These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Note that our writers visited pre-pandemic.
A hotel stay for two is, in its very nature, romantic. A weekend away from normality can often present endless opportunities for amour. It’s not just about rose petals scattered on beds and treatments for two, but rather eating breakfast in a high-thread-count bed in white fluffy robes. It’s waiting until your fingers go wrinkly after being in a bath for hours, accompanied by chats and (ideally) champagne. It’s a sunset swim when there’s no rush to get to dinner. It’s a walk through a hidden glade when you have no phone reception. It’s reading a good book, shoes off, curled up top-to-tail on a fireside sofa together. It is ordering a dessert to share, even though you are both full.
What makes some properties a cut above the rest in the love stakes? We asked our hotel reviewers, based around Britain, from the Highlands to Cornwall, to give us their pick of the best. Of course, romance is subjective, but what unites all of the hotels chosen is their attention to detail – a private boat ride, say, a clifftop hot tub or a plate of fresh oysters – which makes them perfect for an extra-special, loved-up stay à deux. From a stream-side wooden hut to a classy spa retreat in the countryside, to decadence in a busy city, here’s our pick of the most romantic hotels in Britain, whether you’re marking an occasion or just looking to reconnect with that special someone.
England
London
Bingham Riverhouse
Richmond, London, England
From
£
247
Blakes Hotel
Kensington, London, England
From
£
323
L’oscar
Holborn, London, England
From
£
442
• The most romantic hotels in London
Cotswolds
Barnsley House
Cirencester, Cotswolds, England
From
£
369
Thyme
Southrop, Cotswolds, England
From
£
340
• The best boutique hotels in the Cotswolds
Berkshire
Cliveden
Taplow, Berkshire, England
From
£
500
• The best spa hotels in the south of England
Hampshire
Lime Wood
New Forest, Hampshire, England
From
£
1,250
Heckfield Place
Hook, Hampshire, England
From
£
500
• The best pet-friendly hotels in Britain
Bath
The Gainsborough Bath Spa
Bath, Somerset, England
From
£
202
• The world’s most romantic hotels
WILTSHIRE
Lucknam Park
Wiltshire, England
From
£
305
• Britain’s best restaurants with rooms
LAKE DISTRICT
Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
From
£
255
Linthwaite House
Windermere, Lake District, England
From
£
194
• The best Lake District hotels for walkers
Devon
Hotel Endsleigh
Tavistock, Devon, England
From
£
190
Dorset
Alexandra Hotel & Restaurant
Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
From
£
180
The Pig on the Beach
Studland, Dorset, England
From
£
299
• Britain’s best hotels with outdoor pools
Cornwall
The Scarlet
Mawgan Porth, England
Hotel Tresanton
Saint Mawes, Cornwall, England
From
£
230
The Lugger
Portloe, Cornwall, England
From
£
166
• The best hotels for spa breaks in Europe
Somerset
At the Chapel
Somerset, England
From
£
125
Babington House
Somerset, England
From
£
220
The Newt in Somerset
Castle Cary, Somerset, England
From
£
383
• The best spa hotels in and around Bath
Yorkshire
The Star Inn
Harome, Helmsley, England
From
£
150
• The best luxury hotels in York
Brighton
Drakes Hotel
Brighton, East Sussex, England
From
£
117
East & West Sussex
Amberley Castle
Amberley, West Sussex, England
From
£
250
The Gallivant
Rye, East Sussex, England
The Bell
Ticehurst, East Sussex, England
From
£
97
South Lodge
Horsham, West Sussex, England
From
£
465
KENT
The Pig at Bridge Place
Bridge, Kent, England
From
£
369
The Rose
Deal, Kent, England
From
£
100
• The most romantic Edinburgh hotels
Norfolk
Cley Windmill
Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, England
From
£
159
• The most romantic Amsterdam hotels
Manchester
Hotel Gotham
Manchester, England
From
£
149
OXFORDSHIRE
Artist Residence Oxfordshire
South Leigh, Oxfordshire, England
From
£
165
• The world’s best honeymoon hotels
SCOTLAND
Prestonfield House
Edinburgh, Scotland
From
£
295
The Witchery by the Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
From
£
595
The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By
Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland
From
£
345
Inverlochy Castle Hotel
Fort William, Highlands, Scotland
From
£
375
The Fife Arms
Braemar, Highlands, Scotland
From
£
250
Wales
Grove of Narberth
Narberth, Pembrokeshire, Wales
From
£
191
The Old Rectory on the Lake
Tal-y-llyn, Gwynedd, Wales