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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Best wildlife watching hotels
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
The Cottage in the Wood
Malvern Wells, Worcestershire
Exclusive GHG Reader Christmas Stay Special Offer
'Unparalleled views over the Severn Valley' can be seen from this hotel, in extensive grounds high above the Malvern Hills.
Trefeddian Hotel
Aberdovey, Gwynedd
'Spring Escapes' Special Offer
Although the Cave-Browne-Cave family has sold its big, white hotel above Cardigan Bay, which it has operated since the days of silent film, new owners BLS UK Hotels Ltd are expected to keep things very much as they always have been, maintaining the existing management.
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'.
Shieldaig Lodge
Gairloch, Highland
'Whisky Lovers' Special Offer
Whale watching, spectacular sunsets and starry, starry nights are among the wonders at this Victorian former hunting lodge on a wooded estate lapped by Loch Gairloch.
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer
Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'first-class food and service'.
Ees Wyke Country House
Ambleside, Cumbria
Two Night Stay Spring Special Offer
Spectacular views over Esthwaite Water, walks from the door and easy connections by ferry to explore the Lakes makes this 'a recharging of the batteries kind of place', reports a trusted reader. Other readers add that the friendly service and excellent food helps to make it 'one of the very best hotels'.
The Rose & Crown
Barnard Castle, Co. Durham
'Spring Awakening Break' Special Offer
An ideal base for walking and wildlife enthusiasts, this 18th-century inn with excellent pub food stands beside a Saxon church in a stunning village in Teesdale.
Ty Mawr
Brechfa, Carmarthenshire
'Winter Escape' Special Offer
A 17th-century country house on the edge of Brechfa Forest receives high praise for the warmth of the welcome, its ambience and top-notch, locally sourced food.
Pen-y-Dyffryn
Oswestry, Shropshire
February/March 25% Discount Dinner B&B Special Offer
A walker's paradise on the Welsh border, the Hunter family's very dog-friendly hotel, in a Georgian former rectory with a 'beautiful garden and views', is much beloved by readers.
Hartwell House
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer
A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.
The Feathered Nest
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Inventive cooking of beautifully presented dishes impress at this gastropub overlooking the Evenlode valley, with four rooms that are smart but not ostentatiously 'designer'.
Knockinaam Lodge
Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway
10% Discount Special Offer
Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.
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 Cavendish
Baslow, Derbyshire
'Chatsworth Experience' Special Offer
With the Chatsworth estate on the doorstep, Lord and Lady Burlington's Peak District hotel has had a ravishing makeover to complement the superb food in its restaurants.
Plas Dinas Country House
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
Two Night D,B&B Special Offer
With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family is 'steeped in history, love and charming details – a unique property'.
Hambleton Hall
Oakham, Rutland
'Winter Break' Special Offer
The epitome of country-house luxury with gourmet dining, Tim and Stefa Hart's hotel stands on a peninsula, overlooking beautiful gardens and the shining expanse of Rutland Water.
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno, Conwy
'The Great Half Price Break' Special Offer
This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.
The Kirkwall Hotel
Kirkwall, Orkney
'Explore More Getaway' Special Offer
A French-influenced building on the harbourside, this family-friendly hotel and local hub was extensively refurbished by new owners the Original Collection in 2018.
Askham Hall
Penrith, Cumbria
Foodie Midweek Break Special Offer
With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst, West Sussex
'Sunday Reset at the House' Special Offer
An Edwardian country house in long-time family ownership is run as a spa hotel, restaurant and leisure destination with facilities for golf, tennis, bowls, croquet, swimming.
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.
The Traddock
Settle, North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Gourmet Break Special Offer
Family run, dog-friendly and beloved of readers, the Reynolds's small country-house hotel is praised for its comfort, service and ambitious cooking.
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.
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.
Scarista House
Isle Of Harris, Western Isles
Early Bird Autumn Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
The long drive is worth it to this edge-of-the-world location, where a Georgian manse, with pretty, traditional rooms and superb food, overlooks a long sandy beach.
The White Hart Inn
Colchester, Essex
Complimentary Dinner Special Offer
Cross the causeway to an island renowned for its seafood and tuck into some of its best at this 'lovely dog friendly foodie retreat', left empty and derelict from 2013 until Piers Baker stepped in to revamp it in 2021.
The Castle Hotel
Bishop's Castle, Shropshire
25% OFF and £25 Drinks Voucher Spring Special Offer
Perennial popular, professionally run but relaxed, this former coaching inn with views to the Shropshire hills is an ideal base for walkers and a perfect stopover within sight of the Welsh border.
Rathmullan House
Rathmullan, Co. Donegal
Spring Great Escape Special Offer
Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.
The Beech House and Olive Branch
Clipsham, Rutland
Special 25th Anniversary Midweek Two Night Break Special Offer
'People come here for the food, and for good reason,' says a Guide insider of this buzzy pub with rooms, which is 'very much ye olde village inn, with rustic furniture and roaring fires under the beams'.
More Best wildlife watching hotels
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.
Morston Hall
Holt, Norfolk
Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston's Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.
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.
Underleigh House
Hope, Derbyshire
With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it's no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.
Prestonfield
Edinburgh
With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent place to stay.
Cnapan
Newport, Pembrokeshire
This Georgian house might be on Newport's main street, but it makes a great base from which to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Preseli Hills, say readers. Hosts Judith and Michael Cooper, who welcome guests with tea or coffee and homemade Welsh cakes, can advise on the 'fabulous walks nearby'.
Eddrachilles Hotel
Scourie, Highland
Fiona and Richard Trevor are perfect hands-on hosts at this former manse with breathtaking views across Badcall Bay to Assynt, immaculate, comfortable bedrooms, imaginative cooking and a truly warm, hospitable vibe.
