The Best Hotels for Spending Christmas in the U.K.

Dec 28, 2023

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By Condé Nast Traveller

This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller U.K.

After a few years of subdued celebrations, Christmas is set to return this year with renewed energy. Festivities will be bigger, Christmas lights will be brighter, and the U.K.'s best hotels are set to pull out all the stops to make this Christmas a truly magical one. Think grand country houses with their own ice rinks, designer Christmas trees in glossy London hotels, and all the twinkling lights and cozy fireplaces you could imagine. There will be carols by candlelight, lavish black-tie suppers, and of course, traditional lunches with all of the trimmings and none of the washing up.

For the most festive getaways, here's our pick of the best hotels for Christmas in the U.K.

A country escape that feels a world away

A stay at this Kentish nature reserve is the U.K.'s answer to taking off on safari for a Christmas getaway—the 600 acres here are home to lions, tigers, bears, and giraffes at which to gaze during a bracing tour. Christmas Eve supper at The Garden Room is followed by mince pies and a visit from Father Christmas. On Christmas morning presents are opened in bed, with breakfast delivered to bedrooms, and during the afternoon there’s live music for making merry.

Address: Port Lympne Reserve, Aldington Road, Lympne, Hythe CT21 4LR

A fairytale romance for Francophiles

Magnificently, the restaurant at this 32-room hotel outside Oxford has held onto its two Michelin stars since it was opened by the über-charming Raymond Blanc in 1984. So you can be sure its wine tasting and cookery demonstration (creative canapés) will be good—and its seven-course Christmas menu (roast duck with clementine curd, jasmine, and all the trimmings) will be even better. It looks a picture, too, with a Christmas tree in each individually styled bedroom, and two more at the top of the lavender path.

Address: Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, OX44 7PD

A little-known Yorkshire hideout with Cotswold charm

With a choice of stays in rooms dotted across an old dairy, original orchard, and walled gardens, there are lots of characterful options for a family get-together at this North Yorkshire estate—each individually designed with botanical interiors and views over the surrounding patchwork parkland. This year, for the very first time, rooms in the Georgian Mansion can be booked too. Owner James Allison grew up here, so everything is planned with family in mind. Arrive on Christmas Eve and head straight for afternoon tea with mulled wine in the Coach House restaurant, then on Christmas Day, kick things off with a Champagne breakfast of fried Yorkshire duck eggs with woodland mushrooms and truffle on chargrilled sourdough. There are 200 acres of park and woodland to explore (with wellingtons to borrow) as well as a particularly pretty two acre walled garden that supplies the vegetables for Christmas lunch. For early morning swims, there's a heated pool complete with lounge area. It's a picture perfect place to spend Christmas in the country.

Address: Middleton Lodge, Kneeton Lane, Middleton Tyas, Richmond DL10 6NJ

Non-stop fun in the land of snow

Refurbished in an understated modern style, this 233-room Perthshire estate with two Michelin-starred restaurant pulls out all the stops at Christmas, laying on an ice rink and organizing a visit from Santa Claus and his elves. The hotel becomes a place to taste global delicacies, and listen to carols; and throughout the festive season, non-golfers can try cocktail-making and off-road driving, join the annual clay-pigeon-shooting competition and treasure hunt, or have their fortune told. You may well even get snow.

Address: Gleneagles, Auchterarder, PH3 1NF

The homely Georgian house that’s more downtown than Downton

This grown-up country house hotel manages elegance and homeliness without the formality of others. Christmas at Heckfield feels like having the run of your own pile, with cocktail-making workshops, screenings of The Polar Express, and Father Christmas and his reindeer is popping by on Christmas Eve. If you can stay awake, there’s midnight mass in the church next door, too. Stay for the Boxing Day children’s Olympics, archery and falconry, or better still, jazz and cocktails back at the ranch.

