The UK is home to some of the world’s great grande dame hotels, those luxury hotels that have become household names for one reason of another: Claridge’s, Gleneagles and The Ritz, for example. And, while much of their allure lies in the fact that time has only added to their glamour and appeal, they’re certainly not been the only contenders for our list of 20 Great Luxury Hotels in the UK! No, there are PLENTY of gorgeous, luxurious hotels in the United Kingdom!
A myriad of incredible ancestral castles, manors and great houses have been sympathetically converted into luxurious hotels, so that now everyone can be the Lord or Lady of the manor for a night or two. And the UK also has an excellent selection of luxury spa hotels, both city-central-glamour-spots and escape-to-the-country-to-rejuvenate boltholes. It’s not all gilt, chandeliers, damask and red velvet either, if you prefer contemporary luxury, or you want a UK luxury hotel for the whole family we have something on our list for you. We’ve even found some super value luxury hotels in the UK.
Luxury Grande Dame Hotels
- Claridge's is an Art Deco institution where service and decor is so seamless that it probably contributed to the idea of what a luxury hotel should be. Its afternoon tea is the stuff of legend, through those beautiful rotating doors, across the checkerboard of an entrance hall and straight into the 1930s of dainty sandwiches and tiny cakes. There’s a manned lift, with a sofa, they have a fumoir, two elegant bars, wonderful furniture in every room, properly monogrammed towels, and superb dining. There’s really no reason except variety to want to stay anywhere else in London.
- Gleneagles isn’t just a luxurious grande dame of the hotel spa resort community, it’s a golfing institution. But we think it should be known just as much for its incredible Perthshire location, its facilities and its top-notch spa, as for its three championship golf courses. It’s also the home of British falconry, has a fully equipped equestrian centre, a shooting school with gun-dog training, an archery range, tennis courts, fishing facilities, a huge range of facilities for children and families, and has the only restaurant with Scotland with two Michelin stars. And it’s a great place for cycling and walking and birdwatching. And extremely luxurious inside as well, starting from the way you’re greeted by a gentleman in a kilt, all the way up until you lay your head on the most luxurious of plump, linen pillows.
- Cliveden House is one of the UK’s great country houses, and it’s just stacked with luxury and history, from its collection of original artwork that rival many a gallery’s to its history as the home of Nancy Astor and setting for the Profumo Affair. And now it’s one of the world’s finest five star hotels, with just 44 incredibly comfortable rooms and suites and a range of facilities that can’t fail to please. Relax in the spa – or the indoor or outdoor pool, take a cocktail in the Library Bar then choose between Cliveden’s two restaurants. Maybe enjoy a proper afternoon tea the following day? And if you’re here with your children this hotel has a lot to off them. And it’s not just the acres of National Trust Gardens.
- The Balmoral is Edinburgh’s grande dame, a gorgeous old railway hotel kept gorgeous by regular refurbishments and reimaginings, the most recent by Olga Polizzi. The location is impossible to beat, and the views are enviable. There are 168 rooms and suites, in a range of layouts and decor, the spa is very comprehensive and the restaurant has a Michelin star. If there’s anything else you need this hotel is the sort of place where they’ll try and arrange it for you too.
Luxury Spa Hotels
- One of the first of the Lake District’s modern country house spa hotels, and set on 40 acres of stunning Lake District loveliness, the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House has just 31 rooms, and six of them have their own private gardens and cherrywood hot tub. Many of them with a view too. Their Woodland Spa is perfect for additional pampering with an excellent range of treatments on offer, and afterwards you could opt to fish, go riding, explore the region on foot or curl up by one of the hotel’s roaring fires with a book and a glass of wine.
- In the Cotswolds, surrounded by 55 acres of its own grounds and heritage-listed gardens, Cowley Manor is a manor-turned chic hotel with 55 trendy rooms and a good sense of fun in the bright, bold coloured decor. There are two pools a gym and an award-winning modernist spa, plus a relaxed restaurant and a gorgeous terrace. They really want you to unwind.
Luxury Hotels for Foodies
- Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons is a fantastic fusion of acclaimed restaurant and cooking school, extraordinary gardens and luxurious country house hotel. And the standards are exceptional all round, with 32 individually designed rooms and suites, a wonderfully changing garden that provides much inspiration and many ingredients to Raymond Blanc’s food, and a menu that’s so good it’s surprising. And has two Michelin stars which it has held for the past 35 years.
