Leo's Beach Hotel

Leo's is one of those small, unassuming beach hotels that repeat guests guard jealously. Its ten simply furnished rooms open onto a garden just a few steps from the sand at Brufut, and the restaurant does a short, reliable menu of grilled fish and Italian classics — the kind of place where you settle into a rhythm rather than work through a list of facilities. Brufut beach itself is the draw: long, quiet and sunset-facing, a world away from the busier sands further north. With only ten rooms, a bar, garden and WiFi, it's intimate and personal, and the welcome from staff who remember returning guests is a big part of why people come back year after year. It suits couples and solo travellers after calm, good food and an unhurried stretch of beach. For low-key charm on the south coast, it's a gem.