Autumn Escapes: Britain’s Best Boutique Hotels
Autumn is arguably the best time to travel in Britain.
The crowds have cleared, the trees are turning, and the hospitality industry is quietly resetting itself with new menus, roaring fires and stocked cellars.
This season we’re drawn to the riverside calm of Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond, where sound healing and sauna rituals feel perfectly restorative. Down in Kent, Boys Hall is celebrating the debut of its very own English sparkling wine, while in the Cotswolds, The Rectory is all about roaring fires and long, lazy lunches. Somerset’s Number One Bruton is marking the harvest with feasts in its new private dining room, and further north, Rothay Manor in the Lake District makes the perfect base for blustery fell walks with four-legged friends.
Boys Hall, Kent
Reason to go: sparkling wine launch & new chef duo
With a dynamic new chef duo and the launch of Seventeen Sovereigns, their first English sparkling wine, Boys Hall is a brilliant choice for foodies this autumn. The menus showcase estate-grown produce, honey from their own hives and suppliers within ten miles. With crackling fires, huge bathtubs and its own tiny pub, it’s the perfect cosy escape – just 35 minutes by train from London.
From £180 B&B.
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Number One Bruton, Somerset
Reason to go: new private dining room at Bib Gourmand Briar
Set in a honey-hued Georgian townhouse, Number One Bruton is home to Briar, Sam Lomas’ Bib Gourmand-winning restaurant. This autumn brings a brand-new private dining room – ideal for gatherings – that links directly to the neighbouring Blue Ball, Bruton’s historic pub, freshly refurbished by owners Claudia and Aled. Step outside for Hauser & Wirth’s pumpkin festival, The Newt’s cider workshops and antiques-hunting in Bruton’s independents.
From £160 B&B.
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The Tawny, Staffordshire Peak District
Reason to go: new luxury self-catering with hotel perks
The Tawny’s latest self-catering property, Bath House, is a Grade II-listed castle-style retreat with all the service of a luxury hotel. Think: outdoor heated pool, sauna steam room, cold-water immersion, private chef on request and a fully stocked bar. Activities range from foraging adventures to kombucha and winter art workshops.
From £1,000 per night (Bath House) / hotel stays from £290 B&B.
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Glebe House, Devon
Reason to go: new cabins & seasonal workshops
East Devon favourite Glebe House is adding two new design-led cabins this autumn, created with Akin Studio and Out of the Valley. With private decks, sunken outdoor baths and views over the kitchen garden, they’re made for slow weekends. Seasonal workshops include bread making, cider pressing, pasta sessions with Sauce, and kombucha masterclasses.
From £560 for two nights in the new cabins.
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The Rectory, Cotswolds
Reason to go: Westonbirt Arboretum & seasonal game
Just minutes from Westonbirt Arboretum’s fiery autumn displays, The Rectory is a Cotswolds bolthole with roaring fires and roll-top baths. Menus lean into the season with venison from the local gamekeeper, pheasant (sometimes shot by the sous chef himself) and garden-grown pumpkin, beetroot and chard.
From £170 B&B.
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The Swan Inn, Fittleworth, Sussex
Reason to go: pub season, literary festivals & vineyard harvests
The Swan Inn is the ultimate pub-with-rooms, serving dishes like chicken and ham pie or whole mallard with game chips. This autumn, cosy up by the fire after exploring Petworth’s Literary Festival, Turner’s exhibition or Goodwood Revival. Don’t miss the rediscovered guestbooks, revealing visits from Rudyard Kipling and JM Barrie. Sussex’s vineyards are also in harvest – a perfect excuse for a glass of English wine.
From £180 B&B.
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Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond
Reason to go: riverside wellness & nourishing afternoon tea
B-Corp certified and set on the Thames, Bingham Riverhouse is launching an eco-treatment space alongside a new afternoon tea ritual. Guests can enjoy infrared saunas, sound healing, bespoke therapies and plant-based, refined-sugar-free menus. It’s the perfect Richmond escape – especially during the autumn internationals, with “Rugby Stays” packages available.
From £200 B&B.
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Rothay Manor, Lake District
Reason to go: leaf peeping & new restaurant Rowan
Autumn transforms the Lake District into a painter’s palette of golds and reds, perfect for “leaf peeping.” Stay at Rothay Manor – one of the UK’s most dog-friendly hotels – and walk from the door to Windermere’s colourful shores. New this season is Rowan, Head Chef Cameron Smith’s restaurant celebrating local produce with unfussy flair.
From £210 B&B.
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Room Mate Lime Tree, Belgravia
Reason to go: city break charm with Belgravia brunching
For a city escape with character, Lime Tree Hotel in Belgravia is a delight. After boutique shopping with mum or a pal in Elizabeth Street, retreat to The Buttery - the hotel’s light-filled café - for a seasonal brunch or coffee. Upstairs, rooms are bright, comfortable and stylish, making Lime Tree a perfect London bolthole for autumn weekends.
From £195 B&B.
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Where Will You Go Next?
From cosy pubs and Cotswolds boltholes to sparkling wine in Kent and riverside rituals in Richmond, autumn is brimming with reasons to book a stay. Whether you’re after roaring fires, wild walks or city brunches, Britain’s hotels have never looked better.
