Stay in a five-star hotel for just £22 a night: The world’s cheapest luxury getaways

When booking a hotel for your next trip away, sometimes quality and luxury have to be compromised for the sake of staying within your price range.

Yet there are some hotels across the globe that deliver a five-star experience at a fraction of the price you expect to be paying for decadent resorts with top-notch facilities and reputable hospitality – and possibly even less than your typical budget-friendly stays.

Consumer watchdog Which? has rooted around hotel listings that were advertised as five stars on Hotels.com to find the most affordable five-star luxury accommodation in the world.

The researchers rounded up the best of the best, excluding any hotels with a lower customer rating of eight out of 10, to deliver a list of these cheap five-star hotels that are actually worth checking into.

The cheapest five-star hotel out of the 76 countries Which? researched was the Emerald Bay Hotel & Spa in Nha Trang, Vietnam, which came in at the very cheap price of £22 per night.

The hotel includes a rooftop terrace as well as access to a private beach, with one guest describing the hotel as a “hidden gem”.

In second spot was a hotel in Cambodia, the Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa, with rooms from just £49 per night.

The rooms are spacious and include traditional Cambodian decor alongside dark wood floors and carved furniture, while outside boasts an infinity pool surrounded by cushioned loungers and greenery.

Focusing on Europe, Which? said one of the most impressive five-star hotels was the Grand Hotel Continental Bucharest in Romania.

At £87 per night, the hotel is centrally located, offers a turn-down service and a concierge to book tickets and recommend restaurants, while its hospitality extends further with waistcoat waiters in its fine-dining restaurant.

For a five-star staycation, Which? found in the cheapest hotels in the UK were The Roseate in Berkshire (£135), The Grand Central Hotel, Belfast (£189), The Marcliffe in Aberdeen (£205) and voco St David’s, Cardiff (£301).

However, it is The Marcliffe that truly shines, as it is the first UK hotel in several years the undercover inspectors at Which? felt deserved the highest rating they could give.

The watchdog researchers say that the hotel offers understated luxury, complete with tartan carpets, high tea in the drawing room and “impeccable” service.

One guest at The Marcliffe said it was “The best hotel in Aberdeen” with “amazing service and great surroundings”.

If you would prefer to get in some sightseeing abroad rather than stay in the UK, one of the best luxury short-haul experiences on a budget can be found at the Riad Jona, Marrakech, Morocco, available for £79 a night.

Just around the corner from bustling markets in Medina, one guest described the hotel as “an oasis of calm in a busy city” with its heated plunge pool, rooftop hot tub and storied courtyard with a rose-petal-filled fountain.

Which? recommends anyone looking to book a five-star stay keep in mind that there is not one single definition for ‘five-star’ and that travellers do some research to see if a hotel matches their expectations.

The hotel booking site where Which? found its data allows properties to upload their official star rating, but also carries out spot checks for accuracy.

Alongside cutting hotels with a lower score than eight out of ten, the watchdog excluded accommodation in especially hard-to-reach locations and others that had no facilities, restaurant, pool or spa, or any that didn’t seem luxurious enough.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “A five-star hotel may seem too expensive for the average holidaymaker, but we have found impressive levels of luxury for as little as £22 per night.

“If you can afford the flight, South East Asia has the cheapest five-star hotels, but even if you don’t want to travel so far, there are plenty of affordable options closer to home.

“There is no single definition of a five-star hotel, so if you don’t want to be disappointed it’s worth doing some research and checking reviews before committing.

“The good news is that a five-star stay could be cheaper than you think so don’t discount it from your options.”

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Source: independent.co.uk