NEW TO SMITH THIS MONTH

Founded in 1933 as an overnight outpost for visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee Ranch has long had the lay of the land. Its timber-clad and fire-warmed cabins feature salvaged barn beams, hand-spun textiles and archival photographs, uniting Cherokee craft and contemporary Appalachia. The 825-acre ranch sets the stage for all manner of rugged pursuits, including horseback riding, fly fishing and UTV tours.

And we've more arrivals primed for summer sojourns, including new stays in California Wine Country, Cartagena and Barcelona.

Bus Palladium, Paris

A legendary nightclub that made its mark in Paris’s turbulent Sixties, Le Bus Palladium was once South Pigalle’s foremost den of hedonism. Like the neighbourhood around it, it’s undergone a 21st-cneutry revival, reopening as a boutique hotel with a low-lit lounge bar and creative French restaurant. Studio KO were brought in to create a fresh look, using concrete ceilings, ribbed glass, cork walls and powder-pink carpets in the rooms — creating the perfect afterparty ambience after a dance in the club downstairs.

Moinho da Areia, Azores

When sibling duo Inês and João discovered Moinho da Areia, it was an abandoned water mill on a wave-beaten Azorean shore. It might’ve seen generations of millers’ hard graft, but today, this is a place to leave the grind behind. There are just five rooms, all overlooking the Atlantic and filled with bespoke contemporary art and furnishings. Each morning, a hearty Azorean breakfast provides the fuel for a slew of outdoor adventures, including surfing, trips to hot springs and wild swims in volcanic lagoons. 

The Cottages at Little Saint, California Wine Country

Tucked away in a leafy pocket of downtown Healdsburg, Little Saint started as a cherished restaurant, supplied by its own regenerative farm and enlivened by an events space that’s serenaded by local musicians every Thursday night. Now, it’s bolstered its good standing with the addition of four cottages designed by Ken Fulk, with maximalist interiors, curated record collections and private porches designed for quiet inspiration.

Noelle Nashville, Nashville

Formerly an art deco hotel that was the pinnacle of luxury in its 1930s heyday, this downtown landmark has returned to the Music City stage as Noelle Nashville. Tennessee marble, brass details and retro curves have been sharpened with contemporary design flourishes and a healthy dollop of honky tonk sass. And who knows, you might just meet the stars of tomorrow swilling cocktails at the rooftop bar or neon-lit speakeasy. 

Granger Hotel, San Diego

We love a hotel with a wild past, something San Diego stay the Granger Hotel takes to new heights. In spite of its downtown location in the Gaslamp Quarter, the building was once home to dozens of wild animals, all awaiting transfer to San Diego Zoo. Today, its city-spying rooms, lobby café and gallery-like art studio attract travellers who are far more approachable, though you’ll find subtle nods to the former fauna in the zebra-print sofas, giraffe-shaped coat hooks and bird-like lamps.

Amarla Boutique Hotel, Colombia

In Gabriel García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, the characters never seem to be able to leave their enchanting village. Stay at Amarla Boutique Hotel in Cartagena and you’ll begin to understand their intoxication. Tucked away among the maze of colonial streets in the Walled City — a great inspiration to Márquez — this 18th-century family home has been carefully restored, with seven individually designed suites arranged around a stone atrium thick with hanging vines.

The Hoxton, Poblenou, Spain

With its checkerboard rooftop pool, lemon-striped cabanas and alfresco taqueria, The Hoxton, Poblenou could easily be in Mexico — were it not for the spires of the Sagrada Família in the background. The rooms channel a coastal Mediterranean calm with their terracotta floors, sisal rugs and hand-woven tapestries in sandy tones. Downstairs, there’s an Italian American restaurant with a cellar full of natural wines, a bodega stocked with Catalan deli goods and a lobby bar slinging cocktails and tapas.