The Good Hotel Guide is the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain & Ireland, and also covers parts of Continental Europe. The Guide was first published in 1978. It is written for the reader seeking impartial advice on finding a good place to stay. Hotels cannot buy their way into the Guide. The editors and inspectors do not accept free hospitality on their anonymous visits to hotels. All hotels in the Guide receive a free basic listing. A fee is charged for a full web entry.
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Family friendly hotels for Christmas
Christmas is always about spending quality time with the people we love, and few things make the festive season more magical than seeing it through the eyes of your children. Good food, good wine and magical decorations are all part of what we're looking forward to, setting the scene for fun, games and giggles with the family.
Woolley Grange, Bradford-on-Avon
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
Christmas 2025 Package Complimentary Night GHG Reader Special Offer
The yellow submarine in the grounds and a hedge sculpture of a giraffe set the scene at this playful, quirky hotel, in a traditional honey-stone building that is both family and dog friendly.
Bishopstrow
Warminster, Wiltshire
Christmas 2026 Package 10% Discount GHG Reader Special Offer
This blissful country house hotel is even more beautiful at Christmas, when the whole family can gather for an unforgettable celebration. Sprinkled with tradition, it includes all the bells and whistles plus a little bit extra. They offer a three-night break including chef-hosted dinners, extravagant Christmas day breakfast and Champagne trolleys all around. Start with festive treats on arrival as well as Champagne, canapés, live music and a three-course dinner on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning enjoy Mimosas with breakfast before preparing for a four-course lunch, with coffee and petit fours. In the evening there's a festive feast with a tipsy tipple. Then on Boxing Day enjoy a leisurely breakfast, a festive cream tea in the lounges and a chef's kitchen garden feast followed by a hosted quiz. On the morning of 27th enjoy a superb breakfast before taking a refreshing a dip in the pool and saying your merry goodbyes.
The Cottage in the Wood
Malvern Wells, Worcestershire
Exclusive GHG Reader Christmas Stay Special Offer
At Christmas they include a range of packages to really help you celebrate the season. It includes fine dining with a five-course lunch on Christmas Day, welcome cocktails on Christmas Eve, a Bucks Fizz breakfast and lots of seasonal decorations.
The Bird
Bath
Three-Night Christmas Getaway with a Complimentary Extra Night Special Offer
Quirkiness abounds at this contemporary hotel in a remodelled Victorian mansion, decorated with witty eclecticism, featuring modish, well-equipped bedrooms and an all-day menu of modern British dishes served in the restaurant or on the terrace amid dining pavilions and fire pits.
Dukes Bath
Bath, Somerset
Christmas Three Night Special Offer
The latest member of Ian and Christa Taylor’s Kaleidoscope group, this hotel occupies two fine Georgian townhouses on a handsome and historic boulevard. The traditional interiors, with antique and hand-crafted wallpapers, are infused with some of the group's signature playfulness and vibrancy.
Hambleton Hall
Oakham, Rutland
'Winter Break' Special Offer
With log fires and spectacular Christmas trees, this magical country house hotel is perfect for Christmas and New Year.
Widbrook Grange
Bradford-On-Avon, Wiltshire
'Stay & Savour' Special Offer
If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.
The Feathered Nest
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
The Feathered Nest Inn offers a warm, hearty welcome, great food, real ales, wines and spirits and sumptuous rooms.
Knockinaam Lodge
Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway
10% Discount Special Offer
A Victorian hunting lodge overlooking the Irish Sea, Knockinaam Lodge celebrates Christmas complete with a traditional Christmas lunch, boardgames, Boxing Day suppers, long walks and plenty of time for a good snooze
The Dog at Wingham
Canterbury, Kent
Super Special Two Night Special Offer
In a characterful village between Sandwich and Canterbury, Marc Bridgen's gastropub with individually styled bedrooms is committed to local sourcing, with interesting seasonal menus and regular celebratory themed evenings and events.
The Devonshire Arms
Skipton, Yorkshire
'Spring Escape on the Estate' Special Offer
A former 17th-century inn, which is part of the Duke of Devonshire's 30,000-acre estate at Bolton Abbey, is today an impressive country-house hotel, with fine dining and a spa.
