Ten best beach hotels

The other 23 rooms, in the main building, are well proportioned and painstakingly furnished to evoke the Jazz Age, down to details such as Bakelite telephones. Facilities include a small spa, billiards room, TV study (there are no TVs in the rooms), helipad and croquet lawn.

THE BEACH: At low tide, golden sands stretch between the "island" and the mainland. When the tide is high, shallow waters cover this causeway and the hotel's "sea tractor" provides a shuttle service. More beaches curve along the coast from Bigbury, attracting a cool surfing crowd as well as families.
BEST FOR: Couples. Most guests come for a romantic break. Dressing up for dinner is encouraged (black tie and cocktail dresses) and a live band plays on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.
Burgh Island, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon (01548 810514; www.burghisland.com). Doubles from £320 half-board.

CYPRUS
ANASSA, POLIS

One of two chic Thanos hotels, Anassa is about 45 minutes' drive north of Paphos. It looks out over one of the most attractive beaches in Cyprus and is backed by pineforested hills. The 177 suites are decorated in cream fabrics and have marble floors. They occupy a cluster of white villas on a small hill, from where you can wander down through gardens to the sea.
THE BEACH: The private stretch of golden sand below the hotel has sunbeds and umbrellas. There is much beach beyond and the sweep of the isolated bay is often empty.
BEST FOR: Families with younger children, or spa seekers. Children's facilities include a kids' club for four-to 12-year-olds and childfriendly menus in the Amphora and Pelagos restaurants. The Thalassa Spa has recently reopened after an extensive redesign.
Baths of Aphrodite Road, Latchi, Polis (00 357 26 888000, www.anassa.com.cy). Doubles from e340.

FRANCE
ROYAL RIVIERA, SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT

This grand property was built in 1904 as a luxury hotel for British aristocrats. Fast-forward to 2002, when the glamour was revived by hotelier Grace Leo-Andrieu (also of the Hotel Bel-Ami in Paris and, more recently, Discovery at Marigot Bay on St Lucia). A soothing relaxed elegance prevails, the style a mix of Art Deco and neo-Greek. In the main building 77 bedrooms are decorated in soft ochre tones; in the grounds a 16-bedroom villa, the Orangerie, has a brighter, Mediterranean colour scheme.
THE BEACH: Terraces lead down from the wonderfully landscaped gardens to an immaculate beach (one of the few private stretches of sand in the area) which is dotted with palms and has a small jetty. Open from May to September.
BEST FOR: Stylish families of all ages. There is a warm welcome for children, who are given a present on arrival. Other facilities for young guests include child-friendly menus at the restaurant and film shows for children each evening.
3 avenue Jean Monnet, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat (00 33 4 93 76 31 00; www.royal-riviera.com). Doubles from e240.

HOTEL EPI-PLAGE, PRESQU'ILE DE ST TROPEZ

Walk across the neat garden of this shabby-chic retreat, open the gate and you're right on Pampelonne beach, between St Tropez and Ramatuelle. There are just 10 rooms, all in 1960s wooden chalets set around two pools. The furniture is funky and flamboyant: Persian rugs in some rooms, Provençal cushions and quilts in others. Given its proximity to the biggest party scene on the French Riviera, this is a surprisingly peaceful spot. Persian owner Shahla Mauch-Deyhim and her Argentine husband Alejandro Diehl live on site, and the atmosphere is friendly and intimate. Facilities are limited: there's a patio bar and a small spatreatment centre but no restaurant. There are, however, plenty of eating options nearby.
THE BEACH: Pampelonne beach is a five-kilometre sweep of sand. At the height of the summer, neighbouring Nikki Beach can be noisy but that's all part of the fashionable setting. BEST FOR: Couples wanting to chill out in a boho atmosphere.
Route de l'Epi, Ramatuelle (00 33 4 98 12 95 95, www.epi-plage.com). Doubles from e225.

HOTEL DU PALAIS, BIARRITZ

In 1855 Napoleon III built a summer palace for his new wife Eugénie by a little fishing port on the Basque coast and, voila, Biarritz became a centre of glamour and a playground for the elite. The palace later served as a casino and in 1893 was transformed into a hotel. In its new guise the palace continued to host royalty, along with Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra and Jayne Mansfield. Today the 154-bedroom hotel still presides over the town. It remains a grand emblem of the belle Èpoque, with elaborate period furnishings. Facilities include three restaurants, two pools, a large piano bar with glittering chandeliers, and a sumptuous new spa. THE BEACH: The hotel dominates one end of Biarritz's Grande Plage. Sunbeds around the outdoor pool spill down to the great curve of sand bordered by the town's promenade.
BEST FOR: Couples seeking luxury with more than a touch of opulence, and spa aficionados.
1 avenue de l'ImpÈratrice, Biarritz (00 33 5 59 41 64 00, www.hoteldupalais.com). Doubles from e380.

