultra all-inclusive resorts cover à la carte dining, minibar and beach service, so the wallet stays in the safe. Nowhere else does this at the same grade or price.

A hotel you leave every day

Malta and Marrakech make more sense as a base than a destination. Pay for the room and the location, then eat out — the top hotels in Malta are chosen on exactly that logic.

Small, quiet, and grown-up

If the point is calm rather than choice, look at Greek design hotels and the our adults-only hotel selection in our programme, several of which are the most expensive rooms we sell.

Honestly

What's included — and what isn't

At the top end the gap between headline price and final bill is usually wider, because there is more to spend money on.

Usually included

Flights, transfers and baggage
Meals and drinks at Turkish premium resorts
Beach and pool service
Room-grade extras such as a stocked minibar

Depends on the hotel

Signature restaurants, often at a supplement
Golf green fees and buggy hire
Airport lounge or private transfer upgrades
Butler or concierge service at suite level

Not included

Maltese and Greek luxury is rarely all-inclusive
Spa treatments, almost everywhere
Travel insurance with cancellation cover
Resort or city taxes

Worth saying plainly: a higher price does not buy better protection. ATOL licence 11211 covers flight-inclusive packages whatever the hotel grade, and a suite is no safer than a standard room. Bookings made without flights fall outside the scheme entirely, and we say so at the point of quoting.

Before you book

What to check before you book

Compare room categories, not hotels. An entry-level room at a famous resort is often worse value than a suite elsewhere.
Ask what the à la carte policy really is. "Included" sometimes means once per stay, sometimes means bookable at 9pm only.
Check whether the hotel takes children. Several are family resorts in August and very different places in October.
Look at the deposit and balance dates. Premium hotels often want more up front, which is exactly when our low deposit terms and insurance start to matter.
Insure the real value of the trip. A more expensive holiday needs a higher cancellation limit, so check the policy cap when arranging suitable travel insurance.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is a Turkish five-star the same as a Greek or Maltese one?

No. Star ratings are awarded nationally against national criteria, so they do not compare across borders. A Turkish five-star tends to be larger and more inclusive, a Greek one smaller and more designed, a Maltese one closer to a city hotel. We judge all of them on the same 22 points.

Does luxury mean all-inclusive?

In Turkey and Egypt, usually. In Greece, Malta and Morocco, usually not — the best hotels there run bed and breakfast or half board, assuming you will eat out. Neither is better; they suit different holidays.

Are suites worth the upgrade?

Where the suite carries a different service level, yes. Where it is simply a larger room, the money is better spent on a better hotel in a lower category. We will say which you are being offered.

When is the best time to book a luxury resort?

Early for July and August, when the best room categories sell first. For better value, late September and October give warm sea, calmer resorts and prices that fall once schools go back.

Can you arrange private transfers and lounge access?

Yes, both are add-ons rather than automatic inclusions. Tell us when you book and we will price them into the package rather than leave you to arrange them at the airport.

Selected Luxury

Selected luxury hotels — hand-picked across Turkey, Greece, Malta, Egypt & Morocco

Mardan Palace

Kaya Palazzo Golf Resort

Cullinan Belek Hotel

Club Arona by Laren Hotels

Calista Luxury Belek Hotel

Gloria Serenity Resort

What makes a hotel a genuine luxury choice

Where to find them

The most for the money, by a distance

Design over scale

City luxury, not resort luxury

Palaces inland, suites on the Red Sea

Choosing the right one

Everything included, nothing to think about

A hotel you leave every day

Small, quiet, and grown-up

What's included — and what isn't

Usually included

Depends on the hotel

Not included

What to check before you book

Frequently asked questions

Map of Selected Luxury

Selected Luxury

Selected luxury hotels — hand-picked across Turkey, Greece, Malta, Egypt & Morocco

6 hotels found

Mardan Palace

Kaya Palazzo Golf Resort

Cullinan Belek Hotel

Club Arona by Laren Hotels

Calista Luxury Belek Hotel

Gloria Serenity Resort

What makes a hotel a genuine luxury choice

Where to find them

The most for the money, by a distance

Design over scale

City luxury, not resort luxury

Palaces inland, suites on the Red Sea

Choosing the right one

Everything included, nothing to think about

A hotel you leave every day

Small, quiet, and grown-up

What's included — and what isn't

Usually included

Depends on the hotel

Not included

What to check before you book

Frequently asked questions

Map of Selected Luxury