England’s essential luxury travel...

Live like lords and ladies in historic mansions and the height of English refinement

With its luscious rolling countryside, dramatic coastline and age-old attractions, there’s a wealth of luxury to discover beyond London in England’s heritage-drenched cities and hamlets.

From Bath’s thermal springs, which have attracted tourists for 2,000 years, to VIP shopping experiences in Bicester Village, there are rich pickings to explore. Visitors can follow in the well-heeled footsteps of historical figures, stay in country estates and dine like monarchs in Michelin-starred restaurants.

Inspired by Starring Great Britain: A Premium Collection 2025, here’s Connecting Travel’s guide to English luxuries outside of London.

Follow historic icons to Beaverbrook
Sir Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor, Rudyard Kipling and Ian Fleming are just some of the famous Brits who have visited Beaverbrook, just 20 miles outside London in the rolling Surrey Hills. The former private residence of newspaper magnate and politician Lord Beaverbrook, the 475-acre estate has been sensitively transformed into the ultimate out-of-town escape.

The Victorian mansion pays homage to its heritage and devotion to the arts – think high ceilings, marble columns and oil paintings – while also delivering Japanese-inspired fine dining, naturopathic treatments at the stained-glass roof spa and quintessentially British pursuits. Enjoy croquet on the manicured lawns, daily film screenings at Britain’s first home cinema (popcorn included), or a round of golf.

Stay in the Master Suite with its four-poster bed and full-length bathroom windows overlooking Surrey’s verdant hills, or in The Village, a buggy ride away from the main house, where suites are themed around famous British authors. Leatherhead, Surrey, www.beaverbrook.co.uk

Beaverbrook, Surrey

Revel in the risqué history of riverside retreat Cliveden House
Built in 1666 by the Second Duke of Buckingham for his mistress, Cliveden House is the epitome of aristocratic luxury. Whether approaching the Italianate-style mansion by the tree-lined gravel driveway or via vintage boat on the River Thames, first impressions are of grandeur and opulence.

Rooms and suites are grand with high ceilings, plush fabrics, antiques and original works of art, some with hot tubs. The ultimate stay is the three-bedroom riverside Spring Cottage with private gardens and boat mooring, where Queen Victoria would often take afternoon tea. Taplow, Berkshire, www.clivedenhouse.co.uk

Frequented by politicians, musicians and socialites, Cliveden House was the starting point for the Profumo Affair that rocked British politics in the 1960s

Suite, Cliveden House

Wander through wonderful Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is one of the most popular National Trust properties, with visitors keen to explore the storied house, its gardens and impressive art collection. Built in a French Renaissance style by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874 to house his artworks, special events and exhibitions are held throughout the year.

The gardens are a testimony to Victorian haute-horticulture, brought up-to-date with a woodland playground for kids and guided walks for enthusiasts. There are also multiple dining venues, including Manor Restaurant, which offers dishes enhanced with ingredients from the nearby gardens and tours of the wine cellars housing the Rothschild collection. Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, www.waddeston.org.uk

Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire

Feast on farm-to-table cuisine at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Helmed by legendary chef Raymond Blanc, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is more than just a top-notch restaurant. Tucked away in the Oxfordshire countryside, it’s part of a Belmond Hotel housed in a 15th-century manor. Famous for pioneering the garden-to-table concept, it has earned two Michelin stars.

Those who stay over can partake in cooking and gardening lessons, plucking herbs from the kitchen garden or fruit from the orchard, before retiring to one of the 32 individually designed rooms inspired by Raymond’s travels. Great Milton, Oxfordshire, www.belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons

Le Manoir-Rouge et Noir, Deluxe Bedroom

Bag a decadent bargain at Bicester Village
Best described as an alfresco designer outlet mall, Bicester Village brings a boutique high-street vibe to luxury brand retail. A popular stop on the tourist circuit, with direct trains from central London, this is where discerning bargain hunters from all over the world discover their happy place.

With up to 40% off at more than 150 luxury fashion and lifestyle boutiques, including British heritage brands such as Burberry, Barbour, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith, there are also restaurants and cafes to recharge and compare purchases.

