These hotels give you value for money without compromising on standards. Our editors have selected cheap boutique hotels and B&Bs across the UK that ooze luxury, but don’t cost the earth. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when the bill comes.
Best Value Hotels
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Malvern Wells
‘Fabulous, far-reaching’ views spread across the Severn Valley from this hotel in extensive grounds high above the Malvern Hills.
The Black Swan - Two night Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Special Offer
Kirkby Stephen
Holding court in the centre of Ravenstonedale, ‘twixt the Lakes and the Dales, The Black Swan has the hallmarks of a much-loved village inn: home-cooked food, cheery atmosphere and comforting bedrooms.
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Ambleside
‘This is one of the best country houses we have stayed in,’ writes a reader, of this white-painted Georgian gentleman’s residence with glorious views over Esthwaite Water to the Langdale Pikes.
The Traddock - 'Winter Fireside Warmer' Special Offer
Austwick
In a stone-built village ‘in the most beautiful part of the Yorkshire Dales’, this small country house hotel ‘has to be one of the best dog-friendly places in the UK’.
The Sun Inn - Winter Warmer special offer
Colchester
‘A lovely old building in a nice location’, this medieval coaching inn is set amid the pastoral landscape of Dedham Vale.
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Pitlochry
Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family’s Victorian country house hotel stands in lawned gardens sweeping down to the shores of Loch Faskally.
Ael y Bryn
Eglwyswrw
Readers can't stop raving about the 'impeccably furnished rooms, lovingly manicured garden and well-stocked library' at this adults-only B&B in countryside outside the village of ‘Egg-lis-oo-roo’, with views to the Preseli hills and Carningli mountain.
Lake Isle
Uppingham
There is no isle here, no lake, no bee-loud glade, but the name of Richard and Janine Burton's lauded restaurant-with-rooms draws inspiration from W.B. Yeats’s Innisfree, a place of serenity and escape.
The Beckford Arms
Tisbury
‘If they could bottle the atmosphere, they’d make a fortune,’ writes a Guide insider, of this dining-pub with rooms on the edge of the Fonthill Estate.
Victorian House
Grasmere
A second venture for the team behind London’s Georgian House Hotel (see entry), the former Oak Bank Hotel has had a boutique makeover.
Brooks Guesthouse
Bristol
Unlikely as it sounds, a 1950s office block in central Bristol is today a cool B&B with neat bedrooms, shiny rooftop caravans, a relaxed vibe and a courtyard garden.
Penbontbren
Llandysul
Bedrooms occupy converted outbuildings at this unusual B&B set in gardens ten minutes from beaches, each with outdoor space and kitchenette, where breakfast is served in the Victorian farmhouse dining room.
The King’s Head Inn
Bledington
Archie and Nicola Orr-Ewing have created a seamless blend of friendly village local and gastropub-with-rooms at their former 16th-century cider house overlooking the green.
Thistleyhaugh Farm
Morpeth
This 'excellent, traditional farmhouse B&B', with huge bedrooms, generous hospitality and breakfasts to fuel the day, is now in the capable hands of the family’s second generation of hosts.
Dolffanog Fawr
Tywyn
You could not wish for a more glorious location than you find at Lorraine Hinkins and Alex Yorke’s 18th-century farmhouse B&B, with views to Cader Idris and Tal-y-llyn lake.
Grasshoppers
Glasgow
It feels a bit like finding platform 9¾ but trust us: buzz an intercom to enter a grand, buff-stone railway office block by Glasgow Central, ride the lift to the penthouse and step into a cool city hotel.
The Pierhouse
Port Appin
On the shores of Loch Linnhe, with views to Lismore and the mountains of Moven, this former pier-master’s house is a lovely hotel with stylish bedrooms and a varied menu, long on fish, served in the sea-view dining room.
Coll Hotel
Isle of Coll
Beside the ferry landing, with views to Mull and Staffa, this family-run hotel and island social hub has smart, uncluttered bedrooms, and short menus of locally fished and farmed produce.
The Packhorse Inn
Newmarket
‘I would happily recommend it as a touring base for the Fenlands,’ writes an inspector, of this Victorian village pub ‘amid the stud farms and countryside east of Newmarket’.
The Coach House
Brecon
A former coaching inn, this top-notch B&B with secluded back garden combines hotel-quality accommodation with the warmth and intimacy of an owner-run guest house.
The Royal Oak
Tetbury
With quiz nights, a jukebox, a well-patronised bar and a choice of dining spaces, the 18th-century Royal Oak has a lively community feel where both locals and visitors feel welcome.
The 25 Boutique B&B
Torquay
This delightfully eccentric boutique B&B, a stroll from Torquay’s seafront, has won numerous awards for its singular style and luxurious standards.
The Devonshire Arms
Langport
Behind a handsome 18th-century façade, this former village inn overlooking the green is a contemporary drop-in bar and restaurant with stylish rooms, offering a mix of pub classics and more imaginative dishes.
The Greyhound Inn
Wantage
This is a proper village inn with locals enjoying pints in the bar, scrubbed tables, robust food and comfortable, homely bedrooms.
