This historic house has many a compelling reason to visit during the festive season. It has a history as the periodic home of royalty and its palatial style continues to this day.

The Cavendish marries a sense of grandeur with the warm welcome of a boutique hotel. Exquisite food is the order of the day, while luxurious furnishings add a sense of plush decadence as well.

A coaching inn dating back to the 1300s, The Lygon Arms is all about log fires, vaulted ceilings and ancient wood panelling - perfect for Christmas!

From spa treatments to exceptional food, Christmas at Congham Hall is always luxurious.

When guests return from days exploring art galleries and nature trails, they can nestle in with dog in tow for superb meals, a well stocked library and, always, a toasty log fire at Christmas.

With log fires and spectacular Christmas trees, this magical country house hotel is perfect for Christmas and New Year.

Mince pies, mulled wine and afternoon tea are just part of the joys of Christmas at Chewton Glen spa and hotel.

A lunch filled with festive classics and Christmas eve settling into your cosy surroundings - it's all about the senses at The Priory Wareham.

This magnificent property is the stuff that Christmas cards are made of, and over the festive season they turn everything from their spa to their afternoon tea into a festive treat.

This dreamy Elizabethan mansion-turned-hotel-and-spa with views of Snowdonia, comes to life at Christmas time as you can imagine - it’s the perfect combination of tradition and modern luxury.

Festive parties and sumptuous food and drink abound at this 17th century historic house with breathtaking sea views at Christmas.

At this seaside hotel, Christmas is all about home-made mince pies, crackling fires and black-tie dining.

Seen through walls of windows, the sea is a huge presence at this family-run hotel ‘in a fabulous location’ on the cliffs above a surfers’ beach.

A Cotswold Christmas would not be complete without the perfect country house to spend it in.

Treat the family to exquisite festive dining or country pub comforts at the Montagu Arms Hotel in The New Forest.

Christmas at Headlam Hall is all about luxury - festive afternoon teas in the ballroom, Christmas music and plenty of decorations that sparkle throughout.

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.

The ivy clad 18th century townhouse hotel is all about festive parties and convivial celebrations at Christmas.

A dinner of Christmas classics re-worked, Christmas is a romantic and intimate escape.

Few places could be more perfect for a traditional Yorkshire Christmas, than this gorgeous manor hour. Bring the dog and combine good food with brisk walks on Christmas Day.

From deliciously decadent dining and spa days with added sparkle to dancing the night away at the hotel's glitzy New Year’s Eve ball, visit for a magical two or three-night Christmas mini-break by the Durham coast.

From sumptuous breakfasts to five course Christmas Day lunches, the festive season at Cuckoo Brow inn is a treat.

At this magical Highland retreat, you're welcomed in festive style, with a wee dram and Christmas cake, before a three-course dinner. The enchanting surroundings are perfect for waking to on Christmas Day when you can enjoy roaring fires, big breakfasts, afternoon teas and hot toddies, as well as the full Christmas lunch.

Christmas at Lewtrenchard Manor offers a sumptuous gateway into superb food, relaxation and entertainment.

What could be more magical that Christmas at this unique castle in the ocean?

This traditional festive country house party offers fun for the whole family at Christmas.

For a truly historic Christmas, book a three-night stay at one of the few rooms still on offer at this authentic castle where Henry VIII stayed with Anne Boleyn. Enjoy feasting and merriment on Christmas Eve with a cream tea, music, champagne and canapés before dinner. Awake to breakfast in your bedchamber before Christmas lunch and a buffet dinner. On Boxing Day there's breakfast, afternoon tea, a tour of the castle and a gala dinner with live acoustic guitar.

An impressive pub with rooms in a Domesday village near Thirsk, Christmas here is about chilly walks followed by warming feasts.

From mulled wine and homemade mince pies, to live festive reading and invigorating rambles, each year Twr Y Felin offers something unique alongside the traditional for a magical festive season.

A riot of wisteria in spring, the Chapman family’s well-loved, stone-fronted, crenellated hotel has a choice of bedrooms, some contemporary, some retro-chic, some single, some interconnecting, while all tastes and appetites are catered for in Brazz brasserie.

Glamorous ocean vistas are on show through the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, which sits on a headland above St Ouen’s Bay.

Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.

This historic location is what magical Christmases are made of, complete with roaring fires, private dining menus and a talent for superb mince pies.

Christmas here brings a feast of festive lunches and rustic winter picnics, mince pies, mulled wine, and whisky. There’s always a log fire to relax by in the evening.

Built as a grand home and place of entertainment for the Lord Provost, Prestonfield is a sumptuously furnished hotel that is never less than theatrical, but at Christmas it basks in the extra glow, with candles and twinkling tree lights. Enjoy festive menus and Winter Wonderland party nights in the ballroom, with food, drink and entertainment.

A fairytale retreat if ever there was one, Augill Castle in Cumbria is a Victorian-folly castle complete with towers and battlements. Decorated in sumptuous style, it is also relaxing and welcoming, complete with a level of whimsy and warmth that makes it a favourite for families as well as couples over Christmas. It's so tempting you could imagine Santa himself turning up.

This historic coaching inn is a dreamy place for Christmas, serving up a widely acclaimed Christmas lunch, beloved by adults and children alike.

Enjoy a chic Christmas at this contemporary hotel, waking to river views and a day of entertainment. Good food, lots of fizz and even a suite with its own cinema room so you can hunker down and watch your favourite festive movie.

You can paddleboard on the river, stroll to see the deer in Richmond Park, and feel a world away from central London at this smart, multifaceted Thames-side hotel.

A playful mix of Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod and Edwardian seaside hotel, this white-painted villa above Chesil Beach has an easy-going stylishness, conducive to fun.

Stylish and welcoming, the Double Red Duke has got to be one of the most perfect spots for a traditional Christmas lunch. Their Christmas menu starts with a glass of mulled wine, followed by a feast of delicious options ranging from lobster and crab salad to start, to traditional turkey or beef Wellington for main, and plenty of chocolate, Christmas pudding, port and cheese to cap things off.

Its family roots and boutique size give The Goring the sense of visiting a superbly enriching home, and as such it has a real intimacy to it that’s perfect for a cosy Christmas escape.

A Georgian manor house above Chesil Beach, this is a dog- and people-friendly hotel designed for holidays and fun, catering to everyone from tinies to grown-ups with sophisticated tastes.

A castle sparkling with fairy lights, Glenapp Castle turns into a winter wonderland in December. Spend the season dining, stargazing, partying and even enjoying the odd spot of falconry.

A great white wedding cake of a hotel, this Victorian extravaganza invites you to take a step back in time, to take tea or cocktails to the sound of the Palm Court Strings, dine in style and retire to a deluxe bedroom at prices that won’t break the bank.

There are two spacious, luxury, rustic-chic bedrooms in a converted barn at this Devon longhouse B&B on a working Dartmoor farm, with breakfast served in teh farmhouse dining room.