CENTRAL ENGLAND HOTELS

COTSWOLDS • THAMES VALLEY MIDLANDS • EAST ANGLIA

STRETCHING BETWEEN the Thames Valley in the south and a line drawn east-west from the mouth of the Humber river, Central England encompasses idyllic rural landscapes and great cathedral and university cities such as Lincoln, Manchester and Oxford. In the quintessentially English Cotswolds you will find fine places to stay in every category, from meltingly beautiful manor houses to enchanting vine-clad inns; the East Anglian counties of Norfolk and Suffolk also have a wide choice. Elsewhere there are smart townhouse hotels, a smattering of stately homes-turned-hotels and a tempting selection of country houses, located in widely differing yet easily accessible settings, and perfect for a restful few days.

Hotel Fischer’s Baslow Hall

A 1907 mock-Elizabethan house has become a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms under the aegis of chef Max Fischer and his wife Susan, an excellent hostess. The food is the point of the place (you can eat more simply in Café Max) but the smart bedrooms make a perfectly good overnight base. Calver Rd, Baslow, Derbyshire DE45 1RR.

Hotel Manorhouse

This spacious B&B in a beautiful 15th-century Suffolk longhouse overlooks the village green. It’s an elegant, but down-to-earth place – the half-timbered, colourwashed rooms are filled with antiques, but outside, chickens have the run of the gravelled yard, and provide most of the eggs served at breakfast. Dinner on request; or it’s a short stroll to the village pubs. Beyton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9AF

Hotel Callow Hall

l Above the Dove valley, a Victorian country house and grounds, lovingly restored. Comfortable and well-run, with good food. Mappleton, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 2AA

Hotel Chapel House

A quiet address (church bells excepted) in an old market town. Walled garden, light bedrooms, enjoyable food. Friar’s Gate, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 1EY

Hotel Riverside

This stone-built, creeper-clad country house has secluded grounds bordering the River Wye. Accommodation is luxurious. Ashford-in-the-Water, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1QF.

Hotel Cavendish

Owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and overlooking their estate, Chatsworth. Homely rather than grand. Baslow, Derbyshire DE45 1SP.

Hotel Malt House

In a tiny Cotswold hamlet, comprising little more than church and pub, is this delightful 17th-century stone house. There are low, beamed ceilings and leaded windows overlooking a dream garden. The attractive bedrooms include a garden suite. Under new management. Broad Campden, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6UU.

Hotel Lamb

Most guests agree that the Lamb gets it just right, combining the convivial atmosphere of a cosy traditional pub with the comforts of a hotel. The beamed bedrooms are surprisingly spacious, decorated with floral fabrics and antiques. The daily-changing menus are served in a dining room overlooking a geranium-filled patio. Elsewhere are comfy sofas and log fires. Sheep St, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4LR.

Hotel Burford House

This 15th-century Cotswold stone and timbered building positively gleams with care and attention. The smart bedrooms (some with four-posters) are awash with polished furniture, glossy magazines, flowers, teddies, lotions, sachets and the like. Light lunches and teas are served in the adjacent restaurant. 99 High St, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4QA.

Hotel Brockencote Hall

Close to the M5/M42 motorways, this lakeside mansion has a fair proportion of business guests, but Anglo-French owners Alison and Joseph Petitjean ensure a discreetly privileged ambience. This is amply reflected in the decoration, which has distinctly French flourishes. Excellent for disabled guests. Chaddesley Corbett, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY10 4PY.

Hotel Bibury Court

Beautiful, affordable Jacobean mansion in idyllic riverside setting (fishing rods available). Atmospheric, if simple, rooms. Bibury, Gloucestershire GL7 5NT.

Hotel Buckland Manor

One of the Cotswolds’ most exclusive hotels; lavish bedrooms. Buckland, nr Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7LY.

Hotel Hoste Arms

Buzzing, characterful local inn, sometimes very busy, with attractive bedrooms. The Green, Burnham Market, Norfolk PE31 8HD.

