50 Utterly Charming Hotels Around $100

Zamas
Is there a nicer phrase than "bungalows on the beach"? Zamas, south of Playa del Carmen in Tulum, is ideal for anyone seeking a barefoot vacation. It's owned and operated by Susan Bohlken and Daniel McGettigan, who moved from San Francisco in 1993 after visiting the area on their honeymoon. Zamas is solar- and wind-powered, and often has live music, especially during the high season of winter. 415/387-9806, zamas.com, $80 (no credit cards).

MONTSERRAT

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Gingerbread Hill
Innkeepers David and Clover Lea (and their kids) will show you a down-home side of the Caribbean you won't find most anywhere else. David is a volcanologist, and he leads tours exploring the island and its volcano. There are mango and banana trees where you can grab a snack (if the fresh fruit in your room isn't enough), and chickens laying eggs for breakfast. 664/491-5812 or 813/774-5270, volcano-island.com, from $45, includes airport transfers.

MOROCCO

Kasbah Ait Ben Moro
You can pay $600 a night to stay in a Moroccan kasbah, but you don't have to. Kasbah Ait Ben Moro is an unbelievable 18th-century fortress--by a 58-square-mile palm grove--in Skoura, halfway between Marrakech and Erfoud. The High Atlas Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop. Aziz, the manager, will make you feel very welcome. 011-212/24-85-21-16, kasbahbenmoro.com, from $84, includes breakfast and tax.

NETHERLANDS

Hotel Arena
In its 116 years, the building that's now home to Amsterdam's Hotel Arena has seen many of the stages of life: It has been an orphanage, a senior citizens' home, and a youth hostel. In the 1990s, the building--located in Oost, the eastern part of the city--was turned into a hotel. The 133 rooms are straightforward, with wood floors and hints of Dutch design. The cafe and restaurant are much more exuberant (and the nightclub is downright slamming). The hotel's terrace is popular with locals, too. 011-31/20-850-2400, hotelarena.nl, from $103.

PORTUGAL

Estalagem da Ponta do Sol
All clean lines and breezy white fabrics, this full-service resort sits on a cliff top on the southern edge of Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic. The views are breathtaking: Each of the 54 rooms has a balcony with a transparent wall, so you can look through it instead of having to look over it. There are two pools (indoor and outdoor), a gym, and free access to tennis courts. The pebble beach is a three-minute walk away. 011-351/291-970-200, pontadosol.com, from $140 (discounts for stays of three nights and longer), includes breakfast, tax, and airport transfers (for stays of at least two nights).

SCOTLAND

Dun Na Mara
Considering it's a big white house on the shores of Loch Nell, near the Scottish village of Benderloch, Dun Na Mara could've easily gone twee on the inside. Innkeepers Mark McPhillips and Suzanne Pole, architects from Edinburgh, went in a more subdued direction. Rooms are airy and calm, as if they've been art-directed. There's nothing light about the full Scottish breakfast, however. 011-44/1631-720-233, dunnamara.com, from $157, includes breakfast and tax.

SOUTH AFRICA

Daddy Long Legs
When you wake up at Daddy Long Legs, you may not be able to tell where your dreams end and the decor begins. Artists and other Cape Town creative types did the 13 rooms in the art hotel (there are also apartments that are less crazy): One room involves 2,500 rolls of Mentos; another is plastered with wallpaper made of hundreds of sunset snapshots; and another--well, take a look at our contents page. 011-27/21-422-3074, daddylonglegs.co.za, from $53.

The Village Lodge
Good taste reigns supreme at this hotel in De Waterkant village, Cape Town's gay neighborhood. There are 32 rooms in the compound; kids are not encouraged to stay in the main lodge, so families may prefer the villa annex down the street (which has access to all the hotel services). The Soho Restaurant serves delicious Thai cuisine. 011-27/21-421-1106, thevillagelodge.com, from $75, includes breakfast.

SPAIN

Hostal d'Uxelles
There's something about this hotel in Barcelona that just feels sweet: The rooms have good bones, with molding on the walls and ceilings, nice tile floors, and old-world bathrooms. Try for a room with a terrace--especially in warm months, as there's no air-conditioning. 011-34/93-265-2560, hotelduxelles.com, from $103.

THAILAND

Costa Lanta
The warm character of the Thai people contrasts interestingly against the slick modernism of Costa Lanta, where walls of concrete and gleaming wood, and furniture that could've come off an Italian yacht, are the norm. It was designed by a young, award-winning architect from Bangkok, Duangrit Bunnag. The resort is away from the beach so as not to disturb the ecology of Ko Lanta Yai. Rooms come with flip-flops--and umbrellas, because the rainy season lasts from May to November. 011-66/75-684-630, costalanta.com, from $81, includes breakfast and tax.

