The world’s most affordable five-star hotels

Fancy a tropical white sand beach without inflated post-White Lotus prices? The name Ritz-Carlton is usually synonymous with spendy stays but on the great-value Thai island of Koh Samui where the third series of the hit TV series was filmed, the hotel remains one more of the more affordable luxury resorts. Spread over 58 acres overlooking a bay in the Gulf of Thailand, this former coconut plantation turned lavish all-suite retreat is a fly-and-flop dream, with a beachfront infinity pool, Thailand’s only ocean swimming pool, a plush spa and a yoga pavilion. Cheap day trips nearby include Fisherman’s Village with its weekly walking street market and the Big Buddha Temple. Just be sure to get back for the hotel’s free nightly cocktail hour.

High Life says: The hotel has its own Muay Thai boxing ring and offers free lessons in the ancient martial art if you don’t mind getting sweaty. 

Kudos doesn’t cost extra at Malta’s most famous hotel, The Phoenicia, which is located just beyond Valletta’s 16th-century bastion walls. Opened in 1947, the palatial five-star property is a member of Leading Hotels of the World, yet has far more reasonable rates than equally prestigious hotels. All-white rooms have traditional Maltese tiled floors and pops of Mediterranean blue and overlook Valletta, Marsamxett Harbour or the hotel’s flower-filled gardens. There’s also an elegant Art Deco lounge for afternoon tea, a spa offering groundbreaking brain-training treatments, a speakeasy-style bar and a fine dining restaurant where cocktails are served with a flourish from a trolley wheeled to your table. 

High Life says: The Phoenicia was adored by Queen Elizabeth II, who was a regular visitor to the hotel when she lived in Malta as a newlywed with Prince Philip between 1949 and 1951. 

Tucked within leafy South Kensington, The Ampersand is the kind of boutique hotel that feels like a well-kept secret. Housed in a Victorian townhouse, it’s playful yet posh – with rooms inspired by science, music and botany (you are steps from the Natural History Museum, after all). Expect plush beds, bold art and those little luxe touches – Dyson hairdryers, high-thread-count sheets – without the eye-watering price tag. Downstairs, Apero serves up Mediterranean sharing plates in a candlelit cellar setting. Chic, charming and oh-so-close to the museums, it’s the perfect base for a stylish (and surprisingly affordable) London stay.

High Life says: Upgrade to a Deluxe Studio for a freestanding bath and Juliet balcony – ideal for pre-dinner bubbles. Don’t miss the hotel’s whimsical afternoon tea. It’s themed around science and served with test tubes and beakers. Instagram gold.

If you’ve always assumed all-inclusive hotels mean crowded pools and uninspiring food on repeat, then it’s time for a rethink. The latest super-stylish resorts have all the usual five-star trappings but without the dreaded final bill. At DoubleTree by Hilton Antalya-Kemer All-Inclusive Resort, that means premium drinks-on-tap, daily activities including yoga, DJ sets and themed parties and ten funky food trucks for daytime snacking, plus a chocolate house and an ice-cream parlour because, well, you are on holiday. If you can drag yourself away from the lagoon-style outdoor pool and lounger-lined beach, there’s a glamorous marina, shops and nightclubs within walking distance, plus the ancient ruins of Olympos and Phaselis nearby.

High Life says: Pick up bargain souvenirs at Kemer’s bazaar, where traders will serve you tea while you haggle over bags of spices, silk pashminas, handmade jewellery and the obligatory Turkish delight. 

Designer interiors from Philippe Starck, a hip rooftop pool and sleek, modern rooms usually come at a price – especially if LA’s most expensive neighbourhoods are on the doorstep. However, rooms at this trendy five-star property are a staggering four times cheaper than other hotels in the area, but just as close to the swanky shops on Rodeo Drive, the bars and restaurants of West Hollywood and other LA attractions, including the excellent Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Be sure to have drinks by the chic rooftop pool, which has one of the best views of the sun setting over the city and the iconic Hollywood sign.

High Life says: Speak to the concierge about booking the hotel’s complimentary car service, which will drop you anywhere you fancy within a three-mile radius.

With its lower cost of living, free museums and national parks within day-trip distance for cost-conscious safaris, Johannesburg makes for a surprisingly affordable long-haul getaway. You won’t need to rough it either, as the African Pride Melrose Arch barely costs more than a budget hotel in other major cities. Yet this fashionable address is in the buzzy Melrose Arch district packed with cafés and independent boutiques on its tree-lined streets. The hotel also has an outdoor pool with a bar, a spa offering African-inspired treatments and two restaurants including Aduna, one of the city’s most acclaimed dining destinations. 

High Life says: You’ll remember your stay here for years to come as every guest is gifted a unique beaded item hand-crafted by hotel staff to mark a long-standing African cultural tradition of presenting beads as a token of respect.

If your heart says ‘palace’ but your feet say ‘Zone 1’, check in to Kimpton Fitzroy London. Spanning an entire block of Russell Square, this Bloomsbury grande dame is so steeped in London lore that Peter Pan could fly in from JM Barrie’s old digs, and you half expect Mrs Dalloway to stroll by with flowers in hand. Wrapped in thé-au-lait terracotta and crowned with turrets and arches, the building, designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll, is a love letter to late Victorian opulence. 

Inside, 1920s glamour abounds, with zodiac mosaic floors and statues of British queens standing guard. British wit is here, too. Lucky George, the hotel’s bronze dragon mascot, makes cheeky appearances on cushions and menus, while forest green rubber duckies add a wink of whimsy to the bathrooms. Whether you’re here for the architecture, the ambiance, or just a great selfie, Kimpton Fitzroy lets you live like royalty – without ever leaving the city.

High Life says: History buffs, ahoy! The Fitz Brasserie is said to mirror the dining room of the RMS Titanic, which was also designed by architect Doll.