Best Luxury Destinations in the United Kingdom

Best Luxury Destinations in the United Kingdom

Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds. Photo by David Tip -Unsplash

The best hotels in some of the UK’s most visited vacation spots, from coastal retreats in Cornwall to stunning country houses in the Lake District, can be found here. Before you book, read our expert reviews to find out exactly what each hotel has to offer and whether it’s right for you.

We have ten of the most elite lavish hotels in the UK, and many of them offer extras like afternoon tea and complimentary champagne. Book a fancy hotel today for a romantic getaway, a birthday retreat, or just a weekend away.

1. Harbour Hotel, Cornwall

Although this Victorian hotel appears unappealing from the outside, its family-friendly interiors are light and bright, with spectacular modern furniture. The Danish-style Harbour restaurant and its maritime-themed bar are always buzzing, thanks to an all-day dining menu (which includes an opulent afternoon tea). It’s a great place to experience new things, like gin tastings and surfing lessons, as well as trips to the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project.

2. Claridge’s, London

This London monument has long had a devoted public figure following – but it doesn’t stop there. As per Spencer Tracey (who notably said he’d prefer to visit Claridge’s than beyond the pearly gates), it’s better than heaven.

The red-brick Mayfair retreat has also been famous with royalty since it first opened its doors in 1856, sheltering the Kings of Greece, Norway, and Yugoslavia during World War II and hosting the Queen’s ruby wedding anniversary.

Twentieth-century charm is still alive and well in the art deco ballroom, fumoir, lobby, and during the exquisite afternoon tea service; however, the hotel has kept up with the times by adding new suites created by contemporary designers such as David Linley and Bryan O’Sullivan over the years, as well as a New York-style restaurant serving CFC (Claridge’s Fried Chicken).

3. Lime Wood, Hampshire

Autumn sunrise over Haldon Belvedere Castle, Devon, UK. Photo by Red Zeppelin -Unsplash

Lime Wood may appear to be a Royal court mansion from the outside, but the pale yellow structure was built in 2008. It has all of the expected Georgian grandeur, not least along the sweeping drive, but with a decidedly modern twist.

Sign up for Bamford treatments and Sarah Chapman facials at the Herb House spa, as well as time in the forest-facing pool and sauna and a trip up to the roof garden, before stopping by Raw & Cured bar for wholesome meals to keep the wellness vibe going.

That is, until you come across Holder & Hartnett, an Italian restaurant run by Luke Holder – who trained at Florence’s iconic three-Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri – and Angela Hartnett, where you can eat the best pasta in the New Forest.

4. Cameron House, Loch Lomond

This well-loved Scottish hideaway has recently been renovated and is located near Loch Lomond, so there’s plenty to do.

The hotel is adjacent to the Carrick and Wee Demon golf courses, the nearby spa has loch views from the rooftop hot tub, and the two restaurants, The Clubhouse and The Boat House, are led by a highly regarded chef.

On a clear day, nothing beats a cruise on the hotel’s Celtic Warrior — or, even better, a half-hour flight over glens and Munros in a seaplane that takes off from the loch.

5. Boath House, the Highlands

Don and Wendy Matheson discovered Boath House as a wreck and have spent the last 21 years transforming it into one of the coziest, most easy-going country house hotels in the UK.

Whereas all nine rooms are cozy and comfortable, fully furnished with thrift store finds, visitors rave about the gardens.

Wendy designed the 22-acre property, which includes a pond, mown pathways among wildflowers, rolling lawns with Adirondack chairs, and a market garden that supplies their modern farm-to-fork cuisine, Café Kale Yard.

6. Heckfield Place, Hampshire

Some of the items offered during high tea. Photo by Micheile dot com -Unsplash

Heckfield Place is said to have taken seven years to construct with the diligent owner refusing to accommodate visitors until it was absolutely perfect. Luckily, it was considered perfect in 2018 and has since become the Hampshire hideaway of choice.

The eco-friendly property spans a manor house built in 1790, two Skye Gyngell restaurants, a screening-room, woods, a farm, and a lake, and is conveniently located just an hour’s drive outside of London.

Tea and cake are offered to customers everyday in the grand drawing rooms, and cocktails are served under a giant disco ball in the Moon Bar. Wildsmith products, named after the property’s head gardener.

Picked  from rooms in the main house or the Corridors – in either case, Gyngell has stated that the snacks in the minibars, and the soft drinks are made in-house.

7. Beaverbrook, Surrey

Beaverbrook, an Italianate mansion in the Surrey Hills, occupies maybe the best corner of England’s green and pleasant land (or at least one of them). The terrace is ideal for cocktails, not only due to the view, but also because of the outstanding bartenders.

After buying the home in 1910, the homeowner’s namesake, Lord Beaverbrook, hosted regular high-society parties for his friends, including Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling.

The property’s indulgent days are far from over, with holiday additions such as ice rinks to the 470-acre grounds. There are also indoor and outdoor pools, the Coach House Spa, where every treatment starts with a ritual rather than the typical conversation, a Japanese restaurant and the Garden House for classics British brasserie.

8. Linthwaite House, Cumbria

This Leeu Collection country hotel, located above Lake Windemere and away from the hustle and bustle of the lakefront, combines the owners’ Indian roots and South African links with Cumbrian generosity.

With its opulent bedrooms (and luxurious suites set up in the forest) and comfortable, jewel-coloured living rooms dotted with the owner’s eclectic art collection, it feels more like a luxurious house than a hotel.

Simon Rogan serves delightful, innovative food made with local ingredients — think guinea fowl with beetroot and beans with truffled tofu — and an afternoon tea that surpasses any savvy London hotel.

9. Snow Goose, Sussex

Few houses are better suited to birdwatchers than this cleverly titled coastal vacation home. It feels massive and open, set right on the waterfront near the sailing village of Bosham, with only tidal pools, pretty mudflats, and hundreds of birds to look at.

It’s a glamorously furnished, Swallows and Amazons-style, family-friendly retreat surrounded by agricultural fields outside the pretty town of Chichester, and 20 minutes from the beaches of West Wittering – yet somewhat one with every 21st-century tool and comfort, from a barbecue for long lunches to a cinema room for evening entertainment.

10. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire

Outtakes from a beautiful Bridal Shower at a local high tea! Photo by Sincerely Media -Unsplash

Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, one of the country’s most commemorated hotels, is a little slice of Provence in rural Britain, with a kilometre-long lavender-lined walkway as the fitting entrance.

With draped beds, toile de Jouy wallpaper, and roll-top bath tubs, the serene, honey-coloured house exudes classic French luxury. It’s no surprise that the restaurant has held two Michelin stars for the past three and a half decades – the kitchen is well-supplied by the hotel’s vegetable and herb gardens, and there are also orchards on-site, as Blanc is passionate about both locally grown and sustainability.

There is also a Japanese garden and a’mushroom valley’ on the grounds. Dinners are seven courses long, and you can enroll in a cooking school if you want to learn how to cook and take with  you new recipes.