From sun-bleached Italian palazzos to tropical, art-filled hideaways this is our list of top hotels of the month.

Far from the archetype of a staid, stuffy hotel, each of these boutique hotels is a living, ever-evolving entity. From sun-bleached Italian palazzos to tropical, art-filled hideaways, join us for a spin around seven properties that offer an adventure through craftsmanship and art and embody a tangible celebration of human ingenuity and creativity.

Minimalism meets majesty at Puglia’s Palazzo Daniele where monastic décor exaggerates the grandeur of ceiling frescoes and the standalone art and design pieces. An altogether more urban palazzo plays host to a veritable treasure trove of couture fabrics, curated artwork, and reproduced antique wallpaper prints at Rome’s Elizabeth Unique Hotel. Moving to Austria and with its bold architecture and wealth of contemporary art, Augarten Art Hotel makes a striking statement in historic Graz. The former Bethnal Green Town Hall has been reimagined as the spectacular Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, a hybrid of Edwardian and contemporary aesthetics that acts as a showcase for modern design pieces and stumbled-upon curios. Like the portrait miniatures of François Dumont and Nicholas Hilliard in its collection, the four-room Le Collatéral is a minute masterpiece that has become a creative sanctuary in historic Arles. Half guesthouse, half gallery, and entirely a vanguard of the modern urban retreat in the heart of the Taiwanese capital, Humble House Taipei exemplifies the “art in life, life in art” philosophy. Finally, a pristine stretch of private beach on the Yucatán peninsula is the unlikely destination for a museum-worthy cache of paintings and sculpture courtesy of Casa Malca, the brainchild of eminent art collector Lio Malca.

For more information and booking visit https://www.designhotels.com