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 in England
Christmas is an increasingly popular time for hotel breaks, so whether you're planning to celebrate Christmas in England quietly or with a bang, here are our recommended hotels for the festive period.
Gravetye Manor, Sussex
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
The Bird
Bath, Somerset
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.
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
Christmas 2026 Three Night Christmas Break 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 Montagu Arms
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Dog Friendly Special Offer
Treat the family to exquisite festive dining or country pub comforts at the Montagu Arms Hotel in The New Forest.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Priory
Wareham, Dorset
'A Night To Remember' Special Offer
A lunch filled with festive classics and Christmas eve settling into your cosy surroundings - it's all about the senses at The Priory Wareham.
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.
Hartwell House
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
'The Great Summer Offer' 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.
Cary Arms & Spa
Babbacombe, Devon
'Wildlife Sea Kayaking Safari Stay' 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'.
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.
The Devonshire Arms
Skipton, Yorkshire
'Summer 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.
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 Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Seasonal Getaway' Special Offer
Fun, food and relaxation await at The Eastbury on a Christmas festive break.
Wrea Head Hall
Scarborough, Yorkshire
'Summer Breeze' Special Offer
A splendid Victorian-gothic mansion in parkland, minutes' drive from Scarborough, Wrea Hall has been repurposed as a luxury hotel with very characterful bedrooms and a fine-dining restaurant.
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.
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.
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.
Plumber Manor
Sturminster Newton, Dorset
Winter D,B&B Special Offer Special Offer
For more than 50 years, the Prideaux-Brune family have welcomed guests to their ancestral Jacobean manor house in an English country garden with the Divelish stream skipping through.
Tudor Farmhouse
Clearwell, Gloucestershire
Free Upgrade Special Offer
A quintessential country hideaway with the magic of the Forest of Dean. A festive break at Tudor Farmhouse is filled with everything magical.
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.
Congham Hall
King's Lynn, Norfolk
'January Sale' Special Offer
From spa treatments to exceptional food, Christmas at Congham Hall is always luxurious.
More Hotels for Christmas in England
Summer Lodge
Evershot, Dorset
Country-house luxury abounds at this child-friendly, dog-friendly hotel, a Georgian mansion in ‘well-maintained gardens a huge joy to visit’.
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 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.
Southernhay House
Exeter, Devon
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.
Brocco on the Park
Sheffield, Yorkshire
Behind the solid exterior of an Edwardian park-side villa lies a Scandi-chic boutique hotel and popular drop-in restaurant.
Another Place
Ullswater, Cumbria
Bring the dog, bring the kids, revel in the gorgeous scenery and the great outdoors at this ‘lifestyle hotel’ with private shorefront on Ullswater and plenty of activities on offer. It's the old, staid Rampsbeck Hotel reinvented (out with the chintz and swags, on with the wetsuits or hiking boots!)
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.
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.
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 Punch Bowl Inn
Cumbria
A chocolate box perfect inn, Christmas is all about award-winning food and traditional values during the holiday season.
The Sun Inn
Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
This is the place for seasonal fare, foodies delight, especially after a day of strolling through the churchyard to the river and woodlands.
The Stag on the River
Godalming, Surrey
Historic features are seamlessly blended with contemporary styling at this riverside gastropub with indoor, outdoor and waterside dining, and a menu of pub classics alongside more inventive dishes.
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 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 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.
Heckfield Place
Hook, Hampshire
Life is attuned to nature at this country-house hotel in a Georgian mansion on a working estate. with walled garden, biodynamic farm, luxury spa, and two restaurants that celebrate seasonality and provenance.
The Crown
Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk
On a Georgian square overlooking a green, this former coaching inn and popular local drop-in offers an interesting choice of bedrooms, dog-friendly dining and a mix of pub classics and modern dishes.
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 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 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.
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.
Gravetye Manor
East Grinstead, West Sussex
This historic location is what magical Christmases are made of, complete with roaring fires, private dining menus and a talent for superb mince pies.
Lake Isle
Uppingham, Rutland
There is no isle here, no lake, no bee-loud glade – the name of Richard and Janine Burton's lauded restaurant-with-rooms draws inspiration from WB Yeats's Innisfree, a place of serenity and escape.
Soar Mill Cove Hotel
Salcombe, Devon
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.
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 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.
Biggin Hall
Buxton, Derbyshire
For a relaxed house party ambience, Biggin Hall is the perfect location for Christmas celebrations - settle in and join them from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.
Pentonbridge Inn
Penton, Cumbria
In the Debatable Lands, just south of the Scottish border, Gerald and Margo Smith's stylish, Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms scored very highly with a trusted Guide reader – and no debate about that!
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.
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.
Christmas is an increasingly popular time for hotel breaks, so whether you're planning to celebrate Christmas in England quietly or with a bang, here are our recommended hotels for the festive period.
