Best Hotels to Stay in the UK
A quiet revolution happened in the United Kingdom between the late 1980s and the Noughties. Back in the day hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages were often places of convenience rather than comfort. And glamping? Well that had yet to be invented. Luxury and originality, such as it existed, came at an enormous price, and upmarket hotels often rested on their laurels, focusing instead on keeping the wrong kind of people from enjoying their tired rooms and intimidatingly posh food. Hospitality was simply something Britain wasn’t very good at: if you wanted to experience good food and a half-decent place to stay at a reasonable price, well, you had to go abroad.
Fast forward to the 2020s and Britain is a different country, packed full of great places to stay often run by passionate people who live and breathe good hospitality. The dread word ‘boutique’ was the first indicator that things had changed, and of course is now an over-used term. But it does give a flavour of a new kind of British hotel or guesthouse that began to appear thirty or so years ago – small, independently owned, and putting the guest experience front and centre. There was a new sense of contemporary style in guest rooms, where luxury didn’t necessarily mean antique furniture and four-posters. The renaissance in Modern British food made an appearance too, with lots of places revamping their restaurants and basing their menus on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. And service was authentic, never trying too hard to please but always on hand if needed.
Like all good revolutions, change has continued, with new trends and activities emerging – wild swimming, food foraging, art classes, yoga and wellness retreats – and many establishments offering alternative accommodation: shepherds huts, lodges with hot tubs, even treehouses. The best places now have an eye on the environment too, with renewable energy sources, discounts for those arriving on public transport and kitchen gardens saving on food miles.
The Cool Places collection doesn’t pretend to include all of Britain’s best places to stay, but instead aims to provide a curated selection. Our choices are deliberately eclectic, driven not so much by budget as by the uniqueness of the property, its location, facilities, décor – or just its owners and the extra mile they often go for their guests. We avoid the usual global brands that dominate accommodation in many towns and cities, the point being that it’s not always about what you spend on a room, it’s where you spend it, with plenty of surprisingly affordable options if you know where to find them. We also aim to provide a range of choices in most corners of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Britain's Best Hotels, Pubs and Inns
Just a pebble’s-throw from Barafundle Bay, the ivy-swathed Stackpole Inn is one of the most welcoming places to stay for miles round
Stackpole Inn, Jasons Corner, Stackpole, Pembrokeshire SA71 5DF
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Pembrokeshire
Holidays in Pembroke
The Olive Branch, Main Street, Clipsham, Rutland LE15 7SH
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Rutland
Holidays in Oakham
The Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6NH
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Gloucestershire
Holidays in Chipping Campden
Old Hill Inn, Chapel-le-Dale Ingleton, North Yorkshire LA6 3AR
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Ingleton
A lively pub and dining room with stunning views and seafood to match!
Applecross Inn, Shore St, Applecross, Strathcarron IV54 8LR
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Ross-shire
Malmaison Liverpool, 7 WILLIAM JESSOP WAY, LIVERPOOL, L3 1QZ
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Merseyside
Holidays in Liverpool
Apex Hotel Waterloo Place, 23-27 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3BH
Holidays in Central Scotland
Holidays in Dunbartonshire
Bloc Hotel, Caroline Street Birmingham B3 1UG
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
Malmaison Birmingham, One Wharfside Street Birmingham B1 1RD
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
Stratford Limes Hotel, 41 Main Street Tiddington Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire CV37 7AS
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Warwickshire
Holidays in Stratford upon Avon
A bit of glam in an old grand-dame.
The Grand Hotel & Spa, Station Rise York YO1 6HT
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in York
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire YO62 7LQ
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Helmsley
The Drovers Inn, 7 North Loch Lomond, Inverarnan G83 7DX
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Argyll & Bute
Holidays in Cairndow
The Brit, London Row, Cwmavon, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan SA12 9AH
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Glamorgan
Holidays in Port Talbot
The Mishnish, Main St, Tobermory, Isle of Mull PA75 6NU
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Argyll & Bute
Holidays in Isle of Mull
The Old White Hart, 51 Main Street, Lyddington, Rutland LE15 9LR
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Rutland
Holidays in Uppingham
Station Inn, Ribblehead, Ribblehead, Low Sleights Rd, North Yorkshire LA6 3AS
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Ingleton
Goose & Cuckoo, Upper Llanover, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9ER
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Monmouthshire
Holidays in Abergavenny
The Peat Inn, Peat Inn, Fife KY15 5LH
Holidays in East Scotland
Holidays in Fife
Holidays in St Andrews
This Rick Stein-owned, converted Georgian house makes for one of the finest places to stay in the Padstow area.
