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Birdsong in the hedgerows, the clink of china teacups on the lawn, the clunk of mallet on croquet ball, the pop of a pickleball. These are the sounds of summer at our finest country house hotels – quintessentially British, with gloriously landscaped grounds and lovely views where life spills out on to umbrella-shaded terraces, cooling parterres and sheltered arbours.
Here we present our favourite havens of good living, once privately owned houses, castles, rectories and more; today wonderful places in which to relax, revive and while away time. Good food is guaranteed and while some addresses continue to offer no more than the pleasures of a beautiful old house and grounds, many others offer spas and a raft of activities, including for children who are warmly embraced and royally entertained almost everywhere. These are the best country house hotels in Britain.
How we review
All our reviewers are either resident destination experts or travel writers that specialise in hotels. Often they will have stayed at a hotel many times and so can see how it has changed for better or worse over the years. They know what makes a great hotel in that particular destination and will compare it contextually against local competition. When our reviewers first visit a hotel, they stay for at least one night, eat one meal in addition to breakfast and will experience all of the facilities on offer. Whichever category of room they stay in, they will see the entry-level rooms in order to assess them.
After their stay, our reviewers then give the hotel six scores out of 10, rating its location, style and character, service and facilities, rooms, food and drink, and value for money. The average of these scores then determines the overall score. Our experts then select reviews for curated lists like this – the best hotels in a particular destination for families, for instance – together with the Telegraph Hotels team.
At a glance, the best country house hotels
- The best boutique country house hotel – The Fife Arms, Scotland
- The best country house hotel with a spa – The Newt, Somerset
- The most romantic country house hotel – Gilpin House Hotel & Spa, Lake District
- The best country house hotel for families – Calcot & Spa, Cotswolds
England
Babylonstoren’s sister property is surely the best contemporary country-house hotel in Britain right now. The Newt has evolved into a whole universe with horticulture at its heart. Gardens are nothing short of magnificent and not only do they look good, the estate is virtually self-sufficient thanks to their bounty. There’s plenty to do inside too, from a stellar spa to a Roman villa (really). Green-fingered guests will be in heaven, from the walled garden with a maze of trees from every apple-growing county in England to the Japanese garden, Cottage garden, Winter garden and newly built Four Seasons garden. For farm to fork enthusiasts there’s the Produce garden, mushroom house, dairy and butchery, and cyder press offering tours and tastings.The best hotels in Somerset
Coworth Park, a few furlongs from Ascot, is the archetype of the English country-house hotel with its own polo fields and riding centre, formal gardens and tennis courts, plus a Michelin-starred restaurant, swimming pool and spa. It suits foodie couples, families – and fans of Jilly Cooper. Nearby attractions are numerous, including Windsor Great Park and Savill Garden for grown-ups; and Legoland and Thorpe Park for children. It’s a 15-minute drive to Windsor, and a 90-minute crawl through the traffic to central London.The best hotels in oxfordshire
Lympstone Manor is easily one of Britain's most exciting country house hotels, with double-Michelin-starred BBC Great British Menu icon Michael Caines MBE at the helm. The man himself takes the time to greet guests and can often be spied striding through the halls in his white chef overalls. Don't miss the eight-course tasting menu dinner. Many chefs get bogged down in zany experiments with foams and moleculars, but Michael prefers to bravely poke at the booby-trapped boundary between sumptuous and sickly. Book a room with an outdoor bath overlooking the golden syrup sunsets of the Exe estuary.The best hotels in Devon
Soho House and Friends members will love this country escape, housed inside a honey-hued Georgian house, snugly swathed in pristine parkland. Guests loll on ludicrously oversized loungers, overlooking a reed-fringed lake. With one outdoor pool overlooking the lake, and a pool housed inside a cavernous stone barn, plus sauna, a cinema, tennis courts, a football pitch, gym and a Cowshed spa, you’ll want for little else. Rooms have antique four-poster beds, roll-top baths, open fires, hand-painted wallpaper and a plethora of toiletries.The best hotels in Gloucestershire
