Editor's Choice

Quirky Hotels 2023

Special
offer

Southernhay House

Southernhay House

Exeter, Devon

25% Discount Two-Night Mini-Break Special Offer

A Roman Doric portico makes a swanky statement about this Grade II listed Georgian house, but within lies a stylish yet relaxed and fun boutique hotel that is an oasis in the heart of the city.

The Gunton Arms

The Gunton Arms

Thorpe Market, Norfolk

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub owned by art dealer Ivor Braka, with provocative works by artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst on display within.

The 25 Boutique B&B

The 25 Boutique B&B

Torquay, Devon

This delightfully eccentric boutique B&B, a stroll from Torquay's seafront, has won numerous awards for its singular style and luxurious standards. Run with great warmth by Andy and Julian Banner-Price, it is known for its funky features, state-of-the-art touches and fastidious attention to detail.

The Rookery

The Rookery

London, London

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

The Fife Arms

The Fife Arms

Braemar, Aberdeenshire

Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth have had a Highland fling at this 19th-century coaching inn, where you can sip cocktails in a bar inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli, eat pub grub in the Flying Stag, opt for fine dining under the chandeliers in the restaurant, sleep in a suite adorned with Victoriana, relax under a Picasso, and gaze at Bruegel over your breakfast porridge.

The Dial House

The Dial House

Norwich, Norfolk

Wildly exuberant, carefully created bedrooms are themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian globe trotting at this 18th-century redbrick building, home to an artisan bakery/café as well as a wine bar, pizzeria and hair salon.

Castle Leslie Estate

Castle Leslie Estate

Glaslough, Co. Monaghan

There are no TVs or minibars at the Leslies' ancestral country house on an estate with lakes and woodlands, but interiors are a trove of Grand Tour treasures, every house bedroom comes with some extraordinary tale, and estate-to-plate dishes are served in the restaurant.

Jeake's House

Jeake's House

Rye, Sussex

Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

The Old Railway Station

The Old Railway Station

Petworth, Sussex

Occupying one of Britain's prettiest disused stations and popular with honeymooners, this excellent B&B offers a choice of bedrooms in the station building and restored, mahogany-fitted Pullman coaches, with cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, and a locally sourced dinner in the rare Edwardian Pullman dining car, Princess Ena.

Editor's Choice

Quirky Hotels 2022

Special
offer

Widbrook Grange

Widbrook Grange

Bradford-On-Avon, Wiltshire

'New Year's Eve at the Farmhouse' Special Offer

If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.

The Star Inn at Harome

The Star Inn at Harome

Nr Helmsley, Yorkshire

The Michelin-starred cuisine at this thatched gastropub in quiet Harome is the draw, but the rooms are special too, as is the setting, close to the North York Moors for a day's walking.

Westmorland Hotel

Westmorland Hotel

Penrith, Cumbria

Banish images of fast-food outlets and slot machines when you break your journey at Tebay on wild and woolly Shap Fell, 60 miles from the Scottish border.

Artist Residence London

Artist Residence London

London, London

Hip, fun, quirky, this London outpost of a small, art-focused chain of hotels is a popular neighbourhood drop-in with a restaurant, basement cocktail bar, and highly individual bedrooms set over three upper floors, on a leafy residential street.

Belle Tout Lighthouse

Belle Tout Lighthouse

Eastbourne, Sussex

A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs.

Cley Windmill

Cley Windmill

Holt, Norfolk

One of the UK's most unusual B&Bs, this windmill on the old quay in reed beds beside the River Glaven has bedrooms of great character in the mill itself, with more contemporary accommodation in outbuildings, and a restaurant serving a three-course dinner form Thursday to Saturday.

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

New owners Annabel and Jamie Windsor-Medley have refreshed the simple but historic bedrooms at this unlikely pub, which occupies the original prior's quarters for a 12th-century Augustinian Priory, serving meals in the Cellar Bar, and making plans for dark-sky events and theatre in the grounds against the backdrop of evocative ruins and the Black Mountains.

Roundwood House

Roundwood House

Mountrath, Co. Laois

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are welcoming hosts at their fabulous Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirlooms and auction finds, where guitar-strumming chef Paddy cooks a nightly menu, breakfast eggs are from the resident hens, and a library in the coach house is devoted to the study of civilisation.

Monachyle Mhor

Monachyle Mhor

Lochearnhead, Stirling

This remote restaurant with rooms beside Loch Voil has some unexpectedly smart contemporary bedrooms with the odd wacky touch, and quirky options such as an 1850s wagon, a ferry cabin, yurts and treehouse in the grounds. In the restaurant, locally sourced and foraged or home-grown ingredients appear in sophisticated modern Scottish dishes.

Editor's Choice

Quirky Hotels 2021

Belle Tout Lighthouse

Belle Tout Lighthouse

Eastbourne, Sussex

A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs.

Talland Bay Hotel

Talland Bay Hotel

Talland-By-Looe, Cornwall

There is great food and serious fun to be had at this clifftop hotel on the South West Coast Path, its interiors filled with whimsical touches, its bedrooms all unique, its subtropical gardens a wonderland of witty sculptures.

The Ceilidh Place

The Ceilidh Place

Ullapool, Highland

Scottish culture and celebration are at the heart of the Urquhart family's low-built, whitewashed hotel, bookshop, art gallery, café/bar, restaurant and music venue near the ferry terminal on Loch Broom, a social hub with simple bedrooms, enthusiastic young staff, short and interesting locally sourced menus, and a bunkhouse for those on a budget.

No.15 by GuestHouse

No.15 by GuestHouse

Bath, Somerset

Three Grade I listed Georgian townhouses combine as one boutique but indulgently child-friendly hotel and spa, with highly individual and beautiful bedrooms, all with vinyl record player and espresso machine, touches of whimsy, a bar serving cocktails and imaginative small and large plates.

