Looking for your next place to spark creativity? These neighborhoods and hotels once welcomed literary giants—from James Joyce to Oscar Wilde. Stay at these elegant properties and walk their streets to feel the same inspiration that influenced some of history’s greatest writers.
© Pavillon Faubourg Saint Germain
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, France
James Joyce, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, often wandered the streets around Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was here that he worked on the final sections of Ulysses, a novel that redefined modern literature. Stroll the cafés and boulevards Joyce knew—spaces once frequented by figures such as Ernest Hemingway and Simone de Beauvoir—and soak in the atmosphere that fueled their conversations and creativity. At the Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain, visit the library lined with foreign literature and relax with a cocktail at the James Joyce Bar. The hotel’s rooms offer refined comfort and street views that echo the Parisian setting of many literary moments.
© CAYO Exclusive Resort & Spa
Spinalonga and Plaka, Crete
The fishing village of Plaka, on Crete’s northeast coast, inspired Victoria Hislop’s bestselling novel The Island. The story follows a young woman who uncovers her family’s past and its links to a leper colony on the nearby island of Spinalonga, which is visible from Plaka’s shore. To experience the novel’s landscape firsthand, stay at CAYO Exclusive Resort & Spa, where private plunge pools face the sea and offer views of Spinalonga. The resort overlooks Plaka Beach, and guests can take a short boat ride to explore the island and its poignant history—walking the same coastlines that shaped Hislop’s narrative.
© The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel
Chelsea, London, England
In Chelsea, The Cadogan has long been connected to literary history. Oscar Wilde was a frequent guest of the hotel, and it was here that his tumultuous affair and subsequent arrest unfolded—events later memorialized in poetry and literary recollection. Today, guests can reserve the Royal Suite (formerly known as bedroom 118), which preserves the grandeur of the property with an in-room library, comfortable reading nooks, views over Cadogan Place Gardens, and a stately fireplace. Staying here offers a direct link to the lavish settings and social scenes that shaped Wilde’s life and work.