This Georgian house commands far-reaching views across its 400-acre estate (woodland, gardens, lakes, biodynamic farm) and open countryside beyond but is only an hour from London. Design-wise, there’s a sense of warmth, naturalness and flop-down homeliness that’s artistic and literary – fine 20th-century English pictures from owner Gerald Chan’s private collection, a curated collection of books in the Morning Room and bedrooms – plus earthy and artisanal (lime plaster walls in natural colours, linens, English oak floors, hand-crafted furniture). Rooms are all beautiful, with bespoke minibars, exceptional artwork and many charming, spoiling touches.The best hotels in the united kingdom
There are country house hotels – and then there’s Cliveden. This National Trust property, dating back to the late 17th century and set among 376 verdant acres on the banks of the Thames in Berkshire, is truly something special. Meghan Markle stayed the night before her wedding. The history of this Grade I listed stately home is quite something and pops out from around every corner. Priceless tapestries and suits of armour from the 18th century greet guests upon entering the darkly dramatic, red-toned Great Hall. Portraits line the walls, along with stone busts, while chandeliers and elaborate floral displays add lighter touches.The best hotels in Berkshire
In an age where hotels are constantly trying to reinvent themselves, the refreshing thing about this five-star country escape is that it remains reassuringly classic. Yes, its offerings evolve, but an old-school spirit feels worked into the very bones of the place; it’s a smart, family-owned retreat with excellent service at its core. The original 18th-century building was actually once a tiny four-bedroom hotel in the 1960s, but the various owners kept adding wings and extensions over the decades to create the property as it stands now. Despite the additions, it’s not at all higgledy-piggledy to the eye and cuts a handsome sight across the clipped croquet lawn with its curved sash windows and terracotta bricks.The best hotels in hampshire
Beautifully decorated by Stefa Hart, who with her husband Tim has owned and run Hambleton Hall since 1979, the house exudes a feeling of controlled and carefully orchestrated wellbeing without ever feeling unnatural or overly theatrical. The flowing country house good looks are matched by the surrounding gardens and the beautiful view of Rutland Water from the lovely flower filled terrace. The cooking of Aaron Patterson, who began here as a 16-year-old sous chef, easily deserves its long held Michelin star and is rooted in local and seasonal produce, charmingly presented and always delicious.The best honeymoon hotels in the UK
Perched atop a bank overlooking private woodlands traced by a boulder-strewn river, Gidleigh’s location is wild and dramatic. The décor is stylish if a little straight-laced, with everything you’d expect in an English country house hotel: antique furniture, wood panelling, stone fireplaces and elegant bouquets of flowers. The 24 bedrooms are decorated individually in a classic English country style, with supersized beds, roll-top baths, televisions, L’Occitane toiletries, spring water from the Gidleigh Estate, bowls of fresh fruit and complimentary decanters of Madeira. Head Chef Chris Eden creates superbly put together dishes in the restaurant.The best seaside and beachside hotels in the UK
A mixture of family furniture and paintings have been combined with more modern, or quirky pieces to create something both charming and unusual. The whole place feels part stately home, part private club, but mostly unique. Richard Swale is a gifted chef who draws his influences from, amongst others, Magnus Nilsson of Faviken restaurant in Sweden and Shaun Hill of the Walnut Tree, in Wales. Richard’s food is locally grown, or personally preserved and tastes correspondingly fresh and interesting.The best hotels in cumbria
This much-loved country spa hotel manages to nail that tricky formula of being supremely family-friendly and simultaneously grown-up. It’s the sort of place where people of all ages can decamp to a luxurious, yet unfussy weekend break with a bells-and-whistles spa at its heart. The facilities really are the star of the show here. The spa is central to its success with a large indoor pool (plus separate children’s pool), sauna, steam room, three relaxation rooms and lovely treatment rooms. The standout element has to be the lavender-lined outdoor hot tub with a real fireplace; the scent of the flowers and gentle smoke is incredibly soothing.The best hotels in the Cotswolds