Bedruthan Hotel and Spa
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Winter Escape Special Offer
On show through walls of windows, the sea is a huge presence at this family-run hotel on the cliffs above a surfers' beach, which offers craft sessions as well as a spa and kids club.
The Nare
Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall
'Get Away From It All' Special Offer
At this seaside hotel, Christmas is all about home-made mince pies, crackling fires and black-tie dining.
The Cavendish
Baslow, Derbyshire
'Chatsworth Experience' Special Offer
The Cavendish marries a sense of grandeur with the warm welcome of a boutique hotel. Exquisite food is the order of the day, while luxurious furnishings add a sense of plush decadence as well.
The Crown Inn
Surrey
20% Discount Midweek Stay Special Offer
History feels very present at this half-timbered medieval inn overlooking village green, with a choice of atmospheric four-poster rooms and contemporary accommodation, real ales on tap, and an eclectic menu served in a panelled dining room.
Forss House
Thurso, Highland
'Whisky Away' Special Offer
In the lead up to Christmas, this hotel creates a wonderfully festive atmosphere full of afternoon teas and beautiful decorations.
The Three Hills
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
'25% off all Rooms' Special Offer
There is a buzzy ambience to this refurbished, child friendly, dog friendly 17th-century village pub, named after local tumuli, with restaurant, smart bedrooms and alfresco dining.
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer
This magnificent property is the stuff that Christmas cards are made of, and over the festive season they turn everything from their spa to their afternoon tea into a festive treat.
Cary Arms & Spa
Babbacombe, Devon
25% Discount Autumn/Winter Special Offer
A cosy beamed pub is the warm heart of this hotel, in the shelter of wooded, red sandstone cliffs that reminded the young Queen Victoria of 'a ballet or a play where nymphs appear'.
Lords of the Manor
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire
'Lords Fireside Retreat' Special Offer
A Cotswold Christmas would not be complete without the perfect country house to spend it in.
Cuckoo Brow Inn
Ambleside, Cumbria
Two Night 15% Discount Special Offer
From sumptuous breakfasts to five course Christmas Day lunches, the festive season at Cuckoo Brow inn is a treat.
Shieldaig Lodge
Gairloch, Highland
'Whisky Lovers' Special Offer
At this magical Highland retreat, you're welcomed in festive style, with a wee dram and Christmas cake, before a three-course dinner. The enchanting surroundings are perfect for waking to on Christmas Day when you can enjoy roaring fires,
big breakfasts, afternoon teas and hot toddies, as well as the full Christmas lunch.
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Seasonal Getaway' Special Offer
Fun, food and relaxation await at The Eastbury on a Christmas festive break.
Mallory Court
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
'Ultimate Tasting Experience' Special Offer
Mallory Court is a four-star hotel and a member of the Relais and Châteaux group, which means you know when you visit you're in for a superb treat, especially when it comes to food at Christmas.
No. 1 Pery Square
Limerick, Co. Limerick
'Wine and Dine' One Night Special Offer
Boutique chic has replaced backpackers' basics at this former youth hostel, which is now a popular city hotel, with a handy car park and particularly good rates for single travellers.
The Black Swan
Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
Spring Break 'Dine & Stay' Special Offer
Family run, dog friendly and welcoming, this village pub at the foot of Howgill fells, between Lakes and Dales, is widely praised for its comfortable, individually styled bedrooms, pub classics and more creative dishes.
The Atlantic Hotel
St Brelade, Jersey
Atlantic 'Winter Retreat' Special Offer
Glamorous ocean vistas draw the eye beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, on a headland above St Ouen's Bay, beside Le Moye Golf Club. Designed to recall 1930s marine architecture, it has a pool in landscaped grounds and an ambience of holiday fun and leisure, with gourmet picnics on offer for a day's surfing or wildlife spotting.
Storrs Hall
Bowness-On-Windermere, Cumbria
January/February Sale Special Offer
With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.
