451 Best Hotels in England

The latest addition to The Pig's ever-growing group of boutique hotels and restaurants, this honey-and-cream-hued Georgian mansion was the former home of famous garden designer Rosemary Verey, and then a hotel; this new (2024) incarnation adds The Pig's excellent dining and luxurious but quirky, unstuffy style. The Pig also took over The Village Pub a few steps away, offering more casual (and cheaper) fare. There is an attractive on-site spa with an outdoor hydrotherapy pool.

Rolling parkland surrounds this stately Elizabethan manor house, which is 16 miles east of Exeter and has been converted into a hipster retreat run with energy and enthusiasm. "Fun not formality" is the guiding principle, evident from the moment you step into the grand entrance that now holds a lively bar. Public rooms have a shabby-chic coziness, with blazing fires and deep, soft sofas, while the individually decorated guest rooms are spacious and have fabulous views, as well as bathrooms equipped with roll-top baths and powerful showers. The two restaurants—including one in the garden—use produce sourced from the kitchen gardens or from within a 25-mile radius, which then create such dishes as black truffle risotto, pigeon breast, rump steak, and hake fillet. A range of treatments is offered at the Potting Shed, and you can explore nearby Gittisham, once described as "the ideal English village" by King Charles III.

One of London's quirkiest hotels, The Portobello (formed from two adjoining Victorian houses) has attracted scores of celebrities to its small but stylish rooms over the years, and the decor reflects these hip credentials with joyous abandon. Rooms are individually designed and range in size from "Box" rooms for the solo traveler to the 400 square-foot "Signature" rooms, replete with four-poster beds and views over the pretty garden. One room even contains a circular bed, next to which is an original Victorian "bathing machine"—legend has it that Johnny Depp once filled it with Champagne for his then-girlfriend Kate Moss.

The small but nicely decorated rooms at this budget choice are in the same County Hall complex as the fancier London Marriott Hotel County Hall, and, though it lacks the spectacular river views and facilities are more basic, it has the same convenient location at a fraction of the price. The friendly staff is an added bonus. Best of all for families on a budget, fold-out beds let you accommodate two kids at no extra charge.

Favored by visiting celebrities, this independently owned boutique hotel is full of elegant Victorian touches such as a sweeping oak-paneled staircase illuminated by tall stained-glass windows. Upstairs are handsome bedrooms decorated in tasteful shades of taupe, cream, green, or blue with more tall windows. The Porter's Lodge bar serves food throughout the day.

Out of the center of Grasmere toward Dunmail Raise (hence the name; it's a mountain pass), this B&B has some of Grasmere’s more stylish rooms and a reputation for hospitality. The cozy rooms feature pleasant views and a touch of old Lakeland chintz. In better weather, sit in the flower-filled gardens to admire the views of the fells.

Roaring fires, cozy rooms, and friendly locals give this 500-year-old inn its wonderful feeling of old-world authenticity. The bedrooms differ in size, shape, and style, but all are comfortable and bright with armchairs, flat-screen televisions, and modern bathrooms with rolltop tubs. You can enjoy a pint with the regulars downstairs, or dine in the good restaurant, which serves locally sourced, seasonal produce; the lamb and beef supply can be found grazing in nearby fields, while the fish are delivered by the local Shoreham fishermen who caught them. The Ram is 4½ miles southeast of Lewes, off the A27 just before Charleston.

The Graduate Hotels group took a 19th-century neo-Gothic landmark and gave it a top-down makeover, beautifully amplifying its Oxford heritage and incorporating such stylish guest-rooms touches as William Morris–esque wallpaper, quirky artwork, and nods to the likes of Oscar Wilde and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Some of the hip yet elegant, chic yet traditional accommodations have views of Oxford's spires. A tiled, vaulted spa offers pampering treatments designed to ease those travel-related aches. 

Built in the 19th century as the shooting lodge for Wray Castle, this upmarket B&B is filled with stylish, imaginative, and playful touches. The large guest rooms use slate and reclaimed timber, and instead of a minibar there's a "boudoir larder" with local beers and cheeses. A three-course breakfast is delivered to your room, and the owners will transport you to their excellent Jumble Room restaurant in Grasmere, should you wish to eat there.

You can soak up the tranquility of Clovelly after the day-trippers have gone at the 18th-century Red Lion, located right on the harbor in this coastal village. Guest rooms are decorated with a nautical theme; all have sea or harbor views and modern bathrooms. The climb up through Clovelly is perilously steep, but you can drive here via a back road. The restaurant specializes in seafood dishes.

