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
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
The Bird
Bath
Three-Night Christmas 2026 Getaway 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.
Bishopstrow
Warminster, Wiltshire
Christmas 2026 Package 10% Discount GHG Reader Special Offer
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
'Three Nights for the Price of Two' 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.
The Cottage in the Wood
Malvern Wells, Worcestershire
Exclusive GHG Reader Christmas Stay Special Offer
The Nare
Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall
'Get Away From It All' Special Offer
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 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 Feathered Nest
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
The Priory
Wareham, Dorset
'A Night To Remember' Special Offer
The Cavendish
Baslow, Derbyshire
'Chatsworth Experience' Special Offer
Harbourmaster Hotel
Aberaeron, Ceredigion
'Sundays by the Sea' 25% Discount Special Offer
Cuckoo Brow Inn
Ambleside, Cumbria
Two Night 15% Discount Special Offer
The Scarlet
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
'Two Night Spend Time Together' Special Offer
Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.
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.
Lords of the Manor
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire
'Lords Fireside Retreat' Special Offer
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.
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.
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.
Knockinaam Lodge
Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway
10% Discount Special Offer
Hartwell House
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
'The Great Summer Offer' Special Offer
Cary Arms & Spa
Babbacombe, Devon
Spring Coastal Escape 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'.
Southernhay House
Exeter, Devon
25% Discount Two-Night Mini-Break Special Offer
A Roman Doric portico makes a swanky statement about this Grade II listed Georgian house, but within lies a stylish yet relaxed and fun boutique hotel that is an oasis in the heart of the city.
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer
Hambleton Hall
Oakham, Rutland
'Winter Break' Special Offer
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno, Conwy
'The Great Half Price Break' Special Offer
Forss House
Thurso, Highland
'Whisky Away' Special Offer
Ty Mawr
Brechfa, Carmarthenshire
'Winter Escape' Special Offer
Shieldaig Lodge
Gairloch, Highland
'Whisky Lovers' Special Offer
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Seasonal Getaway' Special Offer
Dukes Bath
Bath, Somerset
Roman Baths Retreat 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.
More Hotels for 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.
Bank House
King's Lynn, Norfolk
On a square beside the Great Ouse in the ancient port town, this fine Georgian Grade II* listed former merchant’s house, once home to what would become Barclays, was debanked in 1869 and is today a buzzy hotel and brasserie.
Rothay Manor
Ambleside, Cumbria
Dart Marina
Dartmouth, Devon
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.
The Pheasant
Helmsley, Yorkshire
In a former smithy, shop and barns overlooking the village duck pond, this popular hotel and restaurant is undergoing refurbishment and expansion under new owners the Rockliffe Hall Group.
Alexandra Hotel
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Readers are unanimous in their praise of the welcoming, helpful staff at this family-friendly hotel at the top of the town, with lovely garden, light-filled restaurant, and glorious views over Lyme Bay.
The Ship Inn
Elie, Fife
The catch of the day could be Shetland hake in the restaurant or nifty fielding on the sands at this pub-with-rooms overlooking the Firth of Forth, with its own beach cricket team.
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 Howard Arms
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Goldstone Hall
Market Drayton, Shropshire
The gardens are the great glory of John and Sue Cushing's Georgian manor house deep in dairy country, with abundant home-grown produce featuring on menus, and light summer lunches served on the rose garden terrace.
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.
Fischer's at Baslow Hall
Baslow, Derbyshire
An Edwardian homage to 17th-century style, this beautiful manor house with rich Jacobean-inspired interiors is run as a luxury hotel with fine-dining restaurant where you can enjoy a 'truly memorable meal'.
Old Church Farm
Bristol, Gloucestershire
In the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside, this one-time Saxon hunting lodge, rebuilt over centuries and rich in Tudor detail, is an intimate B&B, with large and characterful bedrooms, welcoming hosts, and a Cordon Bleu dinner cooked by arrangement on Fridays and Saturdays.
Brockencote Hall
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire
If you're looking for affordable luxury, this Victorian mansion in parkland, remodelled in the style of a French château, has spacious bedrooms, opulent suites, and a choice of small-plates dining or a tasting menu.

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.
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.
Biggin Hall
Buxton, Derbyshire
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.
The Old Bridge
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
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.
Beechwood Hotel
North Walsham, Norfolk
Agatha Christie memorabilia, murder-mystery weekends and Art Deco touches set the tone at Hugh and Emma Asher's creeper-clad hotel, former home of the author's doctor friends, in a bustling market town.
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 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.
The Acorn Inn
Evershot, Dorset
The Star Inn at Harome
Nr Helmsley, Yorkshire
The Michelin-starred cuisine at this thatched gastropub in quiet Harome is the draw, but the rooms are special too, as is the setting, close to the North York Moors for a day's walking.
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.
Langar Hall
Langar, Nottinghamshire
Everything is peachy at this apricot-hued Georgian country house in the Vale of Belvoir, at the end of a long avenue of lime trees, transformed from a family home into a delightful, idiosyncratic and much-loved hotel.
Kilcamb Lodge
Strontian, Highland
The Alfriston
Alfriston, Sussex
Christmas is an increasingly popular time for hotel breaks, so whether you're planning to celebrate Christmas quietly or with a bang, here are our recommended hotels for the festive period.























































































































































