Panviman
The lowest rates at Panviman resort, on Ko Phangan, used to be for rooms in the hotel building, but when it's done being renovated in December, they'll have been upgraded. That will make the most affordable option one of the cottages dotting the island's hillside. The standard cottages start at $88; the deluxe ones (from $139) have gorgeous woodwork and open-air bathtubs. Downstairs is a private beach and a swanky pool. 011-66/77-445-101, panviman.com/phangan, from $88, includes breakfast and tax.

TURKEY

Dersaadet Hotel
Istanbul is Europe's nightlife hotspot, but it's still 1950 at the Dersaadet, and that's just fine, thank you. It's a former sultan's palace. Expect parquet floors with handmade kilim carpets, stately furniture, and Bosporus views. The Terrace Cafe--where you can have breakfast (a traditional Turkish spread, of 30 items or so) or spend an evening lingering over a bottle of wine--looks out at the prettily lit Blue Mosque. 011-90/212-458-07-60, hoteldersaadet.com, from $89, includes breakfast and tax (10 percent discount if you pay in cash; stay four nights or more and you get free airport pickup).

Esbelli
Evi Suha Ersoz, a former lawyer, bought up traditional cave houses in Urgup, Cappadocia, and turned them into a 13-room hotel. The phrase cave hotel doesn't really do Esbelli Evi justice: Its style is timeless but contemporary, with modern bathrooms and hardwood floors. All of the rooms have air-conditioning and broadband Internet connections. There are $300-a-night suites (that have kitchens and gardens) if you've been good. 011-90/384-341-33-95, esbelli.com, $110, includes breakfast and tax.

UNITED STATES

Spyglass House
Maui's Spyglass House is nothing fancy; it wisely lets its oceanfront location do the heavy lifting. There are six rooms, divided between two houses. The common-area living room has amazing views. Sit in a Sky Chair hanging over the lawn, or do some yoga at the yoga center that Spyglass House runs a few blocks down the street. The hippie-chic town of Paia, half a mile away, is packed with eclectic restaurants and boutiques, but there's a kitchen and barbecue grill on-site if you'd rather not leave the premises. 808/579-8608 or 800/475-6695, spyglassmaui.com, $120 ($90 for shared bath), includes breakfast.

Calla Lily Inn
Rod and Charlotte Callahan renovated a 1950s hotel in downtown Palm Springs, Calif., giving it a comfortable, nonintimidating feel. The nine rooms are large and tasteful, but the real star is the courtyard. Vibrant foliage--including palms and lemon, lime, and grapefruit trees--surrounds a rectangular pool, with the San Jacinto Mountains providing a glamorous backdrop. The five fountains don't hurt, either. 760/323-3654 or 888/888-5787, palmspringscallalily.com, from $109 (two-day minimum on weekends), includes evening cordial.

Galisteo Inn
Galisteo is 25 minutes outside of Santa Fe, but feels farther. The inn is a low-slung 18th-century hacienda, redone in 2004 with elan. Walls were painted in vibrant colors, and objets de cowboy art have been deployed with precision. The hotel is surrounded by 15 acres, home to apple and other trees. (You can pick fruit and feed it to the friendly llamas.) The Pecos Wilderness area is 10 miles away and has great hiking trails. The Galisteo Inn's chef, Enrique Guerrero, trained with Thomas Keller, of the famous French Laundry in California. 866/404-8200, galisteoinn.com, from $115, includes breakfast.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School
What was once a 1936 elementary school in downtown Bend, Ore., has been converted into a lodging-and-entertainment complex. The classrooms are now 17 hotel rooms, but the property appeals to locals, too. There's a movie theater, microbrewery, restaurant, and Turkish soaking pool. Groups should consider the four cottages, which sleep 2 to 10 people. Like McMenamins' other properties, this one has character to burn. 877/661-4228 or 541/382-5174, mcmenamins.com, from $94, includes movie theater admission.

Numero Uno Guest House
In the residential Ocean Park neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Numero Uno is a 1940s house that's been turned into a hotel. The inn, which was totally renovated in 2005, is on the beach; you can hear the waves from your room. Numero Uno's restaurant, Pamela's Caribbean Cuisine, has tables on the sand. Go for dinner, or just for the house drink, a Lemon Squeeze--Bacardi Limon, with lemons and limes steeping in it, and cranberry juice. 866/726-5010 or 787/726-5010, numero1guesthouse.com, from $60, includes breakfast.

VIETNAM

Pilgrimage Village
Pilgrimage Village, on the outskirts of Hue, Vietnam's former imperial city, is an effortless place to stay a few days. It has 50 rooms (though the number is expected to double by the end of the year), each with a pair of balconies, set on lush grounds. Everything you need is at hand: a pool (two by December), a grand dining room with a peaked wooden roof, a spa, a gym, an Internet cafe, even handicraft classes (where you can learn to make your very own conical hat). The Candle Bar is very romantic. It holds just 40 people, and is lit almost entirely by flickering candles. 011-84/54-885-461, pilgrimagevillage.com, from $71.

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