The Augustine

Seven historic buildings are gathered into this striking hotel, the largest a 13th-century Augustinian monastery from which it takes its name. Part of the Rocco Forte Collection, it opened in 2009 and bears the hallmark of British designer Olga Polizzi, both in the arresting public spaces and soothingly elegant bedrooms. The early 20th-century Czech Cubist movement has clearly been her influence, particularly in the lobby’s clean, geometric lines and the detailing in the bedrooms, where shades of papal purple, red and orange combine with delicate greys and greens. If money’s no object, book one of the suites: No. 117, clad in stunning frescoes, or the Tower, spread over three floors. Drink in charming Tom’s Bar, in the cloister, or quaff specially brewed black beer in the cellar Brewery where you’ll glimpse some extraordinary 17th-century man-made stalactites. Looking out to the terrace, cloister and courtyard garden, the all-glass Monastery Restaurant serves first-class brasserie-style food.