326 Best Hotels in England

With the elegance of an Edwardian villa combined with clean-lined modern style, this friendly hotel close to Porthminster Beach offers the best of both worlds. Guest rooms are bright and contemporary, and spacious common areas include a large lounge that opens onto a veranda. Sea-facing rooms with balconies cost more. The beach is just steps away, and a pretty footpath connects the hotel with the center of town. Parking is available.

An outstanding inn and restaurant, the Punch Bowl is a stylish but down-to-earth retreat in the peaceful Lyth Valley, between Windermere and Kendal. The bright, airy bedrooms have high ceilings and lots of sturdy oak beams. Chic fabrics and wallpaper add some flair, and handsome rolltop tubs take pride of place in the wood-paneled bathrooms. Views are over the village church and the fields, and the breakfasts are famously good. The sleek, slate-floored bar serves fine real ales, and you can sample top-notch homemade and locally sourced dishes in the bright, contemporary restaurant or in the traditional bar.

The most luxurious boutique hotel in Cheltenham occupies a grand neoclassical building that opened as a hotel in 1838 (the year of Queen Victoria's coronation) and has been lovingly converted and updated while retaining many of its period features. Rooms are tastefully decorated and calming, with fluffy bath robes and bath products from British brand 100 Acres. Standard rooms are remarkably good value, but If you do splurge, book one of the Renascence Suites with sky-high ceilings, four-poster beds, and Bose sound systems. All guests have access to the hotel's Summer Garden, perfect for alfresco dining in summer. The restaurant, Victoria's, serves perfectly crafted British dishes with an international flair. The hotel's afternoon tea (£30) is also an excellent choice.

The first Raffles hotel in the United Kingdom has finally opened in the former old war offices in Whitehall overlooking the Royal Horse Guards, and given the Raffles brand, it couldn't be more appropriately housed, with thoughtful, historic touches throughout including chandeliers, opulent upholstery, and grand marble staircases. Arrive through the main entrance on Whitehall, and you immediately know you're on hallowed ground—get there after midday, and you'll be greeted with a glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne. Many of the hotel's suites have historic names to match their pedigree. The Haldane Suite, named after the Secretary of State for War in 1906, was once used by significant military figures such as Lord Kitchener. The historic paneling and mantelpieces have been restored and preserved, enriched by red or green damask upholstery. Stay in the Churchill Suite (if you have a spare £20,000) and you can say you've slept in a room where critical decisions were made during World War II, including about the D-Day landings. There are several fine dining and afternoon tea options on-site, and with a huge swimming pool and London's first Guerlain spa, you would be hard-pressed to find a more elegant place to stay right in the heart of Whitehall.

The decor in this charming converted warehouse is hip and warm, with handpicked British signature furnishings from the likes of Tom Dixon, Paul Smith, and Scottish-based Bute Fabrics. Rooms range from great value small doubles to the Secret Garden Suite sleeping up to five, all with mini-kitchens for limited self-catering. Communal areas are equally inviting. 

If you're wondering if the Downton Abbey–style world of the old British upper class still exists, look no further than here; The Ritz is as synonymous with London's high society and decadence today as it was when it opened in 1906. The central lobby, with its chandelier and sweeping balconies, is as photogenic as any in London. The lounges are as gorgeous as ever, and the bedrooms are bastions of Louis XVI style, with acres of luxurious fabric and glittering chandeliers. With a ratio of two staff members to every bedroom, you're guaranteed personal service despite the hotel's massive size. Note that the Ritz is still committed to the ancient regime of English manners, and the dress code remains inflexibly strict—woe betide a gentleman if he doesn't wear a jacket. The staff, however, are incredibly polite and courteous, particularly the concierge who stand smiling outside, ready to open the door for those visiting for afternoon tea.

A stylish period masterpiece in the heart of laid-back Clerkenwell, The Rookery is a luxury boutique hotel with a hefty dollop of Downton Abbey charm. Huge, wood-paneled bedrooms have heavy raw silk drapes, antique furniture, artfully scattered antiquarian books, and white marble bathrooms with deep claw-foot tubs big enough for two. The elegant, Regency-style drawing room has a well-stocked honor bar, and the conservatory, with its small patio garden, is another relaxing place to unwind. There's no restaurant, but 24-hour room service is good quality and reasonably priced. Breakfast, served in your room, features a large basket of freshly baked breads and pastries, juices, and yogurts.

