If you haven’t already started booking your holidays, then what are you waiting for? We’ve seen (what feels like) the first glimmers of sun this week in Bristol and our first thought has been: Summer. We’ll be trying to get away as much as possible this year, but going abroad isn’t always the best (or cheapest) option – which is why The Times has put together a list of the 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2024.
Among the Top 10, you’ll find two West Country entries – both about a 45-minute drive from Bristol, slightly more than an hour by public transport. The highest entry (7th) was Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Wiltshire, with B&B doubles available from £166. Situated on the Bowood Estate, entering “by way of the magnificent ‘Golden Gates’”, you might even see deer in the surrounding parkland.
The Times said: “The hotel itself, near Chippenham, was purpose-built, so the exterior is not quite as charming as the other historic buildings on the estate. Inside, however, are plenty of cosy nooks with working fireplaces and simple, elegant rooms with views on to the golf course in front. There is also a decent-sized spa with wonderful treatments and a hot tub and sauna.”
Heading in the opposite direction, you’ll find The Greenway Hotel & Spa[/trackLink] (9th) in Gloucestershire – where you can get B&B doubles from £245. With views over the Cotswold hills, a relaxed restaurant serving a seasonal menu and a spa to unwind in, this is the calming staycation you need this year. Make sure to take in all eight acres of the grounds too – yourself to the locally grown pears and apples!
The Times said: “You might not guess from the tan stone frontage and modern reception area that this Cotswolds manor house on Little Shurdington Estate dates back to the 16th century. It’s been a hotel since 1947 and was a family home for 200 years. A £1.2 million refurbishment in 2023 enlarged the rooms and gave them a thorough refresh, though plenty of Elizabethan-era details remain.”
Where else featured on The Times’ 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2024? [caption id="attachment_8358" align="alignnone" width="1533"]
Credit: Artist Residence[/caption] The Times’ best place to stay in the UK was Gleneagles in Scotland, so we won’t be wasting many words on that… But numerous places near-ish Bristol were mentioned throughout the article. Including The Newt (11th) in Somerset, Cowley Manor Experimental (12th) in the Cotswolds, and The Bath Arms (45th) in Wiltshire – which was also named ‘Southwest Hotel of the Year’.
Two Bristol hotels were also namechecked. The cheap and chic hotel, Artist Residence (36th), situated inside of a former boot factory, was praised for being “very cool, as is the crowd in the bar”. You’re only five minutes’ walk from the Cabot Circus and Stokes Croft, with room-only doubles from £140. A new addition for this year, the former sports bar on Broad Street, Hort’s Townhouse (75th) also made the list.
To see the full list of The Times’ 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2024 [trackLink link_url="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best-places-to-stay-in-the-uk-2024-vz5nq7x0q"]head here