Even better, book an appointment with the personal shopper and get expert advice and curated suggestions in a private, one-to-one consultation. Bicester, Oxfordshire, www.thebicestercollection.com

Unwind in the Cotswolds at The Manor House
The Manor House is a 14th-century ode to the region’s honey-coloured stone dwellings and all that is great about British country life. There are just 50 rooms and suites brimming with period features, from open brickwork to timber rafters, and a row of mews-style cottages, each with private courtyards, giving guests a true experience of living in an ‘idyllic’ English village.

A sprawling retreat with meandering gardens and a babbling brook, guests will find plenty to do, from games of tennis and rounds of golf (there’s an 18-hole course) to spa treatments, delivered in a brick potting shed during summer months. Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, www.exclusive.co.uk/the-manor-house

Experience the seven-course tasting menu at The Manor House's one-Michelin-starred Bybrook

Soak in Bath’s thermal springs at Spa Village
One of England’s historical hotspots, the Roman city of Bath is around an hour and a half west of London by train. With its natural thermal springs, Bath has been welcoming wellness tourists for more than 2,000 years.

Today, Spa Village at The Gainsborough is the ideal spot to experience Bath’s therapeutic waters. The Romanesque-style spa village taps into the original ancient Roman underground springs to deliver a mineral-rich bathing circuit that includes three natural thermal pools, one set under a glass-roofed atrium, as well as saunas and steam rooms and an ice alcove. Treatments on offer include detoxifying mud scrubs and mineral facials.

Accommodation of the highest order is also available, with the hotel offering stays in stylish rooms and suites, and the adjacent Townhouse, an elegant Georgian property featuring three bedrooms over four floors, with a full kitchen, dining area, lounge and patio. Bath, Somerset, www.thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk

Spa Village at The Gainsborough, Bath

Enjoy hospitality with personality at the Queensberry Hotel
Also located in beautiful Bath, edging the city’s artisan quarter, is the Queensberry Hotel, home to Bath’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, The Olive Tree, and one of only 72 hotels in the UK and Ireland to be awarded a single Michelin Key in recognition of premium design, architecture, service and personality.

Spanning four Georgian townhouses, this family-owned boutique hotel prides itself on rooms and suites that are as individual as the guests who stay in them, some with ornate fireplaces, chandeliers and large Georgian windows overlooking the street. Try one of the stylish Junior Suites with colourful furnishings, velvet armchairs and wildlife-inspired wallpaper.

Guests can feast on seasonal British dishes and bold flavours in the restaurant, take coffee in the cosy drawing room, or head to the snug Old Q Bar for crafted cocktails. Bath, Somerset, www.thequeensberry.co.uk

Discover Dartmoor at the Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa
Located in Dartmoor National Park, the century-old Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa first opened in 1930 as a golf resort and now offers myriad outdoor activities as well as premium accommodations. Guests can try their hands at archery, beekeeping, cider making, falconry, fly fishing, off-road driving, yoga and even bushcraft.

Rooms and suites in the expansive main hotel are spacious and luxurious, while larger groups and families may prefer the private estate lodges, each with three en-suite bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen, lounge and dining room, decking and a balcony with a barbecue.

Facilities include a spa, swimming pool and two restaurants. The Great Western Grill and Smith’s Brasserie celebrate local British produce. Newton Abbot, Devon, www.boveycastle.com

Pool, Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa

Get a room at The Grand, York’s only five-star hotel
Just two hours from London by train, the Roman-walled cathedral city of York has a rich railway heritage, celebrated in the city’s National Railway Museum and The Grand hotel, built in 1906 as the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway.

Just a three-minute walk from the station, and an easy amble to the picturesque city centre, lovely Museum Gardens and riverside, The Grand is York’s only five-star property, complete with a spa and pool located in the former vaults.

There are more than 200 rooms and suites to choose from, many with original Edwardian features, but with views over York Minster and the City Walls, the Penthouse Suite is highly recommended.

