budget travel

Top 10 budget boutique hotels

The sizzling Standard in Miami's South Beach

You don't need to break the bank to enjoy an indulgent global getaway. Savvy hotel curator Mr & Mrs Smith's new budget boutique collection flags over 80 luxe-for-less hotels and counting around the world, all tagged with their own easy-to-spot logo. Here's 10 of the best...

The Shaba, Bali, Indonesia

With just three bedrooms, the Shaba is a rarity in Bali, proving that small is beautiful. There's a dash of the multicultural colonial mansion about this intimate pad set on the southern tip of sweeping Jimbaran Bay. The elegant rooms peel off a pillared courtyard, where a stone fountain bubbles soothingly and hanging lanterns sway romantically. It's a magical and utterly private place, with attentive service from your own personal butler. Sink into a freestanding clawfoot bath, lounge on silky sofas, then hit Henna Spa for yet more pampering. You can eat in or bike up the beach to one of the bay's famous seafood warungs for super-fresh catch of the day.
Double rooms from $264 a night.

Room Mate Grace Hotel, New York, United States

Sip cocktails by the petite lobby pool at this super-central NY bolthole, just off Times Square, created by that most artful of lodgers, André Balazs. Better still, dive in and show off your backstroke to the bar brigade (exhibitionist swimsuit essential). If you fancy a stylish New York stay that won't cost an arm and a leg, Room Mate Grace Hotel (formerly Hotel QT) is indeed your friend. The 136 boudoirs are quite compact, but tick all the key boxes, with crisp white modern decor and smart space-saving solutions such as perching platforms extending beyond the bed and double showers. There are DJs on Friday and Saturday nights or just lap up the pool's underwater sound system.
Double rooms from $206 a night.

The Apsara Rive Droite, Luang Prabang, Laos

Enjoy life on the other side of the river at the Apsara Rive Droite, a quirky, nine-room hotel that puts the 'ou' (la la) back into boutique. Luang Prabang is laid-back yet captivating, offering serene temples, markets and the magical Mekong, but staying here you'll really tap into its rustic roots, as you're just across the river from the town centre in a peaceful waterside village. Hop on board the hotel's little boat for the wobbly crossing into town, or grab a bike to explore on two wheels. With a retro-cool lobby, tasty food, a tempting pool and postcard-worthy views, this is the perfect Laotian getaway. You can even see the saffron-robed monks dawn walk to ask for alms without battling the tourist crowds.
Double rooms from $153 a night.

Villa Donati, Melbourne, Australia

Mention you're staying at Villa Donati and even locals probably won't have heard of it. One of the city's best boutique hotel secrets, this intimate hideaway in leafy Richmond, south of the Yarra, could pass for a regular Victorian terrace house. Once beyond the white Italianate facade though, a welcoming four-room retreat awaits. Filled with beautiful furniture, artwork and stylish travel finds, this opulent B&B blends elegant European and Asian touches, from vintage gilt fashion mannequins to calligraphic screens and even a Vespa, parked in the simple breakfast room. Previously an archbishop's residence, a doctor's surgery and a massage parlour, Villa Donati has been there, done that. After your trip, you'll be able to say the same, as this is a top spot for checking out Melbourne's charms.
Double rooms from $215 a night.

The Standard Miami, Miami, United States

Known for giving good glamour bang for your buck, the Standard hotels are a Stateside favourite for fashionistas and style hounds heading for LA and New York. With the launch of the Standard Miami a few years back, set on a small island off South Beach in Biscayne Bay, those making for Florida can also enjoy the mix of sleek boudoirs, sociable bars and stylish spas that set the gold Standard. Putting the 'mmm' into Miami, there are 105 rooms on offer, but the Wet Rooms come with a private terrace with rolltop bath for soaking up bay views. The spa's a serious star here, with its own hammam, cedar sauna and steam room, or check out the sexy infinity pool, yoga lawns and two streamlined restaurants.
Double rooms from $180 a night.

Viroth's Hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Creating a buzz among aficionados of hip digs, design-sussed Viroth's Hotel is a chic, petite and cosy base for a romantic yet affordable stay in Siem Reap, home to Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex. It's central, stylish and with just seven spacious rooms is on a personal scale hard to find in this on-the-up country town. Neutral-toned contemporary bedrooms are livened up with flashes of red, and sleek modern furniture is teamed with artfully arranged local artefacts and flowers. There's a cool pool to plunge into after a hot day's temple-hopping, and a mobile rooftop spa, which brings massages to you. Grab a bite here or pop to Viroth's eponymous restaurant nearby, one of the best in town.
Double rooms from $87 a night.

Soho House Berlin, Berlin, Germany

The latest incarnation of global private members' club Soho House has landed in one of the world's coolest cities, Berlin. Not a member? No sweat. Book a room here, and you'll enjoy the run of the industrial-chic premises. Soho House Berlin is so now it hurts, perched in East Berlin's white-hot Mitte quarter and working a boho Bauhaus vintage-modern look. With a sexy bistro, pampering spa, private cinema and a terrace bar, you've got the works here, not to mention an in-crowd of international media and arty types to play with. Tiny and Small rooms in the eaves of the right wing overlooking Prenzlauer Allee are great value, with exposed concrete beams, herringbone fabrics and Anglepoise lamps. Larger rooms have high ceilings and grander furnishings, including screen-siren dressing tables and record players for spinning your own tunes.
Double rooms from $144 a night.

Hôtel Duo, Paris, France

A stylish, feminine retreat in the heart of Paris's mesmerising Marais district, the Hôtel Duo exudes modern luxury without fleecing your wallet. With 58 rooms, including two spacious suites, it's a contemporary yet cosy little number set in an atmospheric 18th-century building (cue original rafters and lashings of dark wood). Attitude comes care of zingy Osborne & Little wallpaper, sassy striped sofas and oversized patterned lampshades (room two has its own stairs leading up to it, and is almost like having your own French apartment). There's no restaurant here, but the bar's a favourite local hang-out, with an impressive cocktail menu and lounge music for suitably Gallic glam. Order a Bellini and kick back...
Doubles from $347 a night.

Limes Hotel, Brisbane, Australia

Buzzy rooftop bar? Check. Alfresco movies? Tick. Affordable price tag? Oh, yeah. Brisbane's design-savvy Limes Hotel in frolicsome Fortitude Valley, the city's hippest quarter, is a super-charged spot for stylish, sociable stays. The 21 minimal bedrooms have a Scandinavian-futurist feel with king-size beds, black-tiled showers, sexy sheepskins and dinky snow-white Corian kitchenettes. Some larger, lower level rooms even come with private courtyards and hammocks. Limes' rooftop champagne and cocktail bar is open to guests and locals, attracting a young up-for-it crowd for starlit movie screenings. Warm year-round weather means it's perfect for Balearic-style partying, with colour-morphing LED lights, all-white tables and chairs, and shaded cabanas for lounging and people-watching.
Double rooms from $209 a night.

Drakes, Brighton, United Kingdom

Just over an hour on the train from London, cool coastal customer Brighton has always been the destination of choice for a saucy English weekend by the sea. Whether you're on a hot date or not, Drakes hotel will put you in the mood to be lewd, with 20 surprisingly spacious, airy rooms in a chic Regency townhouse (104 boasts a seven-foot wide bed and a sexy freestanding bath for wallowing in seafront sunsets). Don't miss the cocktail-toting reception bar and acclaimed basement restaurant, serving up modern Euro nosh. Alternatively, head outside to sample Kemp Town's welcoming cafes a Frisbee's throw from the famous pier and town centre, or wander towards the station for edgy laneway shopping.
Double rooms from $165 a night.

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