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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Family friendly hotels for Christmas
Christmas is always about spending quality time with the people we love, and few things make the festive season more magical than seeing it through the eyes of your children. Good food, good wine and magical decorations are all part of what we're looking forward to, setting the scene for fun, games and giggles with the family.
Woolley Grange, Bradford-on-Avon
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
Homewood
Bath, Somerset
Christmas 2025 Package Complimentary Night GHG Reader 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 Bird
Bath
Three-Night Christmas Getaway with a Complimentary Extra Night Special Offer
Quirkiness abounds at this contemporary hotel in a remodelled Victorian mansion, decorated with witty eclecticism, featuring modish, well-equipped bedrooms and an all-day menu of modern British dishes served in the restaurant or on the terrace amid dining pavilions and fire pits.
Dukes Bath
Bath, Somerset
Christmas Three Night 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.
The Cottage in the Wood
Malvern Wells, Worcestershire
Exclusive GHG Reader Christmas Stay Special Offer
The Montagu Arms
Beaulieu, Hampshire
'Taste of Spring' Special Offer
Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
York, Yorkshire
'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer
Cuckoo Brow Inn
Ambleside, Cumbria
Two Night 15% Discount Special Offer
Cary Arms & Spa
Babbacombe, Devon
Spring Coastal Escape Special Offer
A cosy beamed pub is the warm heart of this hotel, in the shelter of wooded, red sandstone cliffs that reminded the young Queen Victoria of 'a ballet or a play where nymphs appear'.
Lords of the Manor
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire
'Lords Fireside Retreat' Special Offer
The Three Hills
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
'25% off all Rooms' Special Offer
There is a buzzy ambience to this refurbished, child friendly, dog friendly 17th-century village pub, named after local tumuli, with restaurant, smart bedrooms and alfresco dining.
Shieldaig Lodge
Gairloch, Highland
'Whisky Lovers' Special Offer
The Nare
Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall
'Get Away From It All' Special Offer
The Crown Inn
Surrey
20% Discount Midweek Stay Special Offer
History feels very present at this half-timbered medieval inn overlooking village green, with a choice of atmospheric four-poster rooms and contemporary accommodation, real ales on tap, and an eclectic menu served in a panelled dining room.
The Dog at Wingham
Canterbury, Kent
Super Special Two Night Special Offer
In a characterful village between Sandwich and Canterbury, Marc Bridgen's gastropub with individually styled bedrooms is committed to local sourcing, with interesting seasonal menus and regular celebratory themed evenings and events.
The Feathered Nest
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Bedruthan Hotel and Spa
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Winter Escape Special Offer
On show through walls of windows, the sea is a huge presence at this family-run hotel on the cliffs above a surfers' beach, which offers craft sessions as well as a spa and kids club.
Hambleton Hall
Oakham, Rutland
'Winter Break' Special Offer
Forss House
Thurso, Highland
'Whisky Away' Special Offer
The Cavendish
Baslow, Derbyshire
'Chatsworth Experience' Special Offer
Widbrook Grange
Bradford-On-Avon, Wiltshire
'Stay & Savour' 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 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.
Knockinaam Lodge
Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway
10% Discount Special Offer
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa
Sherborne, Dorset
'Seasonal Getaway' Special Offer
Tudor Farmhouse
Clearwell, Gloucestershire
Free Upgrade Special Offer
The Atlantic Hotel
St Brelade, Jersey
Atlantic 'Winter Retreat' Special Offer
Glamorous ocean vistas draw the eye beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, on a headland above St Ouen's Bay, beside Le Moye Golf Club. Designed to recall 1930s marine architecture, it has a pool in landscaped grounds and an ambience of holiday fun and leisure, with gourmet picnics on offer for a day's surfing or wildlife spotting.
The Black Swan
Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
Spring Break 'Dine & Stay' Special Offer
Family run, dog friendly and welcoming, this village pub at the foot of Howgill fells, between Lakes and Dales, is widely praised for its comfortable, individually styled bedrooms, pub classics and more creative dishes.
The Traddock
Settle, North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Gourmet Break Special Offer
Cavens
Dumfries, Dumfries And Galloway
Winter Special Offer
'Visiting Cavens is like stepping back in time to a traditional country-house hotel,' writes a reader of Angus Fordyce's Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.
Plumber Manor
Sturminster Newton, Dorset
Winter D,B&B Special Offer Special Offer
For more than 50 years, the Prideaux-Brune family have welcomed guests to their ancestral Jacobean manor house in an English country garden with the Divelish stream skipping through.
More Family friendly hotels for Christmas
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’.
Hotel Tresanton
St Mawes, Cornwall
In an idyllic location, cascading down the cliffs at St Mawes with views to St Anthony's lighthouse, Olga Polizzi's seaside hotel continues to delight readers. Once home to a yacht club, it is spread across a cluster of houses and has a feel of the French Riviera about it.
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.
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.
The Pear Tree Inn
Melksham, Wiltshire
A lovely, wisteria-swagged, 17th-century Bath stone inn, this is a gastropub with a wide choice of characterful rooms, a serious attitude to food, regular comedy nights and an irrepressible sense of fun.
