Whether you’re celebrating something special, wanting a romantic getaway or just need a well-earned rest after the working week has taken its toll, knowing you have a luxurious weekend break lined up is one of the best feelings in the world. And those breaks don’t get better than when a MICHELIN-Star meal is involved. Sure, you could stay closer to home and enjoy some great cooking there, but there’s something about retiring to your room in a country manor or cute cottage that just feels so much more restful. So, here are our Inspector-approved picks for the UK & Ireland’s best all-in-one destinations.
British Country Houses and National Parks
Gleneagles: The Gold-Standard Golf Resort
Auchterarder, Perth and KinrossThe Location: We’re sure the countryside surrounding Gleneagles is lovely, but frankly you could easily keep yourself entertained for the full weekend without having to leave the premises. It describes its 850 acres as ‘The Glorious Playground’ and that’s no oversell. Three 18-hole golf courses are an obvious draw for fans of the game, but there’s plenty to do for everyone else too, including padel tennis, horse riding, shooting, falconry and indoor bouldering (yes, really).
The Restaurant: Gleneagles’ flagship eatery, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, is named after its original chef, who tragically passed away in 2019, and his portrait presides over the dining room. It’s a fitting tribute to a chef whose style can be felt across the menu, with an evident pride in Scottish ingredients combined with superb classical French technique. Just taste one of the rich, glossy sauces and you’ll know what we mean.
The Rooms: We’ve covered what the grounds and Gleneagles Sporting Club have to offer, but what about the hotel itself? Well, it’s as grand as you’d expect, a huge building where luxury is always within reach. The bedrooms are perhaps not as overtly decadent as you may expect, but there’s a plushness to the furnishings that feels entirely fitting. Make sure you find time to visit the expansive spa too.
Forest Side: The Lake District’s Unmistakeable Splendour
Grasmere, CumbriaThe Location: What more is there to say about the Lake District? If you’ve ever walked its stunning peaks and valleys, marvelled at its tranquil waters or even got caught in its famous rain, we’re sure you’ll have been singing its praises from the hilltops. If you’ve never been, let’s just say you should pack your walking boots and a camera. Forest Side makes a terrific base, with Grasmere, one of the most famous lakes, just five minutes’ drive away.
The Restaurant: One of the many great things about the Lakes is the region’s unfailingly great culinary scene and its superb produce. At Forest Side, the chefs take full advantage, with bright, colourful dishes that pack in as many local ingredients as possible. Look out for those from their own kitchen garden used in a variety of enticing ways, such as polytunnel tomatoes turned into a homemade tabasco.
The Rooms: As you approach, Forest Side is the kind of hotel that makes you sit up and take notice. An imposing Gothic mansion, it’s a mightily impressive building, especially when framed by its well-kept gardens and lush trees. Inside, the interiors have a classic-contemporary style that suits the surroundings, while the Master rooms often come with stunning Lakeland views – which is why you’re here, after all.
Farlam Hall: A Country House with a Twist
Brampton, CumbriaThe Location: About as far north in Cumbria as you can get without crossing the Scottish border, Farlam Hall is proof that the Lake District doesn’t have a monopoly on the county’s picturesque scenery and pristine country houses. Historic Hadrian’s Wall is just a few miles up the road, while walkers will be glad of both the North Pennines and Northumberland National Parks a short drive away.
The Restaurant: The kind of classically French-based cooking you might expect in a hotel like this is given a subtle Indian flavour at Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai. Having grown up cooking with his mother in Pune, Western India, Desai later trained in both France and the UK, along with winning the Roux Scholarship. The result is a chef with supreme skill and judgement, subtly spicing his dishes to enhance the superb local produce.
The Rooms: Think country house without the frills. The interior design may not be cutting-edge modernism, but there’s a pared-back style and muted colour palette that’s been blended seamlessly with the warmth and softness you expect in historic houses like this. For more space and greater grandeur, consider the Stable Suites with their own living areas. Farlam Hall is also one of the only hotels of its kind to offer a special Diwali package, complete with a gala dinner curated by Desai.
