The Best Hotels in the West Country
By CTH Editors
2 weeks ago
Photo: (c) Chris Meads / Unsplash
Head west for bucolic bliss and sun-kissed coves, as well as cutting-edge cities to explore and a burgeoning food scene to sample. Here’s the best hotels in the West Country – Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire – for your next staycation.
Read the C&TH Responsible Tourism Guide
Wonderful Hotels in the West Country
These reviews are taken from this year’s Great British & Irish Hotels Guide. Buy your copy from Friday 3 May
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath, Somerset
Nestled in the heart of historic Bath, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa epitomises luxury and sophistication. Set within John Wood the Younger’s iconic Georgian terrace, this five-star establishment offers impeccable service and meticulous attention to detail. The hotel’s 45 rooms and suites boast breathtaking views of either the hotel’s herbaceous borders or the crescent’s majestic lawn. Indulge at Montagu’s Mews, a stylishly snug and relaxed restaurant offering a selection of menus, carefully curated by head check Martin Blake; from classic afternoon tea to à la carte options and a tempting gastronomic tasting menu, there’s something to suit every palate and occasion. The glamorous cocktail bar also serves a selection of expertly crafted cocktails, and the heated outdoor terrace, overlooking the one acre of glorious gardens, is an enchanting experience. Finally, unwind at The Spa & Bath House; complete with relaxation pool, sauna and steam room, and a luxury TempleSpa treatment menu – that also offers suitable treatments for guests suffering from cancer – you are sure to leave feeling rejuvenated.
Doubles from £405, B&B
+44 (0)1225 823333; royalcrescent.co.uk
The Priory Hotel, Wareham, Dorset
The setting of this former monastery and Grade II-listed country house hotel, surrounded by four acres of English cottage gardens, on the bank of the River Frome, is sublime. The history of the building, which dates to 809, is evident in each of the 17 charming rooms, many of which have original wooden beams (some have views of the Purbeck Hills, others overlook the gardens or inner courtyard). Choose between staying in the main house or the all-suite Boat House right by the water’s edge, with its vaulted ceilings, antiques and four-poster beds. Start the evening with an aperitif in the Drawing Room, the Cloisters Bar or on the terrace, before sitting down to try head chef Stephan Guinebault’s three-course dinner menu in the Garden Room restaurant (you can also book in for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday). The peaceful gardens are ideal for drinking a morning coffee while reading the newspapers or afternoon tea, after a day exploring the Dorset coastline. The hotel is in the market town of Wareham, with gorgeous Studland Bay and Lulworth Cove both a short drive away.
BOOK
Doubles from £220, room only
+44(0) 1929 551666;Â theprioryhotel.co.uk
The Pig – Near Bath, Pensford, Somerset
This may be just one of several rural-themed PIG hotels, but its launch back in 2014 broke new ground for the Home Grown Hotels group: a proper, grown-up hotel that has all the country house attributes (space, proportions, dreamy views), but none of the drawbacks (staid, formal, eye-wateringly expensive). It’s fun and glamorous without ever losing sight of comfort. Once again Judy Hutson created the look: Belgian tiles, quirky wallpaper, velvet curtains, oil paintings and chandeliers, plus a wonderfully louche private dining room based on the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet: ragamuffins feasting in a castle. As at all THE PIGs (except for the city-centred PIG-in-the-wall), the Kitchen Garden is the heartbeat of the hotel, with the gardeners and chefs working hand-in-hand to create plates brimming with seasonal flavours. What they can’t grow on-site is sourced from the best local farmers, fishermen and foragers, the foundation of their signature 25-mile menu. And keep an eye out for dishes flavoured with honey from THE PIG’s very own hives – you can even pick up a jar to take home with you.
