Best Country House Hotels in the UK

Fancy yourself as dowager of Downton Abbey? Who doesn't dream of being to the manor born? The great thing about the UK is that there are lots of places where you can live how the other half live for a short while. We've picked some of our favourite Cool Places around the country where you don't have to dream – we're talking country house hotels, stately homes and boutique mansions, at which you can properly indulge yourself as a paid-up member of the landed gentry (even if it's only for a weekend), with the best possible service, a few country pursuits (clay pigeon shooting, swimming, maybe a spot of tennis), a spa with a pool, or just the chance to enjoy a picnic prepared for you to enjoy in the sumptuous grounds – plus of course the best food based on local produce served in the grandest of restaurant spaces. Check out our guide to the best country hotels in the uk and get ready for some gracious country house living!

FAQs: Country House Hotels

Are these country house hotels family-friendly?

Most country house hotels welcome families. However, some are more family-orientated than others. A few – Calcot & Spa, Another Place, The Lake, or Fowey Hall, for example – are very much aimed at families, with all the facilities that entails, and they are often dog-friendly too. Some, like the Endsleigh or Matfen Hall, are a nice mixture, with family suites and dogs welcome, but equally enticing for couples. Others – for example Hampton Manor, Talbooth House or Morston Hall – are more about fine dining and while they don’t exclude children, there’s not much for them here.

What facilities would I have in a country house hotel?

Country House hotels vary from small, boutique country houses like Boys Hall in Kent or Congham Hall in Norfolk, where the emphasis is on comfort and good food, relaxing in comfy lounges, muddy walks through the grounds and a good restaurant for when you return. Staying at places like this should be more like visiting the home of your richest friend than staying in a hotel. At the other extreme the largest country houses will come fully stacked with facilities and activities, with places like Bovey Castle in Devon or Losehill House in Derbyshire boasting a spa and swimming pool, tennis courts, croquet, a golf course, together with things like falconry and clay pigeon-shooting. Somewhere in between, hotels like the Endsleigh in Devon or Ockenden Manor in Sussex combine the two approaches perfectly.