Everyone loves a great British hotel. But how do you find the best?
Not the chain-run places that charge a fortune the moment you pull up outside, but the independents, run by generous hosts who greet you with tea and cake and send you off armed with local tips.
Winners of this year’s Good Hotel Guide Cesars – named after César Ritz, who founded the Ritz in Paris in 1898 – include the stylish new venture from George Davies (the man behind George at Asda), a Shropshire bolthole where dogs are pampered well beyond a token sausage, and a historic house that hosted exiled French King Louis XVIII for five years.
The latest Good Hotel Guide reviews are now online at goodhotelguide.com.
Chewton Glen in New Milton, Hampshire, has been named the Best Hotel in the South
Best in Wales
Plas Dinas Country House
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
So much more than a hotel, this former home of the Armstrong-Jones family still carries the romance of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon.
Bedrooms dressed in bold wallpapers and four-posters brim with antiques, family portraits and Lord Snowdon’s signed photographs. The fine-dining restaurant is exceptional.
Details: B&B doubles from £199 (plasdinas.co.uk)
So much more than a hotel, this former home of the Armstrong-Jones family still carries the romance of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon
Best in Scotland
The Meikleour Arms
Meikleour, Perth and Kinross
Foodies and fisherfolk alike will love this cottage-style Georgian coaching inn owned by Sam Mercer Nairne and his Bordeaux-born wife, Claire.
Bedrooms have plenty of Gallic charm, with French antiques, perhaps a toile-draped canopy and that little je ne sais quoi. French accented estate-to-plate menus feature wild venison and meat from the hotel’s farm.
Details: B&B doubles from £105 (meikleourarms.co.uk)
Bedrooms at The Meikleour Arms have plenty of Gallic charm, with French antiques, perhaps a toile-draped canopy and that little je ne sais quoi
Best in East Anglia
Congham Hall
King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Blending traditional comforts and contemporary chic, this Georgian manor house in parkland has pretty gardens replete with hundreds of varies of herbs.
With its fine-dining restaurant, a spa and orchard cabins as well as bedrooms named after plants, it makes a relaxing base from which to explore Norfolk’s coast and countryside.
Details: Room-only doubles from £199 (conghamhallhotel.co.uk)
Congham Hall has pretty gardens replete with hundreds of varies of herbs
Best in the South
Chewton Glen
New Milton, Hampshire
Fresh from a refurbishment, this renowned spa hotel continues to set the standard for country-house comfort, with delicious food, elegant rooms (including treehouse suites) and fun for all the family.
The five-star cocoon offers a range of activities including golf, tennis, cookery, art classes, and both forest and coastal walks.
Details: B&B doubles from £399 (chewtonglen.com)
Chewton Glen offers a range of activities including golf, tennis, cookery, art classes, and both forest and coastal walks
Best in the South West
The Priory
Wareham, Dorset
Perfectly positioned on the banks of the River Frome, with Boat House suites opening onto the water, this hotel has plenty of original features.
Rooms not only have a mini bar and espresso machine, but also the use of a paddleboard. A glass-walled restaurant is the setting for Stephan Guinebault’s much-praised food.
Details: B&B doubles from £250 (priorywareham.co.uk)
The Priory is perfectly positioned on the banks of the River Frome, with Boat House suites opening onto the water, this hotel has plenty of original features
Best in the Midlands
Pen-y-Dyffryn
Oswestry, Shropshire
Much praised by readers for its friendly staff, ambience, and sense of tradition, the Hunter family’s Georgian former rectory is a walker’s paradise close to the Welsh border.
There’s tea and cake on arrival, superb food served in the new contemporary glass-fronted restaurant, and a morning newsletter with breakfast.
Details: B&B doubles with dinner from £290 (peny.co.uk)
Much praised by readers for its friendly staff, ambience, and sense of tradition, the Hunter family’s Georgian former rectory is a walker’s paradise close to the Welsh border
Best in the North
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere, Cumbria
If you’re not wowed by the spa suites and lodges with their own sauna, steam room and outdoor hot tub, you will be bowled over by Ollie Bridgwater’s innovative cooking in Michelin-starred Source.
A second restaurant offers pan-Asian dishes while a boutique spa specialises in treatments for two.
Details: B&B doubles from £320 (thegilpin.co.uk)
If you’re not wowed by the spa suites and lodges with their own sauna, steam room and outdoor hot tub, you will be bowled over by Ollie Bridgwater’s innovative cooking in Michelin-starred Source
Best historic hotel
Hartwell House
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
The exiled French king Louis XVIII held his court at this magnificent Jacobean stately home for five years, signing his accession to the throne in the library.
Now run by the National Trust, it has grand reception rooms with ornate plasterwork where you might find portraits by everyone from Van Dyck to Reynolds.
Details: B&B doubles from £239 (hartwell-house.com)
The exiled French king Louis XVIII held his court at this magnificent Jacobean stately home for five years, signing his accession to the throne in the library
Best romantic hotel
Abbots Grange
Broadway, Worcestershire
Is there a more romantic bedroom than the Abbots Chamber, with its 25-foot high ceiling, carved trefoil window, stone fireplace and free-standing bath?
You’ll find four posters in many of the other rooms in this 14th-century manor with its vaulted Great Hall, Pulpit Bar and surrounding parkland, which operates as an adults-only B&B.
Details: B&B doubles from £315, Abbots Chamber £392 (abbotsgrange.com)
Is there a more romantic bedroom than the Abbots Chamber, with its 25-foot high ceiling, carved trefoil window, stone fireplace and free-standing bath?