The Old Railway Station

The Old Railway Station

Petworth, Sussex

Occupying one of Britain's prettiest disused stations and popular with honeymooners, this excellent B&B offers a choice of bedrooms in the station building and restored, mahogany-fitted Pullman coaches, with cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, and a locally sourced dinner in the rare Edwardian Pullman dining car, Princess Ena.

Twr y Felin Hotel

Twr y Felin Hotel

St Davids, Pembrokeshire

Overlooking St Bride's Bay, a 19th-century windmill tower forms the centrepiece and unlikely setting of this contemporary art hotel, where the 100-plus works on show may divide opinion, but the well-supplied and stylish bedrooms, friendly service and creative, modern dishes in the restaurant win unanimous approval.

Tuddenham Mill

Tuddenham Mill

Newmarket, Suffolk

Swans glide on the millpond at chef/patron Lee Bye's former watermill in 12 acres of meadowland, with rustic-chic bedrooms, some with a patio, Scandi-cool suites, a hot tub in the meadow, and exciting use of local and home-grown produce in the oak-beamed restaurant among the mill's workings.

The Dial House

The Dial House

Norwich, Norfolk

Wildly exuberant, carefully created bedrooms are themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian globe trotting at this 18th-century redbrick building, home to an artisan bakery/café as well as a wine bar, pizzeria and hair salon.

Editor's Choice

Quirky Hotels 2020

Special
offer

Widbrook Grange

Widbrook Grange

Bradford-On-Avon, Wiltshire

'New Year's Eve at the Farmhouse' Special Offer

If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.

Artist Residence Oxfordshire

Artist Residence Oxfordshire

South Leigh, Oxfordshire

A fourth venture for Justin and Charlotte Salisbury, this 16th-century beamed farmhouse-cum-local, a former haunt of Dylan Thomas's, has a range of highly individual rooms, mostly in outbuilding with outdoor seating, as well as larky modern art, upcycled, recycled and vintage furniture, a restaurant and bar serving pub food with a difference.

The Gunton Arms

The Gunton Arms

Thorpe Market, Norfolk

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub owned by art dealer Ivor Braka, with provocative works by artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst on display within.

Cley Windmill

Cley Windmill

Holt, Norfolk

One of the UK's most unusual B&Bs, this windmill on the old quay in reed beds beside the River Glaven has bedrooms of great character in the mill itself, with more contemporary accommodation in outbuildings, and a restaurant serving a three-course dinner form Thursday to Saturday.

The Pig on the Beach

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.

Low Mill Guest House

Low Mill Guest House

Leyburn, Yorkshire

Rooms are a quirky mix of rusticity, wit and chic at this 18th-century watermill on the River Bain, complete with mill machinery, where breakfast brings free-range eggs from a neighbour's hens.

Editor's Choice

Quirky Hotels 2019

Special
offer

Knockinaam Lodge

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.

Hazlitt's

Hazlitt's

London, London

You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson's Idler, or William Hazlitt's polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho. It was here, on a Georgian terrace in the 1820s, that essayist Hazlitt penned his valediction, and antiques and furnishings keep faith with a bygone age.

The Star Inn at Harome

The Star Inn at Harome

Nr Helmsley, Yorkshire

The Michelin-starred cuisine at this thatched gastropub in quiet Harome is the draw, but the rooms are special too, as is the setting, close to the North York Moors for a day's walking.

Lewtrenchard Manor

Lewtrenchard Manor

Okehampton, Devon

Reopened in July 2025 after a £3 million refurbishment for the Original Collection, this extraordinary Jacobean-style manor house in landscaped gardens, the work of an eccentric Victorian squire and parson, has country-house style bedrooms and fine-dining restaurant, dogs and children welcome.

The Pig on the Beach

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.

The George of Stamford

The George of Stamford

Stamford, Lincolnshire

An imposing presence on the old Great North Road, this creeper-covered coaching inn is a bit of old England, much loved for its timeless ambience, solidly traditional styling and retro classic dishes in the Oak Room, where a silver-domed carvery trolley still makes the rounds.

Roundwood House

Roundwood House

Mountrath, Co. Laois

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are welcoming hosts at their fabulous Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirlooms and auction finds, where guitar-strumming chef Paddy cooks a nightly menu, breakfast eggs are from the resident hens, and a library in the coach house is devoted to the study of civilisation.

The Dial House

The Dial House

Norwich, Norfolk

Wildly exuberant, carefully created bedrooms are themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian globe trotting at this 18th-century redbrick building, home to an artisan bakery/café as well as a wine bar, pizzeria and hair salon.

The Old Railway Station

The Old Railway Station

Petworth, Sussex

Occupying one of Britain's prettiest disused stations and popular with honeymooners, this excellent B&B offers a choice of bedrooms in the station building and restored, mahogany-fitted Pullman coaches, with cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, and a locally sourced dinner in the rare Edwardian Pullman dining car, Princess Ena.

From a retreat favoured by Dylan Thomas to a suite in a windmill, views of Snowdonia to a former priory inhabited by Augustinian monks, the UK has a variety of unique hotel experiences to choose from. Each beautifully decorated and offering its own brand of warmth and hospitality, there's an abundance of details and experiences that make for a quirky getaway.

Whether it's interiors that inspire a little bit of magic or rooms that are geographically themed to transport you to an African safari or a Parisian Garret. Perhaps you will sleep in an observatory tower or a converted chapel. Travel to a lighthouse brought back from disrepair, or dine in a restaurant that's decorated like an antique chemist's shop. Or get whisked away with a night in a romantic Pullman carriage.