Hotel hopping offers an alternative to choosing between an energetic city break and a restorative escape. Travellers split their time between contrasting properties connected by rail, boat or a short flight.
Expedia Group identified hotel hopping as a 2026 travel trend, based on rising global demand for trips containing two hotel stays. These five twin-centre itineraries apply that format to autumn and winter, moving from London to the Kent coast, Athens to Kéa Island, Paris to Saint-Tropez, Cape Town to the Eastern Cape, and Mexico City to Oaxaca.
Each pairing follows the same broad pattern: begin somewhere rich in restaurants, nightlife or culture, then continue to a quieter hotel shaped by its natural setting.
1. London and Camber Sands for an easy coastal staycation
London and the Kent coast make the simplest twin-centre option, with no flights and only a short rail journey separating Covent Garden from the dunes of Camber Sands.
Henrietta Experimental, a 40-room boutique hotel on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, places guests close to West End theatres, the Royal Opera House, galleries and the market. French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has incorporated terracotta shades, botanical motifs, painted-by-hand details and 1970s references into the Georgian townhouse setting.
The hotel is also home to Henri, a Parisian-influenced restaurant led by British chef Jackson Boxer. Its seasonal British cooking makes the property a useful base for travellers who want dinner downstairs after a day exploring central London.
From London St Pancras, high-speed trains reach Rye in as little as one hour and ten minutes. The Gallivant, a 20-bedroom coastal hotel four miles from Rye, sits behind the dunes at Camber Sands and was named VisitEngland’s Small Hotel of the Year 2024.
Bedrooms may include private terraces and roll-top baths, while the wider hotel has a coastal garden and a dedicated yoga studio. At Harry’s restaurant, former Bibendum chef director Matthew Harris leads a French-influenced kitchen that draws on nearby seasonal produce. Daily yoga and long walks over the dunes give the second half of the trip a slower rhythm.
Designated dog-friendly rooms are available by advance request for £25 per day. Dogs can enter the Sitting Room, bar, terrace and gardens, although not Harry’s restaurant.
Rates start from £250 per night at Henrietta Experimental and £200 per night at The Gallivant.
2. Athens and Kéa Island for late Mediterranean sun
One&Only’s two Greek resorts create a city-and-island itinerary, connected by a 45-minute speedboat journey from the Athenian Riviera to Kéa.
One&Only Aesthesis, a beach resort spanning 21 coastal acres of gardens near Athens, draws on the Riviera’s mid-century glamour. Rooms and villas are designed around outdoor living, while the grounds include the first Guerlain Spa in Greece.
Athens is around 30 minutes away, allowing private Acropolis visits and museum trips alongside mornings beside the sea. The resort also offers yacht excursions, water sports, tennis and padel, alongside coastal cycling routes. Dining ranges from Peruvian dishes at Manko to Japanese cooking at Sumosan.
The atmosphere changes after the private speedboat transfer to One&Only Kéa Island, an all-villa resort arranged above a secluded Cycladic bay. Its 63 cliffside villas face the Aegean and are designed for privacy, with the resort’s restaurants focused on Greek ingredients and nearby producers.
Days on Kéa can centre on diving around shipwrecks, yacht trips to hidden coves or a guided hike to ancient Karthea. Visits to the villages of Ioulida and Vourkari offer a quieter glimpse of island life beyond the resort, while the Bond Beach Club provides a livelier option beside the water.
One&Only also promotes a combined Greek escape covering at least five nights across both resorts, with transfers and savings included. Individual lead-in rates begin at £450 per night at Aesthesis and £1,500 per night at Kéa Island, both on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
3. Paris and Saint-Tropez for music, design and the Mediterranean
Paris and Saint-Tropez bring together two properties with long cultural histories: a former Pigalle music venue reborn as a hotel-club and a discreet waterfront address in an old fishing quarter.
Bus Palladium Hôtel Club, at 6 rue Pierre Fontaine in Paris, reopened in 2026 after its transformation into a 35-room, five-star boutique hotel. The original Bus Palladium welcomed performers and artists including the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and the new property retains a concert stage and club identity.
