Character and comfort define the best of B&Bs, and these wonderful guest houses always give a sense of being welcomed with open arms, quite literally in some cases. From converted cider presses to bedrooms adorned with Georgian antiques, expect high standards, and occasionally a quirky window and sloping floor board or two – it’s all part of the charm. Here are the Good Hotel Guide’s Editor’s Choice selections for best B&Bs.
2018 Editor's Choice B&Bs
Editor’s Choice B&Bs
Jeake’s House - Midweek Winter Breaks
Rye
‘Just as welcoming, beautiful, comfortable and relaxing as ever.’
Penbontbren - £299 3 Night Special Offer
Glynarthen
‘A cross between a hotel, a B&B and a holiday cottage, with the advantages of each, this is a very special place,’ say regular Guide readers this year.
Stoberry House - Autumn Midweek Special
Wells
Approached by a drive through parkland, Frances Meeres Young’s upmarket B&B, in an 18th-century coach house, is surrounded by gardens ‘planned and tended with love and skill’.
Brownber Hall - Third Night Free Special Offer
Kirkby Stephen
‘Enthusiastically and admirably run’ by its ‘hard-working young owners’, this Victorian house between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales stands on a wooded hillside with ‘magnificent views’ over green fields and grazing sheep to the fells beyond.
The Dower House
Muir of Ord
‘We were thoroughly spoiled.’ Mena and Robyn Aitchison are much appreciated by Guide readers for the 'wonderful hospitality’ at their ‘well-located’ Georgian stone cottage-orné outside Inverness.
Y Goeden Eirin
Dolydd
‘More than a B&B, this is a home that welcomes you for bed and breakfast.’
Austwick Hall
Austwick
‘A visit to this B&B is to be remembered, not just for the quirky, individual rooms, but also for the dedication and kindness of its owners, Michael Pearson and Eric Culley.’
Sea Mist House
Clifden
There’s a ‘relaxed atmosphere’ and ‘a sense of lightness and warmth’ at Sheila Griffin’s ‘characterful’ B&B, in a heritage town between the Atlantic and the Twelve Bens.
Duke House
Cambridge
‘A refreshing choice’, Liz and Rob Cameron’s ‘delightful, well-located’ B&B is minutes from the colleges and the Grand Arcade.
Newbegin House
Beverley
‘A welcoming home-away-from-home’, Nuala and Walter Sweeney’s ‘remarkable’ B&B is but one of the ‘delightful pleasures of the lovely town’.
2017 Editor's Choice B&Bs
Editor’s Choice B&Bs
Jeake’s House - Midweek Winter Breaks
Rye
‘Just as welcoming, beautiful, comfortable and relaxing as ever.’
The Manor Town House - Three night Champagne Special Offer
Fishguard
The powder-blue facade of Helen and Chris Sheldon’s Georgian townhouse, with its smart portico, gives a hint of chic B&B accommodation within.
The Quay House
Clifden
‘Delightful hosts’ Julia and Paddy Foyle run their harbourside B&B with ‘generosity of spirit and a genuine interest in seeing guests happy’, Guide inspectors say.
Blackmore Farm
Cannington
‘There are no flashy bits, just a friendly atmosphere and good, old-fashioned hospitality’ at Ann and Ian Dyer’s rural B&B on the family farm at the foot of the Quantock hills.
Apsley House
Bath
In a Georgian country house said to have been built by the Duke of Wellington for his mistress, Claire and Nicholas Potts’s elegant B&B is run with ‘friendliness’ and a fair number of egg dishes at breakfast.
Swan House
Hastings
Come in to ‘a lovely, warm atmosphere and a good mood’ at Brendan McDonagh’s town-centre B&B, in a pretty cul-de-sac behind the High Street.
Old Whyly
East Hoathly
With a lily-scented terrace in the summer and a log fire in the winter, all is ‘enchanting’ at this ‘elegant, comfortable’ Georgian manor house.
Dalshian House
Pitlochry
Vibrant Victorian Pitlochry offers many diversions, but to escape the bustle, head for Martin and Heather Walls’s guest house, a ‘beautiful’ Georgian house on the outskirts of town.
2 Blackburne Terrace
Liverpool
‘The personal service, facilities and little extras put this upmarket B&B in a class above quite a few better-rated hotels we’ve stayed in.’
Timberstone
Clee Stanton
Deep in Shropshire countryside, Tracey Baylis and Alex Read’s B&B, in a quiet hamlet, is ‘a total joy’, say admirers.