GRAND HOTEL CALA ROSSA, PORTO VECCHIO, CORSICA

The Grand Hôtel Cala Rossa is tucked away among pine trees on its own private estate just north of the chic little town of Porto Vecchio on Corsica's beach-fringed east coast. The 40 rooms are decorated in creams, Mediterranean blues, greens and amber tones, and there's a Michelinstarred restaurant, an indoor pool, a hammam, a sauna and a spa.
THE BEACH: The aromatic grounds are bordered by white sand dotted with sunbeds and thatched shades. There's a beachside bar and a jetty for sailing, waterskiing and windsurfing, and guests can take excursions along the coast in the hotel's skippered launch.
BEST FOR: Couples who want a quietly stylish break, or families with active teenagers: the hotel is well placed for hiking and mountain-biking in the Aiguilles de Bavella peaks.
Porto Vecchio, Corsica (00 33 4 95 71 61 51, www.hotel-calarossa.com). Doubles from e430.

SPAIN
ABAMA, TENERIFE

This large, exclusive, Moorish-style hotel is part of the glamorous new image that Tenerife has been chasing. Abama opened in late 2005 and is now managed by Ritz-Carlton. It offers laidback luxury, with 10 restaurants (overseen by star chef Martín Berasategui), a spectacular golf course, eight pools and a state-oftheart spa. The 420 rooms are furnished in shades of cream with splashes of bright colour. Some are in the central "citadel" building, others in villas scattered across the grounds. In a clifftop location on an isolated part of the west coast, the hotel provides easy access to a secluded stretch of shore.
THE BEACH: About five minutes' walk from the hotel (or two minutes by buggy), a funicular scoots guests down to a beach club. Elsewhere Tenerife's beaches are a volcanic grey but here the sand has been imported from Fuerteventura and the Sahara.
BEST FOR: Families with active teenagers. Younger children are also catered for with an extensive kids' club. Despite the resort's size, it has been cleverly designed to retain an intimate feel and couples seeking a quiet spa break can also be well accommodated.
GuÌa de Isora, Tenerife, Canary Islands (00 34 922 126000, www.abamahotelresort.com). Doubles from e336.

GREECE
KIVOTOS CLUBHOTEL DELUXE, MYKONOS

Just three kilometres from Mykonos town, this elegant retreat overlooks the clear waters of the Ornos Bay. Built in a traditional, Aegean style, it is a complex of 39 individually decorated rooms. The owner is an art collector and every year new pieces are acquired. Facilities include a spa and hammam, a squash court, five swimming pools (one with a bar), two restaurants and a 25-metre yacht for daily or even week-long cruises. THE BEACH: Right in front of the hotel, just 10 steps down from the main pool area, is a small, secluded pebble beach equipped with sunbeds and umbrellas, where staff supply drinks and chilled towels. There's also a larger, public beach about 500 metres from Kivotos.
BEST FOR: Couples who want a relaxing break. The hotel has been cleverly designed to maximise privacy and a sense of tranquillity.
Ornos Bay, Mykonos (00 30 22890 24094; www.kivotosclubhotel.gr). Doubles from e290.

SANI ASTERIAS SUITES, HALKIDIKI

Sani Resort, about an hour's drive from Thessaloniki, is a 400-hectare, beach-fringed haven of pine trees and gardens. It has a marina and four five-star hotels - of which Sani Asterias Suites is the newest, smallest and most exclusive. Another of the resort's properties, Porto Sani Village, has just been refurbished and is almost as luxurious. The 50 suites at Sani Asterias are set in villas decorated in cool, neutral shades with private terraces. Choose between a room overlooking the marina or the hotel's own stretch of sandy shore.
THE BEACH: Sani Resort has seven kilometres of white sands bordering the turquoise Aegean. This unspoilt stretch of coast near Mount Athos is part of an eco-reserve.
BEST FOR: Families with older children. Hotel guests have access to all that Sani Resort has to offer, including eight tennis courts, a gym, swimming pools, watersports, two spas and 16 restaurants and bars. Although the resort is child-friendly, the cream furnishings and features such as glass tables are not ideal for the very young.
Kassandra, Halkidiki (00 30 23740 99400, www.saniresort.gr). Suites from e243 (minimum five nights)