Callow Hall was the first acquisition of the Wildhive group (next is Eshott Hall in Northumberland) and is a thrilling reimagining of a stalwart country-house hotel. It now combines glamour and comfort as well as a back-to-nature sensibility – for example, earthy hives and treehouses hidden in the woods above the main hotel. Open the huge front door and your intake of breath is courtesy of interior designer Isabella Worsley. As your eye travels along the lovely entrance hall to the stunning new glass cube extension that houses the restaurant and bar, you may marvel that you are in a quiet (though lovely) corner of Derbyshire, not even the Peak District and certainly not trendy Somerset or the Cotswolds.The best spa hotels in the UK
Decoration and style tends towards the feminine and the flouncy with fabric-covered ceilings and padded fabric walls, pictures of dogs, plenty of cushions and so on but they add up, in general, to a feeling of spoiling indulgence and do not, mercifully, overwhelm. The drawing room, designed by the poet and author Thomas Hardy, is admirably classic in style, now painted a pretty blue, and the bedrooms are divinely pretty and comfortable.The best hotels in dorset
This handsome haven of comfort and wellbeing is above pretty Broadway on the north western edge of the Cotswolds. The 38 bedrooms are individually devised according to shape and outlook. Some of the 18 in the main house feature exposed stone walls and beams; entry-level rooms are among these and are large enough to accommodate a table and chair. Of the 20 rooms in adjacent wings, Rose Cottage is best for romantics and has its own hot tub, while the Courtyard suites particularly emphasise Scandinavian design.The best hotels in the Lake District
The hotel is a characterful Georgian house, built in 1901 and owned by three generations of the Cunliffe family. That’s not to say it’s a creaking relic – the décor is glamorous boutique meets country pile. Life at the Gilpin is all about kicking back – and that’s helped by the service, about which it’s hard to say anything negative. Everyone smiles, everyone says hello – yet it’s not overbearing. Fishing, shooting, horse riding, mountain biking, paintballing and treasure hunts can also be organised on-site.The best spa hotels in the Lake District
Built in the 18th century as a manor house, the hotel is set amid 500 acres of green fields and paddocks full of grazing horses. Inside, it’s all slick and stylish, a blend of traditional and contemporary, as befits a metropolitan, cosmopolitan Four Seasons hotel set in English countryside. Bedrooms are sophisticated and elegant, traditional in style but with high-tech amenities and large marble bathrooms, and flexible sleeping options for families. The fine dining restaurant is very elegant, and there is a more casual bistro, a bar with open fire and library for afternoon tea.The most romantic hotels in the lake district
Sexy and fun as well as romantic. The 27 rooms are some of the most charming, traditional yet stylish (larders and minibars cleverly hidden inside antique cupboards; some televisions disguised as antique mirrors), comfortable, practical, quirky and soothing of any hotel bedrooms in the land. Head chef Dan Gavriilidis is responsible for the Devon version of the Pigs’ informal '25 Mile' menu, featuring the produce of the kitchen gardens and poly tunnels and the best locally-sourced ingredients.The best luxury hotels in the Lake District
There's a fun, innovative vibe at this haven in the rolling grounds of a private estate (sister hotel to Dormy House). It's essentially a group of cosy-chic properties created from an old coach house, stables and a farmhouse, with other contemporary additions. The buildings are dotted across a wide area, some near a small lake, others variously up a steep hill commanding majestic views over Broadway and across the Vale of Evesham. Key to the operation is The Lodge, a modern chalet-style building which is the dining, bar, lounge and general activity hub.Britain's 30 greatest winter getaways
This handsome, atmospheric waterfront hotel in the Lake District, once one of the grandest Victorian homes in the country, is full of ornate wooden panelling and stained glass, surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens from 1890. With award winning fine-dining, it’s as luxurious a hotel as you’ll find in the area. You’re on the northeast bank of Lake Windermere, across the water from neo-gothic Wray Castle. This is picturesque Swallows and Amazons territory (the crew for the first film adaptation, in 1974, stayed here), there’s even a chic 1920s boat – the Albatros – which sails three times a day around the lake, with canapés and champagne.17 brilliant hotels for a winter weekend by train
This country-house hotel has just 43 rooms and a homely, intimate atmosphere, while also offering a wealth of facilities including a Michelin-starred restaurant, first-rate spa and equestrian centre. It’s set among 500 acres of listed parkland and landscaped gardens, so plenty to entertain couples and families for a weekend or longer. Rooms and suites (three simple categories of each) are individually designed but all in the same classic country-house style, with mostly dark antique furniture contrasting against creamy colour palettes and light floral patterns.15 amazing castles you can actually stay in
