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 country house hotels
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
'Complimentary Night' Special Offer
The yellow submarine in the grounds and a hedge sculpture of a giraffe set the scene at this playful, quirky hotel, in a traditional honey-stone building that is both family and dog friendly.
Bishopstrow
Warminster, Wiltshire
Christmas 2026 Package 10% Discount GHG Reader Special Offer
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.
Dukes Bath
Bath, Somerset
Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
The latest member of Ian and Christa Taylor’s Kaleidoscope group, this hotel occupies two fine Georgian townhouses on a handsome and historic boulevard. The traditional interiors, with antique and hand-crafted wallpapers, are infused with some of the group's signature playfulness and vibrancy.
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.
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.
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.
Penally Abbey
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.
Forss House
Thurso, Highland
'Whisky Away' Special Offer
Shieldaig Lodge
Gairloch, Highland
'Whisky Lovers' Special Offer
Headlam Hall
Darlington, Co. Durham
'Spring Revival Break' Special Offer
The real charm of this grand country house, with sweeping gardens, terraces, oak panelling and swish spa along with a convenient location in a hamlet a few miles from the A1 lies in its warm and informal atmosphere.
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno, Conwy
'The Great Half Price Break' Special Offer
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer
Plas Dinas Country House
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
Two Night D,B&B Special Offer
Lords of the Manor
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire
'Lords Fireside Retreat' Special Offer
The Priory
Wareham, Dorset
'A Night To Remember' Special Offer
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.
Widbrook Grange
Bradford-On-Avon, Wiltshire
'Stay & Savour' Special Offer
The Devonshire Arms
Skipton, Yorkshire
'Spring Escape on the Estate' Special Offer
A former 17th-century inn, which is part of the Duke of Devonshire's 30,000-acre estate at Bolton Abbey, is today an impressive country-house hotel, with fine dining and a spa.
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.
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 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.
Plas Tan-Yr-Allt Historic Country House B&B
Porthmadog, Gwynedd
'Four Offers in One' Special Offer
There's history a-plenty in this upmarket B&B, an Italianate villa with breathtaking views over the Glaslyn estuary to the Rhinog mountains, warm and welcoming hosts, and bedrooms named after famous former residents, including Percy Bysshe Shelley, who wrote 'Queen Mab' here.
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.
Storrs Hall
Bowness-On-Windermere, Cumbria
January/February Sale Special Offer
With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.
Plumber Manor
Sturminster Newton, Dorset
Winter D,B&B Special Offer Special Offer
Burleigh Court
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Autumn/Winter Special Offer
There are stunning views across the Golden Valley from this Georgian mansion, a smart but friendly hotel with fine-dining restaurant.
The Green Park
Pitlochry, Perth And Kinross
Free Theatre Ticket Special Offer
Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family's Victorian country-house hotel in gardens leading to the shores of Loch Faskally is popular with its largely elderly clientele, who love the comfort of this 'unique establishment' with its caring staff.
More Best country house hotels
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.
Cedar Manor
Windermere, Cumbria
Caroline and Jonathan Kaye are fun and welcoming hosts at their B&B, a Victorian gentleman's residence in walled garden, praised by many readers for its award-winning interiors, individually styled rooms and suites, delicious afternoon tea and great breakfasts.
Watersmeet
Woolacombe, Devon
'An exceptional seaside hotel', with views from the rooms and terrace to secluded Combesgate beach below, this family-friendly hotel is a former Edwardian gentleman's retreat.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch, Gwynedd
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.
Rothay Manor
Ambleside, Cumbria
A Regency beauty with spectacular views from the balconies, this stylish, dog-friendly country-house hotel has a relaxed vibe, beautifully designed bedrooms, and a fine-dining restaurant.
Lough Bawn House
Collinstown, Co. Westmeath
Verity Butterfield clearly loves to welcome guests to her loch-side Georgian house, with blazing fires, comfy sofas, good artworks, excellent breakfasts, and dinner by arrangement.
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 Pig in the Cotswolds
Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Hotel Endsleigh
Tavistock, Devon
Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and scandalous Duchess Georgiana, stands in a picturesque designed landscape with the River Tamar running through.
Linthwaite House
Bowness-On-Windermere, Cumbria
The South African Leeu Collection's Edwardian country house in wooded, landscaped grounds above Windermere is a haven of civilised living, with casual and fine dining options, woodland hot-tub suites, and views to take the breath away.
The Middleton Lodge Estate
Richmond, Yorkshire
Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.
Chewton Glen
New Milton, Hampshire
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Great Milton, Oxfordshire
For more than 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and in our opinion, it's a travesty that he hasn't been awarded three', say Guide insiders.
Wildhive Callow Hall
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
This Victorian gothic mansion might appear a little forbidding, but step inside and you are overwhelmed by a warm ambience and beautiful interiors, while some guests choose to sleep in the woods in a timber-lined 'hive' or treehouse.
The Grange
Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
Sarah and Jonathan Stamp's Georgian farmhouse B&B offers three lovely bedrooms for adults only, a first-rate breakfast, walking trails, a trout stream for fishing, and bucolic bliss.
Lastingham Grange
Lastingham, Yorkshire
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.
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’.
Dedham Hall
Colchester, Essex
In deepest Constable country, Wendy and Jim Sarton's characterful timber-frame manor house specialises in residential art courses; there is a large studio in the ground for workshops from tutors in various mediums. But even if you're not interested in taking a course, it's a great place for an 'extremely relaxing weekend'.
Plantation House
Plymouth, Devon
From bread to truffles, they cook as much as possible on site in this 'very cosy and friendly hotel', in the rolling South Hams countryside between wild Dartmoor and the sandy beaches of Bigbury Bay.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
Langar Hall
Langar, Nottinghamshire
Everything is peachy at this apricot-hued Georgian country house in the Vale of Belvoir, at the end of a long avenue of lime trees, transformed from a family home into a delightful, idiosyncratic and much-loved hotel.
Fischer's at Baslow Hall
Baslow, Derbyshire
An Edwardian homage to 17th-century style, this beautiful manor house with rich Jacobean-inspired interiors is run as a luxury hotel with fine-dining restaurant where you can enjoy a 'truly memorable meal'.
The Bailiffgate Hotel
Alnwick, Northumberland
There are mesmerising views of medieval Alnwick Castle from the Duchy of Northumberland's new hotel, occupying the Georgian Commissioner's house and former school, with further rooms in a modern extension, and 'top-notch' cooking in the restaurant.
Newforge House
Magheralin, Co. Armagh
There is a happy sense of continuity at this classic Georgian country house, where sixth-generation owners Louise and John Mathers have been welcoming guests since 2005.

























































































































































