Address: Heckfield Place, Hook, RG27 0LD

A traditional Christmas on a private island in the Thames

The notion of spending Christmas on a private island may be more synonymous with the Caribbean, but Monkey Island is giving new meaning to the concept in the U.K. The uniquely named estate enjoys an equally unique location on a private island in the River Thames in the village of Bray. Christmas here however is rather traditional. On the agenda is midnight mass at nearby St. Michaels Church before cozying up back at the hotel with hot toddies and mince pies. The next morning starts with Christmas gifts delivered by Santa’s helpers followed by a five-course traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. Finish it off with a nightcap at the clandestine Whisky Snug, where Monkey Shoulder whisky is served along with 27 other types.

Address: Monkey Island Estate, Bray, Maidenhead SL6 2EE

A seaside haven for romantics

The prospect of midnight mass at St Just in Roseland—a 13th-century church in semi-tropical gardens that poet John Betjeman described as the “most beautiful churchyard on earth”—would be reason enough to spend Christmas in nearby St Mawes. Another is Olga Polizzi's gracious and grown-up, yet very family-friendly 30-room Hotel Tresanton, on the edge of Cornwall's south coast. Mass is preceded by carols and followed by stockings for all, the King will speak on a big screen, and on Boxing Day you can walk along the Carrick Roads—the estuary of the River Fal—by way of a castle built by Henry VIII.

Address: Hotel Tresanton, 27 Lower Castle Road, St Mawes, Truro, TR2 5DR

Period drama in a country pile to call your own

Wreath-making workshops and board games fill the mornings in this 42-room estate, with tree-lined avenue and Palladian frontage. While Christmas Eve and Boxing Day pursuits include crispy countryside strolls on the 500-acre grounds before tucking into a traditional Christmas lunch prepared by Michelin star chef, Hywel Jones. Lucknam Park is also an epicure's dream, with festive afternoon tea in the cozy library and drawing room featuring mince pie scones and turkey finger sandwiches with sage and chestnut stuffing. For sweet treats, Irish cream chestnut choux Mont Blanc and a Jivara and orange ‘opera’ are best enjoyed by the crackling log fires. And there's a thoroughly modern spa (one of the best spas in the UK) to swim it all off in.

Address: Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa, Colerne, Chippenham, SN14 8AZ

Caitlin Morton

Melinda Joe

Steph Koyfman

Todd Plummer

A grand country house party

As the legendary venue of glamorous parties and scandals, it’s only fitting that Cliveden House in Berkshire put on not just any Christmas celebration, but a lavish three-night long house party blowout. The festivities begin on Christmas Eve with mulled wine and a traditional afternoon tea, followed by a Laurent-Perrier Champagne canapé reception and decadent three-course supper by head chef Christopher Hannon. On Christmas Day, the 376 acres of National Trust grounds are yours to explore, ideal for blowing away the cobwebs between the marathon Christmas lunch and Christmas supper sessions. On Boxing Day, join the exclusive "Butlers Tour" to learn all about Cliveden’s eccentric history—the original house was built in 1666 by the Duke of Buckingham as a gift to his mistress.

Address: Cliveden House, Cliveden Road, Taplow, Maidenhead SL1 8NS

As a new addition to the U.K. hotel scene, this year will see The Retreat celebrate it's very first Christmas, with plans to transform the 18th-century country house into a winter wonderland. With an emphasis on retreat, the smart yet laidback bolthole has room for everyone—family suppers are made easy in the Brasserie and dog-friendly rooms have direct access to the grounds. With 16 acres there's plenty to explore on a traditional Boxing Day walk, followed by an untraditional dip in the spa's heated outdoor pool.

Address: The Retreat at Elcot Park, Elcot, Newbury RG20 8NJ

Unadulterated magic for the whole family

Claridge’s is always magical but come Christmas, one of London's best hotels is practically glistening in fairy dust. There’s always a fashion designer-decorated tree, and festivities as jolly as you’d imagine. Come here for one of London's best holiday-inspired afternoon teas, while sweet-cheeked singers from the Southend children’s choir serenade. There's plenty to keep children happy, from arts and crafts with Sharky & George to a horse-drawn carriage ride with hot chocolate and marshmallows. All of which leaves you free to retreat to the Lalique-paneled Fumoir with a bottle of Champagne before Christmas lunch served in the elegant French Salon and Drawing Room, or if you choose, the grandiose Mirror Room.