Built in 1812 as the holiday home for the Duchess of Bedford, Georgiana Russell, this wildly romantic, chintz-free country estate, owned by Olga Polizzi, is steeped in royal history. It’s a verdantly gardened, Grade 1-listed Eden between Dartmoor and Exmoor, with shell houses and hidden glades for romantic tête-à-têtes. The cream teas are worth the journey alone: a help-yourself affair of just-baked scones accompanied by massive urns of clotted cream and fruit-laden strawberry jam. Breakfasts, too, are a cut above the rivals.The best castle hotels in england
This Georgian country house hotel, part of the Chatsworth Estate, has a fresh, modern style while still retaining its historic feel. Bedrooms overlook Chatsworth’s grounds (with glimpses of the magnificent house), food is largely sourced from the estate or local suppliers and there’s a sun-trap south-facing terrace for dining al fresco. The 28 rooms (four in the separate Coach House) hit a sweet spot between traditional country-house charm and a modern lightness. There are pretty vintage-patterned wallpapers, ticking-striped valances and corduroy-covered armchairs but also breezy colours of cream, lime-green and denim-blue, jazzy lampshades and handsome carver armchairs at faux-rustic desks.The best hotels in cornwall
Step into a bygone era of English high society, original artworks and antiques at this luxurious country house hotel, where press baron Lord Beaverbrook entertained world leaders and literary greats. Grandeur and opulence ooze from every room, beautifully designed by Susie Atkinson: a cosy morning room with log fire and plump, squishy sofas offers stunning views of the North Downs and Italianate garden. The library's shelves heave with weighty tomes, and the UK's first home cinema, where Beaverbrook and Sir Winston Churchill discussed the war's progress, still has the original wood-panelling and lighting.The best hotels in surrey
In film-set-perfect parkland and with Palladian good looks, this hotel fires on five-star cylinders that make every guest feel like a VIP. From the elegant bedrooms and marble-clad pool to the numerous dining options (including a Michelin-starred restaurant), it's sybaritic and reassuringly expensive. To call it a resort hotel is too vulgar, but it certainly has a fanfare of experiences that give equal weight to health and indulgence. The vast spa – with treatments ranging from holistic rituals and oxygen therapy to Swedish massage and reiki – includes a thermal suite and indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool, plus a spa garden with ice baths and an outdoor sauna.One of New York’s most celebrated design studios has worked magic on a historic building on the edge of the Cotswolds to create one of the most luxurious country retreats in Europe, with a private members club hidden away inside. It’s a mix of grand patterned hallways and staircases, gloriously ornate ceilings, contemporary art and heavy drapes, while the malachite emerald and copper mirrors of the Billiards Room Chinese restaurant make for one of the most spectacular dining rooms in existence. Estelle sprawls, with various satellite cottages, stables, glasshouses and houses positioned close by, within 3,000 acres of parkland. It is all incredibly grand, but fresh and contemporary too.The best hotels in dartmoor
A Georgian beauty set in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside. Slow weekends here are spent tucking into wholesome food, wallowing in the steamy spa pool, romping around the grounds and relaxing in rustic-luxe rooms. It’s a wildly romantic setting – and word is spreading fast, especially since its recent Michelin Green Star award. A warm, down-to-earth, sophisticated feel makes the rooms restful spaces, with creamy walls and pops of pastel greys, greens and blues, chunky limed-wood furniture, and features like iron bedsteads, beams, exposed-stone walls, and dark-wood floors adding charm.The best family hotels in Cornwall
Louma, set in glorious countryside, is an exceptional, mould-breaking, retreat-like farm hotel surrounded by vineyards and its own 100-acres of farmland. It has all the benefits of a hotel without remotely feeling like one and is the result of a happy combination of lavish (£30 million) if low-key, authentic and eco-minded spending which created a gentle evolution of beautiful buildings. Rates are for two nights’ minimum stay and come full board. Before your stay, someone from the guest relations team will contact you to arrange your custom itinerary. This might include bespoke massages, plus yoga, pilates and craniosacral treatments in the Wellness Barn, complimentary vineyard and farm tours, riding from the on-site stables run by the Sandford family (with 20 horses), and wine tasting of the excellent Louma wines that are grown here.Wales