One of the original luxury boutique hotels of the Lakes has all the hallmarks of country elegance and comfort: bold, printed wallpapers and stylish furnishings; huge, soft beds; and roaring fires in the elegant common areas. The crowning achievement, however, is the food at the restaurant; head chef Aaron Lawrence showcases the best seasonal ingredients to create an unforgettable fine dining menu and an exemplary afternoon tea.

Part of Dartmouth's historic waterfront (and consequently a hub of activity), this hotel has truly earned the name "Royal"—several monarchs have slept here. It was built in the 17th century, reputedly of timber from wrecks of the Spanish Armada, and fireplaces and beamed ceilings are traditional features that remain. Rooms come in different sizes and styles, but all are thoughtfully and richly furnished, with a liberal sprinkling of antiques. Number 6 has its own "priest hole," a secret room used to hide Roman Catholic priests. Most of the pricier rooms facing the river have hot tubs. The food in the restaurant and bars is consistently good, and breakfasts are a royal feast. The hotel has no private parking—ask at reception about the local park and ride deals.

Discreet, beautiful, and exceptionally well-run, this converted Chelsea town house makes for a restful hideaway. The clue's in the name as far as the vibe is concerned, with a decidedly Italianate feel to the decor and furnishings. The opulent guest rooms are filled with luxury fabrics, rich colors, elegant antiques, and well-chosen art, though minimalists allergic to swags and valences may find it all too much. But as is so often the case with boutique hotels, the thing that really makes the difference here is the service—the staff is exceptionally thoughtful and welcoming, and the place feels impeccably run. They'll happily sort out dinner reservations for you, so the absence of an on-site restaurant or bar shouldn't pose a problem, especially in the heart of Chelsea.

The pampering begins the moment you enter this adults-only beachside hotel when you are greeted with a drink by the enthusiastic, highly professional staff and then given a tour of the facilities, which are arranged over five levels and feature bright, modern rooms with views over the sands and cliffs of Mawgan Porth beach—easily accessed via a path. The lounges, sheltered garden, and library offer comfortable nooks for relaxation, while the indoor and outdoor pools, spa treatments, and hot tub overlooking the sea will give you a bodily boost. The flair and positivity of the hotel's ethos extends to the restaurant, where each dish and wine offering is introduced with informed passion.

Located 15 miles southwest of East Grinstead (and within east reach of Arundel, Brighton, and Lewes), this spectacular country estate is the region's most luxurious stay, set within 92 acres of Sussex countryside and including a small vineyard, woodland walk, kitchen garden, and rockery. Still, it's what inside the hotel that counts. The beautifully appointed bedrooms, suites, and lakeside lodges are individually designed to combine heritage features with modern comfort, and there are wide-ranging dining options in the three excellent restaurants—including the Michelin-starred Ben Wilkinson at The Pass—along with the billiard bar and garden terrace. Perhaps the highlight, however, is the state-of-the-art spa, with an indoor pool and a natural outdoor swimming lake, as well as a scented sauna and salt steam room. Breakfast is served in the elegant Camellia, or you can eat in the spa restaurant Botanica, which has many vegetarian and vegan options. South Lodge is also an excellent family retreat, with extras for young children including a tent and books in the room, activity trails through the gardens (with prizes), and designated swimming times.

Close to the cathedral on the distinguished Southernhay, this graceful Georgian hotel with a secluded garden was once the home of an East India Company merchant, so its spacious, elegantly furnished guest rooms are named for wares (Silk, Cotton, Ivory, Spice, Opium, etc.) that made the company's fortune. Public areas have the atmosphere of an intimate club, and the whole hotel has an understated, boutiquey feel. There's a good selection of modern European dishes on the menu in the airy restaurant, and there are also snacks available in the bar along with an impressive list of cocktails. There's no on-site parking, but there are plenty of public spaces nearby.

A former gentlemen's club that began life in 1857, with members that included Ian Fleming, Winston Churchill, and Henry James, a stay here will see you follow in the footsteps of the British aristocracy. In a quiet cul-de-sac just off Piccadilly, this luxury boutique hotel is the perfect spot for a special night or two, with an ideal location close to Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace. With suites like the Penthouse or St. James's, you'll have the luxury of your own private elevator, a large lounge and dining area, or a terrace with views of St. James's Palace. Seven Park Place is the fantastic on-site restaurant from Michelin-starred head chef William Drabble. Whether you choose to eat in the bar or the main dining room, you'll be served exquisite, modern French dishes using British ingredients, with an extensive menu of wines and ports. Make sure you find time to lounge in the bar too—not least for its history—as the cocktail-making is exquisite. The wonderful staff will go out of their way to make this a memorable stay.

