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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Hotels for Christmas with spa
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
Bedruthan Hotel and Spa
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
'Winter Warmer' Two Night Break 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.
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Tailor-Made 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.
Hartwell House
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer
This historic house has many a compelling reason to visit during the festive season. It has a history as the periodic home of royalty and its palatial style continues to this day.
The Nare
Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall
'Four Day Break' Special Offer
At this seaside hotel, Christmas is all about home-made mince pies, crackling fires and black-tie dining.
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
'Complimentary Night' Special Offer
The yellow submarine in the 'beautiful grounds' and the hedge sculpture of a giraffe set the scene at this 'playful, quirky hotel', in a traditional honey-stone building.
The Devonshire Arms
Skipton, Yorkshire
'Taste of Yorkshire' 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.
Cary Arms & Spa
Babbacombe, Devon
Early Bird Special Offer
On a cliff-side above a secluded south Devon cove, this stylish hotel is just the place for seaside de-stressing. A sun terrace at the spa looks over Babbacombe Bay; inside, there's an aromatherapy shower, a hydrotherapy pool, a sauna and steam rooms. Algae-based beauty and well-being treatments are available for face and body – and a duo massage room means double the repose.
Bishopstrow
Warminster, Wiltshire
Christmas 2025 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.
Trigony House
Thornhill, Dumfries And Galloway
D,B&B Special Offer
Dog friendly and wallet friendly, this country hotel in an 18th-century sporting lodge is now owned by Peter and Wendy Beddows, who had been customers for 14 years, and loved it so much they bought the business along with chef Adam Moore.
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Garden Escape' Special Offer
Fun, food and relaxation await at The Eastbury on a Christmas festive break.
Soar Mill Cove Hotel
Salcombe, Devon
'Stay Longer Save More' Special Offer
You'll find everything you need for a holiday at this family-run, child-friendly, dog-friendly hotel tucked away in a valley, with a path to a secluded sandy beach.
No. 1 Pery Square
Limerick, Co. Limerick
'Wine and Dine' One Night Special Offer
'Just the job for a city-break hotel', with 'decent rooms, handy car park, sensible prices' and 'helpful staff', this former youth hostel has swapped backpackers' basics for boutique chic.
Congham Hall
King's Lynn, Norfolk
'Sleep Soundly Package' Special Offer
Fragrant herbs and flowers from the renowned herb garden infuse signature treatments in the Secret Garden Spa at this Georgian mansion. There's a pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, a thermal suite, an outdoor hot tub.
Watersmeet
Woolacombe, Devon
Three Night Ramblers Package with Dinner Special Offer
'The location is stunning, with views of the Devon coast with its sandy beaches and tumbled rocks,' writes a reader delighted by this family-friendly hotel.
Mallory Court
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
'Winter Stay' Special Offer
In the grounds of an Arts and Crafts country house, the Elan Spa has a fitness room with static bikes, treadmills and exercise pool – or facials and massage for those who simply want to unwind. Perhaps a hot stone massage, or a chakra well-being ritual.
Polurrian on the Lizard
Mullion, Cornwall
Easter Break Special Offers
'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 Atlantic Hotel
St Brelade, Jersey
Atlantic 'Summer Sunset' Special Offer
Glamorous ocean vistas are on show through the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, which sits on a headland above St Ouen's Bay. Designed to recall 1930s marine architecture, it has holiday fun and leisure baked into its DNA.
The Fell Hotel
Skipton, North Yorkshire
'Stay More, Enjoy More' Special Offer
A more affordable sister to the Devonshire Arms – though no poor relation – this hotel began life as a Victorian gentleman’s club.
More Hotels for Christmas with spa
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.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Spa days and holidays are spent in luxury at this New Forest hotel. There is a mud house, an outdoor hot pool, sauna and rooftop gym, with healthy food in Raw & Cured, all in a tranquil forest setting.
The Scarlet
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
A contemplative, adults-only space, this Ayurvedic-inspired spa has an inside- outside feel, with cliff-top hot tubs, an indoor pool with sea views, a reed-filtered outdoor pool. Herbs and heat, salt and seaweed are all deployed for your well- being.
Summer Lodge
Evershot, Dorset
Country-house luxury abounds at this child-friendly, dog-friendly hotel, a Georgian mansion, its ‘well-maintained gardens a huge joy to visit’.
Burgh Island Hotel
Bigbury-On-Sea, Devon
Whether cosy or casual or stylish and sophisticated is your preference, it's all superbly chic at Burgh Island, where Christmas is experienced with sea views and a celebratory fashion.
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.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere, Cumbria
Perched in the tree canopy, the Swedish- style Jetty Spa offers treatments for Lake House guests. Or stay in a Spa Lodge with steam room, outdoor sauna and hydrotherapy tub, and book in-room treatments. Gilpin guests have use of nearby Choices Health Club.
Chewton Glen
New Milton, Hampshire
From the ozone-treated pool and outdoor hot tubs, to crystal steam rooms and aromatherapy saunas, this spa sets the standard. There are top-to-toe beauty treatments, yoga and Tai Chi, all in a lovely New Forest setting.
Another Place
Ullswater, Cumbria
Occupying a Georgian house and new annexe wings with private shorefront on Ullswater, this is an entirely child-friendly, dog-friendly 'lifestyle' hotel for those who love the great outdoors.
Ilsington Country House Hotel & Spa
Newton Abbot, Devon
This Dartmoor country house hotel's spa draws inspiration from Tibet, with soothing sounds, scents and music. There's a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, and poolside 'kubel dusche' – a bucket of ice water to tip over yourself.
