You might find it hard to believe, but some of the best Relais & Chateaux hotels in the world are also some of the cheapest, particularly if you book in the low season. We investigate the cheapest Relais & Chateaux hotels in the world, across Europe, Asia, North America, and beyond.
Relais & Châteaux hotels are a collection of gourmet restaurants, boutique hotels, resorts, and villas. Among the 500+ luxury hotels within the collection are literally hundreds of hidden gems. Relais & Chateaux hotels are all fantastic in their own individual way. The best choice for an individual really depends on what you are looking for; a gourmet break, a week skiing, or a few days on the beach.
1. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, Canada
In North America, one of the best and best value Relais & Chateaux hotels is Auberge Saint-Antoine, a boutique a museum hotel in the heart of Old Quebec City, a window into Quebec’s past and we think, the most exciting and special hotel in the city. This lovely and unique hotel offers authentic hospitality, boutique accommodations, farm-to-fork dining, out-of-the-ordinary event space, and more while surrounded by the old-world yet modern charm of this historical Quebec hotel.
Steeped in rich history, this luxury hotel is a member of Relais & Châteaux, providing contemporary amenities in 95 rooms situated in Quebec City’s historic Old Port. Located in the heart of the first city to be founded in North America, standing on an archaeological site that formerly housed wharves, cannon emplacements, and warehouses, the Auberge Saint-Antoine bears witness to the history of this important commercial and military port. Many relics from the French and English colonial times were discovered when the Auberge was built. Now they can be found among the elegant designer interior of this irresistibly charming museum-hotel. The price here can be as low as £100 per night.
2. Hotel Jagdhof, Near Innsbruck, Austria
Here’s one of the cheapest and also one of the best Relais & Chateaux hotels in Europe. Sty at Hotel Jagdhof in November for as little as £250. Of course, this price is for a room is outside the main ski season. This is an absolute steal for such a gem of a hotel.
The luxury Jagdhof hotel is a superbly convenient ski hotel, offering a complimentary shuttle to the snow-sure Stubai Glacier in Austria. The transfer to Spa-Hotel Jagdhof is less than 30 minutes from Innsbruck airport, making this an ideal spot for an extended weekend skiing.
This family-run Relais & Chateaux property is absolutely gorgeous and is the perfect luxury chalet base for hitting the slopes. This beautiful hotel is sat on the edge of a picturesque Austrian village. It offers fantastic food, a bar with a wonderful atmosphere, an excellent spa, and a superb indoor-outdoor pool, which opens up to extensive lawns where you can sunbathe after a day on the glacier.
Spa-Hotel Jagdhof is a beautiful example of a traditional Austrian chalet with classic decor using plenty of pine, complemented by luxurious, warm carpets. The bar area s particularly cozy, offering lively après-ski, with small seating booths set around the bar, a fireplace, and live music each night. It is a fabulous place to enjoy refreshing Tyrolean beers.
The communal areas, including the halls and restaurant, all have great character with real antlers and stuffed deer heads on the walls, lots of comfy corners with fireplaces, fresh flowers, and pretty table decorations. When we were visiting in late March, Easter was the theme, so Easter bunnies and wooden eggs were dotted about, and there was an Easter egg tree in the courtyard. Ultra-cute!
3. Hotel del Parque, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Hotel del Parque is Guayaquil’s first luxury boutique hotel and is an incredible deal for such a deeply luxurious hotel. Prices start at just £150 per night, and that’s not even with a special offer.
Staying here is like stepping back into the past, stepping into a grand, historic mansion complete with original features. Hotel del Parque is a magical time capsule hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the great Pacific port of Guayaquil. It is definitely the best luxury hotel in the city.
In the 1980s, historic buildings were moved, rebuilt, and renovated plank-by-plank on the banks of the Daule. Hotel del Parque was one of these buildings. Now you find this elegant hotel sitting within a vast botanical garden. Inside you will find an eclectic mix of modern and antique furniture, and beyond this graceful setting, there is a constant backdrop of tropical foliage and flowers. The effect of the green surroundings and the river beyond gives the entire hotel a peaceful and tranquil ambiance.
Sitting on the waterfront, the hotel’s restaurant, Casa Julián, specializes in the finest seafood and freshest fish and is one of the best places to eat in Guayaquil. It combines excellent food with stunning sunsets.
Spacious guestrooms and suites are thoughtfully adorned with boutique hotel touches like grand beds with premium linens, luxury amenities, and stunning marble bathrooms. Once again, the historic 19th-century setting is the highlight, with rooms featuring original detailing and high ceilings. Bathrooms have been designed using stunning white marble and are modern with huge showers and double basins.
Finally, two alfresco patios adorned with greenery offer relaxing outdoor spaces. One serves as the restaurant’s alfresco part, while the other is ideal for relaxing and reading a book amongst the flowers.