The Old Store
Chichester
Matt and Amy Marshall welcome new arrival with a drink and are happy to share their local knowledge and love of Sussex at this 18th-century bakery-turned-B&B with updated, bright and airy interiors.
Argyll Hotel
Iona
Overlooking the sea towards Mull, in a 'fabulous location near the harbour', this hotel on the Hebridean island of Iona has a deserved reputation for its warm welcome, fresh and creative food, and restorative peace.
The Ceilidh Place
Ullapool
Scottish culture and celebration are at the heart of the Urquhart family’s hotel, café, bar and restaurant near the ferry terminal on Loch Broom, a social hub with simple bedrooms, young staff, short and interesting locally sourced menus, and a bunkhouse for those on a budget.
La Sablonnerie
Little Sark
La Sablonnerie is currently closed. Please contact the hotel to discuss future dates. A horse-drawn carriage conveys you over a dramatic, narrow isthmus 80 metres above the sea to this 17th-century farmhouse on a tiny island with no airstrip, no tarmac road, and no cars.
Biggin Hall
Buxton
'Surrounded by lovely, rolling, stone-wall country', this much-loved Peak District country-house hotel in a Grade II* listed 17th-century building ‘may not have all the luxuries of a modern boutique hotel, but the setting and grounds are stunning’.
The Old Rectory
Boscastle
With romantic Thomas Hardy associations, this Victorian rectory is run today as a B&B with traditional bedrooms, original features, lovingly tended garden, and home-grown produce at breakfast.
Blackmore Farm
Cannington
Breakfast is served at a vast oak table in the Great Hall at this characterful B&B, occupying a 15th-century manor house on the Dyer family’s dairy farm.
Aynsome Manor
Grange-over-Sands
Step back in time to an age of quiet elegance at this 400-year-old manor house, run as a 'wonderful, charming B&B', with views over farmland to pretty Cartmel village and its Norman priory church.
The Royal Oak
Salisbury
An 18th-century part-thatched former tannery turned village ale house has been renovated in a style of rustic simplicity, with unfussy bedrooms and a dining room serving pub classics and more complex dishes.
The Howard Arms
Stratford-upon-Avon
It was nearly Howard’s end in 2015 before two local families stepped in to restore the fortunes of this 'delightful gem of a pub-with-rooms', in a village on the northern fringes of the Cotswolds.
Underleigh House
Hope
With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it’s no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.
Britannia House
Lymington
Uber-friendly host Tobias Feilke welcomes guests to his idiosyncratic B&B in a yachting town and ancient seaport on the edge of the New Forest.
Beechwood Hotel
North Walsham
Agatha Christie memorabilia, murder-mystery weekends and Art Deco touches set the tone at this creeper-clad hotel, former home of doctor friends of Christie, in a bustling market town.
The Lynch Country House
Somerton
Black swans glide on the pond in the gardens of veteran jazz saxophonist Roy Copeland’s late-Georgian mansion, with traditionally styled rooms, where an excellent breakfast is served in the orangery.
Westmorland Hotel
Penrith
Banish images of fast-food outlets and slot machines when you break your journey at Tebay on wild and woolly Shap Fell, 60 miles from the Scottish border.
Y Goeden Eirin
Caernarfon
Kindly hostess Eluned Rowlands welcomes guests to her B&B – a stylishly renovated granite cowshed on the edge of Snowdonia –with tea and Welsh cakes, supplies bedrooms with fresh fruit and sherry, and serves a good Aga-cooked breakfast.
Hotels not in the Guide that you may want to consider
Best Value Hotels
The Belmont
LEICESTER
On leafy New Walk, this welcoming family-owned town hotel is formed from a row of Victorian residences. It is within easy reach of the city and station, the King Richard III Visitor Centre and the University.
Hotel du Vin & Bistro Tunbridge Wells
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Close to the station, a hotel and restaurant inside a Grade II-listed 18th-century sandstone mansion. Intimate and clubby, there is an open fire in the bar, and Gallic-influenced dishes in the informal restaurant; alfresco dining on the terrace. Modern bedrooms (some overlooking Calverley Park) have plenty of perks: a capsule coffee machine, fluffy bathrobes, chic toiletries for indulgent bathing. Within walking distance of the Pantiles.
Grendon
BUXTON
Wonderful views, luxury extras and home-baked treats – on a quiet road within walking distance of the town centre, this B&B in an Edwardian property has an immaculate modern interior and welcoming hosts.
The Bull and Swan at Burghley
Stamford
In the late 17th century, the Honourable Order of Little Bedlam (an aristocratic drinking club) rampaged through this coaching inn – today an altogether more upstanding crowd come for the modern pub grub, cinema nights and the garden’s ‘pizza potting shed’ (open on warm-weather weekends). Characterful bedrooms mix vintage furnishings and modern conveniences. Some have exposed stones or feature wallpaper, perhaps an original fireplace, mullioned window.
The Old Vicarage
Newtown
In the rolling mid-Wales countryside, this Victorian red-brick vicarage is a welcoming base from which to explore a ‘wonderful but little-visited part of the world’. The bedrooms are pleasingly styled, with contemporary fabrics and furnishings. Evening meals can be taken (Tues-Sat) at The Dolfor Inn.
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