The world’s cheapest five-star hotels 

If all you really want from your next break is a bit of five-star pampering – a relaxing spa or tropical pool in the day, eating from silverware while attended to by waistcoated waiters for dinner before slipping between Egyptian cotton sheets in your suite to sleep – read on.

We checked hotel rates across the world to find luxury hotels in 76 countries with prices that may surprise you.

For instance, a hotel with a temple-like entrance in Siem Reap, Cambodia, provides suites, deep-soak baths, robes and slippers as standard. It’s £49 a night.

A Bucharest hotel, filled with furniture from former aristocratic residences, plus a spa, bakery, and bellboy to boot, is £87.

The cheapest hotel, though, was the Emerald Bay Hotel & Spa in Nha Trang, Vietnam. For £22 a night, guests can enjoy sea views on a rooftop terrace as well as access to a private beach.

To find these bargains we trawled Hotels.com to look for the cheapest five-star accommodation. We excluded anywhere with a lower customer rating than eight out of 10 or properties in especially hard-to -reach locations. Even after all these checks, we had to cut some properties.

There is no single definition of a five-star hotel; official classifications are inconsistent and the hotel booking site where we found our data allows properties to upload their official star rating, but carries out spot checks for accuracy. 

Still, we removed any lodgings that didn’t seem luxurious enough, plus hotels that only offer all-inclusive stays – the latter is why you won’t find many Caribbean listings. 

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The cheapest five-star hotels in the UK

Our Which? undercover inspectors visited the cheap five-star-rated hotels found across the UK to review them anonymously.

Cheap five-star hotel in England: The Roseate, Reading, £135

A red carpet lines the steps up to the Queen Anne-style property, and the opulence continues inside with vaulted ceilings, columns and plush, heavy drapes. The Roseate has the hallmarks of a five-star hotel, with its small sauna and steam room. However, scuffed walls, sagging lobby sofas and pleasant yet inattentive staff mean it falls short of a true five-star experience. 

Rooms: Our room is part of ‘The House’ – a separate apartment-style block. It’s neutral and minimalist, except for deep-sapphire velvet chairs and arty orb lighting. In contrast, the palatial, classic room in the main house, with mahogany and baroque furniture and fuchsia and taupe walls, better matches the hotel’s sumptuous style (for £24-£38 more).

Dining: Our crispy-skinned seabass with herby crushed potatoes is tasty but small for £28. The continental buffet breakfast is more generous, and our cooked-to-order chunky stack of American pancakes (included) is indulgently drenched in syrup and topped with bacon.

Verdict: A stay here is a steal, but the cheapest rooms lack the decadence of the main house.

Book The Roseate with Hotels.com

Cheap five-star hotel in Northern Ireland: Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, £189

In many ways, this former 23-storey office building towering above Belfast’s skyline reflects the growing swagger of the Northern Irish capital. From the roped-off lift where the concierge whisks guests up to the luxury cocktail bar on the top floor to the all-day dining in front of dramatic double-height floor-to-ceiling windows in the lounge bistro, you could almost be in New York. 

Rooms: Apart from a flash of turquoise on the bedspread throw, our spacious room, with its grey geometric carpet and pale furnishings, is smart but lacks flair. That hardly matters, though, when you get rainfall showers, down duvets and a 50-inch flatscreen TV at this price. 

Dining: The flagship is the Seahorse restaurant, which holds an AA Rosette. Here, leather banquettes, marble tables and a large mural of Belfast mythology set a stunning backdrop for ambitious cooking. Dishes include a rack of Mourne lamb (£30) and Dublin Bay prawn ravioli. Breakfast is here too, and everything from the Thompson’s tea to the Bushmills in your porridge is local and delicious.

Verdict: A hotel fit for a capital

Book Grand Central Hotel with Hotels.com

Cheap five-star hotel in Scotland: The Marcliffe, Aberdeen, £205

It’s been many years since our undercover inspectors felt a UK hotel deserved our highest rating; The Marcliffe changed that. From the moment you climb the sweeping drive of this Victorian manor house on the outskirts of Aberdeen to the waistcoated staff who swing open the doors and usher you into a reception warmed by a blazing fire, every minute here feels special. There is no bling, no gold wallpaper or cocktail-snapping influencers, not even a hot tub in the small spa. The tartan carpets, high tea in the drawing room and impeccable service feel almost old-fashioned. But it’s this elegance that appeals and keeps minor royals who can’t fit into nearby Balmoral coming back. 

Rooms: The bedrooms in muted greys and browns with reproduction Chippendale desks don’t especially wow, but are spacious. The locally made mattresses are wonderfully comfortable, and you’ll find snacks, robes, same-day laundry service and other amenities that are slowly being cut at other properties. 

