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Five Hotels with Beautiful Gardens: 2026 Editor's Choice

There's a particular kind of British holiday that begins the moment you step out of breakfast and into a garden still wet with dew. The Good Hotel Guide's 2026 Editor's Choice for hotels with the country's most beautiful gardens names five very different properties, united by grounds that are as much a reason to visit as the kitchen or the bedroom.

The selection roams from a Georgian fishing lodge on the Tamar to a Palladian estate with its own apple maze, taking in parterres, potagers, follies and parkland along the way. What unites the five is a sense of place written in planting — and the rare luxury of hotels where it's worth setting an alarm just to be the first into the rose garden.

Bodysgallen Hall & Spa, Llandudno — A Tudor Gothic Elizabethan mansion wrapped around a medieval tower, set in 220 acres above Conwy. The grounds include a rare 17th-century parterre, a walled rose garden, a cascade and a lily pond, with stone-mullioned windows framing views across to Snowdonia. National Trust-owned, with food drawn from the potager and an indoor pool tucked into the spa.

Hotel Endsleigh, Tavistock, Devon — Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and his scandalous Duchess Georgiana, sitting in what the Guide calls "an incomparably beautiful position": a designed landscape stitched with follies and threaded by the River Tamar. Country-house style executed effortlessly, and a kitchen that keeps getting better.

Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland — A former hunting box standing in beautifully landscaped gardens on a peninsula above Rutland Water. A Relais & Châteaux stalwart, run by Tim and Stefa Hart since 1980 and home to the UK's longest-retained Michelin star — Aaron Patterson's kitchen turns out things like wild turbot with sea vegetables and Cornish crab.

The Newt in Somerset, Castle Cary — Palladian Hadspen at the centre of an estate that includes gardens originally laid out by Penelope Hobhouse, plus an apple maze, working farm, cyder bar, Roman villa and a dreamy indoor/outdoor pool. Rooms range from grand four-posters in the main house to playful converted stables. Even at high prices, it's hard to get a room without booking months ahead.

The Pig in the Cotswolds, Cirencester — The headline act here is the garden itself, created from the mid-1950s by Rosemary Verey — take a guided tour and stay for lunch.

If a long weekend among the topiary sounds restorative, this is your reading list for the season.

Browse the full Editor's Choice

Partner announcements

We are proud to work with the following partners:

ZENO - ALCOHOL-FREE ENJOYMENT, WITHOUT COMPROMISE

Good Hotel Guide introductory discount - ZENO alcohol-liberated wines.

Website 10% discount code: GHG10

www.zenowine.com

"Our mission is to craft wines of virtue with regional and varietal expression and gently liberate them from alcohol, for the more discerning wine drinker on occasions when they choose to abstain." Passionate foodies, wine trade veterans David & Will crafted ZENO wines to pair well with food, with low residual sugar and excellent flavour, texture & balance. They are also delicious on their own.

ZENO alcohol-liberated wines are vegan and from single estate, family-owned organic vineyards in central Spain. Their first release wines all took awards at the International Wine & Spirits Competition, the Global Wine Masters Competition, the World Alcohol Free Awards and the Great Taste Awards, which underpinned their commitment to quality and redefining alcohol-free wine enjoyment.

2024 & 2025 have proven the ZENO range to be a consistent award winner in the young and dynamic AF wine segment. In fact, the London International Wine Competition also awarded ZENO with "Non-Alcoholic Producer of the Year 2025."

ZENO, the ancient Greek philosopher, championed mindful living by practicing four timeless virtues - "Moderation, Wisdom, Justice & Courage", which are the essence of the ZENO brand.

David & Will's mission is to liberate wine & food lovers, by giving them the opportunity of enjoying a great glass of wine when choosing not to drink alcohol for any reason. They don't wish to preach sobriety, but champion freedom of choice, balance & conscious joy.

That choice can now be made without compromise.

ZENO received major international recognition in 2026, winning Double Gold and 96 Points at the London Wine Competition, alongside multiple Gold awards across its range. The brand was also named Non-Alcoholic Producer of the Year, earned Wine of the Year Spain, and secured further medals from Mundus Vini and the World Alcohol-Free Awards.

ZENO – "Happiness is a good flow of life."

www.zenowine.com

@drinkzeno

Website 10% discount code: GHG10

Hoogly Teas: “Looking to freshen up your tea offering? Or become even more sustainable? All our teas are hand blended in the UK using only the finest natural ingredients, the teas are ethically sourced and fairly traded. We offer a great tea package that can cater for any parts of your hotel, with storage jars, wooden boxes and support for when you need it. With competitve prices. Please let us know if you want any Free Hoogly or Hug Tea samples and will get them out to you?" https://hooglytea.com contact Tina on 07983671710 or email info@hooglytea.com

Use GHG at check out for 10% Off at https://hooglytea.com

And...

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering once again with the wonderful Bramley for the next few months. British brand Bramley is known for its naturally fragrant and sustainably made bath and body products, which you’ll find in many of our incredible hotels. BCorp accredited, Bramley’s amenity collections span across bath, body, baby & children and dogs! In addition, Skin by Bramley, it’s award-winning skin collection is used in Bramley’s spa-led treatments. See more at bramleyproducts.co.uk.

Quote of the month: "Making exceptional wine takes craftsmanship, respect for nature… and uncompromising attention to detail." Andrew Weeber, Gusbourne Founder. See more about Gusbourne here.

This year there is no updated print edition of the Guide. Entries have been updated online.

You can still buy a copy of the 46th edition, which was published in October 2022.