A rare small hotel in central Cambridge, this handsome Georgian town house has wooden sash windows that look out over a tree-lined park called Parker's Piece. The cozy bar has an open fire, making it a great place to relax. Bedrooms are a little anonymous but decorated in soothing pale tones.

This Edwardian stucco town house close to bustling Earl's Court Road (but on a quiet street overlooking a garden square) offers a useful compromise between a full-service hotel and self-catering lodging in the form of clean comfortable rooms with well-designed modern looks. Basic double rooms are very small, but larger doubles offer more space and fold-out couches. All have tiny kitchenettes equipped with microwaves (reception will accept your delivery order from one of the many local restaurants and bring it to your room). Some rooms have bunk beds that are great for families.

Mere blocks from the British Museum and London's West End theaters, this handsomely fronted guesthouse has clean, neat, and plainly decorated rooms at bargain rates. The public areas are simple but welcoming, and residents have access to a quiet, secluded garden out back. Breakfasts are filling although choices are limited. An interesting historical note: No. 67 was once the home of Elizabeth Stride, who later moved to the East End and fell victim to Jack the Ripper.

Right on the River Kent, this family- and dog-friendly hotel has airy, modern rooms, many of which have river views. The Riverview Restaurant takes advantage of those views, and the casual Tanners, set in a 17th-century building formerly occupied by leather makers, has a riverside terrace that's ideal for a drink after a day outdoors. The on-site Sanctuary Health and Fitness Club, free to all guests (and available with day passes or memberships to nonguests), includes a hot tub, indoor pool, gym, and fitness classes.  

Despite being on the notoriously traffic-clogged Cromwell Road, the Rockwell, with its triple-soundproofed windows, offers good value. Bedrooms are modernist in style and decorated in slightly retro tones, all while being comfortable, well designed, and very spacious by London standards; mezzanine suites are split-level lofts and basement garden rooms have small patios. There's a pleasant walled deck to the rear. Family rooms offer especially good value for money. The restaurant serves an all-day brunch menu focusing on contemporary classics.

Converted from what were once the offices of Beatrix Potter's solicitor husband, this Ambleside café and notable bakery has branched out into accommodations, with simple but stylishly furnished rooms decorated with photos of delights from the café next door. Guest rooms have comfy beds and wood floors. The handsome old building has been refurbished in contemporary style, complete with docks for digital devices and free Wi-Fi. And, of course, breakfast is baked fresh next door, where cake is only ever moments away. Also available are three stone cottages for self-catering. 

Looking onto a placid sward of lawn in the newly fashionable Royal William Yard district of Plymouth—formerly the navy's victualing quarter—this classic Georgian building once housed naval officers and now offers well-appointed guest accommodations with a touch of class. The rooms are bright and tastefully furnished and come with modern bathrooms. It's a brief walk to a selection of dockside eateries, or a stroll across the square to Bistrot Pierre, which has a range of French-inspired meals at reasonable prices (and is where guests must check in).

This historic, 15th-century pub certainly looks the part, with low-beamed ceilings and a fire crackling in the grate, though the uncommonly large guest rooms upstairs are a pleasant surprise, with a contemporary design that retains a few original features, such as exposed woodwork. The inn also serves good, unfussy British classics (beef and Guinness pie; sausages, mash, and gravy) which you can enjoy in the lovely terrace garden if the weather's good. On Sunday, stop in for the popular weekly roast.

You can’t get a more prestigious address in Bath than the Royal Crescent, and this hotel, discreetly plumb center, overlooks parkland and the city; the interior lacks for nothing in amenities. The graceful public rooms, stairways, and judicious scattering of antiques and pictures don't disappoint, while the plush bedrooms, either in the mansion itself or in a courtyard facing a quiet and spacious inner garden, are mainly contemporary in style. The spa, housed in the old stable block, is charming. In summer you can dine on the terrace or drop in for afternoon tea.

Conveniently located at the bottom of the main street, this centuries-old coaching inn has counted Daniel Defoe and Edward VII among its former guests. A modern makeover has transformed the interior without sacrificing its period features and created well-equipped bedrooms that are clean and elegant (some have four-poster beds and spa baths). It's worth upgrading to a Premium or De Luxe room for more space. Hot and cold meals are available in either of the two bars. Note that there is no elevator and some stairs are a bit steep.

