The word ‘boutique’ often gets overused when it comes to hotels, but with a mix of opulence and fashionable design, contemporary gadgetry and history these boutique hotels are a joy to behold. There’s always something to catch your eye in these magic places, from the art to the bespoke furniture. Here are the Good Hotel Guide’s Editor’s Choice selections for best boutique hotels.
2018 Editor's Choice Boutique Hotels
Editor’s Choice Boutique Hotels
The Queensberry - 10% book direct money back guarantee
Bath
The city centre is an easy walk from Helen and Laurence Beere’s ‘near-faultless’ hotel, in an ‘unsurpassed situation’ within reach of museums, shops and heritage spots.
drakes - Gourmet Getaway in Brighton Special Offer
Brighton
At dusk, the lights come on over Brighton's Palace Pier – a view best taken in, perhaps, from a freestanding bath by floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms of this stylish, boutique hotel.
No. 1 Pery Square - Two Night "Dine & Unwind" Escape Special Offer
Limerick
Patricia Roberts’s stylish town house hotel sits in a row of Georgian terraces in the centre of town, nearly within paint-splattering distance of the art gallery.
Prestonfield
Edinburgh
The peacocks in the ‘fantastic grounds’ are but a hint of the exotic style of local restaurateur James Thomson’s characterful hotel next to Royal Holyrood Park.
Bank House
King’s Lynn
Overlooking the historic quayside, this popular spot, ‘well used by locals’, is ‘just what one hopes for and expects from a hotel in a large town’.
Number Thirty Eight Clifton
Bristol
In a popular neighbourhood with ‘plenty of interesting local amenities’ – the Saturday farmers’ market, just down the hill, gives a fine flavour of the place – this upmarket B&B is ‘highly recommended’ by Guide readers.
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.’
Chapel House
Penzance
‘An inviting building in a lovely location’, this 18th-century admiral’s town house-turned-chic B&B has undergone a sea change in the hands of ‘caring, hands-on’ owner Susan Stuart.
Brocco on the Park
Sheffield
‘There’s a vibrant atmosphere’ at Tiina Carr’s ‘stylish, Scandi-chic’ hotel, in a ‘buzzy neighbourhood’ of shops and cafés.
The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell
London
‘We’ve been raving about it to everyone!’ A Guide reader this year extolled this ‘brilliantly quirky hotel’ in a Georgian townhouse across the cobbled square from the original Zetter.
2017 Editor's Choice Boutique Hotels
Editor’s Choice Boutique Hotels
The Queensberry - 10% book direct money back guarantee
Bath
The city centre is an easy walk from Helen and Laurence Beere’s ‘near-faultless’ hotel, in an ‘unsurpassed situation’ within reach of museums, shops and heritage spots.
The Rookery
London
In the buzz and hustle of trendy Clerkenwell, step back in time and enjoy a slice of Georgian London – though with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and better-than-decent bathrooms.
38 St Giles
Norwich
Father-and-daughter team Dennis and Holly Bacon run their upmarket modern B&B in a ‘convenient, central location’ within walking distance of the Theatre Royal and the hum and hustle of the central marketplace.
Number Thirty Eight Clifton
Bristol
In a popular neighbourhood with ‘plenty of interesting local amenities’ – the Saturday farmers’ market, just down the hill, gives a fine flavour of the place – this upmarket B&B is ‘highly recommended’ by Guide readers.
Artist Residence Brighton
Brighton
‘Laid-back and bohemian’, Charlotte and Justin Salisbury’s hip town house hotel brings a youthful air to a street of Regency terraces.
Old Parsonage Hotel
Oxford
An open fire in the entrance hall sets the tone at Jeremy Mogford’s clubby, upmarket hotel, a much-extended 17th-century building where visitors give in to the charms of bookish Oxford.
Sands Hotel
Margate
Admire ‘marvellous sea views’ from Nick Conington’s ‘stylishly refurbished’ Victorian hotel on the seafront in one of Kent’s original resort towns.
Kings Head Hotel
Cirencester
Charles II is said to have slept here, and medieval beams and Georgian panelling attest to a long history, but this former coaching inn couldn’t be more ready for the 21st century.
Edgar House
Chester
Listen to the ‘wonderful sound of water rushing over the weir’ at Tim Mills and Michael Stephen’s ‘beautifully refurbished’ Georgian villa on ancient city walls along the River Dee.
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone
London
Decked out in an opulent, eccentric style befitting the one-time home of Edward Lear, this seven-storey Georgian pile is ‘an interesting place’ with a ‘warm, inclusive atmosphere’ and more than a touch of character.
2016 Editor's Choice Boutique Hotels
Editor’s Choice Boutique Hotels
The Levin - Seasonal/Weekend Special Offer
London
Between Harrods and Hyde Park, this well-established small hotel is ideally located for visitors seeking culture, commerce and the calm of one of the city’s largest green spaces.
Jesmond Dene House
Newcastle upon Tyne
In ‘an oasis of calm’, Peter Candler’s ‘impressive, imposing’ hotel stands in ‘an attractive wooded dell, with paths leading into woodland for exploration’.
Hart’s Hotel
Nottingham
In ‘an attractive, central setting’, with ‘a commanding vista’ over the city, Tim Hart’s hotel is ‘a clear choice for business travellers and parents visiting offspring at university,’ say Guide inspectors this year.
The Grazing Goat
London
On a narrow street lined with independent shops and restaurants, this voguish pub-with-rooms is equal parts bustle (downstairs in the busy pub) and calm (upstairs in the ‘thoughtfully furnished' bedrooms).
Old Bank Hotel
Oxford
Town and gown gather at the smart restaurant and buzzy bar of Jeremy Mogford’s sleek, ‘perfectly positioned’ hotel between All Souls and Oriel colleges.
The Zetter
London
Heralded as the ultimate in cool when it opened in 2004, this modish hotel, in a converted Victorian warehouse, remains ‘on good form’.
The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell
London
‘We’ve been raving about it to everyone!’ A Guide reader this year extolled this ‘brilliantly quirky hotel’ in a Georgian townhouse across the cobbled square from the original Zetter.