Best luxury and boutique hotels, B&Bs in Dorset

Featured hotels with Special Offers

The Priory - Autumn Early Bird Three for Two Special Offer

Wareham

Idyllically situated by a Saxon church with gardens bordered by the River Frome, this 16th-century priory has cast off its monk’s habit to become a characterful hotel.

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Moonfleet Manor - Weekend Break Special Offer

Fleet

'An excellent place for a family reunion with young children', this Georgian manor house above Chesil Beach, on Dorset’s Jurassic coast, has a seriously impressive list of facilities.

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More hotels in Dorset

The Ollerod, Beaminster

In Hardy’s ‘Emminster’, ten minutes from Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, a historic priest’s house is now a restaurant-led hotel.

Summer Lodge, Evershot

When the Earl of Ilchester hired a certain Thomas Hardy to extend his Georgian dower house, he could not have foreseen the praise it would receive as an 'extremely well-run, very comfortable, welcoming hotel with first-class food' (Relais & Châteaux) and spa.

Plumber Manor, Sturminster Newton

In the same family since it was built in the early 17th century, this manor house in Thomas Hardy's 'vale of little dairies' has a timeless appeal – but change has been afoot.

The King’s Arms, Dorchester

In Thomas Hardy’s Casterbridge, this bow-windowed Georgian coaching inn enters the Guide after a £5 million make-over for the Stay Original group.

Yalbury Cottage, Dorchester

Ariane and Jamie Jones preside over a much-admired hotel and restaurant in this 300-year-old thatched cottage once home to a local shepherd (Gabriel Oak, we like to think, for this is the very heart of Thomas Hardy country).

Castleman, Blandford Forum

In an idyllic village owned by the Bourke family and run in a spirit of benevolent feudalism, this former 18th-century dower house is a one-off hotel and restaurant.

Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch

Short of piping you aboard, they could scarcely be more welcoming at this luxurious, fun, dog-friendly hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise ship, on the banks of the Stour.

La Fleur de Lys, Shaftesbury

The hilltop town immortalised by Ridley Scott’s classic Hovis ad is home to this well-liked restaurant-with-rooms.

The Pig on the Beach, Studland

Robin Hutson put the Pig in higgledy-piggledy with the most fanciful of his litter of porcine hotels (see index), set in a yellow seaside villa built in 1820 in romantic picturesque style, with gabled dormers, a turret and random roof line.

The Seaside Boarding House, Burton Bradstock

There's more than an air of Cape Cod about this white clapboard hotel above Chesil Beach, which could have come straight out of an Edward Hopper painting.

The Eastbury Hotel & Spa, Sherborne

Close to Sherborne Abbey, this handsome Georgian town house in ‘lovely’ walled gardens makes a ‘pleasant retreat’ in the heart of the historic market town.

The Green House, Bournemouth

A green ethos prevails at this ‘friendly’ hotel, in a handsome Victorian villa within strolling distance of the beach.

Dorset House, Lyme Regis

‘A very strange stranger it must be, who does not see charms in the immediate environs of Lyme,’ wrote Jane Austen, and only a very strange stranger would not see the charm in Lyn and Jason Martin’s Regency-style, eco-friendly B&B.

Greenhill House, Lyme Regis

‘If Lyme Regis is the pearl of the Dorset coast, then this beautiful B&B is surely one of its diamonds.'

The Acorn Inn, Evershot

You can sink a pint of Durdle Door in the oak-panelled bar in the village inn that furnished Thomas Hardy with his ‘Sow and Acorn’ in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, then stay the night in one of the bedrooms named on a Hardy theme.

The Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury

‘A lovely, intimate hotel in a beautiful town’, this former coaching inn with ‘friendly, helpful’ staff has been updated with a pared-back, modern rustic feel.

The Kings Arms, Sherborne

Just up the street from the village church, this 19th-century inn is today a ‘friendly’ country pub run by chef/patron Sarah Lethbridge and her husband, Anthony.

Hotels not in the Guide that you may want to consider

The Bull Hotel

Bridport

In the centre of this bustling market town, a family-friendly (Fullers) hotel in a handsome Grade II listed former coaching inn. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, menus include moules frites and steak frites. Quirky rooms have bold wallpaper. The flower-filled courtyard garden is ideal for sunny days and balmy nights. https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/the-bull-dorset.en-gb.html?aid=311076

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child_friendly

The Old Monmouth B&B

Lyme Regis

Close to the sea front, a 16th-century house with a rich past, and a French-inspired light, airy interior. During summer months the whole house can be rented for up to 12 people.

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vegetarian_friendly
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Lyme Townhouse

Lyme Regis

A stylish guest house, just off the high street, and ideally placed for the historic Cobb harbour, beaches, beautiful gardens, pubs and restaurants.

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guest_house

Oaklands

Weymouth

Recently renovated in fresh, contemporary style, a grand Edwardian residence close to Weymouth Marina. Spruce bedrooms include a mini fridge with fresh milk, Bluetooth speaker and a charging hub. The lounge has an honesty bar, and fine breakfasts are served in a dining room with its original ceiling and wooden floor.

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The Grange

Weymouth

Seaside hints abound at this Victorian town house, an easy stroll from the seafront. Spic and span modern bedrooms have plenty of storage and are decorated in soft colours; two overlook the greenery of St John’s Park. Hearty breakfasts are served in a coastal-hued breakfast room and the friendly hosts share useful local tips with their B&B guests.

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vegetarian_friendly

Haddon House

Bridport

In over an acre of grounds, this traditional country house hotel occupies an ivy-covered Regency-style building three hundred yards from the harbour. There are characterful bedrooms and a restaurant specialising in local fish and in-season locally grown fruit and vegetables. Lighter meals are available in the bar and comfortable lounge.

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Similar hotels

Hotels near tourist attractions

Hotels, B&Bs, country houses, inns, restaurants with rooms

Wonderful meals and personal service await at the Good Hotel Guide hotels in Dorset

Don't forget our hotels in the New Forest. Other places to see in this interesting county include Dorchester - Hardy’s Casterbridge (his cottage is at Higher Bockhampton). Near Cerne Abbas is the priapic giant carved into a hillside. Historic buildings include Christchurch Priory, Sherborne abbey church and Wimborne Minster. Tolpuddle remembers its martyrs with a memorial, Maiden Castle is a vast prehistoric earthwork with stunning views. Visit the ancient Swannery at Abbotsbury, and the Prince of Wales’s purpose-built town of Poundbury.

Lyme Regis with its Cobb, described in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Persuasion. Famous beaches include Chesil Beach, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

For holiday ideas in Dorset, please see VisitEngland

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Hotels in Dorset

Featured hotels with Special Offers

Hotels in Dorset

The Priory - Autumn Early Bird Three for Two Special Offer

Wareham

Moonfleet Manor - Weekend Break Special Offer

Fleet

More hotels in Dorset

Hotels in Dorset

Hotels not in the Guide that you may want to consider

Hotels in Dorset

The Bull Hotel

Bridport

The Old Monmouth B&B

Lyme Regis

Lyme Townhouse

Lyme Regis

Oaklands

Weymouth

The Grange

Weymouth

Haddon House

Bridport

Similar hotels

Hotels near tourist attractions

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