Best in cities/towns
Hart’s Hotel
Nottingham
Tim and Stefa Hart’s contemporary hotel isn’t just about sleek urban style – it was constructed with sustainability in mind, to an eco-friendly design.
Bult on the old castle ramparts and five minutes from the centre, it offers an all-day restaurant and dog-friendly garden rooms.
Details: B&B doubles from £199 (hartsnottingham.co.uk)
Tim and Stefa Hart’s contemporary hotel isn’t just about sleek urban style – it was constructed with sustainability in mind, to an eco-friendly design
Best B&B
Number Thirty Eight
Bristol
Adam Dorrien-Smith’s Georgian merchant’s house is an uber-stylish mix of period and contemporary furniture for adults only. Guests have the run of the reception/bar, comfy lounge, cosy library and suntrap roof terrace.
It’s both tastefully uncluttered and warm and welcoming. The house sits atop one of Bristol’s highest hills, with panoramic views.
Details: B&B doubles from £165 (number38clifton.com)
Adam Dorrien-Smith’s Georgian merchant’s house is an uber-stylish mix of period and contemporary furniture for adults only. Guests have the run of the reception/bar, comfy lounge, cosy library and suntrap roof terrace
Best for dogs
The Castle Hotel
Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire
A perennial favourite among readers, Henry Hunter’s traditional coaching inn is a dream doggie destination.
Four-legged friends stay free of charge, receive a welcome box, breakfast sausages on the house, and can dine with their humans. There are walks from the door and drying facilities and boot brushes for owners.
Details: B&B doubles from £140 (thecastlehotelbishopscastle.co.uk)
Best for walkers
The Star
Alfriston, Sussex
Follow in the footsteps of the Bloomsbury Group to Charleston Farmhouse, hike to Rathfinny vineyard or head over the Downs to the coast.
Olga and Alex Polizzi’s effortlessly stylish hotel and village inn is a walker’s paradise, with illustrated route maps, boots to borrow, picnics on offer and superb food on your return.
Details: B&B doubles from £265 (thepolizzicollection.com)
Follow in the footsteps of the Bloomsbury Group to Charleston Farmhouse, hike to Rathfinny vineyard or head over the Downs to the coast
Best seaside hotel
The Nare
Veryan-in-Roseland, Cornwall
It’s all about traditional luxury at Toby Ashworth’s Edwardian country house in subtropical gardens by Carne Bay.
The coastal views from some of the rooms, tennis court and pool are sublime; there are beach huts to enjoy, boats to book, a hot tub to wallow in and a five-course feast of a dinner.
Details: B&B doubles from £406 (narehotel.co.uk)
It’s all about traditional luxury at Toby Ashworth’s Edwardian country house in subtropical gardens by Carne Bay
Best restaurant with rooms
Gordon’s
Inverkeilor, Angus
Scottish hospitality is at its finest in this restaurant with rooms, run by Maria Watson and her chef son, Garry.
Maria ensures every guest feels at home while Garry turns Scotland’s natural larder into inventive dishes – think duck with beetroot meringue and pickled walnut. The rooms are no afterthought.
Details: B&B doubles from £135 (gordonsrestaurant.co.uk)
Scottish hospitality is at its finest in this restaurant with rooms, run by Maria Watson and her chef son, Garry
Best foodie hotel
The House of George W Davies
Broadway, Worcestershire
It’s a given that the hotel owned by the man behind George at Asda, Next and Per Una will be stylish.
What’s more surprising is the quality of James Wilson’s cooking, with a tasting menu that takes you through a delightful procession of courses. We predict a Michelin star.
Details: B&B doubles from £250 (houseofgeorge.uk)
Best country-house hotel
Cavens, Dumfries
Dumfries and Galloway
With the feel of a grand home from home, Angus Fordyce’s Georgian mansion wins points for its warm welcome, locally sourced dinner cooked by Angus, and breakfasts that might include kippers, black pudding and haggis.
By day, walkers and wildlife spotters can enjoy the unspoilt Solway coast.
Details: B&B doubles with dinner from £275 (cavens.com)
With the feel of a grand home from home, Angus Fordyce’s Georgian mansion wins points for its warm welcome, locally sourced dinner cooked by Angus, and breakfasts that might include kippers, black pudding and haggis
Best pub with rooms
The Three Daggers
Westbury, Wiltshire
More of a village than the village local, this pub with farm-to-fork menus has its own microbrewery, farm shop, kiddies’ playground and even a spa barn with outdoor hot tub and sauna.
Stay in one of three cottage-chic bedrooms that share a cosy kitchen/lounge area or in one of the pub’s cottages.
Details: B&B doubles from £102 (threedaggers.co.uk)
More of a village than the village local, this pub with farm-to-fork menus has its own microbrewery, farm shop, kiddies’ playground and even a spa barn with outdoor hot tub and sauna
Best spa hotel
The Scarlet
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
A clifftop hot tub with the waves crashing below is one of many pleasures at this adults-only eco sanctuary.
The ayurvedic-inspired spa has a glass-walled indoor swimming pool, natural reed pool, cedar-wood sauna, and relaxation room with cocoon pods. Even the smallest bedrooms have a balcony or terrace overlooking the ocean.
Details: B&B doubles from £245 (scarlethotel.co.uk)
A clifftop hot tub with the waves crashing below is one of many pleasures at this adults-only eco sanctuary
Best for garden lovers
The Pig in the Cotswolds
Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The latest Pig in the litter, this one comes not just with the usual market garden to produce food for its 25-mile menu but also with Arts and Craft-style gardens designed by the late Rosemary Verey. Her genius is on show in the laburnum walk, knot garden and voluptuous border plantings.
Details: B&B doubles from £348 (thepighotel.com)
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