Planning a trip with your group chat is a high-stakes operation: someone wants a beach club, someone wants a spa, and someone just wants a reasonably priced bed near the old town. Condé Nast Traveller UK has done the arguing for you, with an editor-vetted shortlist of European hotels aimed squarely at the girls' holiday crowd — and it spans everything from all-night parties to silent wellness retreats.
The picks cover every trip personality. For groups whose holiday starts at sundown, Hyde Bodrum gets the nod for best party vibe, while Gran Marbella Resort wins on beach club credentials on Spain's Costa del Sol. If the group's version of indulgence is not having to reach for a wallet all week, Ikos Porto Petro on Mallorca is named best all-inclusive — the Greek-run Ikos brand has built its reputation on resort-wide dining and service that doesn't feel like a buffet free-for-all.
Prefer culture with your cocktails? Experimental Marais in Paris is the city pick — a design-led hotel from the French Experimental Group in one of the capital's most atmospheric neighbourhoods, handy for galleries, boutiques and long dinners. On the opposite end of the energy scale, F Zeen in Kefalonia takes the wellness crown. The Ionian island retreat is known for its laid-back, health-focused setup — think yoga, spa treatments and sea views rather than shots by the pool.
For crews watching their spend, The Hoxton in Florence is flagged as the affordable option. The design-led chain has a knack for social, buzzing lobbies that double as co-working and aperitivo spots, and a Florence outpost means Renaissance art, Tuscan food and reasonably priced rooms all within walking distance of the big sights.
The selection process matters here. Every hotel was chosen independently by editors and written up by a journalist who has actually stayed there, with criteria including design, location, service, sustainability credentials and that harder-to-pin-down 'insider' feel. The list blends splashy luxury with smaller boutique properties, and it's updated regularly as hotels open and evolve — so it's worth rechecking before you book for 2027.
Why it matters: a girls' holiday is often the hardest trip of the year to organise, with conflicting budgets and wish-lists. A shortlist that already splits the choices by trip type — party, beach, all-inclusive, city, wellness, budget — lets the group skip the research phase and go straight to the vote. The only real decision left is which kind of trip you're in the mood for.
— Condé Nast Traveller UK