Grantley Hall: The Definitive Country House?
Ripon, North YorkshireThe Location: It’s desirable for so many reasons. For walkers and nature lovers, Grantley Hall is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, meaning it’s perfect for rambles both short and long, always accompanied by stunning scenery. More of a history buff? The strikingly well-preserved ancient monastery at Fountains Abbey will do the job. And to top it off, the famously pretty town of Harrogate is just 10 miles away.
The Restaurant: The house’s flagship restaurant is run by experienced chef Shaun Rankin, who infuses the cooking with his own experiences and memories from growing up in Yorkshire. There’s an originality running throughout his ‘Taste of Home’ menu, in dishes such as a ‘Bronze Fennel Magnum’ pre-dessert. A top-drawer service team add to the experience, guiding you through with aplomb.
The Rooms: This grand 17th-century mansion comes at the end of an equally impressive driveway, along which you glimpse the verdant grounds. Inside, modernity and history blend seamlessly, while there’s an impressive choice of amenities. If you fancy a tipple, choose between the wood-panelled country warmth of the Norton Bar, or the sleek modernity of the subterranean Valeria’s Champagne & Cocktail Bar.
Lucknam Park: King of the Cotswolds
Colerne, WiltshireThe Location: If you’re a first-time visitor to the UK and are picturing the countryside as all chocolate-box villages with cottages built out of golden-hued stone, then the Cotswolds is your best bet to avoid disappointment. This undeniably pretty Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is like a (literal) breath of fresh air when you’re fed up with busy city life. Lucknam Park is at its southern end, more easily accessed from London, Bristol and Bath.
The Restaurant: It’s a testament to Chef Hywel Jones that 2025 marked his 20th consecutive year here with a MICHELIN Star. In a setting as spectacular as this, you’d expect luxury ingredients and the kitchen duly delivers, with the likes of Orkney scallops and line-caught turbot cooked with sophistication and a lightness of touch.
The Rooms: Holding Three MICHELIN Keys and standing as one of the very finest hotels in the country, Lucknam Park is a joy to behold, from its ivy-cradled exterior to its characterful bedrooms, via extensive parkland and even its own stables. The interior design, without slipping into self-parody, thinks nothing of unnecessary minimalism – this is a grand country house and it dresses like it, with gorgeous prints, four-poster beds and country cottages that’ll make you want to move in.
Gidleigh Park: A Dartmoor Delight for Nature Lovers
Chagford, DevonThe Location: Not many top restaurants and hotels can claim to be in the heart of a National Park, but that’s exactly what you get at Gidleigh Park. Enveloped by the stunning scenery and abundant wildlife of Dartmoor (which you can read more about here), it’s an ideal spot for feeling like you’ve really escaped the noise. The narrow country lane that leads up to the house seems to go on forever, but at the end is a pot of gold in hotel form.
The Restaurant: Gidleigh Park delivers everything you could want from a country house dining experience. The setting is, of course, gorgeous, but so are the interiors, with both the lounge and dining room boasting a formal elegance. The cooking doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel; instead it focuses on superb premium ingredients cooked with textbook skill and fused together in perfect combinations.
The Rooms: While the main house is instantly recognisable for its Tudor-style exterior, it’s actually a much later construction and inside features a few Arts and Crafts design touches. The prevailing style however, is a kind of gentle elegance, where the guestrooms are free of the fustiness of some country houses, while retaining their character. For something special, book the spa suite with its own sauna, or the thatched garden cottage.
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Rural Ireland’s Great Estates
Adare Manor: An All-in-One Package
Adare, County LimerickThe Location: Like Gleneagles, Adare Manor is a Three-MICHELIN-Key estate where you needn’t leave the grounds to feel like you’re visiting paradise. Spanning 840 acres in total, it’s a destination unto itself where you can easily spend an entire day relaxing. Start with a stroll round the beautifully manicured gardens; follow it up with a round of golf on the pristine 18-hole course; then have a massage in the spa before dinner.