Address: Claridge's, Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR

A family house party mere steps from the beach

Frederick Marryat stayed at Chewton Glen while writing Children of the New Forest, and this historic favorite is a great choice for Christmas. Book a treehouse suite with freestanding bath and outdoor hot tub for family time and forest views, then join the house party in the 18th-century main house: a kids’ movie night with pick ‘n’ mix and popcorn is planned in the Beehive Treehouse den with treasure hunts and beach walks. In between, it's one long feast, with turkey, cranberry, and chestnut stuffing sandwiches for afternoon tea, and a three- or five-course meal.

Address: Chewton Glen, Christchurch Road, New Milton, BH25 6QS

Caitlin Morton

Melinda Joe

Steph Koyfman

Todd Plummer

Country platters for the elegantly rustic

This seriously smart country hotel strikes a pertinent balance between full, heel-clicking hotel-ness and the privacy and space of your own country retreat. Christmas here is a wholesome, organic affair with a seasonal feasting menu at the Ox Barn (just-caught oysters, roast goose with all the trimmings), alongside roaring outdoor fire pits and brisk, rosy-cheeked winter walks.

Address: Thyme, Southrop Manor Estate, Gloucestershire, GL7 3PW

The quintessential Cotswolds hideout

Tramping across Cotswolds countryside is never more charming than in winter when the winding cobblestone streets sit pretty under a sprinkling of frost and the roaring fires create a cozy glow. At Broadway’s Lygon Arms, Christmas Eve is marked with an appearance from local carol singers, a country-style lunch on Christmas Day, and a Boxing Day walk is preceded by warm hunks of pork pie and spicy mulled wine.

Address: The Lygon Arms, High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7DU

A royal affair on the river

There’s a sense of aristocracy at the Mitre. It’s just footsteps from Hampton Court Palace, a favorite residence of King Henry VIII and one of London’s cheeriest festive façades. The Grade II-listed hotel sits right on the Thames, overlooking icy Arcadian river banks. Wake up on Christmas morning in a plump four-poster bed in a candy-colored bedroom and wrap up for a spin on the much-loved Hampton Court Palace ice rink. Keep your fingers crossed for snow: Hampton Court’s grounds under a fresh blanket are Christmas card-worthy.

Address: The Mitre, Hampton Court Road, Molesey, Surrey KT8 9BN

19th-century charm on the edge of London

Media titan Lord Beaverbrook bought this pile in Surrey in 1910, but its most recent iteration as a hotel opened a few years ago. Beaverbrook is peak country house: parquet floors, open fires, restored antiques and art—all a brilliant canvas for a liberal dusting of traditional Christmas trimmings. Enter through a giant storybook, inscribed with the words from Rudyard Kipling’s poem Christmas at Cherkley Court (the estate’s former name), which he wrote while staying as a guest. There’s an ice rink for working up an appetite before a traditional turkey lunch, matched with free-flowing mulled cider. Recover on Boxing Day with a stint in the excellent spa.

Address: Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8QX

Caitlin Morton

Melinda Joe

Steph Koyfman

Todd Plummer

Artful treats in an updated classic

For a magical Christmas in London, Claridge's 121-room sister hotel The Connaught offers a similar mix of seasonal specials: carols on Christmas Eve, carrots for the children to leave out for Santa's reindeers, stockings for all, and carriage rides. The Christmas tree here follows the annual artist-designed tradition and sits outside the hotel on Carlos Place. Other highlights include impeccable Martinis in the glittering Art Deco Connaught Bar, a four-course Michelin-starred Christmas Eve lunch at the Hélène Darroze restaurant, and a moment of serenity in the Aman Spa, one of the best spas in London.