4. Casa Palopó, Guatemala
Lake Atitlan’s unbroken view and the three volcanoes overlooking it are stunning: from the infinity pool, the terraces, or simply through the large bay windows. Built on a hillside, Casa Palopó has preserved a uniquely intimate atmosphere from its past as a private residence.
Its decoration is warm, with a mix of intense colors, massive wood, crafted objects, and fabrics and spaces designed to live in. You can stay at the library, in the loungers, or in the candlelight of the dining room, dreaming of the next escape to the magnificent nature or the discovery of the Maya culture. Prices here start at around £120 per night.
5. Hotel B, Lima, Peru
Hotel B, dating back to the Belle Époque, is tucked away in the heart of the Barranco district, a protected historic area next to the Pacific Ocean. Marble, exotic woods, a beautifully columned white façade, open balconies, and sky-high ceilings lit by skylights in the roofs – Lima teatinas – give it a charm all of its own.
Its renovation was entrusted to sculptors from the Fine Arts Academy and to an Italian cabinetmaker to preserve and showcase its rich architectural heritage. Hotel B draws its inspiration from the Bohemian atmosphere of the surrounding district and exhibits works by contemporary Peruvian artists, adding to the hotel’s character. Prices here start at around £120 per night.
6. Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
Cape Weligama’s guest rooms open onto private gardens with vistas of palm trees swaying in the breeze against an ocean backdrop. Cape Weligama’s residences and villas sit atop a promontory overlooking the Indian Ocean and enjoy stunning views of idyllic landscapes on all sides.
The seafront’s crescent-shaped infinity pool seems to float above the waves, alongside stone pathways leading to secluded coves where turtles flap about in the crystal-clear shallows. The terracotta-tiled rooftops of the accommodations, designed by renowned architect Lek Bunnag, create the illusion of a traditional Sri Lankan village with generously sized, stylishly furnished interiors. And all this luxury comes for the incredible price of £282 per night.
7. Ahilya By the Sea, Goa, India
Nestled in a quiet corner of Dolphin Bay in Goa, the Ahiliya by the Sea hotel feels like a family home, its stylish and understated interiors accessorized with decorative objects sourced from around the world to take you on a voyage of discovery. Coconut trees, frangipani, and brightly colored flowers provide the backdrop for the refined Portuguese colonial architecture. The Holkar royal family that owns the property manages this hospitality enterprise with enthusiasm, aiming to ensure everyone’s experience of this oasis of beauty is simultaneously unique and unforgettable. Rates here start from around £300 per night.
8. Camden Harbour Inn, New England, USA
For more than a century now, lovers of the great outdoors have come to unwind at this gracious New England Victorian inn overlooking the coast. Behind its traditional white clapboard exterior of Camden Harbour Inn, the décor today bears the imprint of modern European design. Natalie’s award-winning restaurant offers a new take on fine dining, showcasing Maine’s bounty, including the famous Maine lobster. Perched on a hilltop, from its wrap-around porch and delightful picture windows, the inn offers 180-degree views of Penobscot Bay, Camden Harbor, and the surrounding mountains, the perfect invitation to explore the beautiful coastline of Maine.
9. Château du Sureau, Yosemite National Park, USA
The Château du Sureau is the ideal place from which to explore the waterfalls and granite domes of Yosemite National Park, one of America’s most spectacular natural sites. This majestic hotel is reminiscent of the finest European châteaux. Its elegant interior, with guest rooms named after herbs and flowers, is resplendent with antiques, tapestries, and artworks. The restaurant showcases the freshest Californian produce in sophisticated dishes packed with flavor and accompanied by the region’s best wines. If you are lucky enough to visit in July, you will be treated to the Elderberry Harvest Dinner, a fabulous five-course feast in honor of the château’s namesake. Under
10. Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, British Columbia
This is not one of the cheapest Relais & Chateaux hotels, but it is one of the best. Perhaps it is better not to consider the price at all and to just enjoy it for what it is… “luxury gone wild,” an eco-safari resort destination located near Tofino on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Arrive by seaplane, helicopter, or boat. Brilliant!
The ultimate wilderness retreat in Canada’s British Columbia region is the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on Vancouver Island. This indulgent but untamed wilderness resort is open from May to September and is located in the Clayoquot Sound World Biosphere Reserve (within the Pacific Rim National Park). This unique 21st-century-safari-style enclave of great white canvas suite tents, dining, lounge, and spa tents, offers excellent cuisine and breathtaking adventures. Twenty guest and family suite tents showcase antique furnishings, opulent rugs, down duvets, remote-controlled propane-powered woodstoves, and luxurious amenities. Watch out for bears and whales.
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