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
Drakes - 'Romantic Stay and Dine Getaway in Brighton' Special Offer
Brighton
‘One of the nicest locations we’ve stayed at.’ Trusted readers enjoyed a night’s stay at Andy and Gayle Shearer’s boutique hotel on the seafront.
No. 1 Pery Square - Two Night "Dine & Unwind" Escape Special Offer
Limerick
In the city’s Georgian quarter, a grand terrace town house overlooking the People’s Park is owned and run by Patricia Roberts as a chic hotel with a spa ‘in the vaults’.
The Queensberry
Bath
‘The situation is perfect, central, by the Assembly Rooms and Circus,’ readers write of Laurence and Helen Beere’s self-consciously quirky hotel.
Prestonfield
Edinburgh
‘Dr Johnson and Mr James Boswell dine here tomorrow – which they did and I gave Mr Johnson rhubarb seeds and some melon.’ Here is Sir Alexander Dick, Laird of Prestonfield, writing of visitors to his 17th-century mansion at the foot of Arthur’s Seat.
Bank House
King's Lynn
We hear glowing accounts of this Georgian bank-turned-boutique hotel.
The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell
London
Wit and whim go hand in hand at Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan’s ‘brilliantly quirky’ Georgian town house in a cobbled corner of Clerkenwell.
Number Thirty Eight Clifton
Bristol
Understated contemporary style is mixed with splendid views at this honey-toned former Georgian merchant’s house.
2 Blackburne Terrace
Liverpool
Practically within earshot of the Liverpool Philharmonic, in the city’s cultural quarter, this pitch-perfect B&B has attracted ecstatic reviews since it opened in 2014.
Chapel House
Penzance
‘Forget overcrowded St Ives – there’s a real treat of a stay in Penzance.’ Quirky character fills the ‘beautifully restored’ brick-and-granite former 18th-century former admiral’s house, but ‘this inviting boutique hotel is all about the hostess, Susan Stuart’.
Brocco on the Park
Sheffield
‘A beacon of how to do things properly: metropolitan style with Yorkshire substance.’ Generous praise from a regular reader this year for this ‘smart, sophisticated’ hotel on the edge of Sheffield’s student quarter.
2017 Editor's Choice Boutique Hotels
Editor’s Choice Boutique Hotels
The Queensberry
Bath
‘The situation is perfect, central, by the Assembly Rooms and Circus,’ readers write of Laurence and Helen Beere’s self-consciously quirky hotel.
The Rookery
London
There may now be USB charge sockets in all bedrooms, but this hotel retains such an air of a bygone age that you half expect Dr Johnson to swing by from his house a stroll away.
Number Thirty Eight Clifton
Bristol
Understated contemporary style is mixed with splendid views at this honey-toned former Georgian merchant’s house.
Artist Residence Brighton
Brighton
Pure Evil has been unleashed this past year at Charlotte and Justin Salisbury’s funky hotel. The graffiti artist was one of two brought in to work on bedroom murals at the original Artist Residence.
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone
London
Choose Lear’s Loft bedroom at this Georgian town house and you can dance to the light of the moon on a roof terrace with alfresco copper bath, then phone down for mince and slices of quince and a runcible spoon.
Old Parsonage Hotel
Oxford
Beyond a walled terrace, an oak door leads into a 17th-century house that now finds itself at the edge of the city.
38 St Giles
Norwich
Built in 1700, and once home to the Lord Mayor of Norwich, this 'well-placed' luxury B&B is run 'with enthusiasm' by father and daughter Dennis and Holly Bacon.
Sands Hotel
Margate
J M W Turner would take the steam packet down the Thames to Margate. Today Londoners can hop aboard HS2 at St Pancras mid-morning, and enjoy lunch with a sea view at Nick Conington’s ‘friendly’ hotel.
Kings Head Hotel
Cirencester
A man walks into a bar – not the cue for a joke, but a Guide inspector, incognito, to check out this historic coaching inn which has a comedy club in the cellar.
Edgar House
Chester
A glass of fizz and handmade brownies or truffles set the tone on arrival at Tim Mills and Michael Stephen’s boutique hotel atop the Roman city walls..
2016 Editor's Choice Boutique Hotels
Editor’s Choice Boutique Hotels
Hart’s Hotel
Nottingham
Built in 2003 on the old ramparts of the medieval castle, Tim and Stefa Hart’s city hotel is a sister to their country house, Hambleton Hall (see entry).
The Zetter
London
A design-led boutique hotel with impressive green credentials (it pumps water from its own 1,500-foot borehole), this former Victorian warehouse embodies the renaissance of East London.
Jesmond Dene House
Newcastle upon Tyne
‘An oasis of calm in the northern suburbs of Newcastle’, Peter Candler’s mansion is named after the wooded valley in which it stands.
The Grazing Goat
London
In ‘a great location’ in vibrant ‘Portman Village’, tucked away behind Oxford Street, this ‘all-day café/bar/restaurant-with-rooms’ has a relaxed vibe.
The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell
London
Wit and whim go hand in hand at Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan’s ‘brilliantly quirky’ Georgian town house in a cobbled corner of Clerkenwell.
The Levin
London
The show-stopper at this small hotel is Sharon Marston’s April Light, an 18-metre cascade of polished steel, polymer and glass fibre optics, which hangs in the central stairwell, scattering colours and light.
Old Bank Hotel
Oxford
Opposite the Bodleian Library, this contemporary conversion of three stone buildings retains the spacious feel of their Georgian origins.