Great Luxury City Break Hotels
- Bath’s Royal Crescent Hotel is part of one of the UK’s most prestigious pieces of residential property, occupying two of the houses in this masterpiece of a crescent of Georgian architecture. The interiors are classical, with period antiques and art, four-poster beds — if you fancy it, and marble baths. The spa is excellent, this is a spa town after all, and the Dower House Restaurant has won many an award. The perfectly historic base from which to explore historic Bath.
Romantic Luxury Hotels
- Like many the hotels on this list, Beaverbrook qualifies for inclusion in several different categories. It’s certainly a gorgeous example of a country house hotel, and its spa has a thermal spa, pool and a range of treatments, so it definitely qualifies as one of the UK’s top spa hotels. But there’s just something so romantic about the hotel’s stately exteriors, beautiful manicured gardens and small size — it has just 29 rooms, all different and all romantic. Outside Leatherhead in Surrey, it’s an easy journey from London, close to the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so perfect for a romantic tryst or mini-break.
Luxury Country House Hotels
- The New Forest is home to a number of very charming country house hotels, it’s just a short journey from London, the landscape is gorgeous and extremely refreshing and there are numerous lovely pubs and restaurants dotted about the place. Chewton Glen is one of our favourite examples, with its traditional main house with big windows, and its newly-built luxurious tree-house suites with their incredible panoramic views of the estate’s 130 acres of parkland, and private outdoor hot tubs. All in all there are 72 rooms and suites, plus a fantastic spa, tennis, an exceptional kid’s club, and a gourmet restaurant run by a celebrity chef.
- For a wilder surrounds try Inverlochy Castle, a castle at the foot of Ben Nevis. Converted into a 17 room hotel, this is the quintessential country house hotel from the chintz wallpaper, four-poster beds and heavy drapes, to the clay pigeon shooting and fishing in the private loch, to the award-winning restaurant.
- Set in expansive Wiltshire grounds, Lucknam Park is refined and beautiful, rather than showy, but it’s full of character. There are just 42 rooms and suites, with high ceilings, chandeliers and four-poster beds, plus comfortable, welcoming public spaces, like the lounge and the library, that make you feel as if you're here as a personal houseguest. There’s both an indoor and an outdoor plunge pool, and an award-winning-spa, plus an impressive onsite equestrian centre. And while the dining room is a bit on the reverential side, it turns out that the food deserves the reverence, conjured up by a Michelin-starred chef. Who also runs a cooking school on the grounds. And you’re only six miles from Bath.
Family friendly Luxury Hotels
- Right on a stretch of golden Cornish sand, The Nare is a luxurious country house-style hotel on the beach! So the standard list of facilities like a pool and croquet lawns, are added to with volleyball, cricket, sailing, art classes and other beach-y break activities. There are just 36 rooms, with quite a number of good configurations for families, plus loads of space. And a hot tub that overlooks the sea. Not forgetting the two restaurants and a bar.
- Bovey Castle is a castle, which is impressive in itself, and certainly luxurious, but it’s the sort of place where you’ll really feel looked after, whoever you are. For kids they offer Lego room service, daily egg collections and the opportunity to meet the ferrets and watch a falconry display. For adults there’s a spa — the UK’s flagship SUNDARI spa, and gym, clay pigeon shooting, and cider and sloe gin making. They have two restaurants, one is fine dining and the other more family friendly. And you’re close to Dartmoor National Park if you can bear to leave.
For a Luxury Bolthole
- For more than just an escape to the country there’s Palé Hall, an extremely elegant Victorian manor house on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. Their 18 rooms and suites have a regal something to them: elegant rather than opulent, and the public spaces, like the lounge and the library, are welcoming, beautiful and cosy, giving the feel of being a houseguest at a very well organised party where the hosts leave you to your own devices in a stunning setting, and the food is divine.
Best Value Luxury Hotels
- Elegant rather than imposing, Victorian built Hambleton Hall is a superbly run, unfussy luxury lakeside country house hotel with Michelin-starred food and serene views over Rutland Water. Their south-facing terrace overlooks the flower-filled formal gardens and beyond that woods and water. There’s a pool, tennis courts and a proper bar, but no mini-bar, pillow menu or spa. It’s very traditionally English like that, but very luxurious all the same.
- The Torridon is a country house escape on pristine Loch Torridon, surrounded by 53 acres of park and woodlands. If you want the great outdoors, followed up by cosiness and cosseting, and a dram of whisky, then this hotel is for you. The region is perfect for keen walkers, or cyclists; alternatively you can birdwatch, sail or kayak. They have an open-topped Morgan for hire, and a sailing yacht, so now is your chance to live like a Laird!
If you haven’t found your idea of the UK’s perfect luxury hotel on our Guru’s list you could:
