Hotels at their best in the spring

Words: Madévi Dailly and Hannah Hopkins

Cast off that chunky knitwear, shake off your wintery torpor and grab your passports: longer days and warmer breezes demand you sate that wanderlust. Without the stress of peak-season crowds, spring might just be the sweetest time to travel. At these seven spectacular hotels, it’s certainly one of the most rewarding seasons.

AlmaLusa Comporta, Portugal 

Why now? While the Alentejo coast is a summer magnet, spring is Comporta’s best-kept secret. The crowds have yet to descend on the wild, pine-fringed beaches and emerald rice fields, making it the ideal window for strolls alongside the Atlantic or exploring the Sado Estuary. As the landscape awakens, the hotel’s rooftop bar and pool prepare to reopen for the season (typically around May, weather permitting), offering a front-row seat to those famous Alentejo sunsets before the peak-season heat arrives.

Why here? Reflecting the breezy, bohemian spirit of its surroundings, AlmaLusa Comporta is an exercise in chic minimalism. The 53 rooms and suites feel like private beach houses, blending natural textures with a calm, coastal palette. While the rooftop is the place to be once the sun stays out, the hotel’s core philosophy – alma lusa, or ‘Portuguese soul’ – is felt year-round in its communal spaces. This extends to the dining experience, which celebrates the region’s bounty through dishes such as carolino rice with grilled leek or traditional bôla, ensuring a deep sense of place even on a crisp spring evening.

Book your stay

Andaz Miami Beach, USA

Why now? Spring in Miami is comfortably warm without summer’s sticky humidity: arguably the most comfortable time of year to visit. City life shifts outdoors, with beach yoga, open-air dining and evening cocktails by the water becoming part of the daily rhythm. Borrow a bike to whizz down the beach boardwalk at your own pace or cross the bay for the vibrant nightlife of Little Havana.

Why here? The hotel’s design draws on Miami’s mid-century heritage, combining clean, curvaceous lines with soft coastal colours. At this renovated Art Deco gem, sitting on Mid Beach just steps from the Atlantic, guests can fully enjoy the hotel’s atmospheric outdoor spaces, from the oval beachside pool to the ocean-view terrace. 

Book your stay

Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy

Why now? This is the time for dolce far niente, or the art of doing ‘sweet nothing’. Framed by snow-capped Alpine peaks, the shores of Lake Como start flowering from April – a profusion of wisteria, camellias and early roses that makes its historic villages even more enchanting. 

Why here? 1920s villa Passalacqua – now a 24-suite boutique hotel – embraces the season’s traditions wholeheartedly, starting with an Easter egg hunt, picnic and barbecue in its terraced gardens. There’s also spa treatments in the orchard, clay tennis courts, an open-air cinema and two Chris-Craft boats for Champagne cruises on the lake, all designed to make the most of balmy days and nights.

Book your stay

Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik, Croatia

Why now? Temperatures are ideal for walking the city walls, exploring the cinematic island of Lokrum, or taking leisurely boat trips along the Dalmatian coastline. The cultural calendar is packed, too. Catch the Flower Market, Gourmet Days and Music Week throughout April, or join traditional street games on Saturdays for a taste of local life.

Why here? Hotel Excelsior makes the most of its prime position and Old Town views. A rocky beach with sunbeds gives direct access to the Adriatic, and the freshest seafood is dished up at beachside Prora restaurant. Add a dramatic heated indoor pool and Sisley spa, and it’s no wonder that everyone from Elizabeth II to Morgan Freeman elected to stay here.

Book your stay

Gran Hotel Taoro, Tenerife

Why now? Tenerife’s climate makes it a year-round destination, but spring is particularly blissful for hiking enthusiasts. Perched above Puerto de la Cruz, Taoro Park’s ten hectares of subtropical plants are at their most vibrant. Head to Teide National Park to catch red bugloss and white broom covering the volcanic landscape in an eruption of flowers.

Why here? Opened in 1890, Gran Hotel Taoro was the first luxury hotel in Spain. A careful restoration in 2025 has recaptured the striking good looks and genteel spirit that drew the likes of Spanish royalty and Agatha Christie. Three heated pools and an Anne Semonin spa mean your wellbeing needs are covered, too.

Book your stay

Sarena de Muro Resort Mallorca, World of Hyatt, Spain

Why now? It’s cycling season in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, with mild temperatures and quieter roads tempting novices and hardened Lycra warriors alike. Nearby Albufera Natural Park is a nesting ground for migratory herons, ibises, terns and flamingos – a rare chance to spot these majestic birds in their natural habitat.

Why here? Sarena de Muro sits directly on the white-sand beach, with views across the shallow, crystalline water that makes this part of the Balearic island so appealing. At the spa, treatments use Spanish botanical brand Arôms Natur to soothe tender muscles and tired souls, while seasonal ingredients from local producers take pride of place at Ópalo Restaurant. 

Book your stay

Salamander, Washington DC, USA

Why now? Japan’s most iconic Cherry Blossom Festival may have been cancelled this year, but the US capital, thankfully, is an excellent backup plan. Thousands of trees, propagated from a 1912 donation by the Mayor of Tokyo, line the Tidal Basin and National Mall. To swerve the crowds, head for the historic estate of Dumbarton Oaks, where romantic Cherry Hill more than lives up to its name.

Why here? Just off the eastern banks of the Tidal Basin, Salamander is within easy reach of most blossom-laden sites, as well as the National Mall’s museums and monuments. Make time for the sleek stay’s new Roti Bar experience – a convivial in-kitchen tasting of five bold Afro-Caribbean dishes paired with cocktails by acclaimed mixologist Derek Brown.

Book your stay