Romantic Hotels

‘A wonderful place for a stay in the Peak District’, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s Derbyshire hotel offers a taste of country house living a stroll from their magnificent Elizabethan pile.

This sprawling honey-stone building with its tall chimneys and leaded windows offers history, grand rooms and antiques, along with a thoroughly modern spa and 21st-century luxuries.

Thirty acres of parkland surround this Georgian merchant's manor house in the Norfolk countryside, renowned for its fragrant garden of 400 herb varieties.

Exceptional food, exceptional grounds and exceptional decor are all part of the luxurious experience at Hambleton Hall - a romantic Relais & Châteaux retreat in Rutland.

A five star country house hotel with a luxurious spa, Chewton Glen is perfect for romantic escapes, especially if you stay in the impeccable treehouses in a sky high world of your own.

In 'one of the most idyllic spots ever', this dog-friendly hotel 'near the end of an extremely narrow lane' overlooks cliff-top gardens filled with larky sculpture and Wonderland whimsy.

Playing Kings and Queens is more than a fantasy at this Tudor castle ‘where you can feel the history in the thick walls’, along with turrets, oriel windows, spiral staircase and grand fireplaces.

There’s certainly nothing monastic about the rooms in this much-loved hotel, standing in four acres of ‘beautiful grounds’ bordered by the River Frome beside the Saxon priory church.

First-time visitors can’t help but stand and stare at this exquisite country house, with its William and Mary symmetry and 20 acres of gardens and parkland.

This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.

‘Highly recommended for a special occasion’, this Victorian Scottish baronial hotel on a 28-acre estate combines luxury with unforced family- and dog-friendliness.

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.

'Unbelievably perfect in every way', Malcolm and Patricia Lewis's manor-house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) sits in landscaped gardens with a lake and specimen trees.

Arrive by horse and carriage on this car free island, and take in the exquisite views and exemplary hospitality of La Sablonnerie - it's like escaping to your own romantic world.

‘Over five decades the dear old George has never missed a beat, and our stay was as perfect as ever in this beautiful, old but supremely comfortable hotel in a lovely town.’

A luxury afternoon tea in gardens on the River Eye and fine dining in the evening are among the sybaritic pleasures to be enjoyed at this Cotswold-stone former rectory.

Where the Duchess of Sussex spent the night before her wedding, Cliveden House is the perfect destination for a decadent honeymoon, proposal or romantic weekend, set in beautiful grounds that seduce you on arrival.

The real charm of this grand country house, with sweeping gardens, terraces, oak panelling and swish spa, lies in its warm and informal atmosphere.

This 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.

Once a bolt hole for wealthy Venetians escaping the summer heat (plus Robert Browning, Freya Stark, Igor Stravinsky et al.), this charming little medieval hill town in the Veneto is known as ‘the town of a hundred horizons’.

An Italianate mansion in landscaped gardens and pleasure grounds is today ‘a lovely, classic country house hotel with a modern, quirky feel’.

After a day browsing the galleries of this buzzy, arty town, you can escape the crowds to sit serenely sipping cocktails in the sub-tropical gardens at Malcolm Herring’s small hotel.

You can lie in an antique four-poster in the William Madocks room at this singular B&B with views over the Glaslyn estuary to the Rhinog mountains, and listen to steam trains puffing along the sea wall.

A spectacular example of how to update a historic building, Seaham Hall is a historic country house turned contemporary hotel. It was the one time home of Lord Byron and continues his legacy of decadence and seduction.

‘My favourite hotel anywhere in the world,’ writes a reader, of this welcoming pub-with-rooms in an enchanting fishing village.

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family manages to be luxurious yet relaxed.

This cossetting and intimate hotel, in a Victorian villa close to Lake Windermere, continues to charm guests with its luxurious bedrooms, thoughtful comforts and faultless yet friendly service.

Right on the edge of the water with unrestricted sea views, Cary Arms and Spa combines the warmth of a British inn with the decadent details of a luxury hotel. Little wonder it's a favourite for romantic retreats and proposals.

Under the big skies of Caithness, wrapped in woodland and a curve of the River Forss, this Georgian mansion offers the grandeur of Scottish country house living but with modern-day warmth and comforts.

An exquisitely decorated boutique hotel on a quiet street in Exeter, Southernhay House Hotel has a seductive style with rich colours and sumptuous furnishings as well as an intimate atmosphere.

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it.

The elegance is timeless, the style is Jazz Age glamour, the feel is New York fun, all of which makes The Beaumont, in the heart of Mayfair, one of London’s leading luxury hotels.

On the leafy edge of Pitlochry, with views to the Perthshire hills, Struan and Louise Lothian’s hotel has the feel of a Victorian country house in town.

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, Hannah Springham and Andrew Jones’s hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

Field-sports fans and whisky aficionados beat a path to this Victorian hunting lodge, in a ‘glorious location’ on a vast wooded estate by Loch Gairloch.

Approached down a mile-long avenue of lime and beech trees, this ‘very grand and lovely’ Palladian mansion exults in 500 acres of parkland and gardens.

'Nothing seems too much trouble' at this turreted 1920s mansion, one of Scotland’s first country house hotels, which has been owned by the same family for 70 years.

'Nigh on perfect’, Mindi McLean’s ‘superb B&B with every taste catered for' is in a restored 200-year-old barn at the heart of a historic village.

Luxe details such as a copper roll top bath, add to the romance of The Dunstane Houses, a luxurious get away in Edinburgh where beautiful details are accompanied by exceptional service - ideal for mini breaks, minimoons or a Valentine's Day retreat.