(CNN) – When it comes to what a hotel A spectacular backdrop is hard to beat. So there can be little doubt that some of the most breathtaking features to be found are dramatically perched on cliffs. Magnificent views, whether sea, mountain or valley, paired with enviable locations give these hotels an endless charm – no wonder that they are among the most sought-after travel Accommodations in the world.
“Property on cliff tick the boxes for anything you need to stay in a hotel,” said Josh Alexander, a consultant at Protravel, a travel company in New York City. “They are romantic, private, and usually very luxurious. Literally and figuratively, you feel like you are on top of the world.”
These are hotels worth dreaming of for future trips, even if the pandemic means staying is not in your immediate future.
From Dominica and Big Sur to the Amalfi Coast and Santorini, here are some of the most dazzling, formidable, and envious cliff hotels in the world:
Secret Bay, Dominica
The Secret Bay boutique resort in Dominica offers breathtaking ocean views from almost every angle.
Courtesy Secret Bay
In the untouched Caribbean island state of Dominica, this boutique resort with all villas is located on a high promontory in the middle of a lush rainforest overlooking the sea. All accommodations have kitchens, indoor and outdoor seating areas, and plunge pools.
Ocean views can be enjoyed from almost anywhere on the property, including the open-air restaurant and tree house-style spa. Guests can enjoy a variety of land and sea activities – including lionfish hunting, champagne reef diving, and hiking the longest trail in the Caribbean.
Secret bay: Ross Blvd Portsmouth, Dominica; +1 833 916 0833
Angama Mara, Kenya
Angama Mara sits 1,000 feet above the Maasai Mara on the edge of the Great Rift Valley and offers panoramic views of the plains that stretch out and on. The name of the camp was inspired by the Swahili word for “floating in the air”.
The site was also used as the filming location for the 1985 film Out of Africa. Guests can expect world-class game viewing every month of the year, including the Big Five in Africa, on both game drives and walking safaris. Amenities include a photography studio, fitness center, art gallery, 40-foot swimming pool, and a studio where local Maasai women bead bespoke items.
Angama Mara: Suswa Mara Triangle, Kenya; +254 730 630630
Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa, Amalfi Coast, Italy
The family-run Monastero Santa Rosa was formerly a 17th-century monastery and sits on a cliff overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. With 20 rooms, it has an infinity pool, five levels of landscaped gardens full of bougainvillea trees, a Michelin-starred restaurant and numerous outdoor pavilions.
The spa is the best on the Amalfi Coast and offers treatments using local herbs and plants. The picturesque towns of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello can be reached by car or boat in 20 minutes.
Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, Santorini, Greece
The Grace Hotel is located above the Santorini caldera.
Courtesy of the Grace Hotel Santorini
Perched high on the Santorini caldera in the village of Imerovigli in the northwest of the island, the whitewashed Grace Hotel is an ideal place to enjoy the most mesmerizing sunrises and sunsets of the Aegean Sea.
The property has a champagne lounge with sea views, a beautiful infinity pool, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant, and a yoga and pilates studio. Travelers can book the two-bedroom villa, which has a spacious outdoor terrace with a private pool as well as a private spa with a heated plunge pool.
The hotel is currently closed and is scheduled to reopen in mid-April.
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Nizwa, Oman
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar – Arabic for “green mountain” – rises 6,000 feet above sea level on the curved edge of a canyon and overlooks the rugged mountainous landscape of Oman. It is an area that Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, visited in 1986 to see the dramatic beauty firsthand.
The resort has 115 rooms, an infinity pool on the edge of the cliff, six restaurants and lounges, and a spa with hammam. You can hike through valleys, stargaze, mountain bike or visit old mountain villages and nearby historical sites.
Reid’s Palace, Madeira, Portugal
Reid’s Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Madeira, Portugal, has welcomed guests since 1891.
Courtesy Belmond
Reid’s Palace, a Belmond hotel, sits on a rocky cliff overlooking Madeira’s Funchal Harbor. It is surrounded by ten hectares of sub-tropical gardens and offers expansive views of the Atlantic from each of its 158 rooms.
One of the resort’s three swimming pools is at the base of the cliff and has a platform at sea level so guests can jump straight into the sea. The Italian restaurant also offers sea panoramas and is a particularly picturesque place to enjoy the island’s sunset.
Reid’s Palace is temporarily closed until March 21, 2021.
Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Ireland
The appropriately named Cliff House Hotel is located on Ireland’s southeast coast in the fishing village of Ardmore on the edge of a cliff overlooking the expanses of Ardmore Bay and beyond.
Although the hotel is temporarily closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, there will no doubt be a pent-up demand for luxury getaways with fresh air and expansive spaces.
The Well by the Sea Spa has rooms and a post-treatment relaxation area that appears to float over the bay.
The property’s excellent, Michelin-starred restaurant serves modern Irish cuisine. The hotel is an ideal base for exploring the surrounding villages and the city of Cork, less than an hour’s drive away.
Cliff House Hotel: Middle Road, Dysert, Ardmore, County Waterford, P36 DK38, Ireland; +353 24 87800
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California
In remote Big Sur, the Post Ranch Inn is a popular hideaway for Hollywood’s who-is-who, 1,200 feet above the Pacific.
Guests can expect the sight and sound of waves, breathtaking sunsets, and a laid-back atmosphere where days are filled with scenic hikes, relax by the pool, or indulge in a spa treatment (located in the middle of the forest). Dinner at the on-site glass-enclosed Sierra Mar Restaurant is an experience akin to floating in the sky.
The hotel can be reached by car. However, due to recent erosion along Highway 1, an alternative route is being offered for guests from Southern California.