Cavens
Dumfries, Dumfries And Galloway
Winter Special Offer
'Visiting Cavens is like stepping back in time to a traditional country-house hotel,' writes a reader of Angus Fordyce's Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.
The Traddock
Settle, North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Gourmet Break Special Offer
Few places could be more perfect for a traditional Yorkshire Christmas, than this gorgeous manor hour. Bring the dog and combine good food with brisk walks on Christmas Day.
More Family friendly hotels for Christmas
Hotel Tresanton
St Mawes, Cornwall
In an idyllic location, cascading down the cliffs at St Mawes with views to St Anthony's lighthouse, Olga Polizzi's seaside hotel continues to delight readers. Once home to a yacht club, it is spread across a cluster of houses and has a feel of the French Riviera about it.
Polurrian on the Lizard
Mullion, Cornwall
'Hotel settings don't get much more spectacular than the Polurrian's, on the cliff edge overlooking its own beach,' writes a guide insider. The relaxed family and dog-friendly hotel makes the most of the coastal views.
The Pear Tree Inn
Melksham, Wiltshire
A lovely, wisteria-swagged, 17th-century Bath stone inn, this is a gastropub with a wide choice of characterful rooms, a serious attitude to food, regular comedy nights and an irrepressible sense of fun.
Watersmeet
Woolacombe, Devon
'An exceptional seaside hotel', with views from the rooms and terrace to secluded Combesgate beach below, this family-friendly hotel is a former Edwardian gentleman's retreat.
The William Cecil at Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
There is a wide choice of generously equipped rooms at this substantial, dog friendly, family-friendly hotel on the edge of the Burghley Estate, with a pleasantly informal ambience and imaginative, seasonally inspired food served in the bistro.
Talland Bay Hotel
Talland-By-Looe, Cornwall
There is great food and serious fun to be had at this clifftop hotel on the South West Coast Path, its interiors filled with whimsical touches, its bedrooms all unique, its subtropical gardens a wonderland of witty sculptures.
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham, Norfolk
Work up an appetite and then enjoy the warm atmosphere and traditional foods at The Rose & Crown over the festive season.
The Alfriston
Alfriston, Sussex
If Christmas is a time for eating and drinking then Deans Place is definitely the place to be. From party nights to relaxing in front of a roaring fire, this is a sumptuous escape for the whole family.
The Middleton Lodge Estate
Richmond, Yorkshire
Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.
Kilcamb Lodge
Strontian, Highland
Candlelit dinners, Bucks Fizz breakfasts, plenty of mince pies, canapés and even a take home a gift each are all part of Christmas here.
The Lord Poulett Arms
Hinton St George, Somerset
'Gardez la Foi' reads the Poulett family motto over the door of this thatched village pub, and the trio behind the Beckford group (see The Beckford Arms, Tisbury) have kept absolute faith with their winning concept here. The ambience is friendly and relaxed.
Mill End Hotel
Chagford, Devon
The River Teign runs through the garden of this dog-friendly country-house hotel with a wide choice of rooms, a warm and friendly ambience, good food, and great walks from the door.
George and Dragon
Clifton, Cumbria
With smartl interiors and imaginative, locally sourced, restaurant-quality food, this dog-friendly country inn on the Lowther Estate is a happy mix of pub informality and country-house comforts.
Dart Marina
Dartmouth, Devon
Christmas with a view is what you get in this picturesque seaside town with the festive season by the waterfront.
The Seaside Boarding House
Burton Bradstock, Dorset
High on the cliff top above Chesil Beach, this is an effortlessly hip, relaxed, fun hotel with a Cape Cod vibe, light and airy bedrooms, a bar serving cocktails and seriously good cooking in the restaurant.
The Yan at Broadrayne
Grasmere, Cumbria
Refreshingly different from some more traditional Lake District offerings, this contemporary hotel is in a beautiful setting overlooking Grasmere.
The Acorn Inn
Evershot, Dorset
This foodie favourite is the perfect destination for the festive season, gorging on local delicacies such as Glastonbury Twanger Cheddar, Dorset Horn lamb and baked goods from the village bakery.
