The best hotels for staying cool this summer

Perched on Oia’s breezy cliffs overlooking the spectacular caldera, the Andronis Boutique Hotel delivers one of the best views of that famous Santorini sunset. Keep cool in its newly refurbished cave pool suites. Built in the traditional Cycladic style with thick stone walls, painted white to reflect the sun, these chic dwellings have spacious but secluded terraces with carved-out cave pools.

Chill out further in Mare Sanus, the hotel’s cavernous spa, which offers organic plant-based treatments. And dine in Lauda, acclaimed chef Emmanuel Renaut’s fine dining restaurant, which sits on a scenic clifftop spot kept cool by the breeze.

Scented by sea air and frangipani, Patina Maldives on the Fari Islands is naturally cool in style and setting. Designed by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, its spacious beach pool villas have to floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls that open on three sides, while water pool villas – with wide over-water decks, sea-level lounges and 6m swimming pools – are cooled by Mother Nature's ocean breeze.

All 11 restaurants have plant-based menus, local seafood and locally grown vegetables, while the beach bars serve cocktails that use a syrup made from post-juiced citrus husks.

Whitewashed homes, thick stone walls and shaded courtyards: we can learn a lot from the ancient Greeks when it comes to staying cool. With summer temperatures regularly hitting the mid-30s, Elounda Mare Hotel is the place to chill in Crete. Stone-built suites have heavy wooden shutters, vaulted ceilings and shaded verandas, while its prime clifftop position overlooking Mirabello Bay catches the winds whipping off the Aegean.

The hotel’s heartbeat is its peaceful cobblestone courtyard, shaded by century-old olive trees and scented with jasmine and bougainvillea. A stone archway leads through to the Old Mill, Elounda’s gorgeous Cretan restaurant designed around an ancient millstone. 

Spliced between the granite peaks of the Pitons in a lush rainforest valley, Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, offers a cool tropical escape that feels sheltered and quietly restorative. The cottages and villas scattered through the densely forested hills are naturally cooled by its elevated position. Most have secluded terraces or shaded courtyards with private plunge pools under the gaze of Pitons.

In this rare private space away from the crowds you often find in these sun-baked Caribbean resorts, relaxed waterfront dining and the Rainforest Spa, which has treehouse treatment rooms, all add to the chilled luxe vibe.

Perched on one of the world’s most Instagrammed sunset spots, Santo Pure Oia Suites and Villas in Oia makes the most of its breezy clifftop position. Built like a traditional Santorini village, this secluded sanctuary sidesteps Santorini’s sizzling heat in summer. Whitewashed suites and villas have arched Cycladic roofs, polished cement floors and black volcanic rock walls, all cleverly designed to keep rooms cool and airy. 

Ensuring the stay-cool appeal, many suites – and both villas – have stone-built verandas, private pools and sea or sunset views, while the resort’s lush Mediterranean gardens and additional six pools keep the vibe temperate, even if the mercury hits lava levels.

Hidden away on an old cashew nut plantation on Koh Yao Noi, a 30-minute boat ride from Phuket, The Hideout is a gorgeous off-grid resort in Southern Thailand. This intimate island retreat has just four open-air treehouse suites, each with unparalleled views of the jungle, ocean and nearby islands. 

Designed to fully immerse guests in nature, the spacious thatched roof suites built from sustainable wood blend seamlessly with the jungle canopy, while island breezes provide natural air-conditioning. Whether you’re floating in the solar-filtered infinity pool, dining on fresh seafood or stargazing from a hammock slung between two rubber trees, The Hideaway is pure tropical tranquillity. 

With wildlife-rich national parks, dramatic volcanoes and lush rainforests, Costa Rica is a dream destination, but it can get steamy hot in summer. At 600m elevation, Arenal in the northern lowlands stays noticeably cooler. 

Stay at Nayara Gardens, a luxury rainforest resort under the gaze of the great Arenal volcano, where you can escape the heat on elevated wooden walkways through the rainforest canopy. Thatched villas shaded by tall palms and ancient ceiba trees are built from thick volcanic stone that absorbs the heat, while open-air showers and plunge pools fed by natural springs keep things super cool.