This stunningly restored Victorian landmark—replete with gingerbread turrets and neo-Gothic flourishes—started as a love letter to the golden age of railways, and now it's one of London's most sophisticated places to stay. Originally built in 1873 to serve wealthy passengers for the adjacent St. Pancras rail station, the hotel's original High Victorian Gothic features have been restored to great effect, from the soaring, redbrick reception area to the stylish, gilt-trimmed bar and restaurant, a reworking of the old station's booking hall. Guest rooms, styled with a restrained elegance and understated grandeur, are spacious, comfortable, and feature a host of up-to-the-minute gadgetry.

This is a rare find: a posh hotel that's equal parts elegance and friendliness, and located in one of the few peaceful spots in the area, down a small lane behind Piccadilly. All the accommodations are luxurious and chic, but those in the 18th-century Carriage House, some of which feature fireplaces and exposed beams, are especially pleasant. Those who prefer more contemporary style should ask for a suite in the Mews. The restaurant's incredible wine cellar—several hundred years older than the hotel itself—is one of the best in the city. A curious historical nugget; in the 1930s almost every large hotel in central London opened an "American Bar," to entice the sought-after U.S. clientele (and their notoriously deep pockets). The Stafford has one of only two left in its original form (the other is at the Savoy), and certainly leaves you in no doubt of its heritage, with virtually every space filled with knickknacks of vintage Americana from model airplanes to club ties. 

If you've ever wanted to experience the Downton Abbey lifestyle, head for this luxury hotel in a Victorian Gothic castle that's complete with battlements, a tower, and a turret. The core of the house dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, with the baronial features added in the 19th century by its current owners, the Cunliffe-Lister family. The plush public rooms epitomize the traditional country-house style, as do the spacious bedrooms, which are named after Yorkshire towns (and come complete with teddy bears). The castle's location on one of the largest private estates in England, 20,000 acres bordering Yorkshire Dales National Park, guarantees seclusion and abundant outdoor pursuits, including falconry. The property has 200 acres of parkland with 63 miles of trails and a 4-acre walled garden along with an excellent, modern spa complex, an on-site cooking school, two detached cottages, a 10-room Coach House, and eight luxury yurts in a meadow for "glamping" (camping glamorously). The formal restaurant specializes in seasonal Modern British food—much of it sourced from the estate itself. There's also a more casual restaurant with outdoor tables and a fine dining "chef's table" restaurant in the cooking school. Masham is 8 miles north of Ripon and 35 miles north of Leeds and York.

Constable painted the rich meadowlands that are the setting for this luxurious Victorian country-house hotel, where period antiques and print fabrics decorate suites (each named after Britain's most famous poets) that are elegant, spacious, and have sumptuous bathrooms. Some rooms have private access to outdoor hot tubs and a swimming pool. While you're here it'd be a shame bordering on effrontery not to eat at the Talbooth restaurant, a short walk or free ride down the lane and owned by the same company. Breakfast is served in your bedroom. Check the website for special offers, including discount deals.

An impressive lodging, Thornbury has everything a genuine 16th-century Tudor castle needs—huge fireplaces, moody paintings, mullioned windows, and a large garden. There's also plenty of history as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Mary Tudor all spent time here. The standards of comfort are famous, and the pampering touches in the "bedchambers" include complimentary decanters of sherry. Guests come from all over to dine in the restaurant, where you'll find sophisticated fare that makes use of local venison, duck, and halibut. The hotel is 12 miles north of Bristol.

This beautiful vineyard, just a 15-minute drive from Ledbury, comes with a choice of guest rooms or lodges (the latter have rolltop baths) that overlook the vines or are set within them. The modern rooms are spacious and comfortable but not overly fussy. Three Choirs Vineyard (named after a famous choral festival that rotates between Hereford, Worcester, and Gloucester) kickstarted the English wine industry back in the 1970s and has never looked back. There are no tours, but guests can enjoy tapas-style dishes in the restaurant or charcuterie boards alongside a self-guided wine tasting.

This art-filled former 19th-century office building, now part of the Hilton chain, is in a superb location, and some guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with extraordinary views of Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Column, and The City. Twenty-one rooms are split-level, with upstairs space for chilling out and sleeping space below. Bathrooms have deep tubs, full-size toiletries, and mini-TVs. Go up to the roof garden for spectacular views of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Better yet, ask for Room 303 to enjoy these exquisite views in privacy.

