Country House

You might not want to live in a very big house in the country, but surely you wouldn’t mind visiting one. Visit these enchanting examples, then. Even the boys in Blur would approve.

We say slightly less traditional because the last thing you want to do is mess with a winning formula. And a classic British country house hotel is one helluva winning formula. That doesn’t mean your country house hotel should phone it in, dragged reluctantly into making even the tiniest of contemporary updates. It’s okay to see a centuries-old estate as a sort of museum, but it still needs to be kept comfortable for today’s guests.

The hotels in this list go a touch further than the bare minimum. They’ve each embraced their own measure of modernization. Some have completely reimagined the country house experience for the current millennium; others have blended old with new in absolutely perceptible but definitively not distracting ways. These progressions can come through in something as subtle as the unique arrangement of pictures on a wall, or an arresting combination of colors (and colours, for that matter); or they can be much more stark in their deviation from historical accuracy, with creative interiors and trendy activities that would feel right at home in East London’s coolest boutique hotel.

The life of the landed gentry has never looked so good.

Swinton Estate

Ripon, UK

A beautifully picturesque 18th-century castle surrounded by some 200 acres of lake-dotted parkland is only the core of the greater Swinton Estate, which expands to an eye-watering 20,000 acres and encompasses a number of freestanding cottages as well as Swinton Bivouac, a collection of lodges and yurts providing an uncommonly rustic glamping experience. It’s a rare hotel that can offer everything from a castle turret suite to a yurt.

Hampton Manor

Solihull, UK

The exteriors at the stately Victorian-era Hampton Manor remain lovingly preserved, while its interiors are a tribute to the Arts and Crafts Movement of the house’s early years. Rooms and suites in the main house are decorated with a thoughtful mix of antiques and complementary modern pieces. Meanwhile a stylistic counterpoint is provided by the Walled Garden suites, which are almost Scandinavian in their simplicity.

Cowley Manor Experimental

Cheltenham, UK

This thoroughly classical 19th-century manor is said to be the place where Lewis Carroll first met Alice Liddell. Now it’s Cowley Manor Experimental. In typical Experimental style, an interior makeover by the Parisian designer Dorothée Meilichzon created a unique atmosphere in Cowley Manor’s 36 rooms — a mix of English Italianate country-house pomp, Parisian cool, and the occasional nod to Alice in Wonderland.

Estelle Manor

North Leigh, UK

It’s not all that common for the proprietors of an English country-house hotel to engage the services of a New York–based interior design studio. But then again Roman and Williams isn’t an ordinary design firm, and they’re perfectly capable of adapting their work to an overseas setting — Estelle Manor isn’t a New Yorker’s caricature of Oxfordshire, but a fantastic and fanatically detailed vision of timeless country-house hospitality.

Boys Hall

Willesborough, UK

You know you’re in for an exceptional country house experience as you approach Boys Hall, its façade cradled by foliage, its three acres of gardens oozing appeal. This beautifully restored manor dates back to 1616, with each of the nine individually designed bedrooms leaning into this period charm with beams, wood paneling, and old-school floral prints — yet never for a second does any of it feel ancient or stuffy.

The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat

Templepatrick, UK

The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat doesn’t do quiet luxury. It does character, cocktails, and the occasional disco ball over a Roman bath. Tucked into Templepatrick, just 20 minutes from Belfast, this 33-room boutique stay mixes country-inn charm with Soho House swagger: wrought iron beds, Belfast-designed wallpaper, and a different hand-painted rabbit in every room. Outside, the lakeside spa hums with music and prosecco-fueled laughter.

Saltmoore

Whitby, UK

Tucked away among the moors of an idyllic English countryside, with the scent of the nearby sea wafting through the air, lies Saltmoore. This estate boasts subtle Victorian-era inspired architecture that surrounds an otherwise contemporary design. A haven for wellness enthusiasts, The Sanctuary, the hotel’s spa, with its indoor pool and cryo chamber, promises unparalleled relaxation.

Retreat at Elcot Park

Newbury, UK

An 18th-century country house in West Berkshire is the setting for the Retreat at Elcot Park, a lovely 55-room hotel and spa that offers a taste of the country life at a rather attainable price. The look is antique but with a lively contemporary twist, and the service is approachably casual. The rooms and suites, all unique, are divided between the historic house and a 1990s addition; stylistic differences are evident, but not vast.

The Newt in Somerset

Bruton, UK

Half an hour from Glastonbury is one of England’s finest country-house hotels. The Newt in Somerset dates back to 1687, but has only been a hotel since 2019; despite its novelty, it delivers a remarkably rich experience, complete with vast gardens, woodlands, a working cider mill, a replica Roman villa, and a honeybee megalopolis known locally as Beezantium. Its rooms are divided between the original limestone house and the Farmyard outbuildings.

Great Fosters

Egham, UK

Once a Tudor hunting lodge, Great Fosters has centuries of stories built into its beams, from royal crests and Queen Anne’s four-poster to Charlie Chaplin checking in for a quiet escape. Today, it balances tales from the past with a streak of mischief: electric blue velvets, antler chandeliers, Jacobean fireplaces, a moated topiary, and a sundial said to be gifted by Sir Francis Drake. It’s a stay that moves easily between period drama and playful escape.

The Grove Hotel

Watford, UK

The splendid Georgian house that is The Grove — along with its attractive contemporary addition — offer all the charms of a country-house luxury hotel, an absurdly short ride from London. The Mansion’s rooms and suites are a touch more historical in style than those in the much more recent West Wing, but the difference is one of degree, not of kind. Regular renovations have kept them all looking sharp, and the comforts are unobtrusively modern.

Glenmorangie House

Tain, UK

Country house hotels of the Scottish Highlands are not necessarily known for their vibrant colors. Glenmorangie House, however, is the exception. Its interiors are the work of designer Russell Sage, whose sensibility is maximalist and theatrical; the result is true to the setting, while the palette is anything but sober. Meanwhile dinner is served at a communal table, and makes fine use of local Highlands produce and ingredients.

Grantley Hall

Ripon, UK

You couldn’t ask for a more classic example of the English country-house hotel than Grantley Hall, a 17th-century Palladian gem in the Yorkshire Dales. The exterior, electric lighting aside, remains just as it was, while the interiors have been brought up to contemporary luxury-hotel standard — retaining their historical aspect, of course, but looking as fresh as the day the Hall was built.