Penally Abbey is a treat of a small hotel, not least for its striking gothic revival architecture and genial charm. It’s family-owned and run, close to sandy beaches and also offers a halcyon restaurant. The hotel is owned by Melanie and Lucas Boissevain, who are very much hands-on and whose love of the property is evident. He does the finances and painstakingly oversees the romantic garden, she is an interior designer and has sought out eclectic local antiques, beautiful lamps, cosy armchairs and more to create a superbly welcoming look.The best hotels in wales
Bodysgallen is just as a country manor ought to be: it wings you back to a more graceful era, with its grand oak-panelled hall, library and dark-wood drawing room that's suited to afternoon tea. Beautifully tiled fireplaces are well stoked in the winter months. The house was built over 600 years ago – the oldest part being the 13th-century tower that's reached by a spiral staircase, which was built as a lookout. Ramble the romantic grounds, unwind in the spa or use it as a base to explore seaside Llandudno, castle-topped Conwy or the high peaks of Snowdonia.The most romantic hotels in Wales
One of the most opulent hotels in Wales is continually adding new attractions to its idyllic Victorian main building and estate, along with art, craft classes and spectacular dining from a star chef. Simply put, this place delivers one wow after another. The facilities recently had a significant upgrade with the opening of a new Himalayan salt-walled spa with outdoor plunge pool. A new gym uses state of the art NOHRD equipment finished in walnut rather than rubber and metal. There’s wine tasting in the cellar, fly fishing on the River Dee, clay pigeon shooting, and two hour pottery classes with curator and artist Jo-anna Duncalf.The best boutique hotels in wales
The hotel is set in 26 acres of grounds amid deep countryside, with distant views of the Preseli Hills. The main building is a handsome three-storey residence with Georgian proportions and distinctive Arts and Crafts panelling and fireplaces. The lounges – cosy yet elegant, with real fires, window seats, plush sofas and modern prints and paintings of coastal Pembrokeshire – set the tone of the whole property. There are 26 rooms in total. Expect treats such as the softest of sheets, posh toiletries, thick towels and house-made biscotti.A handsome 19th-century mansion – with some of the most beautiful gardens in the country – has been given a luxurious refurbishment to create one of the most refined privately run hotels in the mountains of Snowdonia National Park. Views out to Mawddach Estuary take in beautiful Victorian garden architecture, with perfectly arranged topiary of bunny rabbits, and the bright red blossoms on the camelia trees in a sea of daffodils which surpasses anything AI could conjure up. Inside, the aesthetic is Bloomsbury-goes-to-Snowdonia. It’s warm and grand, with stripes and checks rather than florals, open fires, lovely rugs and huge velvet sofas and armchairs.Scotland
Built in the 1920s as a railway resort hotel, the design is Scottish Baronial meets French chateau, with all the opulent comfort of a grand country house on steroids. (A dull-looking modern addition to one side is easily ignored). It’s so big you need the map provided when you arrive, but this five-star formality comes with a splendid sense of ease: time seems to slow from the moment the kilted doorman welcomes you to the hotel.The best hotels in Scotland
No bows to passing fashions here. Moving with the times means waterfall showers, Bang & Olufsen stereos and televisions, while the unashamedly country house style – all swags, gilt, silk and brocade, sparkling crystal, polished wood and an all-pervading sense of time suspended, remains. Nowhere else makes grandeur so cosy, combining Jacobite rose wallpaper, Venetian chandeliers and French Empire-style ceiling frescos with perfectly judged élan. Dinner begins with a drink by the fire in the Great Hall, followed by a delightfully light-handed five-course menu with a distinctly Highland accent.The most romantic hotels in scotland
Resurrected after a devastating fire, this baronial mansion on Loch Lomond’s bonny banks is what the region has been missing: a truly world-class resort hotel for couples, families or friends that feels utterly Scottish. There’s plenty to shout about, including paddle boarding, falconry, jet skiing, a champagne cruise, and a Highland tour by 4x4 or seaplane, which is appealingly docked out front. The refurbished leisure club – with its two pools, mini spa and Nessie-sized flume – is another marvel, and popular with land-lubbing families, rain or shine.The best spa hotels in scotland