Hungry guests can choose between The Rise, serving British classics with a Yorkshire twist, the oak-panelled Legacy dining room, which offers distinguished tasting menus, or get hands-on with a lesson at the in-house cookery school. York, Yorkshire, www.thegrandyork.co.uk

The Grand is home to a lounge bar modelled on an Edwardian first-class railway waiting room

Historic walled city of York

Go the extra mile at Grantley Hall
Voted Best Countryside Hotel in the UK and Best Service in the UK by Conde Nast Johansens in 2023, Grantley Hall in Yorkshire delivers award-winning hospitality in the grandest of surroundings. The Presidential Suite is home to a baby grand piano, private bar and spacious living areas.

Despite having just 47 rooms and suites, this 17th-century estate hotel boasts five restaurants (one with a Michelin star), three eye-catching bars, a modern spa and wellness centre and a century-old Japanese Garden. Ripon, Yorkshire, www.grantleyhall.co.uk

Bar, Grantley Hall, Yorkshire

Cheer the Blues at Manchester City
While 2024/25 might not have been a great season by Manchester City’s high standards, a matchday experience or Etihad Stadium tour will make every visitor feel like a winner.

The VIP Stadium Tour is a two-hour, behind-the-scenes window on the world of the Premier League team, including areas of the stadium ticket holders don’t get to see, like the first team changing room and the media centre, where visitors have the chance to interact with a virtual version of manager Pep Guardiola.

The Icon Experience is a must for serious fans, with a chance to meet star players, have a stadium tour with a City legend, stand pitchside during the warm-up, sit in the best seats for the big game directly behind the dugout, plus full hospitality throughout the day. Etihad Campus, Manchester, www.mancity.com/tours and www.mancity.com/hospitality/mens.

Etihad Stadium tour

Find luxury in the Lakes at Langdale Chase Hotel
Set in the stunning Lake District landscape, Langdale Chase Hotel will take your breath away. Sitting on the shore, the serene property has been welcoming guests since 1891 and, after a sensitive restoration, is again providing understated luxury escapes.

Stunning views from the 30 stylish rooms at this Victorian villa are the main attraction, and while the hotel encourages guests to “kick back and fine tune the art of doing absolutely nothing”, it also suggests invigorating lake swimming, walks with the in-house expert guide, chats with the head gardener, some serious off-roading through the tree-covered hills, and chartering its 1920s wooden motor yacht.Windermere, Lake District, www.langdalechase.co.uk

Family two-bedroom suites with private entrances offer views of Windermere and the gardens

Langdale Chase Hotel, Lake District

Retreat to the country at Matfen Hall
Close to Hadrian’s Wall, this heritage hotel, spa and golf resort makes the most of the unspoilt Northumberland landscape and is the only five-star hotel in the county. Matfen Hall is set in 300 acres of pristine parkland, while the Gothic building dates back to the 17th century and is a grand getaway close to the Roman-built Hadrian’s Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The 63 rooms are all special, but luxury travellers will love the elegant suites with antique furniture, marble bathrooms, chauffeur and concierge services, plus access to The Retreat spa with its swimming pool, thermal suite and fitness centre.

There are five restaurants, bars and lounges, including the book-lined fine-dining Emerald Restaurant, a former library, and the sunny bistro-style Orangery. Matfen, Northumberland, www.matfenhall.com

Matfen Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Ride, dine and stay at Cumbria’s Netherby Hall
For a completely immersive experience, Netherby Hall in Cumbria offers nine characterful self-catering cottages and apartments on a private estate. Not only can guests enjoy a personal tour with the owner, they also have the chance to take a horse-drawn carriage to dine at his Michelin-starred Pentonbridge Inn nearby.

Located between the Lake District and Scottish Highlands, Netherby Hall’s walled garden even supplies fruit, vegetables and herbs to the award-winning restaurant.

As well as one- and two-bedroom apartments, there are three cottages suited to groups, including the delightful Gardener’s Cottage packed with rustic charm, exposed beams, a log-burning stove and two double bedrooms. Carlisle, Cumbria, www.netherbyhall.co.uk

For more information, visit www.visitbritain.org/starring-great-britain-premium-collection-2025 and download the Starring Great Britain – A Premium Collection 2025 guide here