Hotel Ounce House

Meals are taken round a long table in this elegant Victorian house. It’s in the town centre, with a large garden and private parking. Northgate St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1HP.

Hotel on the Park

Despite some twee touches (two teddies centre stage in the dining room, plastic ducks artfully placed in bathrooms), this is a stylish establishment. The spacious bedrooms are embellished by sumptuous fabrics and antiques, although, at the front, traffic noise can destroy the calm so carefully engendered within. 38 Evesham Rd, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 2AH. Map

Hotel Cley Mill

Memories of your favourite childrens’ adventure stories crowd in as you climb ever higher in this ‘real’ windmill, finally mounting the ladder to the look-out room. The views over Cley Marshes, a bird-watchers’ paradise, are superb. In the pretty, rustic bedrooms, bathrooms are fitted into the most challenging spaces. Dishes include fresh fish and samphire in season. Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7RP

Hotel Cotswold House

Each of the scrupulously detailed bedrooms has a different theme, such as regimental souvenirs in ‘Military’ or lace in ‘Aunt Lizzy’. All have impeccable bathrooms. There is a magnificent spiral staircase, a walled garden and two snazzy dining rooms, one a brasserie. The Square, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6AN

Hotel Corse Lawn House

Should you arrive in a coach and four, you could still drive it down the slipway of this old coaching inn to water the horses and wash the carriage. Instead you will probably be content to enjoy the advantages of this relaxed, long-favourite, recently refurbished country hotel. Bedrooms are large. Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire GL19 4LZ.

Hotel lough

A mellow Elizabethan inn with a glossy interior. Bedrooms (two with four-poster beds) vary in size. Sophisticated cooking. Bourton Rd, Clanfield, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2RB.

Hotel Tudor Farmhouse

Cosy, neat and simple, with fine oak spiral staircase; breakfast a minor feast. Clearwell, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 8JS.

Hotel New Inn at Coln

The epitome of a creeper-clad 16th-century Cotswold inn, now smart, glossy, sophisticated and highly successful. Coln St-Aldwyns, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5AN.

Hotel Cleeve Hill

Bob and Georgie Tracy’s well-kept Edwardian-style B&B has superb views from the spacious bedrooms. Notable breakfasts. Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3PR.

Hotel The Manor

House The sleepy village lives up to its name, and this low-key hotel, hidden behind high stone walls beside the church, is easy to miss. It’s a quiet, restrained, relaxing sort of place, of mixed vintage, with a hotch-potch of squashy armchairs in the sitting room, comfortable bedrooms and a traditional English menu. Barsham Rd, Great Snoring, Norfolk NR21 0HP

Hotel Victoria at Holkham

Named after the Empress of India, the Victoria is an eclectic but stylish blend of the colonial and the local. Many of the furnishings have been flown in from Rajasthan, so there’s a strong sense of the exotic. Seriously comfy beds, big, warm duvets and deep baths for a serious soak. Good food, long wine list. Park Road, Holkham, Norfolk NR23 1RG.

Hotel Hambleton Hall

For a sybaritic break in the grandest sort of country hotel, this is a prime contender. A former Victorian shooting lodge, it stands isolated on Rutland Water. It is decorated in glamorous, yet intimate fashion, with stylish bedrooms and a formal dining room serving excellent food. Terrace with views of the lake. Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH.

Hotel Upper Court

The lovely grounds of this wellloved family home (open to the public under the National Garden Scheme) include a ruined watermill, a lake and a tennis court. The Georgian manor, furnished in country house style, is popular for self-catering house parties; single bookings no longer accepted. Kemerton, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 7HY

Hotel Delbury Hall

In lovely countryside and grounds, this gracious Georgian mansion overlooking a lake is also a friendly family home. Diddlebury, Shropshire SY7 9DH.

Hotel Bodkin Lodge

Walk the wildlife trails on the owners’ conservation farm; stay in their light, airy home, with views to Lincoln Cathedral. Grange Farm, Torrington Lane, East Barkwith, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN8 5RY.