The William Cecil at Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
There is a wide choice of generously equipped rooms at this substantial, dog friendly, family-friendly hotel on the edge of the Burghley Estate, with a pleasantly informal ambience and imaginative, seasonally inspired food served in the bistro.
The White Swan
Pickering, Yorkshire
The Buchanan family's 16th-century coaching inn offers a warm Yorkshire mix of traditional pub, smart food and modern bedrooms with character. Overlooking the market square, it's a popular locals' spot both for the ales in the fire-warmed bar and snug and the accomplished cooking.
Kilcamb Lodge
Strontian, Highland
The Howard Arms
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham, Norfolk
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.
Polurrian on the Lizard
Mullion, Cornwall
'Hotel settings don't get much more spectacular than the Polurrian's, on the cliff edge overlooking its own beach,' writes a guide insider. The relaxed family and dog-friendly hotel makes the most of the coastal views.
The Seaside Boarding House
Burton Bradstock, Dorset
High on the cliff top above Chesil Beach, this is an effortlessly hip, relaxed, fun hotel with a Cape Cod vibe, light and airy bedrooms, a bar serving cocktails and seriously good cooking in the restaurant.
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.
Bank House
King's Lynn, Norfolk
On a square beside the Great Ouse in the ancient port town, this fine Georgian Grade II* listed former merchant’s house, once home to what would become Barclays, was debanked in 1869 and is today a buzzy hotel and brasserie.
The Stag on the River
Godalming, Surrey
Historic features are seamlessly blended with contemporary styling at this riverside gastropub with indoor, outdoor and waterside dining, and a menu of pub classics alongside more inventive dishes.
The Ship Inn
Elie, Fife
The catch of the day could be Shetland hake in the restaurant or nifty fielding on the sands at this pub-with-rooms overlooking the Firth of Forth, with its own beach cricket team.
The Alfriston
Alfriston, Sussex
The Lord Poulett Arms
Hinton St George, Somerset
'Gardez la Foi' reads the Poulett family motto over the door of this thatched village pub, and the trio behind the Beckford group (see The Beckford Arms, Tisbury) have kept absolute faith with their winning concept here. The ambience is friendly and relaxed.
Brocco on the Park
Sheffield, Yorkshire
Behind the solid exterior of an Edwardian park-side villa lies a Scandi-chic boutique hotel and popular drop-in restaurant.
Dart Marina
Dartmouth, Devon
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 Harper
Holt, Norfolk
You don't have to blow a fortune to stay at this relaxed yet refined hotel in some converted barns, the former home of Langham Glass, and featuring many charming nods to its heritage.
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.
Alexandra Hotel
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Readers are unanimous in their praise of the welcoming, helpful staff at this family-friendly hotel at the top of the town, with lovely garden, light-filled restaurant, and glorious views over Lyme Bay.
The Acorn Inn
Evershot, Dorset
The Old Bridge
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Lake Isle
Uppingham, Rutland
There is no isle here, no lake, no bee-loud glade – the name of Richard and Janine Burton's lauded restaurant-with-rooms draws inspiration from WB Yeats's Innisfree, a place of serenity and escape.
Corse Lawn House
Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire
A beautifully proportioned Queen Anne-style mansion overlooking a duck pond, this much-loved traditional hotel has a new owner, but, after 48 years, Baba Hine remains, overseeing restaurant, bistro and well-equipped, spacious bedrooms.
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.
Christmas is always about spending quality time with the people we love, and few things make the festive season more magical than seeing it through the eyes of your children. Good food, good wine and magical decorations are all part of what we're looking forward to, setting the scene for fun, games and giggles with the family. It's all the more reason to leave the cooking to someone else so that you can make the most of the time together. When choosing family friendly hotels for Christmas, we looked for the destinations that really brought the festive season to life to children as well as parents. Naturally, that means wonderful food, but also mesmerising locations, plenty for children to see and do, space to get outside and the opportunity to enjoy a convivial environment but also time for yourself as a family as well. So from spa treatments to treehouse suites, swimming pools to sumptuous dinners, here are our favourite family friendly hotels for Christmas. From a stylish, four-star coaching inn in the Cotswolds dating back to the 1300s to an exquisite restaurant with rooms in Devon, surrounded by exceptionally beautiful countryside that's just waiting for you to get outside in your wellies and explore. Head to one of the UK's finest country house hotels, surrounded by manicured gardens to a five-star hotel and spa in Hampshire, surrounded by the New Forest and complete with family suites, kids cookery classes and local attractions ranging from Marwell Zoo to pony trekking.

























































































































































