Dining: Guests still dress for dinner, lending a sense of occasion to taking whiskey in the deep armchair of the drawing room before being escorted to tables with crisp white linen and rattan chairs in the Conservatory restaurant. Locally caught langoustines in chilli and garlic and sirloin of Aberdeenshire beef are exquisitely presented and taste excellent. You’re back in the morning for the sort of breakfast buffet Willy Wonka would dream up: smoked haddock, grilled kippers, salmon and everything else you could possibly want. 

Verdict: To be so completely swept off your feet for less than £200 makes The Marcliffe remarkable

Book The Marcliffe with Hotels.com

Discover even more luxurious UK hotels rated highly by our undercover inspectors

Cheap five-star hotel in Wales: Voco St David's, Cardiff, £301

In 1998 St David’s Spa, Wales’ first five-star hotel, opened on Cardiff docks. Looking like a cruise liner jutting into the bay, it was hailed as the latest addition to ‘Cool Cymru’. Almost 30 years later, renamed Voco and now owned by InterContinental, it’s sleekly luxurious rather than hip. We prefer it this way. Everything works. There’s no trendy lighting or confusing app. The staff are friendly, without acting like they’ll be fired if they forget to smile. We love the lobby, flooded with light by its seven-storey atrium, and the spa with its 15-metre swimming pool. Even better are the views across the bay towards the undulating roof of the Welsh Senedd. 

Rooms: Standard rooms are a decent size, with understated decor and tasteful seascape paintings. Guests can enjoy a dip in a deep bath with fancy toiletries.

Food and drink: Breakfast is in the Tir a Môr (Land and Sea) restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking across the bay in three directions. It’s busy, but the fast turnover means the abundant buffet remains fresh and appealing.

Verdict: No longer cool, but incredibly good value

Book Voco St David's with Hotels.com

The cheapest five-star hotels in Europe

Note: Unlike with the UK hotels, we have not personally reviewed the following hotels.

Grand Continental Bucharest, Romania, £87

This central hotel has a turn-down service and a concierge to book tickets and recommend restaurants. There’s a hot tub, sauna and gym, plus a fine-dining restaurant – think silverware, candelabras, baroque furniture and waistcoated waiters. It was a meeting point for the aristocracy in its former life in the 19th century. As Bucharest is easy to get to from the UK, a five-star weekend is possible.

Book Grand Continental Bucharest on Hotels.com

art’otel Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia, £159

Although owned by the company that runs Park Plaza hotels, there are just seven art’otels in the world. Each iteration showcases a chosen artist. Here, Zagreb-born Boris Bućan’s art and graphic designs give minimalist bedrooms a pop of colour and originality, while a pillow menu and changeable mood lighting are luxurious extras. Downstairs, you’ll find an uplit indoor pool, sauna, steam room and gym. Perfect for a city break.

Book art'otel Zagreb on Hotels.com

Hotels.com wasn't the highest-rated booking site in our most recent booking sites survey. You could book instead with Booking.com, which gained a higher overall customer score.

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The cheapest five-star hotels - rest of the world

Angkor Miracle Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia, £49

It’s almost unbelievable that this luxurious hotel is the second-cheapest five-star we found (The Emerald Bay in Vietnam was a little cheaper, but not as nice). The enormous rooms feature traditional Cambodian decor, with dark wood floors and carved furniture. Outside is even better, with an infinity pool surrounded by cushioned loungers and tropical greenery.

Book the Angkor Miracle Resort on Hotels.com

Riad Jona, Marrakech, Morocco, £79

Intimate, family-run Riads are really the best way to experience Morocco, but often lack facilities. Here you get a heated plunge pool and hot tub on the rooftop, as well as sun loungers on which to unwind from the chaos of the Medina (and its bustling markets) round the corner. There are 14 luxury rooms dressed in soothing whites and rich fabrics set around a traditional, storied courtyard with a small fountain filled with rose petals. 

Book the Riad Jona on Hotels.com

The William Inglis Hotel, Sydney, Australia, £123

Sitting on a farm and horse auction facility 35 minutes from Sydney, this hotel is, perhaps unsurprisingly, equine-themed. Each room has nods to the racehorse it’s named after, plus blackout blinds, Egyptian cotton sheets and sleek brass fittings. The pool area overlooks a race course, so you might see galloping horses from your cabana. 

Book The William Inglis Hotel on Hotels.com

Heritage Telfair Resort, Mauritius, £231

Mauritius is an expensive place, so while £231 is by no means cheap, this is a bargain for the country. You get a huge balcony suite with a pillow menu and turndown service, a (shared) outdoor pool overlooking the beach, and complimentary use of kayaks, paddleboards and one of the two golf courses. There’s even a (paid-for) champagne bar for fancy evening drinks.

Book Heritage Telfair Resort on Hotels.com

Research notes: The findings are the cheapest properties advertised as five stars on Hotels.com on either 2 August or 18 January (whichever is closest to peak season for individual countries) for two travellers in one room. Hotels.com was the cheapest hotel booking site from our latest spot checks, Jan 2024.

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