Hotel George

A spruce 15th-century coaching inn (old beams, open fires), one of the country’s oldest, opposite the abbey in a delightful village. Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire OX10 7HH.

Hotel Wind in the Willows

Welcoming, family-run establishment. Thoughtful touches in the bedrooms. Peace, quiet and total relaxation. Derbyshire Level, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 7PT.

Hotel Langar Hall

The owner of this idiosyncratic family-home-turned-hotel, Imogen Skirving, has an eye for beautiful things and a taste for fun. Her apricot-coloured house in the Vale of Belvoir has a homely yet uplifting atmosphere. The rather grand restaurant is adorned with classsical statues; the bedrooms are highly individual. Langar, Nottinghamshire NG13 9HG.

Hotel Great House

This very English building (15th-century, with a Georgian façade) has a French accent, brought to it by its owners, Régis and Martine Crépy, and their largely French staff. The raison d’être is the often very busy restaurant, but the rooms are restful and smart, with surprisingly luxurious marble bathrooms. Market Place, Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 9QZ

Hotel Lavenham Priory

The Grade I listed building is one of the finest in this charming half-timbered town. Owners Tim and Gilli Pitt can offer three delightful bedrooms to guests (dinner by arrangement). Choose between a lit bateau, a four-poster and a Polonaise bed. Downstairs, the sitting room boasts a huge inglenook fireplace. Water St, Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 9RW.

Hotel Grey Cottage

The 175-year-old stone cottage with a 100ft sequoia in the garden stands out for the attention to detail paid by its owner, Rosemary Reeves. From the carefully prepared dinners to the firm beds, reliable hot water, heated towel rails and fresh fruit in the bedrooms, everything reflects her friendly, helpful attitude. Bath Road, Leonard Stanley, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire GL10 3LU

Hotel D’Isney Place

This spruce Georgian house is on a busy street close to Lincoln Cathedral. Though it has a garden, which incorporates a 700-year-old tower, it has no public rooms. Breakfast is delivered to guests in their bedrooms. Rooms vary; the best have carefully co-ordinated fabrics and whirlpool baths. Eastgate, Lincoln LN2 4AA

Hotel Malmaison

This growing chain of city hotels offers notable value for money. The wellequipped rooms are cool and fresh in a modern, rather masculine style. Public facilities include a mini-spa and hi-tech gym, a jazzy bar and a French brasserie. A major new extension is now complete. Piccadilly, Manchester M1 3AQ

Hotel Old Bell

Reputed to be the oldest inn in England, the Old Bell was set up in the 13th century to serve refreshments to visitors to the nearby abbey. It now offers a variety of places to eat, period bedrooms and comfortable lounges – all decorated with antique furniture and specially commissioned paintings. Children very welcome. Abbey Row, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0AG.

Hotel Melbourn Bury

Lush parkland surrounds this whitewashed and crenellated manor house. Inside are an elegant drawing room and splendid Victorian billiard room, book-lined library and sunny conservatory. Of the three bedrooms, the ‘pink room’ is particularly delightful, with a large bathroom. Communal dining, dinner-party style. Melbourn, Cambridgeshire SG8 6DE

Hotel Old Rectory

The elegant home of Roma Villar, an excellent cook. Beautiful wooded valleys to explore nearby. Hopesay, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 8HD.

Hotel Holdfast Cottage

A Victorian farmhouse with the cosy intimacy of a cottage. Lovely garden. Marlbank Rd, Little Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NA.

Hotel Penhros Court

A 700-year-old manor farm incorporating a superb medieval cruck hall. Charming bedrooms and inspired organic food. Kington, Herefordshire HR5 3LH.

Number 28

Bedrooms are distributed across three separate period houses at this excellent B&B. A useful base for visiting historic Ludlow. 28 Lower Broad St, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1PQ.