St Edmund’s House, St Edmund's Lane Padstow Cornwall PL28 8EA
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Cornwall
Holidays in Padstow
Five beautiful en-suite guest rooms with views over the Radnor Valley
The Harp, Old Radnor, Old Radnor, Presteigne, Powys LD8 2RH
Holidays in Mid Wales
Holidays in Powys
Holidays in Presteigne
Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens, 1 Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow G12 0UX
Holidays in South Scotland
Holidays in Lanarkshire
Holidays in Glasgow
White Vine House, 24 High Street, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7JF
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in East Sussex
Holidays in Rye
Boutique rooms with a grandstand view of the harbour in Whitby
The Marine Hotel, 13 Marine Parade, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO21 3PR
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Whitby
Boutique hotel in a quiet, leafy Clerkenwell square
Malmaison London, 18–21 Charterhouse Square London EC1M 6AH
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Greater London
Holidays in Clerkenwell
The Grange, 1 Clifton York YO30 6AA
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in York
A warm and welcoming Herefordshire pub with rooms that also serves great food
Kilpeck Inn, Castle Park, Kilpeck, Near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR2 9DN
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Herefordshire
Holidays in Ross-on-Wye
Star Inn, High Street, Harome, York YO62 5JE
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Helmsley
London's original rock n' roll hotel is a hip boutique experience
Karma Sanctum Soho, 20 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NF
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Greater London
Holidays in Soho
This West Sussex wine estate has it all – beautiful landscapes, luxury lodges and great wine and food
Ashling Park Estate, West Ashling, Chichester, West Sussex P018 9DJ
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in West Sussex
Holidays in Chichester
Occupying a former seaman’s house down in Cardiff Bay, Jolyons is A standout boutique hotel
Jolyons, 5 Bute Crescent Cardiff CF10 5AN
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Glamorgan
Holidays in Cardiff
A historic country house hotel in the grounds of a Kent safari park
Port Lympne Hotel, Port Lympne Reserve, Lympne, Near Hythe, Kent CT21 4PD
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Kent
Holidays in Hythe
A first-rate North Norfolk boutique country-house hotel with a superb Michelin-starred restaurant
Morston Hall, Hall Lane, Morston, Near Blakeney, Norfolk NR25 7AA
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Norfolk
Holidays in Blakeney
Escape to a hidden corner of Sussex for wine tasting, seasonal food, and style aplenty
Tillingham Vineyard, Dew Farm, Dew Lane, Peasmarsh, East Sussex TN31 6XD
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in East Sussex
Holidays in Rye
Hip, boutique country hotel in the heart of Berkshire, on the edge of the Chiltern Hills
Karma Sanctum on the Green, The Old Cricket Common, Cookham Dean, Berkshire SL6 9NZ
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Berkshire
Holidays in Slough
A boutique charmer in an ancient inn, with a fab bar and restaurant attached.
Drunken Duck Inn, Barngates Ambleside LA22 0NG
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Cumbria
Holidays in Ambleside
Prospect House, Mill Lane Padstow Cornwall PL28 8EA
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Cornwall
Holidays in Padstow
The Seafood Restaurant Rooms, Riverside Padstow Cornwall PL28 8BY
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Cornwall
Holidays in Padstow
St Petroc's Hotel, New Street Padstow Cornwall PL28 8EA
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Cornwall
Holidays in Padstow
The Talbot Inn, Mells, Near Frome, Somerset BA11 3PN
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Somerset
Holidays in Frome
This historic and characterful Tregaron inn has an excellent restaurant and and comfy rooms and is a perfect base for the Ceredigion coast and Cambrian mountains.
Y Talbot, Tregaron, Ceredigion SY25 6JL
Holidays in Mid Wales
Holidays in Ceredigion
Holidays in Tregaron
The ideal east London bolthole for friends, families and couples alike.
The East London Hotel, 309-317 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9LH
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Greater London
Holidays in Bethnal Green
A warm, friendly welcome. Breakfast in bed. To be relaxed to the core. Beautiful countryside.
Ragdale Hall, Ragdale Village, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE14 3PB
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Leicestershire
Holidays in Melton Mowbray
Country-chic accommodation at one of the Dales' most celebrated gourmet-dining destinations.
The Angel at Hetton, Hetton Near Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 6LT
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Skipton
In the heart of Topsham, The Salutation Inn provides beautiful accommodation and fine-dining as it has done for nearly 300 years
The Salutation Inn, 68 Fore Street, Topsham, Exeter, Devon EX3 0HL
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Devon
Holidays in Exeter
An ancient pub with cosy rooms and superb food, in one of Oxfordshire's most enchanting villages.
The Red Lion Blewbury, Chapel Lane, Blewbury, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 9PQ
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Oxfordshire
Holidays in Didcot
A perfect pocket of luxury on a wild, remote island.
Hell Bay Hotel, Bryher Isles of Scilly TR23 0PR
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Isles of Scilly
Holidays in Bryher
The Black Swan, Oldstead, Oldstead, York, North Yorkshire YO61 4BL
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in York
