The Good Hotel Guide (https://www.goodhotelguide.com/) has revealed the winners of its 12 César Awards. Announced annually, the Césars (inspired by Swiss hotelier César Ritz) comprise a collection of outstanding hotels, inns and B&Bs throughout Britain & Ireland that are recommended by readers and backed by professional inspection. The latest version of The Good Hotel Guide: Great Britain & Ireland is now live online, featuring more than 700 hotels, including 73 new entries. A trusted brand for 45 years and the only truly independent hotel guide in the UK, The Good Hotel Guide does not accept payment for inclusion and the inspectors do not accept free hospitality for their anonymous hotel visits.
Top: Knockinaam, Portpatrick; Bottom L-R The Inn at Whitewell, Lancashire & The Rookery, London
This year’s César winners include a historic capital city hotel with a resident cat, a former harbourmaster’s house in Wales, a glassworks-turned-boutique hotel in Norfolk, a Grade II Jacobean manor house in Kent that boasts fireplace panelling from Windsor Castle plus a spectacularly secluded Scottish stay with direct footpath access to its own private cove (and the hotel itself provided inspiration for The 39 Steps). A working farm in Ireland, a pub in England’s smallest county and properties in Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) and a National Park also made the coveted 12.
Best country hotel
The Retreat at Elcot Park, Newbury, Berkshire
A fraction of the price of many traditional country-house hotels, The Retreat at Elcot Park offers bedrooms with a modern English feel, a pool, a spa and an overall relaxed, fun air. Yu, the pan-Asian restaurant is not to be missed.
Best city hotel
The Rookery, Clerkenwell, London
Spot Bagheera the cat snoozing by the fire and enjoy rooms with mahogany panelling in this homage to yesteryear that’s hidden down a narrow lane near Smithfield market. Expect modern touches too, such as 24-hour room service.
Best B&B
Dorset House, Lyme Regis, Dorset
Lyn and Jason Martin describe their B&B as ‘breakfast with rooms’ and given the morning menu (think honey-baked figs with rose-scented ricotta) it’s obvious why at this Georgian house with smart and uncluttered rooms.
Best pub with rooms
The Inn at Whitewell, Lancashire
On the River Hodder, in the Forest of Bowland, this manor house comes with flagged floors, open fires, impressive food from chef Jamie Cadman and a cheery welcome from third-generation members of the Bowman family.
Best Hotel in the South of England
Boys Hall, Willesborough, Kent
Kirstie and Brad Lomas opened the doors of this 17th-century manor and Grade II listed building in 2023, where the bedrooms are better than in many top hotels. Food is a highlight, with traditional dishes served differently.
Best Hotel in the South West of England
Plumber Manor, Dorset
A country-house hotel with a heart, Plumber Manor is run by the Prideaux-Brunes, who treat their guests as family. Richard and his wife Alison host, while brother Brian cooks. Traditional interiors are filled with antiques and artwork.
Best Hotel East Anglia
The Harper, Langham, Norfolk
Former home of Langham Glass, The Harper has glass animals in reception and stained-glass windows in public rooms. Relaxed and refined, it has artfully mismatched furniture, rustic-chic bedrooms and complimentary cocktails.
Best Hotel Midlands
The Olive Branch & Beech House, Clipsham, Rutland
A trio of farm labourers’ cottages house a gastro pub, a shop and a wine store. Rooms are over the road in Beech House and are food-themed. Choose Berry for its gardens and autumnal colours or Double Cream for its antique bed.
Best Hotel in the North of England
Hazel Bank, Borrowdale. Cumbria
Fantastic food, good wine, stylish bedrooms and Lake District walks from the doorstep mean Hazel Bank ticks all the right boxes for a country-house hotel. Bedrooms have views across the valleys and the fells, with Scafell Pike in sight.
Best Hotel in Scotland
Knockinaam, Portpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway
Enjoying a knock-out position on a private cove where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, Knockinaam charms guests with its unstuffy, relaxed air. The views are superb and the food is a daily changing menu of local specialities.
Best Hotel in Wales
Harbourmaster Hotel, Aberaeron
Named after different historic sailing ships, the maritime-themed rooms in the former harbourmaster’s house all have sea views; the top-floor suite is particularly sought after. There are plenty of local specialities in the restaurant.
Best Hotel in Ireland
Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, County Cork
Foodies flock to this legendary hotel set on a 300-acre working farm, which comes with a cookery school, café and shop. Opened 60 years ago by the late Myrtle Allen, it is still family-run today.
Sam Cutmore-Scott, MD of The Harper, commented: “We are all mega-chuffed to be awarded this honour by the Good Hotel Guide, with its reputation for independence. As a relatively new hotel, it means a huge amount to have the whole team’s hard work recognised and to be rubbing shoulders with the best of the best.”
The Good Hotel Guide (GHG) also awards Editor’s Choice certificates to properties, selected by the GHG editorial team based on reports from readers, in the following categories: Restaurants with Rooms, Foodie, Hotels with a View, Budget-friendly, Romantic, Wedding, Historic, Walking, Family, Golf, Spa, Fishing, Seaside, Country House, Dog-friendly, Cities & Towns, Gardens, Eco, Pubs with Rooms and B&Bs.
Some of this year’s recipients include:
-
Mingary Castle on Scotland’s Ardnamurchan peninsula offers just four bedrooms, each with a side-serve of history at this Restaurant with Rooms, where oyster ice-cream is one of the unusual offerings.
-
Parador 44 is a Foodie Hotel haven that’s a first of its kind in the UK, bringing the best of Basque cuisine to Cardiff in a stylish spot with nine (soundproofed) bedrooms above Asador 44.
-
Belle Tout Lighthouse in Eastbourne earns its status as one of the Hotels with a View thanks to its 360-degree views of the Seven Sisters cliffs, South Downs and English Channel from the lantern room.
-
Brooks Guesthouse in Bristol delivers sheer fun factor with its rooftop airstreams on top of this centrally located B&B, with Budget-friendly prices that start at £119 for a caravan or £99 for a room, per night.
-
Seaham Hall speaks Spa Hotel as soon as you hear about the tunnel that leads from this luxury clifftop hotel to the aptly named Serenity Spa, with its 17 treatment rooms, pool, outdoor hot tubs, Zen Garden and more.
-
The Devonshire Arms in Yorkshire is proving popular with pups of all ages as a Dog-friendly option now it has a Canine Retreat package that delivers pampering galore including a doggie four-poster bed.
Established in 1978, the Good Hotel Guide features more than 700 hotels, inns, B&Bs and guesthouses, with 73 new entries this year. The editorial team is headed up by Jane Knight, former travel editor of The Times. The Good Hotel Guide remains the only truly independent UK hotel guide, where readers play a crucial role by reporting on existing entries as well as recommending new discoveries, which is complemented by GHG inspections.
