Hotels 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
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
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
The Peat Inn, Peat Inn, Fife KY15 5LH
Holidays in East Scotland
Holidays in Fife
Holidays in St Andrews
Goose & Cuckoo, Upper Llanover, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9ER
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Monmouthshire
Holidays in Abergavenny
Station Inn, Ribblehead, Ribblehead, Low Sleights Rd, North Yorkshire LA6 3AS
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Ingleton
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
The Old White Hart, 51 Main Street, Lyddington, Rutland LE15 9LR
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Rutland
Holidays in Uppingham
The Mishnish, Main St, Tobermory, Isle of Mull PA75 6NU
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Argyll & Bute
Holidays in Isle of Mull
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
The Brit, London Row, Cwmavon, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan SA12 9AH
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Glamorgan
Holidays in Port Talbot
The Drovers Inn, 7 North Loch Lomond, Inverarnan G83 7DX
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Argyll & Bute
Holidays in Cairndow
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire YO62 7LQ
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Helmsley
A bit of glam in an old grand-dame.
The Grand Hotel & Spa, Station Rise York YO1 6HT
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Cambridgeshire
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
Nitenite, 18 Holliday Street Birmingham B1 1TB
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
Malmaison Birmingham, One Wharfside Street Birmingham B1 1RD
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
Bloc Hotel, Caroline Street Birmingham B3 1UG
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
Apex Hotel Waterloo Place, 23-27 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3BH
Holidays in Central Scotland
Holidays in Edinburgh
Malmaison Liverpool, 7 WILLIAM JESSOP WAY, LIVERPOOL, L3 1QZ
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Merseyside
Holidays in Liverpool
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
Old Hill Inn, Chapel-le-Dale Ingleton, North Yorkshire LA6 3AR
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in Ingleton
The Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6NH
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Gloucestershire
Holidays in Chipping Campden
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 Olive Branch, Main Street, Clipsham, Rutland LE15 7SH
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Rutland
Holidays in Oakham
The Black Swan, Oldstead, Oldstead, York, North Yorkshire YO61 4BL
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in York
The Stables offers informal luxury in a spectacular environment.
The Stables at The Torridon, Annat, By Achnasheen, Wester Ross IV22 2EY
Holidays in Highlands
Holidays in Ross-shire
Superb food and very comfortable boutique rooms just 10 minutes from Stansted Airport
Pig & Truffle, The Street, Little Dunmow, Essex CM6 3HT
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Essex
Holidays in Braintree
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
A slice of country refinement in the heart of Lancashire's Ribble Valley
Freemasons at Wiswell, Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9DF
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Lancashire
Holidays in Clitheroe
The Storehouse, Bridge Street Wynd, Kirkwall, KW15 1JD, Orkney
Holidays in Scottish Isles
A picture-perfect country inn with boutique rooms, its own kitchen garden and fabulous Michelin-starred food..
Pipe and Glass Inn, West End, South Dalton, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 7PN
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in East Riding of Yorkshire
Holidays in Beverley
This wonderful Skye restaurant with rooms is the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion.
Three Chimneys, Colbost Dunvegan Isle of Skye IV55 8ZT
Holidays in Scottish Isles
A proper country pub with a warm welcome, good food and comfortable en-suite rooms.
The Angel Inn, Larling, Norfolk NR16 2QU
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Norfolk
Holidays in Attleborough
An adults-only, pet-friendly hotel in a stunning North Cornwall clifftop location
The Scarlet, Tredragon Road, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall TR8 4DQ
Holidays in South West England
Holidays in Cornwall
Holidays in Newquay
Deep in the heart of the Forest of Bowland, this is the ultimate country escape.
The Inn at Whitewell, Whitewell, Near Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 3AT
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Lancashire
Holidays in Clitheroe
Relaxed and extraordinarily cosy country hotel just outside Nottingham, decorated with exquisite style
Langar Hall, Church Lane,
Langar, Nottinghamshire NG13 9HG
Holidays in East Midlands
Holidays in Nottinghamshire
Holidays in Nottingham
A lovely old pub in a gorgeous South Shropshire village, with good food and multiple accommodation options.
The Powis Arms, The Powis Arms, Lydbury North, Shropshire SY7 8AU
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Shropshire
Holidays in Bishop's Castle