No matter how hip the crowd here gets, the clientele is never likely to distract from the sumptuous decor of this boutique hotel that is equal parts Tudor-style and Georgian flair, with a pinch of steampunk for good measure. The Parlour bar serves a concise range of snacks along with a list of sublime cocktails that make it a popular destination for nonguests, too. 

This is a real Norman castle, right down to the dungeons and maze of dark flagstone corridors—one room even has a bathroom hidden behind a bookcase. Antiques and rich fabrics lend the castle rooms a sumptuous feel (those in the courtyard annex are less expensive, but also less atmospheric), while the bar and lounge areas are fittingly decked out with historic portraits and chandeliers. Dine in the modern and surprisingly inexpensive Black Knight—perhaps the hotel's most beautiful room—or join one of the regular, and somewhat corny, Elizabethan banquets (one goblet of red wine and one of mead included). You'll find the hotel just east of Chester-le-Street, around 8 miles north of Durham on the road to Newcastle.

Intimate and elegant, this boutique hotel on a residential street near the Circus occupies three 1772 town houses built by John Wood the Younger for the Marquis of Queensberry; it's a perfect marriage of chic sophistication, homey comforts, and attentive service. Renovations have preserved the Regency stucco ceilings and cornices and marble tile on the fireplaces, and each room is individually decorated in contemporary style. Four terraced gardens invite a summer aperitif, and downstairs is the Michelin-starred Olive Tree restaurant.

This combination of four Victorian town houses on a quiet street, London's only Relais & Châteaux property, is a warren of tucked-away, intimate public rooms, where aubergine walls enlivened by gilt-framed Victorian portraits and an abundance of fresh lilies create a glamorous, luxurious, and slightly decadent atmosphere in keeping with the hotel’s former owner, Elizabeth Hurley (it’s now run by the owners of luxury country house hotel Chewton Glen). The 56 bedrooms, by contrast, are light and airy, several with four-poster beds. There’s a terrace and a good bar and grill offering all-day dining that opens directly onto buzzy, fashionable Pavilion Road. For longer stays, there are six apartments on the other side of the square.

Another member of the luxury Dorchester Collection hotel group, 45 Park Lane is a beautifully considered five-star property with no shortage of contemporary swagger to match its stylized Art Deco elegance. Spacious rooms are beautifully appointed and come with views of Hyde Park along with the blinking lights of the city below, although if you can afford one of the exceptionally appointed suites then all the better. From its sultry mezzanine cocktail bar and ultraexpensive grill restaurant to its ostentatious basement spa, 45 Park Lane opts out of staid luxury and instead presents an experience that oozes Golden Age glamour.

Located in the center of Great Malvern, the Abbey enjoys beautiful views over the Malvern Hills and the Vale of Evesham. Rooms are smart and clean, if not overly exciting, and there is a decent restaurant on-site.

This glossy boutique hotel inside the old city walls offers up-to-date style in traditional Canterbury, with good-size rooms—modern but not minimal—classed as Comfortable, Desirable, Enviable, and Most Enviable. The latter have the most space and extras like wood floors, sitting areas, and freestanding roll-top baths, but even Comfortable rooms are nicely designed with soft bedding in neutral colors (although most have no view). There's also a Fabulous suite, with a sun-trap terrace offering sweeping cathedral vistas. Back downstairs, the superb brasserie serves Modern European cuisine, while the beam-ceilinged bar offers afternoon tea every day. The hotel can also arrange private "chef's table" dining events (including a view of the action inside the kitchen).

Perched at a busy traffic intersection on the edge of Chester’s old town, this gleaming, modern hotel from the trendy ABode chain may not occupy the city’s most romantic spot, but it’s well run and comfortable. Guest rooms are spacious and quiet, with comfortable beds. The top-floor bar has sweeping views of the city; come up here for a drink as you gaze over Chester Racecourse and the Welsh hills. There’s also a lounge bar on the ground floor. The city center is a pleasant, 10-minute stroll down winding backstreets.

This design-led option in a historic building combines a central location and hip vibe with affordable rates. Rooms with their original features including steel girders have emperor-size beds and smart TVs with Bluetooth speakers and smart concierge technology, while the all-day restaurant champions local British suppliers including an artisanal butcher from the nearby Northern Quarter. There’s also a lively feel thanks to locals who use the hotel as a co-working space, with day passes that include lunch, unlimited tea and coffee, superfast Wi-Fi, and curated playlists.