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 wedding hotel venues in Dorset
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
The Priory
Wareham, Dorset
'A Night To Remember' Special Offer
There's certainly nothing monastic about this much-loved 'olde-world hotel with charm in abundance', in a 'wonderful building with a cleverly added glass dining room' looking out over gardens bordered by the River Frome.
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Seasonal Getaway' Special Offer
Behind the pretty façade of a Georgian town house in an affluent market town, this hotel is a perfect retreat, with small spa, oasis garden and croquet lawn.
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.
The Grange at Oborne
Sherborne, Dorset
Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
In a village on the edge of Blackmore Vale, this 200-year-old stone hotel in mature gardens is a family-run bastion of traditional values.
More Best wedding hotel venues in Dorset
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 Acorn Inn
Evershot, Dorset
Thomas Hardy fans will be in their element at this local watering hole in Dorset, which was the model for 'The Sow and Acorn' in Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
Yalbury Cottage
Dorchester, Dorset
Deep in Thomas Hardy country, this picture-perfect thatched cottage is a popular restaurant with rooms run with great charm by Ariane Jones and her husband, Jamie.
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’.
Alexandra Hotel
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Readers are unanimous in their praise of the welcoming, helpful staff at this family-friendly hotel at the top of the town, with lovely garden, light-filled restaurant, and glorious views over Lyme Bay.
Moonfleet Manor
Fleet, Dorset
A dog and child-friendly hotel above Chesil Beach, this Georgian manor house is dedicated to family leisure and pleasure, with plenty to keep tots and teens amused, while the restaurant serves light bites by day, bistro-style dishes at dinner.
The Pig on the Beach
Studland, Dorset
Hogwarts in style, this fairytale 1820s marine villa with its jumble of roofs, gables, gargoyles, towers and dormers, is set in gardens running down to a sandy beach. It delivers the usual Pig magic, with its dressed-down interiors, mismatched furniture, casual vibe, house bedrooms, shepherds' huts, thatched dovecotes, and a kitchen garden.
La Fleur de Lys
Shaftesbury, Dorset
There is a retro feel about this restaurant with rooms, little changed in more than three decades and run with pride, where affordable bedrooms are supplied with ground coffee and home-baked biscuits, and set-price and tasting menus demonstrate the chefs' skills without fancy gimmickry.
The King's Arms
Dorchester, Dorset
A fine Georgian coaching inn with strong Thomas Hardy associations, The King's Arms has characterful bedrooms and public spaces blending modern comforts with vintage finds, a dog-friendly drop-in bar with a real fire for drinks and casual dining, and a restaurant serving locally sourced pub classics and more inventive dishes.
The Ollerod
Beaminster, Dorset
A 14th-century clergy house is home to this hotel, with bright, individually styled bedrooms, and a restaurant serving steaks and burgers as well as highly creative dishes, using locally sourced and home-grown produce.
The Bear
Wareham, Dorset
Smarter than the average Bear, this handsome bow-fronted Georgian coaching inn with a distinctive bear statue on a balcony is a fun hotel and local hangout, revamped in contemporary style
The Green House
Bournemouth, Dorset
Within strolling distance of the town and the beach, this eco-friendly hotel in a handsome Victorian clifftop villa has smart, contemporary-style bedrooms and serves imaginative modern dishes and Sunday roasts in the restaurant and on the terrace.
Captain's Club Hotel
Christchurch, Dorset
Berthed on the banks of the Stour since 2006, this child-friendly, dog-friendly, glass-and-steel hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise liner, was built for leisure and family fun, with casual and more formal dining.
The Grosvenor Arms
Shaftesbury, Dorset
With its Tuscan columns and pedimented gable, this coaching inn appears solidly Georgian, but the interiors are contemporary, with well-equipped bedrooms, a clubby bar and dining room serving wood-fired pizzas and bistro-style dishes.
Where to find your wedding venue in Dorset As far as scenic variety goes, Dorset has it all. A playground of beaches, unspoiled countryside, coastal views, forests and picturesque towns and villages, it has a wealth of options to offer all prospective brides and grooms to be on their wedding day. Within easy reach of Exeter, London, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton, Dorset is home to historic castles, country house hotels, chic towns and cities and lots of B&Bs to accommodate weddings guests not staying a the location of the main event. Bournemouth, newly named as the UK's destination spa location is particularly famous for its beautiful beaches and excellent hospitality at the likes of The Green House, a Grade II listed Victorian villa close to the seafront. Alternatively, the likes of The Eastbury Hotel off the main street in Sherborne capitalises on that sense of tradition that the area's history bequeaths. In addition to the gorgeous views and plentiful things to do in Dorset (we suggest you and your guests make a long weekend of your wedding and really enjoy the surroundings), the area has bountiful food and drink that's produced in the surrounding area. An area built on creativity and artisan delicacies, particularly fish and other seafood, and bakes such as Dorset Apple cake. Naturally this tradition of gastronomy translates into the hotel offerings, so whether you choose a country or city hotel for your big day, you can guarantee that everyone will go home well fed and watered and having experienced the best of what this lovely area has to offer.
