We bill these as Weekend Getaways from London, but then price the establishments in US Dollars. Yes, it’s a paradox, but we imagine most of our fellow travelers will be visiting London from elsewhere and looking to get out of town for a few days. And we hope no one takes the prices we show as given—nearly every hotel or inn here has some kind of offer, generally best uncovered by picking up the phone.
Having said that, we almost never reserve ahead in the UK (another paradox?). We might miss out on a favorite stay, but Great Britain is to Weekend Getaways as the Yankees are to baseball. There are literally hundreds of your all-time favorite pubs, inns, and hotels you haven’t even slept in yet.
And frankly, the biggest shock we suffered in putting together this list was the prices. What happened to chronically overpriced Great Britain? Apparently, we Yanks can thank the dysfunction in Westminster for juggling the exchange rates in favor of the US Dollar—definitely Britain’s loss, and definitely our gain—although it doesn’t seem to have helped much in London itself.
Anyway, in no particular order…
Langdale Chase Hotel
Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria - +44-15394-32201 - $357.
If there’s a more sedate and beautiful corner of the world, we’ve missed it (at least out of season). The Lake Poets—the Wordsworths, Coleridges, Lambs, and Robert Southey—redefined the relationship between humans and the natural world to spur the romantic impulse in all of us. The Langdale Chase, outside of town on the way to Ambleside, is a quiet and dignified hideaway where you can absorb all that beauty at your most leisurely pace.
The Old Hall Hotel
Buxton, Derbyshire - +44-1298-22841 - $113.
This hotel bills itself as the oldest in England, being originally built by Elizabeth I to incarcerate her soon-to-be ex-girlfriend Mary, Queen of Scots. On The Square, in the middle of a walkable Midlands town, it moves at a relaxed gait, with classic English food and a slightly out-of-date country ambience. We just hope they never get around to renovating.
The Chester Grosvenor
Chester, Cheshire - +44-1244-324024 - $119.
We came here 60 years ago for the cheddar cheese and returned decades later for the nearby natural wonders of North Wales. As a gateway town, Chester has seen its share of struggles, but those are long gone. This is a comfortable city hotel in the middle of a picturesque gated town, with all kinds of pleasant walks right outside its doors.
The Wessex Hotel (Mercure)
Winchester, Hampshire - +44-1962-861611 - $69.
We’re recommending a Mercure? Actually, yes—but although this hotel boasts all of the features we look for in business travel, it possesses one incomparable Getaway advantage. In the morning, when you open your curtains on a grassy lawn and one of the most beautiful cathedrals ever built, prepare to be stunned.
The Sloop Inn
St. Ives, Cornwall - +44-1736-796584 - $150.
Definitely bring your noise-cancelling headphones to one of the liveliest pubs in the prettiest seaside resort in all of Britain. The town is named after Saint Ia, a delicate soul who stepped onto a leaf in the bay and watched it grow and carry her across the Irish Sea to Ireland. Unfortunately, she was immediately martyred, but she left behind a town as otherworldly in its beauty as she was. The air you breathe here tastes and smells like pure magic.
Hotel Eilean Iarmain
Isle of Skye, Scotland - +44-1471-833332 - $228.
We’ve already written about Skye and this hotel and about the Scotch on offer in their pub, but at the risk of repeating ourselves… We would come here just for the view out the early morning window (that blue has nothing to do with the camera). There are more centrally located inns on the island, but few with this much natural drama. If we limit ourselves to breakfast in their excellent restaurant, it’s only because Skye has surprised us with the superb range of its cuisine. Not the Highlands we recall from 60 years ago.
Chesterhouse Hotel
Douglas, Isle of Man - +44-1624-617068 - $98.
The Isle of Man is one of the more eccentric islets that dot the British Isles and the Irish Sea. The Chesterhouse, on the other hand, is a classic throwback to a British seaside holiday, complete with lumpy mattresses, English Breakfasts, and long, brisk walks by the ocean. We stop here on the car ferry from Liverpool to Dublin and drive some of the wildest island trails anywhere.
Harbour Inn
Porthleven, Cornwall - +44-1326-573876 - $174.
Porthleven is the stormiest seaside village in the British Isles, but you have to arrive in winter to get stranded overnight at the notoriously defiant Ship Inn. Unfortunately, the Ship is a pub without food or rooms, so after we gave up on meeting an angry Mother Nature, we stumbled down into the village and found another gem, the Harbor Inn. Beautiful rooms and a short stroll to the handful of excellent British holiday restaurants. Fish and chips anyone?
Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel
Canterbury, Kent - +44-1227-865350 - $110.
When he was in school here, our Ben used to put up his visiting parents in town at the County Hotel on High Street. Then, progress arrived in the form of the new owners, ABode Canterbury (+44-1227-766266 - $74) and their ultra-modern notions of interior decor. Nothing against the 21st century, but we decamped to new digs inside the Cathedral Precincts themselves and a stone’s throw from Ben’s old dormitory window. The Lodge might be pretty modern itself, but we can’t argue with the spectacular location opposite the ancient Nave. And as adults, we’re even allowed off the premises after dark!
The Old Course Hotel
St. Andrews, Scotland - +44-1334-260300 - $289.
For history, luxury, and sheer dramatic beauty, it’s tough to choose between the seaside Old Course and the inland Gleneagles Hotel (+44-1764-662231 - $376). As a teen, our Ben caddied both courses for his Pro-Am-golfing Mom and can testify to the rigors of the Scottish sport. The Old Course is where it all started and where you still play the first tee backwards for the 18th hole. And even if you never touch a club, there’s more luxury to wallow in at both resorts than you could ever possibly need.
All so beautiful!