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Doubles from £255
+44 (0)1929 450288; thepighotel.com
The Pig – On The Beach, Studland, Dorset
With its wacky profusion of turrets, gargoyles, stone casements and overlapping tiles on steep roofs, this enchanting 18th-century house will bring an instant smile to your face and memories of tales of Hansel and Gretel. As for the views? You’ll be entranced, especially looking across the sheep-flecked green fields and the sea to Old Harry Rocks. Built as a grand summer house, this Studland Bay delight is a much-loved seaside sibling in the droves of PIG hotels, and it positively brims with charm. In addition to the usual conservatory restaurant (with THE PIG’s signature 25 mile menu) and walled Kitchen Garden, there are quirkily different bedrooms to choose from, including two charming shepherd’s huts. Each has a bedroom and bathroom hut and a lounge hut with a sun deck, boasting the best views in the house. There’s also a buzzy outdoor bar with a wood-fired oven for sourdough pizzas, as well as a private dining room in a dreamy thatched hut on the lawn overlooking the cliffs – perfect for gatherings of up to 12. A thrilling, wildly popular hotel.
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Doubles from £225
+44 (0)1929 450288;Â thepighotel.com
Number One Bruton, Somerset
Set in the thriving market town of Bruton, this Georgian townhouse turned hotel has 12 rooms set around a pretty courtyard (designed by Penelope Hobhouse). Somerset’s craft heritage is evident throughout: stay in the main house, with its rich colour palette and staircase that winds up to the eaves, in the cottages it’s all warm stone floors and Morris textiles; or the forge, which combines ancient beams and wooden cladding with cosy rugs and ticking stripes. There is a welcome package of local, edible treats including Westcombe cheddar, cider (blended for Number One by The Newt) and shortbread. The small-batch organic toiletries in the bathroom are made in-house. Continental-style buffet breakfast – freshly baked pastries, soft boiled eggs, cheese from Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s estate, juice from Dowding’s orchard – is served in the old ironmonger’s shop on the ground floor. Currently, at lunch and supper, it becomes Osip, the Michelin-starred restaurant run by Merlin Labron Johnson, but this will change to a new food offering in the summer to coincide with five extra rooms opening in the building next door.
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Doubles from £170
+44 (0)1749 813030; numberonebruton.com
Lucknam Park, Colerne, Wiltshire
At the head of a double avenue of lime and beech trees, Lucknam Park is in a league of its own. It occupies a mellow 17th-century mansion, with gracious reception rooms and stylish bedrooms in the house and former stables. It’s impeccably run, with attentive yet discreet service. You’ll find Hywel Jones’ exceptional Michelin-starred cooking in his eponymous formal restaurant and the cool, contemporary Walled Garden Restaurant with its open kitchen for a bit of culinary drama. Then there’s the spa, including a sleek indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, salt room, eight treatment rooms and a social lounge with a skincare mixology bar. The impressive equestrian centre caters to all standards, from pony mad to down with dressage. For your own slice of the estate, book the chic cottages, ranging from one to four bedrooms, individually designed to give you the ultimate five-star stay. Excellent facilities for children, including dedicated play areas, bicycles, and a football pitch, make Lucknam as great a choice for families as for romantic couples, friends and celebrations.
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Doubles from £384, cottages from £1,900
+44 (0)1225 742777; lucknampark.co.uk
Homewood Hotel & Spa, Near Bath, Somerset
Eclectic, luxurious and slightly eccentric, this grand Georgian country house is surrounded by 20 acres of magnificent gardens. It stands above the village of Freshford, with its picturesque viaduct and a train line that runs to both Bradford-on-Avon and Bath, just 15 minutes away. Harnessing the spirit of the Roman’s love of a good spa, Homewood (the sister hotel to Bishopstrow in Wiltshire) has created a pampering haven for guests, offering treatments, an indoor hydrotherapy pool, sauna and steam room as well as a just-added outdoor vitality pool. The 21 main house rooms have oodles of character and great views across the Avon Valley. Each is quirky, colourful and individual – think plush velvet headboards, statement artworks and twinkling chandeliers. Plus, there are another ten rooms and suites in the Mallingford Mews, some with private terraces and hot tubs, which make the most of the countryside views. Olio Restaurant combines Somerset ingredients and vegetables from its own no-dig kitchen garden with Mediterranean inspiration. Choose from eating indoors, on the outdoor terrace or in one of the dining domes (for up to eight guests).
