Readers reveal their favourite budget boutique hotels, from Somerset to Sri Lanka. See more hotels by region: UK | Europe | the Americas | Asia and Australasia | Africa and Middle East
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Winning tip: 5 Balconi, Catania, Sicily
This boutique B&B in the heart of Catania's old town puts most three-star hotels to shame. Four of us shared two interconnecting rooms, individually designed and spacious, with high-domed ceilings and balconies perfect for cocktails, or just staring at Mount Etna in the distance. It's a stone's throw from the castle and cathedral, and surrounded by lovely places to eat and drink. Elegant and lovingly restored, this palazzo is an oasis of charm and calm.
+39 095 7234534, 5balconi.it. Doubles from £44 B&B
Amrik Rai
Murat Pasa Konagi, Dalyan, Turkey
We have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing stay in this charming hotel. Although the rooms are on the small side, this is more than made up for by the beautiful garden, huge and delicious breakfasts, free bikes and fantastically hospitable owners and staff. All for £60 a night for two adults and a 16-year-old. We will certainly go back.
• +90 555 525 25 25, muratpasakonagi.com. Doubles from £45
Sarah Kemp
Valley Stars Inn, Petra, Jordan
Set on a hillside overlooking Wadi Mousa, this boutique-style hotel is run by a local family. Ours was a clean, modern room with air-con and Jordanian art on the walls; it had crisp, white sheets on the most comfortable bed I'd slept in for years. The bathroom had a power shower strong enough to blast away the desert sand. The lounge area, where guests returning for the second and third time sat and chatted into the night, is filled with comfortable modern furniture and discreet local crafts. There's free Wi-Fi, and the family will shuttle you back and forth for free to Petra.
• +962 3 2155 733, valleystarsinn.com. Doubles from £25
LizCleere
Marrol's Hotel, Bratislava, Slovakia
If the sign of a good boutique hotel is to make you feel utterly at home, Marrol's has nailed it. It's a restored late 19th-century house in the centre, and the interior has retained something of the belle époque feel from when it was the home of a carriage maker called Antal Marshall. The name of the hotel comes from Lady Ann Marrol, daughter of a wealthy Scots merchant, who's said to have stayed with the family when a wheel of her carriage broke while she was on a trip through central Europe. It has a delightful spa and a courtyard where you can while away hours in the evening sunshine. The Wi-Fi and stocked bar in the room come at no extra cost.
+421 2 577 84 600, hotelmarrols.sk. Doubles from £86 B&B
Ivorytowergirl
Yamina, Anti Atlas, Morocco
There is a traditional adobe Berber house at the foot of Djebel Lkest, southern Morocco, where you can sit on a covered terrace, gaze out across the Ameln valley and watch goats in the argan trees. You may come for the view, but you'll stay for the food. There are three simple en suite rooms with air-con. The roof terrace has bench seating with cushions and magic Moroccan carpets so you can sit under the bougainvilleas. The owners, Jacques, a Frenchman, and his Berber wife Mina, serve a lavish array of food at the communal guest table. Breakfast and dinner combine the very best of French and Moroccan cuisine. There is also wine, French, of course. Two people can eat and sleep for less than £100 a night.
• +212 670 52 38 83, yamina-tafraout.com. Doubles £70 half-board
FarawayVisions
Uphill Manor, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
This Victorian-built mock castle hotel is a wonderful find – friendly owners, highly individual bedrooms, a fabulous panelled snooker room, with open fires if required, honesty bar (!) and acres of peaceful parkland around, but just a few minutes' walk from the beach and the town. And not a bad breakfast either.
01934 644654, uphillmanor.co.uk. Doubles £95 B&B
runningdave
La Villa Sanctuary, Colombo, Sri Lanka
This boutique hotel just outside Colombo only has two rooms. There's a small private pool, where the odd monkey looks at you sunbathing. Rooms are very tastefully decorated. The chef cooks the most amazing Sri Lankan food. There's a path going to a nature sanctuary where you can see bird life, and no noise or pollution, a rarity in Colombo.
• +94 777 489 048, lavillasanctuary.com. Doubles from £80
ID528084
The Village House, Santubong, Borneo
Tucked down a quiet track in the shadow of Mount Santubong, The Village House is idyllic. The traditional Malaysian stilt-house has just 14 rooms and is decorated with local materials and crafts from Sarawak throughout. Relax by the frangipani-lined pool, play board games in the lounge or get to know the friendly staff. Doubles cost about £50 B&B, or splash out on a deluxe Rajah room for just under £100.
+60 82 846166, villagehouse.com.my/main.php
frecklamy
Cape Royal Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
The Cape Royal Hotel was spot-on in terms of affordability, style, comfort and location. At the time (January 2013), my standard room, which had a double with kitchenette cost just under £100 a night. It's in a superb central location, five minutes' walk to the waterfront and all the shopping and restaurants.
+27 21 430 0500, caperoyale.co.za
pelarge
MyHotel, Brighton, UK
The "Carousel" suite at the swanky MyHotel Brighton has, as its centrepiece, a rocking horse, which is believed to be around 300 years old. The hotel's cocktail bar, Merkaba is a hotspot for Brighton's trendsetters, while there are award-winning restaurants within walking distance. It is close to the city's Lanes, the Royal Pavilion and around a 15-minute walk from the seafront.
01273 900301, myhotels.com/Brighton
brittraveller