The New Inn
Tresco, Isles Of Scilly
The only pub on this family-owned, car-free island, the New Inn has smart contemporary interiors alongside plenty of innate charm.
Fistral Beach Hotel
Cornwall
Overlooking an iconic surfers' beach, this adults-only spa hotel has a wide choice of rooms from very affordable to luxurious with sea-view balcony.
Sopwell House Hotel
St Albans, Hertfordshire
A favourite hangout of the England football team, the former home of Lord Louis Mountbatten is 'well-run', with contemporary bedrooms, cosseting suites, a good choice of eating and drinking spaces, and a magnificent spa.
The Cliff Hotel & Spa
Cardigan, Ceredigion
There is a spirit of inclusiveness about this family-friendly, singularly accessible clifftop hotel and spa, with a wide range of rooms and suites, from cheap and cheerful to luxury, and a menu to suit most tastes.
Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa
Helmsley, Yorkshire
There is a clever mix of the traditional and modern at this Victorian coaching inn with contemporary main-house, poolside and spa suites, inventive cooking in the restaurant, and an all-year heated outdoor pool.
The Swan Hotel & Spa
Newby Bridge, Cumbria
A 'sprawling, traditional building in a beautiful setting' at the tip of Windermere, this family and dog-friendly hotel has easy access to lake-based activities as well as a spa.
Swinton Park
Masham, Yorkshire
Much altered since it was begun in 1695, the Cunliffe-Lister family's neo-Gothic, castellated fantasy castle is 'a very special place, grand and imposing', in 'simply glorious' pleasure grounds and parkland.
The Retreat at Elcot Park
Newbury, Berkshire
In this stylish Regency mansion, take Christmas up a notch on an idyllic escape at a quintessentially Christmassy home-from-home. They have a Christmas party menu fit for the holidays, complete with gorgeous gourmet bits such as roasted carrot and cumin soup and traditional roasted turkey. On Christmas Day they serve five courses and a glass of Champagne, and there's a three-night escape for the season full of treats, traditions and surprises.
Cliveden House
Taplow, Berkshire
Surely one of Britain's most beautiful spas lies within old brick walls in the gardens of this Italianate mansion. Facilities include an indoor and (notorious) outdoor pool, a gym, hot tubs – an easy drive from London.
Whatley Manor
Easton Grey, Wiltshire
The 'superb' Aquarius Spa at this luxury hotel is housed in a mellow Cotswold stone building, with underwater recliners in the indoor/outdoor pool. It is strong on facials and massage – Thai, Swedish, hot stone, 'Melting Away'. . . A place to be pampered.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Bath, Somerset
Guests don robes and flip-flops to relax and sip champagne with lunch at this luxury hotel's spa garden. The bath house has a relaxation pool, vitality pool, salt- infused sauna and a blossom steam room.
Seaham Hall
Seaham, Co. Durham
A tunnel leads from the hotel to the Serenity Spa, creating a heightened sense of escape. Extensive facilities include a hammam, an Indian steam room, outdoor hot tubs, an ice fountain and a Zen garden with infinity hydrotherapy pool.
The Pig in the Forest
Brockenhurst, Hampshire
Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country house hotel.
Matfen Hall
Northumberland, United Kingdom
Enjoy Victorian Gothic splendour and fine or more casual dining at this country mansion with a spa and golf course in parkland.
Lake Country House Hotel & Spa
Llangammarch Wells, Powys
A Victorian mock-Tudor fishing lodge in wooded grounds on the River Irfon is today a spa hotel and foodie destination with a country house ambience and views to the Cambrian mountains.
Hotel Portmeirion
Portmeirion, Gwynedd
Coming here for Christmas is like stepping back in time in all the best ways - to a world of warm welcomes, good conversation, good food and seasonal cheer.
Thyme
Southrop, Gloucestershire
A charmed 'village within a village', this collection of honeyed buildings houses chic rooms surrounded by pretty gardens, with outdoor pool, spa, cookery school, bar, and short, modern menus of country produce in the Ox Barn.
Moonfleet Manor
Fleet, Dorset
A Georgian manor house above Chesil Beach, this is a dog- and people-friendly hotel designed for holidays and fun, catering to everyone from tinies to grown-ups with sophisticated tastes.
Fowey Hall
Fowey, Cornwall
Avowedly family-friendly and fun yet stylish, this hotel with spa occupies a Baroque Victorian mansion in five acres above the Fowey estuary.
The Pig near Bath
Pensford, Somerset
The setting is pure hog heaven at Robin Hutson's third Pig hotel, surrounded by a deer park in a fold in the Mendips. The part-Georgian building comes in the group's signature shabby-chic style.
If there's any time of year when a little pampering is in order, it has to be Christmas. You might be spending your time thinking about all the presents you want to buy your loved ones, but don't forget a little self-care as well. Then again, you might be looking to give someone you love a little wellbeing and time to themselves. With all that in mind, what could be better than a spa hotel for Christmas celebrations? Whether you fancy a historic country house that exudes grandeur, or a cosy pub with rooms that knows just how to get rid of those knots. Maybe you prefer a total wellbeing escape at an eco spa complete with a thermal suite, or a luxurious hotel where the kids are welcome to splash in the pool while mum and dad enjoy a little rest and relaxation all of their own. From coast to countryside or city escapes, what could make Christmas more special than a spa treatment to top it all off.
