Where to stay: Valencia
Take advantage of the bountiful natural attributes of Spain's premier port city at these stylish boltholes
El Botanico de Sagra
A botanical garden-cum-arboretum, this is a joyous collection of five self-catering houses (sleeping two to 11) painted in flamboyant colours around a freshwater pool and extensive 'secret' gardens. The outré exteriors give way to breezy, colourful interiors. Apartments from £62 per night.
Finca Casa Nueva
This isn't your average rustic finca; it's a grand old country pile, dating from 1905. Simulating a belle époque castle and surrounded by a sprawling vineyard, its nine uber-comfy rooms sit beneath stucco wall finishes and wrought iron chandeliers. Outside, pine, almond and olive groves twist amid the vines. Doubles from £78, B&B.
La Casota
Clinging to the mountainside halfway to Alicante, this friendly, family-run, organic farm has four rooms and a communal living area in a converted barn, plus two self-catering properties (a studio flat and small house). The pool looks towards the sea, where sweeping views reach as far as Ibiza. Doubles from £71, B&B.
Vivood
These glass-fronted, stilt-propped cabins plonked in the middle of the rugged Guadalest Valley technically make a hotel, but you'd never know it. Wilderness aside, there are 84,000sq m of estate to explore, plus it's eco-friendly, architect-designed and adults-only. What's not to love? Cabins from £151, B&B.
Published in the September 2017 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)
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