Crete's Blue Palace

Greece's newest luxury hotel opens next weekend near the village of Elounda in Crete. Many of the bungalows and suites at the Blue Palace have private swimming pools; a spa features thalassotherapy treatments.

Rates start at €220 (£157) a night for a room with breakfast at the Blue Palace (00 30 284 10 65500, ghotw.com).

Barcelona's pink hotel

A new gay-friendly design hotel opens in Barcelona on July 1. The Hotel Axel, five minutes from Las Ramblas, has a male boutique and a chill-out area; the bedrooms have Kenzo fabrics, Vitra chairs, flat-screen TVs and photographic light boxes.

A single room costs from €120 (£85), doubles from €160 at the Hotel Axel (00 34 93 41 42 816, hotelaxel.com).