Studio KO architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty created interiors with raw concrete and blue mirrors, softened by powder-pink carpets. Alongside the bedrooms, the current Bus Palladium includes a restaurant, mixology bar and rooftop. Its Pigalle location, between Montmartre and the Opéra district, suits travellers who want Parisian nightlife on site.
After travelling south by rail and continuing into Saint-Tropez, the itinerary moves to Hôtel La Ponche. This five-star retreat overlooks La Ponche cove in the historic fishing quarter, where its original bar opened in 1949 and later attracted figures associated with Saint-Tropez’s artistic and cinematic life.
Interior designer Fabrizio Casiraghi refreshed the hotel while retaining its low-key Provençal character. Its 21 rooms, three apartments and private house combine antique furnishings with striped linens, custom woodwork and views over the sea or village rooftops.
A waterfront pontoon, regional restaurant and wellness area draw attention back towards the Mediterranean. Yoga, Pilates, massages and treatments offer a quieter complement to late nights in Pigalle.
Rates start from €363 per night at Bus Palladium and €383 per night at Hôtel La Ponche. Bus Palladium also advertises advance-purchase and longer-stay discounts, subject to availability.
4. Cape Town and Shamwari for winter sun and safari
Cape Town and Shamwari Private Game Reserve offer the widest contrast of the five pairings, moving from a waterfront city resort to 25,000 hectares of malaria-free wilderness in the Eastern Cape.
One&Only Cape Town, on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, looks towards Table Mountain and the harbour. Private waterways and a central lagoon-style pool soften the urban setting, while a spa occupies its own island within the resort.
South African cooking leads the menu at ROOI, and Nobu Cape Town is the restaurant group’s only Southern African outpost. The hotel can also arrange wine journeys, hikes and seasonal whale-watching experiences, making it possible to explore beyond the waterfront without changing base.
A Shamwari Air flight provides the transition into the Eastern Cape. Shamwari Private Game Reserve encompasses open plains and riverine bush, with accommodation spread across six lodges and one explorer camp. The reserve is home to the Big Five and contains five of South Africa’s nine biomes.
Twice-daily game drives are the foundation of a stay, complemented by guided bush walks and birdwatching. Shamwari’s conservation work includes programmes to combat poaching, environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation. Visits to its Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuaries may also be available.
The supplied package combines five nights at One&Only Cape Town with three nights at Shamwari, airport transfers, twice-daily drives and a reduced Shamwari Air fare. A separately reported City & Safari offer covers four nights in Cape Town and three at Shamwari, so travellers should confirm the current duration when booking. Package prices are available on request, while One&Only Cape Town starts from £632 per night on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
5. Mexico City and Mazunte for urban design and Pacific seclusion
Mexico City and Mazunte pair two intimate La Valise properties, beginning in the cafés and galleries of Roma Norte before continuing to a protected stretch of Oaxaca’s Pacific coast.
La Valise Mexico City, an eight-suite hotel inside a 1920s French-style townhouse, received one MICHELIN Key in the inaugural 2024 Mexico selection. Each suite has bespoke furniture, handpicked art and its own bathtub, with some baths positioned outdoors. Several suites also include terraces or generous living spaces.
The small scale gives La Valise a residential atmosphere. Its café serves French pastries and all-day breakfast, while the surrounding Roma Norte neighbourhood provides many choices for independent restaurants and design-led shopping. Guests must be aged 12 or over.
After an internal flight towards the Oaxaca coast and an onward road transfer, La Valise Mazunte shifts the focus to architecture and landscape. The retreat stands within the 30-hectare El Torón Reserve, between rugged cliffs and the Pacific Ocean.
Its current website lists ten suites plus Villa Pentágonos, an angular standalone residence designed by architect Alberto Kalach. The villa has a private pool, terrace and 360-degree views across the surrounding Pacific landscape.
Locally sourced materials connect the buildings to the reserve, where endemic birds and coastal flora surround the property. Sea turtles may also nest along this protected shoreline. Experiences at La Valise Mazunte are reserved for guests aged 18 and over, making this pairing best suited to couples or adult groups.
Rates start from $406, around £304, per night at La Valise Mexico City and $400 per night at La Valise Mazunte, both on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
All quoted prices are starting rates and may change with dates and availability. Taxes, transfers and minimum-stay requirements should be checked directly with each hotel before booking.