The Restaurant: Dinner, by the way, is of course a MICHELIN-Starred affair. The Oak Room has an air of formality that suits the sumptuous setting, with wood panelling and oil paintings lending it a historic grandeur, while the views of these grounds are always welcome. The chefs have earned their Star with complex, technically skilled dishes that deliver all the depth and poise you would expect. Keep an eye out for luxury ingredients too.
The Rooms: We’ve already extolled the virtues of the wider Adare Manor estate, but it would be remiss not to mention just how beautiful the main house is too. From its striking neo-Gothic exterior to the high-ceilinged rooms filled with lavish details, it’s the kind of place where you need to pause and drink it all in. The elegant bedrooms match the vibe, without tipping into overindulgence.
Ballyfin Demesne: Full-Force Grandeur
Ballyfin, County LaoisThe Location: Of Ireland’s sprawling estates, Ballyfin is one of the better located if you’re coming from Dublin, situated just an hour away from the capital. Nevertheless, it still feels properly rural and its grounds are large enough for it to seem like a self-contained world. Activities on the grounds include archery, tennis, bird watching and boating on the 28-acre lake – a feature the hotel is rightly proud of.
The Restaurant: Like the rest of this Regency-era mansion, the dining room embraces luxury and has no time for understatement. As you settle in under the chandelier, the charming team will see to your every need, before serving a menu rooted in the classics. Prime ingredients are handled with poise and enhanced by the chefs’ particular skill with textbook sauces and broths. It’s exactly the restaurant you want in a setting like this.
The Rooms: Why make yourself look like a modern city hotel, when traditional country opulence is so much more fun? That’s very much the Ballyfin ethos, with its vast lounges, ornate decoration and walls lined with portraits of centuries-old nobility. The bedrooms follow this trend, leaning into their history and delighting fans of elaborate wallpaper everywhere.
Cashel Palace: The Luxury Home of History and Horses
Cashel, County TipperaryThe Location: Yes, Cashel Palace has big country manor energy (it is called ‘Palace’ after all), but it’s not actually as remote as that would suggest. Instead, it’s just off the main street in Cashel town, a small place best known for the Rock of Cashel. This collection of medieval religious buildings is laden with historical significance and can be accessed via a walk through the Palace’s private gardens. Some of the bedrooms have a view of the Rock too.
The Restaurant: Down in the cellars of the Palace, The Bishop’s Buttery provides a simply charming setting for its MICHELIN-Star dining. Eye-catching fabrics combine with stone floors, exposed brick and vaulted ceilings to create the sense you’re dining in another century. The cooking is all about showing off fabulous ingredients, many of them Irish and some even from Cashel itself – like superb beef from the local butcher.
The Rooms: These days, the hotel extends beyond its original Palladian mansion, with bedrooms in the main house, Garden Wing extension and converted buildings along the Avenue. There’s a slightly different flavour in each area and plenty of characterful details, such as Gothic arch windows. Lots of equestrian-themed art is a hint that the owners have their own stud farm and can arrange a variety of horse-based activities, including Tipperary mountain trekking.
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Intimate Restaurants with Rooms
Outlaw's Guest House: A Seafood Lover’s Dream
Port Isaac, CornwallThe Location: Offering something different to the country house template found across most of the UK, the quaint Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac makes for the perfect coastal getaway. Situated just north of mightily popular Padstow, it’s a small place that packs in plenty of picturesque charm. While you’re here, why not drive along the coast and bask in the spectacular sea views?
The Restaurant: In foodie circles, Port Isaac is best known as the home of renowned seafood chef Nathan Outlaw, who shows off his superb skill and understanding at two separate MICHELIN-Starred restaurants. The New Road uses more luxury produce while the Fish Kitchen is cosier and built around sharing. They’re united by Outlaw’s commitment to understatement and purity, and both feature his signature Porthilly sauce.