The Coach House
Brecon, Powys
A former coaching inn, this top-notch B&B with secluded back garden combines hotel-quality accommodation with the warmth and intimacy of an owner-run guest house.
Killiane Castle Country House and Farm
Drinagh, Co. Wexford
Attached to a 15th-century fortified tower house, the Mernagh family's farmhouse B&B offers both history and comfort. Guests are welcomed to this lived-in and loved home with tea or coffee and home-baked biscuits.
Bossington Hall
Minehead, Somerset
Ship-owner Allan Hughes chose the perfect site for this handsome Lutyens-style Edwardian country house, on high ground, with panoramic views across Exmoor to the coast, the approach awash with daffodils in springtime.
The Grasmere Hotel
Grasmere, Cumbria
The River Rothay runs past the back garden of this small country-house hotel with attractive, individually styled bedrooms and good food.
The Inn at Whitewell
Clitheroe, Lancashire
Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires, bags of atmosphere and great food.
The Albion Hotel
Freshwater Bay, Isle Of Wight
With the sea to the fore and Tennyson Down rising up behind, this hotel has spectacular views and scarcely less impressive cooking in the revamped restaurant.
Hazel Bank
Keswick Rosthwaite, United Kingdom
Readers return time and again to Gary and Donna MacRae's small, adults-only country-house hotel in woodland gardens, with immaculate bedrooms, fell views, and outstanding nightly set-price dinner, preceded by aperitifs and canapés in the lounge.
Augill Castle
Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
With its towers and battlements this Victorian-folly castle, in 15 acres of grounds, looks imposing yet 'you actually feel like it is your castle'.
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!)
Red Lion at East Chisenbury
East Chisenbury, Wiltshire
Chef-proprietors Guy and Brittany Manning have brought skills honed at triple-Michelin-starred Per Se in Midtown Manhattan to this thatched gastropub on the edge of Salisbury Plain, with 'stupendous' food in the bar/restaurant and garden, and stylish guest bedrooms across the road, with decking from which to watch the ducks on the River Avon.
Glengarry Castle Hotel
Invergarry, Highland
There's a romantic air to the setting of this Scottish baronial mansion overlooking Loch Oich with the ruins of Invergarry Castle in the grounds.
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham, Norfolk
Roses festoon this family and dog-friendly 17th-century pub with rooms, in a thriving village close to the RSPB's Snettisham Nature Reserve.
Coul House
Strathpeffer, Highland
It's been more than 20 years since Susannah and Stuart Macpherson opened the doors of this beautiful Georgian building to guests, and they still take great pride in providing a friendly, warm welcome along with good food and wine.
Native at Pensons
Tenbury Wells, Herefordshire
The team from Covent Garden restaurant Native has taken over this exceptional restaurant with rooms, continuing the ethos of sustainability and localism with wonderfully creative cooking.
The Alfriston
Alfriston, Sussex
Made over in the Signet Collection's signature style, this country-house hotel in a picturesque South Downs village has a relaxed ambience, chic, affordable bedrooms, a boutique spa, and imaginative brasserie fare with good plant-based options.
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.
Coll Hotel
Isle Of Coll, Argyll And Bute
Beside the ferry landing, with views to Mull and Staffa, this family-run hotel and island social hub has smart, uncluttered bedrooms, and short menus of locally fished and farmed produce.
Daisybank Cottage
New Forest, Hampshire
Free-roaming ponies and donkeys wander past the garden gates of this Arts and Crafts-style single-storey house in the magical surroundings of the New Forest.
Gravetye Manor
East Grinstead, West Sussex
Amid 1,000 acres of historically important gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland, this romantic Elizabethan manor house, built by an ironmaster for his bride, forms an impressive backdrop for Michelin-starred cuisine.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere, Cumbria
Lakeland luxury at its finest comes courtesy of Gilpin, with its Michelin-starred dining, private hot tubs in the majority of its indulgent rooms and attentive staff. Its flagship rooms are extravagantly large glass-cube spa suites that extend over a pond and offer private garden, spa room and circular bath.
The Gunton Arms
Thorpe Market, Norfolk
The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub owned by art dealer Ivor Braka, with provocative works by artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst on display within.
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.
Culdearn House
Grantown-On-Spey, Highland
Perfectly placed to enjoy a distillery tour or to follow the whisky trail, Sonia Marshall's Victorian house in the heart of Speyside stands in mature grounds on the edge of a swathe of the ancient Scots pine woodland that surrounds Grantown.
For nature enthusiasts and quiet-minded travelers alike, the UK offers a rich array of wildlife watching hotels that provide the perfect setting to observe Britain’s diverse flora and fauna. From tranquil countryside retreats to coastal hideaways, these hotels are ideally situated for spotting everything from rare birds and deer to otters and seabirds, often right outside your window. The best wildlife watching hotels across the UK are thoughtfully chosen for their prime location, welcoming atmosphere, and commitment to preserving local ecosystems. Whether you’re an avid birdwatcher or simply seeking a peaceful spot to connect with nature, these hotels offer a memorable experience that celebrates the country’s natural beauty. Their understated charm and commitment to guest comfort make them a popular choice for those eager to immerse themselves in the UK's vibrant wildlife.
























































































































































































