Five Best: Art Nouveau Hotels

Rebecca Baker indulges her stylish side and finds it's all in the design

Torre del Remei, Spain

Torre del Remei, Spain

This fairy-tale mansion puts a Spanish twist on the Art Nouveau theme, with intricate detailing on the ceilings and windows, a domed skylight and elaborate chandeliers. The building, constructed in 1910, was under threat of dereliction when the current owners took it over. The rooms, while modern, have been refurbished sympathetically. Exposed stone walls and chic furnishings make it a favourite spot for weekenders from Barcelona. As does the food - the place is run by a former chef.

Relais Chateaux Torre del Remei, Bolvir de Cerdanya, Girona (00 34 972 140 182; www.torredelremei.com). Doubles start at €200 (£143), room only

Gresham Palace, Hungary

Built in 1906 for the Gresham Life Assurance Company in lavish Art Nouveau style, the Gresham Palace suffered the ravages of the Second World War and the communist era. However, after years of careful restoration work, itopened as a hotel last year.From the wrought iron peacock gates to the brilliant mosaics inside, life has been swept back into this architectural icon.

Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, 5-6 Roosevelt ter, Budapest, Hungary (00 36 1411 9000; www.fourseasons.com). Doubles start at EUR280 (£200), room only

Diplomat Hotel, Sweden

With its pale colour scheme and elegant window arches, the Diplomat offers a Scandinavian, low-key take on Art Nouveau, known locally as Jugendstil. Overlooking Stockholm's picturesque harbour, the hotel is set in a turn of the century apartment block. In the 1930s the building was split into embassy offices and a boarding house. When the embassies later left, the boarding house expanded into this classy 128-room hotel.

Diplomat Hotel, Strandvagen 7c, Stockholm (00 46 8459 6800; www.diplomathotel.com). Doubles start at SEK1795 (£135), including breakfast

Grand Hotel Europe, Russia

One of St Petersburg's grandest hotels, the baroque façade of the Grand Hotel Europe may not be Art Nouveau but the interior certainly is. Designed in 1824, it was later given an Art Nouveau overhaul by the Swedish-Russian designer Fyodor Lidval. During the Revolution, the building was an orphanage, and in the siege of Leningrad it was used as a hospital. It was taken over by Orient Express this year.

Grand Hotel Europe, Nevsky Prospect, Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7 St. Petersburg (00 7 812 329 6000; www.grandhoteleurope.com). Special offer doubles start at US$199 (£109), room only

Villa Feltrinelli, Italy

Villa Feltrinelli is surrounded by an eight-acre park overlooking Lake Garda and was built by a family of lumber magnates in 1892. It was designed in the elaborate Liberty style, but the building's history is even more startling than the furnishings. This was where the exiled Mussolini holed up towards the end of the Second World War. And, in 1972, the villa's owner died planting a bomb outside Milan after he joined a militant organisation.

Villa Feltrinelli, Via Rimembranza 38-40, Gargano, Italy (00 39 0365 798000; www.villafeltrinelli.com). Suites start at €700 (£500), including breakfast