Named after a classic climbing novel, Rum Doodle is an immaculately and imaginatively designed B&B. Fond attention has clearly been spent on sourcing retro furniture and on the many special and occasionally whimsical touches, from four-poster beds and bowler-hat lights to the special Rum Doodle coffee and prosecco in each of the nine rooms. Guests get fresh homemade cookies in their rooms on arrival, and there are homemade jams, too. Apart from Stornaway black pudding, all the food is locally sourced.

This imposing stone building was established as a private home in the 1600s, and William Wordsworth often used to visit on his evening walks; today the estate comprises a hotel, holiday cottages, a bunk house, and a campsite. Rooms are simply but comfortably furnished in light, neutral colors. Everything is powered by the estate's own hydroelectric plant. There are 30 acres of gardens and woodland plus a tea shop and a program of regular events.

Located on charming Lamb's Conduit Street—a 10-minute walk from the British Museum—these serviced one- and two-bedroom apartments (some of the latter sleep up to six people) are spacious, modern, and well equipped, including kitchens with dishwashers and washing machines. Top-floor apartments have large terraces, ideal for alfresco drinks or dining. A maid cleans the apartments once a week, and there's a staffed reception area, but otherwise you're left on your own to live like a Londoner. There are plenty of good restaurants and bars in the neighborhood, and a grocery store is a block away.

At this boutique hotel in the popular Jewellery Quarter, the simply decorated, modern rooms come with luxury bedding and waterfall showers. A casual restaurant is on-site, and the drinks menu has plenty of cocktails. It's a great price for the quality and the location. Parking is available for a fee.

On its own sculpture-dotted 67 acres not far from Ambleside and Windermere, this boutique hotel oozes exclusivity from the moment you enter the long, winding drive and your individually decorated room. Today the hotel is favored by the rich and famous and garlanded with multiple awards, but it's wonderfully unpretentious. Rooms are elegantly traditional though not fussy, with pretty wallpapers, natural tones, fireplaces, slate-floor bathrooms, and rolltop tubs. Service is a good mix of professional and friendly, and the lake views are fantastic. The glass-fronted restaurant led by chef Robby Jenks specializes in creative local fare; book well ahead to reserve the Chef's Table.

This is a classic example of what the British mean when they refer to an "inn"—a pub with bedrooms, albeit one of better-than-average quality for London. Guest rooms are air-conditioned and temperature-controlled, with decent-size beds and antique-style furnishings along with coffee-making facilities, fresh milk, and bottled water. The pub is open from 7 am, almost unheard of in central London, and offers a huge breakfast menu, which is free for hotel guests. It specializes in hearty British fare for lunch and dinner—think slow-braised beef and ale pie with roasted heritage carrots, beetroot, shallots, and red wine gravy. With a range of ales and a decent wine list, it draws the nearby Parliamentary and office crowds from 4 pm until late.

Originally designed by French designer Philippe Starck, the style of this fashionable, quirky hotel is part surrealist baroque, part Alice in Wonderland; sleigh beds are positioned in the middle of bedrooms at playful angles, and so are the freestanding bathtubs and wash basins—indeed, everything is off-center. This extends to the hotel's popular afternoon tea, with its Mad Hatter's Tea Party theme. Amenities include an excellent spa with holistic bathhouse and indoor-outdoor fitness classes. There's also a pretty Japanese garden courtyard where you can get away from it all.

The achingly hip Sea Containers started life as a working warehouse in London's docklands and now incorporates stylish nods to the area's history. Once one of the world's busiest urban ports, bombing from World War II and a mid-20th-century decline saw it become virtually derelict by the 1970s. The site was earmarked for a hotel until another company snapped it up and built a modernist office complex called Sea Containers House instead. Fast-forward 30 years and it finally has a hotel, with a style that is definitely cool rather than cozy. The decor makes the most of the midcentury modern surroundings as interpreted by noted designer Tom Dixon, complete with bespoke furniture elevating the bedrooms. The standard bedrooms aren't very large, but it's worth spending extra on an upgrade for a river view, or, even better, a patio overlooking Blackfriars Bridge to St. Paul's. Failing that, head to the Rooftop Bar for the same vista. The public rooms are very scene-y, with the trendy Lyaness bar serving exotic cocktails by one of London's top mixologists found nowhere else. The restaurant specializes in seasonal, ingredient-led cooking, with a selection of small and large sharing plates. The spa is not just a spa but a "treatment destination" that encourages group visits. The hotel even has its own branch of the arthouse Curzon Cinema mini-chain.