The Rooms: The final piece of the puzzle is the Guest House, where Nathan and Rachel Outlaw have created a welcoming home away from home. With just nine rooms, quirky touches and an honesty bar, it’s got a personal, low-key vibe you just won’t find in a big hotel. They know most people are coming for the food, so wisely offer package deals, including a two-night stay with one dinner in each restaurant.
Ynyshir: An Experience Like No Other
Machynlleth, PowysThe Location: Perched on the edge of Eryri National Park (also known as Snowdonia), Ynyshir is another ideal place for escaping the city. Located off a little country lane, it’s very much a destination restaurant, where the Two-MICHELIN-Star food is the main draw. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t explore while you’re here; there’s gorgeous scenery aplenty nearby, while the famous Mount Snowdon is a must for experienced hikers.
The Restaurant: There’s simply no other restaurant quite like Ynyshir. Chef Gareth Ward is something of a culinary original, doing things his own way and with bucketloads of passion. The experience (and it really is an experience) starts around 5pm and involves around 30 courses of outstandingly complex yet pure cooking incorporating a variety of Japanese influences. All guests face the open kitchen, increasing the sense of theatre, while a DJ keeps the energy flowing.
The Rooms: Frankly, after five hours and nearly 30 courses, the last thing you want is a long journey back to your hotel. So, a stay on the grounds here at Ynyshir is all the more appealing. Given its location, you’d be forgiven for thinking Ynyshir was a country house hotel – and indeed it used to be, before Gareth Ward came along and painted it all in black. Like the restaurant, the rooms have a moody style and showcase furnishings from local artisans.
Meadowsweet: Norfolk’s Pint-Sized Gem
Holt, NorfolkThe Location: You could do a lot worse than the pretty market town of Holt as a base for your weekend away. It’s a charming place, with plenty of cafés and delis to keep you fed throughout the day, plus the Holt Vinyl Vault, a record shop inside a historic Post Office that’s now a ‘Punk Office’. Take time to explore the surrounding area, especially the North Norfolk coastline, which is home to some delightful little villages.
The Restaurant: A tiny gem of a restaurant hidden away from the town centre, Meadowsweet is the home of Greg Anderson and Rebecca Williams. The latter is a charming and attentive host, ensuring your experience has a personal touch. Anderson’s cooking is based around superb produce, which he knows how to craft into dishes with balance and depth of flavour. Individual cutlery draws in the tables are a lovely touch.
The Rooms: There are only three of them, so you’ll want to book early. The small size increases the appeal though, making the experience feel all the more personal and exclusive. The design is simple and restrained. If you want a bigger, grander getaway nearby, consider Morston Hall. Galton Blackiston’s long-time MICHELIN-Star restaurant is a delightful spot and was also where Greg Anderson made his name.
The Glenturret Lalique: Paradise for Whisky Lovers
Crieff, Perth and KinrossThe Location: Only 20 minutes from Gleneagles, The Glenturret Lalique is situated in the same Perthshire countryside, but offers a very different experience. A restaurant with rooms rather than a full-on hotel, it’s all about food and, as it’s located in the Glenturret Distillery, whisky. Distillery tours and tastings are a must-do for lovers of a fine single malt. And if you’ve still got time to spare, why not pop down the road for a round of golf at Gleneagles?
The Restaurant: Having won its second MICHELIN Star in 2024, this has become a real destination restaurant. Outstanding luxury ingredients are a feature, as is Chef Mark Donald’s playful streak, as seen in the ‘Bisque-it’ concoction where a thin, prawn-shaped biscuit is filled with an intense shellfish cream. As the restaurant is operated by the famed Lalique glasswork brand, keep an eye out for their stunning creations throughout the restaurant, from the chandeliers to the napkin rings.