Hotel Morston Hall

Dominating the ground floor of this brick and flint Norfolk house is the strikingly decorated restaurant, the establishment’s main attraction and holder of a Michelin star. Enjoy a seasonal dinner (included in price of room) before retiring to one of the (mostly) spacious bedrooms; one is small. Morston, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7AA.

Hotel Old Bank

Metropolitan chic has arrived amongst the dreaming spires in the guise of this classy new hotel done out in cool creams and caramels. Bathrooms are luxurious. The hotel’s centrepiece is the former banking hall – now a buzzing bar and brasserie, The Quod. Sitting room, bar, terrace and private parking. 92-94 High Street, Oxford OX1 4BN.

Hotel Beetle and Wedge

A delight in summer when the Thames-side setting comes into its own – Jerome K. Jerome wrote Three Men in a Boat here. To eat, choose from the brasserie-style Boathouse or the more formal Dining Room; in fine weather the Watergarden is open. Bedrooms are spacious, interesting, and individually furnished. Ferry Lane, Moulsford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 9JF.

Hotel Old Parsonage

No themed ‘olde worlde’ charm here, despite the great age of the building. The rather small bedrooms are prettily decorated with pale panelling and unfussy chintz, with marble bathrooms (with telephone). The bar/restaurant has a clubby, cosmopolitan feel. A welcoming, laid-back, well-run hotel. 1 Banbury Rd, Oxford OX2 6NN

Hotel Cottage in the Wood

Three buildings, at whose heart is a Georgian dower house. Setting is all. Holywell Rd, Malvern Wells, Worcestershire WR14 4LG.

Hotel Hodgkinson’s

The dull exterior belies a kitsch, amusing interior, filled with eye-catching objects. N 150 South Parade, Matlock Bath, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3NR.

Hotel Didsbury Park

Luxurious city chic 15 minutes from the centre of Manchester. 11 Didsbury Park, Didsbury Village, Manchester M20 5LH.

Hotel Pipps Ford

Country guesthouse at its best: home produced bread, honey, vegetables and more in a lovely Tudor house with flowery gardens. Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LJ.

Hotel Cardynham House

Californian artist Carol Keyes has endowed a fine 15th-century Cotswold town house with panache. The bedrooms are beautiful (some have efficient showers, not baths) and are superb value. One has a swimming pool in it! Breakfasts include American specialities. Dinner can be taken in her adjoining Thai restaurant. The Cross, Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 6XX. Map

Hotel Greenway

This smart, traditional hotel is impeccably run and set in extensive gardens and parkland, with the Cotswold Hills in the background. The conservatory dining room, in which elaborate dishes are served, opens onto a sunken garden and lily pond, where drinks can be taken in summer. Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 4UG.

Hotel Lamb Inn

A characterful inn in a charming village – perfection. There are stripped floors and old settles, log fires and a cosy sitting room. Bedrooms are in keeping; two have four-posters. For dinner, choose between pub food in the bar, or more sophisticated dishes in the dining room. Upper High St, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 6DQ.

Hotel Crown

Good advice: eat at the Crown but stay at the Swan (see page 101), both owned by Adnam’s Brewery. If you can’t, fear not: the rooms here, though simple, are pleasing, with well-fitted bathrooms (not all en suite). Downstairs, the brasserie-style bar and popular restaurant add to the informal atmosphere. 90 High St, Southwold, Suffolk, IP18 6DP.

Hotel Hundred House

Georgian house with offbeat decoration – patchwork quilts, gold-painted ceilings and swings in some bedrooms. Norton, nr Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 9EE.

Hotel By Appointment

A flamboyant, colourful restaurant-with-rooms, filled with Victoriana and other objets trouvés. Wonderful breakfasts. 25-29 St George’s St, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1AB.

Hotel Cotswold House

High standards and attention to detail distinguish this Cotswold stone family home B&B in residential north Oxford. 363 Banbury Rd, Oxford OX2 7PL.

