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 hotels for walking in South East
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
The Montagu Arms
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Dog Friendly Special Offer
Guests have a wide choice of individually style rooms and suites at this dog-friendly, creeper-covered hotel on the edge of the New Forest, and can opt for fine dining in the restaurant, or cheaper fare in Monty's Bar pub.
The Crown Inn
Surrey
Midweek Two Night Stay Special Offer
History feels very present at this half-timbered, jettied 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 Dog at Wingham
Canterbury, Kent
Super Special Two Night Special Offer
More a stylish gastropub than a community hub, this historic inn has a loyal following of foodies who rave about its 'delicious meals' as well as its 'lovely quiet rooms'.
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'.
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly, West Sussex
15% Discount Two Night Stay Special Offer
The quintessential local gastropub in a Wealden village never ceases to please readers, with imaginative food, four good bedrooms and a warm, friendly ambience.
The Greyhound Inn
Wantage, Oxfordshire
'Lazy Sunday Sleepover' Special Offer
This is a proper village inn with locals enjoying pints in the bar, scrubbed tables, robust food and comfortable, homely bedrooms.
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst, West Sussex
'Cosy Down 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.
The Star
Alfriston, Sussex
'Summer Ramblers Retreat' Special Offer
There is star quality indeed at Olga and Alex Polizzi's updated version of a historic Tudor inn, in a charming medieval South Downs village.
Stanwell House
Lymington, Hampshire
Complimentary Dinner Special Offer
New owners have lavished millions on this Georgian hotel in a New Forest yachting town on the edge of the Solent.
More Best hotels for walking in South East
Hever Castle B&B
Edenbridge, Kent
Anne Boleyn's childhood home, reimagined by William Waldorf Astor as a fairytale moated castle, the seat of a Tudor courtier, stands in landscaped grounds with an Edwardian 'Tudor' village, home to this exceptional B&B.
Daisybank Cottage
New Forest, Hampshire
The George Inn
Sussex
Do you remember an inn, Miranda? Hilaire Belloc certainly remembered this Georgian coaching inn, from which he described setting out in The Four Men.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Great Milton, Oxfordshire
For 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and it's not surprising – every mouthful of every meal is a triumph', say Guide insiders.
Alkham Court
Dover, Kent
If you're outward bound for France, this farmhouse B&B, just ten minutes from the port of Dover and Eurotunnel, is perfect for a stop-off – but you might not want to leave. 'This didn't feel like a hotel, it felt like a home,' writes one contented reader.
The Halfway Bridge
Petworth, West Sussex
At the heart of the South Downs National Park, this village pub with rooms is the rural sister of the seaside Crab & Lobster, Sidlesham (see entry). It is country but no bumpkin.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
A New Forest bolt-hole, this country house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.
Belle Tout Lighthouse
Eastbourne, Sussex
A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs. test
The Crab & Lobster
Sidlesham, West Sussex
Overlooking the reed beds and salt marsh of Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve, in an 'atmospheric location with great birdwatching from the doorstep', this excellent restaurant with rooms serves 'great food with especially imaginative vegetarian dishes'.
Bingham Riverhouse
Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey
You can paddleboard on the river, stroll to see the deer in Richmond Park, and feel a world away from central London at this smart, multifaceted Thames-side hotel.
The Double Red Duke
Bampton, Oxfordshire
Eat inside or dine alfresco under a striped parasol, at this exceptional gastropub with super-stylish rooms, some for a family, some dog friendly with access to the garden.
Artist Residence Oxfordshire
South Leigh, Oxfordshire
A 16th-century village inn has been reinvented as a fun, bohemian hangout, with rustic-chic bedrooms, upcycled furniture, modern artworks, good pub grub and an irrepressible sense of fun.
Chewton Glen
New Milton, Hampshire
This quintessential English country house with spa, pools, kids' club, elegant bedrooms and fun tree houses, hits all the right luxurious notes for a romantic or family stay.
The Gallivant
Sussex
East Coast America meets South Coast England at this single-storey, coastal-chic hotel with interesting room choices, good, locally sourced food, and uncrowded sandy beach just over the spectacular dunes.
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.
The George Inn
Banbury, Oxfordshire
'A really nice place to stay, in a lovely quiet village setting,' this beautifully renovated 17th-century thatched inn lives anew as a local pub with rooms. Manager Claire Lenkowiec and chef Valerio Grimaldi-Plant run the show for the owners and, by George, they get it right!
The White Horse
Chilgrove, West Sussex
With the Goodwood Estate down the road and the South Downs on the doorstep, this rural, dog-friendly former coaching inn is popular with Barbour-wearing country-sports enthusiasts and hikers.

The Millstream
Chichester, West Sussex
In gardens bordered by a stream, the Wild family's hotel, converted from three 17th-century cottages, a stroll from its own quayside, has well-equipped, country-classic bedrooms, formal and informal dining in restaurant and brasserie.

The Mount Edgcumbe
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
'Despite a wild and rural backdrop' of 'a tall sandstone ridge, surrounded by mature trees', this pub-with-rooms is just a stroll from the town centre.

The Old Store
Chichester, West Sussex
Matt and Amy Marshall welcome new arrival with a drink and are happy to share their local knowledge and love of Sussex at this 18th-century bakery-turned-B&B with updated, bright and airy interiors.

The Pig in the Forest
Brockenhurst, Hampshire
Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country house hotel.

The Mitre
Surrey
In 'a lovely location', with riverside terraces, and Hampton Court across the road, the flagship venture for Hector Ross's Signet Collection received our inspectors' endorsement.

The Old Railway Station
Petworth, Sussex
One of Britain's prettiest disused stations is today an excellent B&B, with bedrooms in the station building and restored Pullman coaches, cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, while breakfast is truly first class.

The Trout at Tadpole Bridge
Buckland Marsh, Oxfordshire
With Thameside gardens and free mooring, this 18th-century inn has six courtyard bedrooms with vintage and contemporary furniture, a cosy beamed bar, a menu of pub favourites and creative dishes.

Boys Hall
Ashford, Kent
With smugglers' tunnels beneath, this 'beautiful, gabled 17th-century manor', five minutes from Ashford International, stands in 'a secret garden oasis with a rose and herb garden'.

Old Whyly
East Hoathly, Sussex
It is more than thirty years since Sarah Burgoyne first welcomed guests to her Georgian manor house, 'in enchanting gardens and grounds', where 'deer roam at dawn and birdsong is guaranteed'.

Jeake's House
Rye, Sussex
Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

The Retreat at Elcot Park
Newbury, Berkshire
A Regency mansion in parkland, once home to Percy Shelley's mother, has been reimagined as a contemporary country house hotel infused with a blithe spirit.

The Pig at Bridge Place
Canterbury, Kent
A short hop from Canterbury, a Grade I-listed Jacobean mansion and former music venue, which once hosted rock legends such as The Kinks, was the sixth addition to Robin Hutson's Pig collection.

Beaverbrook
Leatherhead, Surrey
Once a retreat for Lord Beaverbrook, this Victorian mansion, filled with fascinating memorabilia, is home to chic contemporary bedrooms, a fine-dining restaurant, Japanese grill, library, cinema and spa.