The Rooms: Whilst The Glenturret is primarily a restaurant, they also offer a ‘Gastronomic Stay’ package for diners to stay overnight in the nearby Aberturret Estate House. Alongside the bedrooms, the house includes a lounge, dining room, cocktail bar and open-plan kitchen you can share with your fellow guests. If you’re coming in a big group, then the full 12-person cottage is available for exclusive hire.
On the Edge of the City
Great Fosters: A Convenient London Escape
Egham, SurreyThe Location: ‘Just outside London’ is the headline here, making it an ideal getaway after a busy week working in the city. Specifically, it’s just outside Egham, which is only a 40-minute train from Waterloo station. If you decide to drive, then you’ll have the chance to explore the area: visit Runnymede, where the Magna Carta was signed; explore the green expanse of Windsor Great Park; or soak up the royal splendour at Windsor Castle.
The Restaurant: The Tudor Pass lives up to its name with its rich old-world décor and tapestries, but its kitchen is filled with young, modern-day vigour. Stefano di Giosia is relatively new to his role as Executive Head Chef, yet you wouldn’t know it from his confident, interesting dishes that show a brilliant understanding of the interplay between both flavours and textures.
The Rooms: Once a Tudor hunting lodge, this is a hotel that embraces its past with a cheeky wink. The bedrooms vary wildly in style, from those with a muted modernity to those that go all-out on the historic design. The Italian Suite, with its deep reds and ornate carvings, will have you feeling like you’ve stepped into the wrong century, while the Tapestry Suite audaciously combines vibrant colours with an old-school tapestry.
Moor Hall: Three-MICHELIN-Star Excellence
Aughton, LancashireThe Location: The great thing about Moor Hall is that despite its country house name and look, it’s not situated out in the wilderness. It sits on the edge of the village of Aughton and most importantly is only a few miles outside Liverpool. That means that if you’re a Liverpudlian yourself, it’s the easiest weekend escape you’ll find, while those coming from further afield can explore a pivotal city in British cultural history.
The Restaurant: As the only country house in Britain with a Three-MICHELIN-Star restaurant, it’s safe to say the food is integral to the appeal here. Chef Mark Birchall’s cooking is impressive in so many ways, taking exceptional ingredients, preparing them with utmost skill and combining them in ingenuous ways. If you fancy something more relaxed, The Barn is the hotel’s second restaurant and has a Star of its own.
The Rooms: The 16th-century manor house is much smaller than some countryside palaces, with just 14 rooms in total. But that both keeps the focus on its superlative restaurant and means there’s a more individual feel to the bedrooms. Each one is different, with the garden rooms the most stylishly minimalist, those in the ‘Gatehouse’ immersing you in the grounds, and the main house combining history and modernity with ease.
Hampton Manor: A Stunning Garden Restaurant
Hampton in Arden, West MidlandsThe Location: This imposing Victorian mansion lies just outside Birmingham, making it the perfect base for exploring the city. From its cathedral and galleries to shopping in the Jewellery Quarter, we’ve rounded up all the highlights in our handy itinerary. Of course, if you happen to live in Birmingham yourself, then Hampton Manor will provide the rural hideaway you’ve been craving all week, just 30 minutes down the road.
The Restaurant: Grace & Savour, the flagship restaurant, is one of the loveliest dining settings you will find. Overlooking the walled garden, it’s a quietly elegant space in a modern building away from the main house. Dishes are often intensely detailed and always highly skilled, not to mention beautifully presented. And of course, ingredients from the garden outside will find their way onto the menu.
The Rooms: Like many grand estates, Hampton Manor spreads its bedrooms across multiple different buildings. Those in the main house have the most historic touches, plus eye-catching yet tasteful wallpaper that screams ‘country house’; the suites in the walled garden are noticeably more stripped-back but still with a rural, cosy feel, just a more Nordic-esque one; and finally, there’s a whole garden cottage available if you’re really celebrating.
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Hero Image: The Tudor Pass, a MICHELIN-Star hotel restaurant that's perfect for a weekend getaway. © Great Fosters/The Tudor Pass