Address: The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1K 2AL

The sexiest and newest Pig hotel

Set in a 17th-century manor, the sixth Pig from the cult brand lies within five acres in Kent’s bucolic landscape. The hotel’s rich navy and deep berry burgundy tones, lit by puffing fires and candles, make for an especially cozy Christmas backdrop, and this being only 10 minutes from Canterbury Cathedral, a carol sing-along should be on the cards. While there will be no tinsel (come on, this is The Pig, after all), festivities will be simple but merry. Try and nab the rustic barn, with a private terrace, countryside views, and a bathroom with a roll-top tub and chaise lounge.

Address: The Pig at Bridge Place, Bourne Park Road, Bridge, Canterbury, CT4 5LF

A country livener for hip Londoners

It's been over 20 years since the Soho House group opened their first rural outpost in a listed Georgian building outside Frome. Numerous celebrity weddings and an extensive renovation later, Babington House still has its original hip factor. Christmas here is both buzzy and laid-back, with members swinging by for a hot mulled Somerset cider at the zinc-topped bar, a swim in the heated indoor or outdoor pool, and a treatment at the Cowshed Spa overlooking the kitchen garden. As seasonal specials, the hotel lays on a visit from Father Christmas with presents for the children, drinks and canapés in the bar, and candlelit carols in the adjacent chapel. Of course, there's a big sit-down lunch and a choice of outdoor activities: archery, clay pigeon shooting, and pony rides on Boxing Day.

Address: Babington House, Charity Lane, Frome, BA11 3RW

A solitary seaside design hotel just outside Salcombe

There’s nothing quite like the snugness of a seaside location in winter, topping a high, jagged peninsula along Devon’s historic South West Coast Path. At Gara, winter is probably the season when it really comes into itself—the book-brimming den where you can curl up on Christmas Eve, followed by a proper knees-up in the glass-walled restaurant the following day; a traditional Devonshire turkey lunch washed down with extravagant views. Spend Boxing Day skipping rocks down at the beach below, working off that lunch before a cream tea awaits.

Address: Gara Rock, East Portlemouth, Salcombe, TQ8 8FA

Caitlin Morton

Melinda Joe

Steph Koyfman

Todd Plummer

A Cumbrian adventure for foodies and walkers

Wordsworth called Grasmere the "loveliest spot that man hath ever found," and from 20-room hotel Forest Side guests can attend midnight mass at St Oswald's, where the poet is buried. As befits a gourmet hotspot, the festive menu by Cumbrian native and keen forager Kevin Tickle does tradition a little differently: local mead on arrival, a six-course Christmas lunch including venison pastrami and wild boar, and a hog roast in the evening. There's a quiz of the year, and for those who don't care to scramble up Helm Cragg on Boxing Day, the hotel has 43 acres of kitchen gardens and woodland to amble around.

Address: Forest Side, Keswick Road, Grasmere, Ambleside, LA22 9RN

An eco-friendly country estate for good sports

At Christmas, the wildflower meadow at The Dorchester's exquisite 70-room country cousin, Coworth Park, makes way for glossy greenery and twinkling lights. There's a lovely program for children, starting with story time and Christmas card-making by the fire; a green-roofed spa for the health-conscious; a full menu of gourmet treats (including a five-course tasting menu courtesy of Adam Smith in the Michelin-starred Woven by Adam Smith); and live music and a family game show.

Address: Coworth Park, Blacknest Road, Sunningdale, Ascot, SL5 7SE

A home away from home for the artsy crowd

From this 58-room hotel in Seven Dials, you can walk to West End shows and the London's best ice rink at Somerset House, as well as some of London's best pop-up and one-off fashion boutiques. Covent Garden is popular with A-list actors and musicians, but interconnecting rooms also make it a good choice for families, and seasonal treats include family afternoon teas, stockings for children, and screenings of some festive classics in the bijou cinema.

Address: Covent Garden Hotel, 10 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9HB

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