Secluded in a verdant estate of walkway-studded forests, with giant redwoods and pond-kissed formal gardens, Glenapp Castle is a grand 19th-century Scottish Baronial escape. Sandstone battlements viewed from the Azalea pond and Italianate gardens evoke a fairy tale, while imposing public rooms with Austrian wood panelling, period furniture, log fires and objets d’art create a warm, modern Victorian ambiance. Old-school, posh and opulent, without being stuffy, the castle has a sense of being at ease with its privileged role in the country life of South Ayrshire.The best Edinburgh spa hotels
A row of Wellington boots and Barbour jackets by the back door are a statement of intent at the heart of this welcoming house, and you don’t have to like whisky to love the low-key luxury vibes offered here. Hidden in a walled garden next to the sea in an often overlooked corner of the Highlands, it’s one to seek out for those who appreciate life’s quieter pleasures. A highlight has to be the delightful staff who are well-versed in impeccably efficient informality. They will arrange transfers from Inverness, private distillery tours, picnics, archery on the lawn, clay pigeon shooting and no doubt anything else you might require.The best boutique hotels in Scotland
The hotel local hero Andy Murray bought back in 2013 has undergone its second top-to-toe refurbishment in a decade. Andy's wife Kim has taken charge of the hotel, previously in the care of a management company and, with a close-knit team, is giving it a personal touch previously missing. Kim employed the designer of her own Surrey home, Suzanne Garuda, to create something dramatic, floral, artistic, individual and – crucially – comfortable. The result is a relaxed, if not particularly Scottish (not even a hint of tartan), hotel that she and Andy can be proud of. Many fine paintings line the walls, some on loan from the Royal Scottish Academy, plus others from Andy's private collection, including by David Shrigley and Damien Hirst.The best dog-friendly hotels in the UK
The Torridon, at once regal and rugged, trendsetting yet timeless, is hands down the most sophisticated five-star boutique resort in Scotland’s far north. Hurtle into the Highlands amid its twisted landscape of rock, pine and loch, then coorie down with a dram in front of one of Britain’s finest views. Every room tells its own story, from those in the hotel to the separate Stables rooms to the private, loch-side Boathouse. The 18 rooms and suites in the hotel are individually styled and each consciously seeks out a different guest. The Master Suite, all floral and blooming colour with swoon-worthy bay windows, is most certainly for romance.The best hotels in the scottish highlands
Dumfries House Lodge, set on a 2,000-acre country estate on the fringes of Burns Country, is playing a prominent role in the renaissance of this part of lowland Scotland. Homespun service in regal surroundings takes the potential stuffiness out of what is a charming bolthole with a cottage feel and royal connections. All rooms are en-suite, stocked with Arran Aromatics toiletries, robes and slippers and with either a shower or both a shower and separate bath. Given the need to navigate around the vast estate on foot, wind-up torches and umbrellas are a welcome inclusion.The best luxury hotels in Edinburgh
The delight is in the detail at this wildly romantic, sublimely comfortable, uniquely fascinating passion project from international art dealers Hauser & Wirth. You’ll like it for the location and because it's a great hotel, but you’ll love it for the extraordinary imagination that's turned art into an experience. From William Morris to Timorous Beasties, interior designer Russell Sage has used sumptuous fabrics, acres of antiques and fine oriental rugs, whilst transforming high-class bric a brac into objets d’art, to create meticulously realised, light-hearted design drama.The best family-friendly hotels in the UK
History runs deep at the Macdonald clan's 16th-century hunting lodge: it’s still in the family’s hands today, with the chief’s daughter at the helm. Remote and refined, Kinloch’s calmly luxurious rooms, local produce-focused restaurant and a ghillie for outdoor pursuits make this the ideal Skye bolthole. You can peer out over Loch na Dal from all the bedrooms and suites, which have recently been refurbished (think calm, refined luxury and Cole & Son wallpaper). All beds are super king-sized, with goose feather mattress toppers, cosy duvets and rich Egyptian cotton bed linen. Service is reassuringly experienced, but in recent years the formality has been dialled down a notch with a focus on family-run friendliness and warmth.Contributions by Suzy Bennett, Rachel Cranshaw, Kerry Cristiani, Jade Conroy, Mark C. O'Flaherty, Hattie Garlick, Sherelle Jacobs, Helen Pickles, Harriet Jones, Linda Macdonald, Mike MacEacheran, Robin Mckelvie, Fred Mawer, Benjamin Parker, Harriet O'Brien, Natalie Paris, Linda Macdonald, Kathryn Liston, Rosalyn Wikeley, Kerry Walker, David Walsh
