Take me there: San Giorgio hotel, Mykonos

Combining style, sunshine and liberal doses of hedonism, the San Giorgio hotel on Mykonos is the perfect antidote to this never-ending British winter. Launched as a pop-up hotel last summer on a six-month trial, the 33-room retreat will reopen on 10 May on a permanent basis. The owners also run the island's Paradise Club, so guests can expect a relaxed Ibiza-style hangout with hammocks, lanterns, pool and private beach, as well as a shuttle bus and VIP entrance to the club. Rooms from €150 (designhotels.com/san_giorgio)

It's a good time to... stay in a stylish hostel

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the new Generator Hostel in Barcelona, which was blurring the boundaries between backpacker digs and budget hotel. Next month sees the opening of an eco hostel in Paris which will set new standards for sustainability (£23pp, hihostels.com). In a former warehouse close to the Gare du Nord, the Pajol Hostel has a covered garden and its own solar-powered generator.

But it's not just in European cities that the bar has been raised for budget accommodation. The YHA recently announced a £10m investment in its British hostels with major refurbishments planned for five of its properties and a brand-new hostel in the South Downs which opened last week promising unprecedented levels of comfort and privacy (from £25, yha.org.uk/hostel/south-downs). As well as the usual dorms, YHA South Downs has a three-bedroom family unit, cosy communal areas and a well-equipped kitchen.

Finally, Wales's first five-star hostel, the beautiful Plas Curig in Snowdonia (from £22.50pp, snowdoniahostel.co.uk), recently completed an upgrade which puts it on a par with the most stylish B&B. The days of dreary dorms, cold showers and 10 o'clock curfews are well and truly gone.

Give me a break: the week's best deals

Home For a last-minute blast of sea air and spa therapy, look no further than the Beach House Apartments on Porth Beach in Cornwall. A three-night stay costs £109pp, including two treatments at a nearby day spa and one dinner – saving 30% on normal rates – but the offer only applies to stays before 30 April, so you'll need to hurry (porthveormanor.com/the-beach-house)

Away Under the Thatch has some great deals on its Spanish self-catering houses if you book before 22 April. Save 50% on a cool Barcelona apartment or 10% on the beautiful Moorish House, a new addition to the collection, with shady courtyard and whitewashed walls in Vejer de la Frontera, near Cádiz. Sleeps six. From £504 per week (underthethatch.co.uk)