Hotel Swan

The finest of breezy Southwold’s medieval inns has a thoroughly comfortable interior, with checks and chintzes and open fires creating the country house look. The main building is complemented by newer garden rooms. The atmosphere is slightly formal, but staff are friendly and helpful. Market Place, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6EG.

Hotel Strattons

The Scotts are natural hosts, and have created a very individual hotel from an elegant listed villa, recently adding two smart suites. Their taste is far from minimalist: there are possessions everywhere: cushions, objects, books, pictures. Vanessa’s award-winning cooking is cheerfully served by Les in the cosy basement restaurant. 4 Ash Close, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7NH

Hotel Stapleford Park

The stately home experience is taken to extremes here: the finest wines, the most expensive cigars, and bedrooms designed by upmarket companies such as Crabtree & Evelyn and David Hicks. On the sporting front, you can fish, ride, clay pigeon shoot, play golf or practise falconry and archery. Stapleford, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE14 2EF.

Hotel Cliveden

This stately home was the former residence of the Astor family (and became associated in the public mind with the 1960s Profumo scandal). It still exudes a subtle combination of privileged grandeur and faintly louche luxury. The accommodation includes a cottage hideaway perfect for honeymooners. Taplow, Berkshire SL6 0JF.

Hotel Crown Inn

An excellent base for visits to Snape Maltings concert hall, this is a cosy, characterful pub with good food; pretty, beamed bedrooms (one with four-poster), simple bathrooms. Snape, Suffolk IP17 1SL

Hotel Angel

In the heart of the village, a welcoming inn with well-regarded food and bars buzzing with activity. Bedrooms are homely. Polstead Street, Stoke-by-Nayland, Colchester, Essex CO6 4SA

Hotel Drakestone House

For a taste of bygone elegance, try the splendid Edwardian family home of Hugh and Crystal St John-Mildmay. Stinchcombe, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 6AS.

Hotel Wyck Hill House

Manor house with superb views over Windrush Valley. Formal restaurant. Burford Rd, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1HY

Hotel Calcot Manor

Various outbuildings surround this old Cotswold manor. The renovated stables house the superb family rooms, with video, fridge, bunks and baby-listening. Children are especially welcome (there is a playroom supervised by a nanny). Adults enjoy the excellent cooking in the cool Conservatory or the Gumstool Inn. Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8YJ

Hotel Lake Isle

It’s a surprise to find something so rustic and countrified in the middle of a busy High Street, even a pretty one like Uppingham’s. The restaurant-with-rooms is entered through a flowery courtyard. Bedrooms are cosy, and the bar has a log fire on chilly evenings. Fully refurbished by new management. 16 High St East, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9PZ.

Hotel Owlpen Manor

Only superlatives are used to describe Owlpen Manor, hidden in its own little valley. Once seen, the magical Tudor house is never forgotten. This is luxurious ‘serviced’ self-catering: stay in a delightful cottage, barn or mill. Eat (Saturdays only) in the atmospheric restaurant, the Cyder House. Owlpen, nr Uley, Gloucestershire GL11 5BZ.

Hotel Feathers

This exceptionally civilized hotel is fashioned from four tall 17th-century townhouses. The place is hard to fault: relaxing upstairs drawing room (with library and open fire); beautifully decorated bedrooms; friendly, unobtrusive service; and excellent food in the lively wood-panelled dining room. Market St, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SX.

Hotel Caterham House

This centrally located B&B, set in two Georgian houses, is very attractive both inside and out. Stylish and well run. 58 Rother St, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6LT.

Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel & Country Club

This five-star hotel incorporates modern amenities (health spa, golf) in a grandiose setting. Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 0SD

Hotel Old Vicarage

Immaculately kept small hotel, with mostly large bedrooms and a sunny conservatory. Worfield, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV15 5JZ

Hotel Ramsholt Arms

Right by the water, this pub makes a perfect base for sailing, birdwatching or riverside treks. Dock Road, Ramsholt, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3AB.