1.
Rosewood Amsterdam
Amsterdam

What took 10 years to build but 10 minutes to become the most talked-about opening of 2025 (so far)? The Rosewood Amsterdam, of course. Extending across a city-block-sized building on Prinsengracht, the striking hotel, which was once an orphanage and then a courthouse, was reworked by Studio Piet Boon for its spring opening. Current city regulations suggest that this will be the last new hotel to be developed within the capital and it could hardly have picked a finer establishment: think coffered ceilings, velvety nooks and a rich palette of warm bronzes, greys and inky blues across the 134 guest rooms and the Asaya Spa.

For those planning a longer stay, there’s a set of five vast canal-side residences. The Netherlands’ favourite garden designer, Piet Oudolf, has rolled up his sleeves to plant the courtyard garden, while drinks and dinner are covered by the Advocatuur bar and Eeuwen restaurant. Is Rosewood resting on its laurels and taking a well-earned break? Not quite: all eyes are already on London for the slated September opening of The Chancery in the former US embassy on Grosvenor Square.
rosewoodhotels.com

---

2.
Los Felices
Ibiza

Tucked away in Ibiza’s Cala de Bou, The Concept Hotels Los Felices is a technicolour homage to the glamour of Palm Springs. The 113-key property is the inspiration of Diego Calvo, an Ibiza native who feels that hospitality can sometimes be too conservative (you could probably glean this from the colour scheme that he has chosen). “I see myself as a rebel,” he tells Monocle. “I wanted to create a hotel that is a destination in itself.”

Los Felices is certainly that. It’s a riot of colour and playful nostalgia, designed by Il Mio Design, an Italian studio based in Madrid that has collaborated with Calvo on all of his projects to date. Here, 1960s motifs are combined with the world of high fashion; each of the guest rooms is named after a designer and decked out with photos from their campaigns, as well as a piece created by them.

The pool area is the hotel’s pièce de resistance, a space that is as inviting as it is photogenic. Bespoke flooring, parasol collections created exclusively for Los Felices and floating sunbeds by Canacana Design add vibrant Mediterranean flair that is a world away from whitewashed Ibiza minimalism. And it’s all the more summery and fun for it.
theconcepthotels.com

---

3.
Taberna Bask
Ghent

In a fast-changing corner of Ghent’s green belt – a bucolic network of open nature and canals – Belgian restaurateurs Sam D’Huyvetter and Nina de Cuyper are channelling the spirit of San Sebastián’s pintxos bars at Taberna Bask. “We saw it as a challenge to create a space where neighbours, families and curious passers-by alike feel welcome without the fuss of having to book ahead,” says D’Huyvetter.

Applying Basque thinking to the Belgian terroir, the couple serve homemade morcilla, chorizo and coppa made from family-owned pigs, daily sourdough and imaginative creations including guinea fowl croquetas and red mullet with chipirón squid. Built with vintage finds, this corner spot strikes a balance between Belgian conviviality and soft ochre walls and warm lighting which evoke a Spanish late afternoon.
tabernabask.be

---

Images: Louise De Groote