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There’s nothing quite like a room with a view. Our Guru’s list of the top UK hotels with great views will see you wake up to the drama of the Cornish Coast, the serenity of the Lake District, or the epic Scottish Highlands. Be assured that these are the hotels with the best views in the UK. While away many a happy hour relaxing and drinking in the vista out of our recommendations for hotels with great sea views, hotels with great views of London, hotels with the best views of the Lake District and hotels with the most romantic views. From country house hotels, to chic B&Bs and gorgeous pubs with rooms, they all have a view to wow!
For the Lake District
- The Lake District abounds with glorious views, but the view from the Haweswater Hotel is really something. There’s nothing between you and Haweswater but a narrow strip of grass and road and being this close is just as spectacular as seeing it all from a distance. This is a peaceful spot to boot, and the hotel has just 17 rooms, plus a great restaurant.
For Scotland
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- The Scottish branch of our list of UK hotels with great views was also long. But we have managed to refine it and one of our favourites has to be Ardanaiseig, located right on the aptly names Loch Awe. This glorious, 18 room country house hotel is luxurious and enjoyably eccentric, with wonderful food, great fishing opportunities and plenty of romance.
- Airds made ‘the cut’ too. This 11 room hotel outside Port Appin has a tranquil loch side setting which includes views of snow capped mountains and an atmospheric ruined castle. Plus the food is excellent.
For a sea view
- Just below Cornwall’s Bedruthan Steps, and overlooking Mawgan Porth is The Scarlet, a fabulous eco-friendly hotel known for its spectacular sunset views - from its restaurant and cocktail lounge, as well as from its exceptional spa and from its rooms. The design of the building is in harmony with its surroundings, with infinity pools reaching towards the sea and roofs resembling cliff tops.
- The Salcombe Harbour Hotel has a similar estuary view, with sail boats, beaches and green hills surrounding. It’s also right in lively Salcombe, and perfect for a break requiring a bit of self indulgence, be that good food, spa treatments or some action and adventure. It’s also great for families on a bucket and spade holiday.
- The Talland Bay Hotel isn’t right on the coast, it’s separated by about a minute’s walk through its own sub-tropical gardens, so the gardens are part of your view. Inside there’s a New England Beach House feel with sleigh beds and confident fabric choices.
For a rural escape
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- The Steading is a contemporary B&B in a spectacular spot in the Scottish Highlands. There are just three rooms, which are light and minimalist, and the breakfasts are recently raved about.
- The 16 room Horn of Plenty Hotel in the Tamar Valley on the edge of Dartmoor, is an elegant country house hotel with fine dining and five acres-worth of its own peaceful grounds. And it’s in a great spot for fishing.
- Or consider the convivial Charles Bathurst Inn in the Yorkshire Dales, with its 19 light, modern rooms, hearty food and drink, and great walks and cycle routes right from the door.
For the Highlands and Islands
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- Scarlsta House is an old Georgian manse on the Isle of Harris. Now a six bedroom hotel with cosy, comforting rooms and a restaurant with the freshest seafood imaginable, the views remain just as spectacular as they have ever been.
- Once a private country home, Glencoe House’s position, overlooking Loch Linnhe and surrounded by incredible Highlands scenery, makes this one of the most spectacular spots on this list. Inside there are seven, family, and dog friendly, suites, with open fires and all the cosy creature comforts. As well as walking your socks off there’s also great fishing opportunities.
For a view of London
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- If it’s great views over London you want it’s hard to top The Shard, with its multiple public viewing platforms and various restaurants-with-a-view. There are floor to ceiling windows in both the bedrooms and the bathrooms so you want have to miss a thing.
- Despite its many fewer storeys, The Corinthia offers some pretty spectacular views too, this time of the Southbank and the river. It’s also grand and gorgeous, but this time in a more traditional way, with perfect staff, beautiful flowers at all times and a range of places to eat, drink, relax and be pampered.
For a family-friendly hotel
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- In an incredible spot on the West Cornish coast, the Polurrian Bay Hotel is a mid-sized hotel just a stone’s throw away from a sandy beach. Most of the light and airy rooms have sea views, and there’s both and indoor and outdoor pool, plus a spa and gym.
- The Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher Island is remote, stylish and wonderfully positioned, with views of the Atlantic. It has 25 rooms and suites, many with patios looking out onto the ocean. There’s an onsite restaurant serving primarily locally sourced produce.
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- You might argue that Swinton Park Hotel is part of the pleasure of this view, so you really need to see the castle-like stately home from the outside to really get the full beauty of this parkland. There’s lots of do here beside admire the castle, though, with a choice of two restaurants, fishing, golf, a spa and a cookery school.
For a peaceful stay
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- Number 43 is an award-winning six bedroom B&B with breathtaking views over the Kent Estuary. The decor is light and airy, with just the right amount of coastal styling, and well chosen details, so that it feel luxurious, even though it’s inexpensive, with rooms starting from just over £100 per night.
- For a peaceful view which runs from the Avon Estuary to Burgh Island, try the The Henley, a small, friendly, owner managed bolthole with just five cosy rooms and its own private beach. The rooms are simple comfortable and spacious and the dining room overlooks the sea too.
- For a hotel wth great views of Snowdonia, try The Old Rectory on the Lake, which sits right on the shores of Lake Tal-y-llyn. There are just four traditional rooms, individually decorated - expect fireplaces and four-poster beds.
For a Green and Pleasant View
- Even if you’re not a fan of golf, you might still see the pleasant beauty in a rolling green green, and that’s where The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews is really staking its claim on this list. That, and the spectacular views of West Sands Beach beyond the golf course. Elegant and contemporary, this is a large hotel with all the facilities you might imagine. Plus the views. And the course.
- The Torridon is another spectacular Scottish addition to the list. Set in 53 acres of park and woodland on the shores of Upper Loch Torridon, this country house turned 18 room country house hotel certainly has a spectacular location. It’s also got an excellent restaurant and whisky bar.
- The Neuadd Lwyd Hotel in rural Anglesey is a former rectory with just four luxurious bedrooms and delicious dinners
- For gentler views there’s the Linthwaite House Hotel, with views over Lake Windermere, which is a relaxed Edwardian hotel with an excellent restaurant and great walks starting right from the hotel.
Still not sure?