BOOK IT
Doubles from £295, B&B
+44 (0)1225 580439; homewoodbath.co.uk
The George Inn, Norton St Philip, Somerset
One of Britain’s oldest taverns, this historic 14th-century Grade I-listed Tudor inn is set in the peaceful village of Norton St Philip, midway between Frome and Bath. It has recently had a full revamp and now combines original features – beamed ceilings, wood-panelled walls, stone fireplaces – with more contemporary touches. The 13 newly decorated rooms are split between the main building and The Plaine; some come with traditional four-posters and wood-carved beds. On sunny days, make a beeline for the beer garden, which has views of the village and church. The inn is owned by the Butcombe Brewing Company (it’s worth checking out the Butcombe loyalty club for discounts and offers) so expect a good selection of craft beer, real ale and cider. Chef Aimie Harley has just been voted Pub Chef of the Year and together with the team, serves up an elevated take on hearty pub classics: Butcombe Gold beer battered haddock, burgers with maple and bacon relish, shoulder of Ston Easton lamb with devilled kidneys (there is a children’s menu, and Sunday roasts too). A brilliant base for walkers and anyone wanting to explore Somerset.
Doubles from £120
+44 (0)1373 834224; georgeinnnsp.co.uk
Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa, Warminster, Wiltshire
Original period features and contemporary design combine at this honey-hued Georgian hotel set on a 30-acre estate near Warminster. Among the vast grounds is an orchard, a no-dig kitchen garden which provides The Garden Grill restaurant with much of its produce (the menu is split into soil, sea, land, and fire sections), and an 18th-century walled garden with a summerhouse. The River Wylye runs alongside too, perfect for trout fishing and spotting elusive kingfishers. Rooms come with sweeping countryside views, specially commissioned artworks, and splashes of bold colour (in striped wallpaper say, or a mustard bedhead); some also have a hot tub on the terrace. Book a treatment in the spa before a dip in the heated indoor or outdoor pool, or a steam and sauna session. Staff can arrange all kinds of on-site activities, from a garden tour to gin tasting and clay pigeon shooting, while blockbuster attractions such as Longleat, Stourhead and Stonehenge are all within an hour’s drive. For special occasion private dining (up to eight guests),
a three-course supper in a glass dome under the stars, is a magical experience.
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Doubles from £160
+44 (0)1985 804680; bishopstrowhotel.com
The Beckford Arms, Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire
On the Fonthill Estate, the welcoming Beckford Arms combines country pub, restaurant and comforting place to stay in equal measure. Eat in the animated bar, elegant dining room, conservatory or sitting room, with its crackling log fire, comfy antique chairs and tables piled with books. You eat well: pickled quail’s eggs and homemade sausage rolls at the bar, washed down with its own Beckford Phoenix ale, hearty but imaginative lunches and dinners as well as peerless breakfasts. You sleep well, too: there are eight lovely bedrooms in the inn and two luxurious lodges (‘Spendens’) in the rolling parkland – plus you can now bed down in the magnificent Grade I-listed Fonthill Arch, at the entrance to the estate. Co-owners Dan Brod, Charlie Luxton and Matt Greenlees (Beckford Group have three other country pubs with rooms nearby), have thought of everything, from deeply comfortable beds to woolly hot-water bottles, pretty throws and all-natural, locally made Bramley products in the bathrooms. There are now spa treatments also, with Bramley’s new skincare range. The delightful garden frames views of romantic Fonthill.
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Doubles from £105
+44 (0)1747 870385; beckfordarms.com