Corse Lawn House
Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire
A beautifully proportioned Queen Anne-style mansion overlooking a duck pond, this much-loved traditional hotel has a new owner, but, after 48 years, Baba Hine remains, overseeing restaurant, bistro and well-equipped, spacious bedrooms.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Great Milton, Oxfordshire
For more than 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and in our opinion, it's a travesty that he hasn't been awarded three', say Guide insiders.
Chewton Glen
New Milton, Hampshire
Mince pies, mulled wine and afternoon tea are just part of the joys of Christmas at Chewton Glen spa and hotel.
The White Swan
Pickering, Yorkshire
The Buchanan family's 16th-century coaching inn offers a warm Yorkshire mix of traditional pub, smart food and modern bedrooms with character. Overlooking the market square, it's a popular locals' spot both for the ales in the fire-warmed bar and snug and the accomplished cooking.
Rothay Manor
Ambleside, Cumbria
The streets of Ambleside are illuminated with Christmas Lights and the aroma of coal fires fill the air as you arrive at this blissful hotel.
The Bailiffgate Hotel
Alnwick, Northumberland
There are mesmerising views of medieval Alnwick Castle from the Duchy of Northumberland's new hotel, occupying the Georgian Commissioner's house and former school, with further rooms in a modern extension, and 'top-notch' cooking in the restaurant.
The Howard Arms
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
The inn is masterful at serving up a traditional Christmas, complete with trays of gingerbread and feasts of things like included Jerusalem artichoke tarte tatin and free-range turkey with apricot stuffing.
The Old Bridge
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
The ivy clad 18th century townhouse hotel is all about festive parties and convivial celebrations at Christmas.
The Dabbling Duck
Great Massingham, Norfolk
They have all their ducks in a row at this wisteria-decked gastropub with rooms overlooking the green in a village where mallards glide on old abbey fishponds.
The Harper
Holt, Norfolk
You don't have to blow a fortune to stay at this relaxed yet refined hotel in some converted barns, the former home of Langham Glass, and featuring many charming nods to its heritage.
Artist Residence Oxfordshire
South Leigh, Oxfordshire
A fourth venture for Justin and Charlotte Salisbury, this 16th-century beamed farmhouse-cum-local, a former haunt of Dylan Thomas's, has a range of highly individual rooms, mostly in outbuilding with outdoor seating, as well as larky modern art, upcycled, recycled and vintage furniture, a restaurant and bar serving pub food with a difference.
Hart's Hotel
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Modern mixes with medieval on the ramparts of what remains of Nottingham Castle, with this sleek hotel the perfect place to escape the bustling city.
Augill Castle
Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
A fairytale retreat if ever there was one, Augill Castle in Cumbria is a Victorian-folly castle complete with towers and battlements. Decorated in sumptuous style, it is also relaxing and welcoming, complete with a level of whimsy and warmth that makes it a favourite for families as well as couples over Christmas. It's so tempting you could imagine Santa himself turning up.
Christmas is always about spending quality time with the people we love, and few things make the festive season more magical than seeing it through the eyes of your children. Good food, good wine and magical decorations are all part of what we're looking forward to, setting the scene for fun, games and giggles with the family. It's all the more reason to leave the cooking to someone else so that you can make the most of the time together. When choosing family friendly hotels for Christmas, we looked for the destinations that really brought the festive season to life to children as well as parents. Naturally, that means wonderful food, but also mesmerising locations, plenty for children to see and do, space to get outside and the opportunity to enjoy a convivial environment but also time for yourself as a family as well. So from spa treatments to treehouse suites, swimming pools to sumptuous dinners, here are our favourite family friendly hotels for Christmas. From a stylish, four-star coaching inn in the Cotswolds dating back to the 1300s to an exquisite restaurant with rooms in Devon, surrounded by exceptionally beautiful countryside that's just waiting for you to get outside in your wellies and explore. Head to one of the UK's finest country house hotels, surrounded by manicured gardens to a five-star hotel and spa in Hampshire, surrounded by the New Forest and complete with family suites, kids cookery classes and local attractions ranging from Marwell Zoo to pony trekking.
