
Drawn by years of whispered recommendations, Alexander Lobrano headed to the Costa Brava to stay at Hostal Empúries, a century-old seaside hotel built for archaeologists excavating the nearby Greco-Roman ruins, and gently modernized in the years since without losing its Catalan soul.

Nearly 20 years ago, he launched LITA: immersive language programs for US high school students in Spain, specializing in off the beaten path locations and smaller communities. Now he’s organizing trips for adults to provide authentic and hyper-local experiences, far from the country’s tourist hubs.

Hotel prices keep climbing, and the Costa Meno—our shorthand for charming, atmospheric stays that are also affordable—has never felt more relevant. So we’ve distilled our roundups of hotels from around the world into one tightly edited list of the best thoughtfully priced hotels to plan a trip around.

A mellow, high-end wellness escape on Ibiza’s quieter northern coast, where a stylish, multi-generational crowd can opt for biohacking before breakfast or tequila at sunset.

An effortlessly chic and minimalist hotel in the heart of Palma’s Old Town in Mallorca, Portella Palma

The White Isle’s first ever hotel has been made over from OG party pad to Dalt Vila dreamscape by Paris-based Experimental Group

There are hotels that accept dogs, and then there are hotels that welcome them, asking for your dog’s dimensions so a custom bathrobe can be waiting in the room. This list focuses on the latter. Yes, some of these are a little over the top, but dogs really are family. And as more of us…

From a coastal hillside in Tangier to a hidden garden in Mallorca to a rose sanctuary outside Tokyo, photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo shares these and other places you can visit that are dedicated to the iconic flower in her beautiful new book, Roses in the Garden.