Ten of the UK and Ireland’s best historic hotels
Hartwell House - £99 Per Person Special Offer
Aylesbury
Wander through the ‘extravagantly and sumptuously furnished’ rooms at this stately mansion – it’s not hard to imagine being a member of the court of Louis XVIII of France, who lived here, in exile, in the 19th century. Today, run by Historic House Hotels for the National Trust, it is a ‘special’, ‘blissfully quiet’ place to stay.
From £200 per night
Gravetye Manor - Classic British Escape
East Grinstead
‘Classy, comfortable and tasteful, the house has kept its period character without being “old hat”; the rooms are elegantly furnished without being pretentious,’ say trusted Guide correspondents in 2016, of this ‘special’ country house hotel.
Lewtrenchard Manor - September Treat
Lewdown
Admirers of Sue and James Murray’s ‘characterful’, ‘beautiful old manor’ continue to sing its praises. ‘It is uniformly excellent, with high standards of hotel-keeping, comfort and service,’ says a guest this year.
From £155 per night
Star Castle - 10% discount all year
St Mary's
Visitors new and old continue to award gold stars to the Francis family’s characterful hotel, in a star-shaped, 16th-century castle above Hugh Town, with ‘stunning views’ over the islands.
From £75.00 per night
Plumber Manor
Sturminster Newton
An ancestral home today under the care of three members of the Prideaux-Brune family, this Dorset-stone 17th-century country house has been a hotel since 1972.
From £160 per night
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno
The name may mean ‘house among thistles’, but the ‘meticulously kept’ combination of manicured lawns, knotted gardens and meadow flowers tells otherwise.
From £189 per night
Hilton Park
Clones
‘Grand and glorious’ Hilton Park is less a hotel than a stately ancestral home where one stays as a cherished guest.
From £90 per night
Llangoed Hall
Llyswen
There’s ‘birdsong in the air’ and ‘a great atmosphere of peace’ at this ‘glorious’ country house hotel, in large gardens descending to the River Wye, say Guide inspectors.
From £145.00 per night
Coul House
Contin
A long drive on a single-track country road leads to this Georgian house built for a baronet, today an ‘outstanding’ traditional hotel owned by Stuart and Susannah Macpherson.
From £75 per night
Swinton Park
Masham
‘The first sight of the hotel is superb’: preening in sweeping grounds with parkland, lakes, a herd of fallow deer and an impressive walled garden, this mock-Gothic castle recreates an ‘authentic stately-home experience’ for its guests.
From £350 per night