These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Note that our writers visited these hotels prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the weather warming up, golf season is in full swing. Here’s our pick of the best golf hotels in the UK and top hotels for British golf breaks, including the best for world-class golf courses, comfy rooms, Michelin-starred dining and sumptuous spas across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
ENGLAND
Bovey Castle
Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor, England
Bovey Castle’s dramatic location overlooking lushly wooded hills on the western side of Dartmoor National Park is superb. It is the ideal base from which to pursue a range of “country sports”, whether it’s hunting, shooting, fishing, or a round of golf on the 18-hole championship course. Inside, there’s a heated swimming pool and whirlpool plus small spa and gym. Rooms are texture-rich and comfy, and come with decanters of estate-made sloe gin.
From
£
180
per night
Rates provided by
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• The best hotels in England
The Grove
Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, England
Tiger Woods won a World Golf Championship event here in 2006, and the British Masters was held here in 2016. The Grove’s celebrity clientele isn’t the only reason it’s earned a strong reputation. It ticks all the boxes of a luxury stay, from its championship golf course to its experiential spa. Other activities include Segways and bikes to rent, fitness classes and a beach complete with deckchairs, though a whole day could be whiled away with a book in one of its six elegantly designed lounges.
From
£
445
per night
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Rockliffe Hall
Hurworth-on-Tees, Durham, England
A Victorian mansion with a vast modern extension, a top-class spa, Wonderland-themed children’s facilities and a championship golf course. The cheapest bedrooms – admirably large and well equipped – are found in various outbuildings; some are self-catering apartments. Dining here is a treat, from head chef Richard Allen’s tasting menus to The Brasserie and the Clubhouse (out on the golf course).
From
£
235
per night
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Rudding Park Hotel & Spa
Follifoot, Yorkshire, England
This large, contemporary-style country house hotel is surrounded by parkland near Harrogate. The big draw – two golf courses, aside – is the extensive (think three tennis courts for size) rooftop spa that has seriously raised the bar with its hydrotherapy pool, saunas, spa bath and steam rooms dotted amongst lounging areas, trees and shrubs.
From
£
307
per night
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Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa
Leavenheath, Suffolk, England
A hotel with a story, founded two decades ago by the owners of the Copella fruit business and still surrounded by the orchards the family bought at the end of the war when it was a Women’s Land Army farm. Facilities include the two golf courses (and a golf simulator for limbering up), squash courts, a spacious gym equipped with very high-spec gear, and a spa and indoor pool and hot tub. There’s also a cosy bar and a decent restaurant, another, simpler grill restaurant above the golfers’ clubhouse and a well-equipped shop.
From
£
81
per night
Rates provided by
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• The best hotels in the UK
Carden Park
Cheshire, England
With a beautiful setting and excellent facilities, Carden Park is ideal for activity filled weekends and golf breaks in the UK. A massive range of diversions spans two championship golf courses (one of them designed by Jack Nicklaus), quad biking, an aerial ropes course, and Jeep off-roading experiences. There’s also a leisure centre with pool, sauna and gym, a hairdressers and a three-acre vineyard, producing sparkling wine. The jewel in the Carden crown is its new £10 million spa, which is out to compete with the best in the country.
From
£
136
per night
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SCOTLAND
The Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Arguably one of the most famous golf resorts in the UK. Golfers go weak at the knees at the mere mention of the championship courses, but with three of them and a nine-hole course, plus a fabulous spa, and chef Andrew Fairlie (a bit of an icon himself) offering two-starred Michelin food, there’s a little bit of heaven for everyone. The leisure club is suitably luxurious, with two pools and an outdoor hot pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, gym and fitness training. There are indoor and outdoor tennis courts, as well as croquet, archery, segway tours and bike hire.
From
£
244
per night
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Greywalls Hotel & Chez Roux
Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland
You don’t have to play golf to love this golfing hotel – an Edwardian beauty of enduring charm. The remarkably unspoilt Lutyens-designed Arts and Crafts house has a heavenly walled garden attributed to Gertrude Jekyll, and offers a Chez Roux restaurant, old-fashioned service and quiet luxury throughout. As well as special golf packages (there are no fewer than 22 courses within 10 miles – a great area to know about for golf holidays in the UK), there are other distractions: tennis courts and croquet, fishing, clay pigeon shooting and bicycles by arrangement.
From
£
293
per night
Rates provided by
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• The best hotels in Scotland
Trump Turnberry
Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
A legendary golf and spa resort overlooking the Firth of Clyde, restored to Edwardian splendor by the Trump family with two championship courses – the Ailsa course, host of four Open Championships and the newer King Robert the Bruce course – and more sporting and leisure activities than you can shake a golf club at. Richly carpeted corridors, leather armchairs and gilt edged rosewood furnishings foster the ambiance of a grand country house. The vibe is relaxed and sociable, rather than stuffy and pretentious. There are 198 rooms and suites, a complex of cottages, and self-catering apartments.
From
£
206
per night
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Fairmont St Andrews Hotel
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
This modern resort hotel has the right mix of facilities to be a glamorous crowd pleaser, while retaining personal, excellent service. The property is situated yards from the sea, just outside the smart university town of St Andrews – the ‘Home of Golf’. This rural location grants the hotel 520 acres of space, enough for two golf courses, over 200 bedrooms and several dining options. A complimentary shuttle bus transports guests three miles to St Andrews, ideal for those who wish to explore the cathedral, castle and the British Golf Museum.
From
£
161
per night
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Macdonald Rusacks Hotel
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
This is more than a hotel for golfers, it’s a hotel that celebrates golf, its history and heroes. It’s quite immersive, whether you play the game or not. The public spaces, lounges and lobbies are vast and grand. The Austen Gallery is a golfing shrine, featuring walls of bright golfing portraits. The soft furnishings are rich and heavy, and the colour schemes are dark throughout (maroons and purples, or browns and burnt orange), but this grande dame of a hotel has a traditional charm in keeping with its situation next to the Old Course and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Modernity and minimalism can wait.
From
£
163
per night
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Wales
The Celtic Manor Resort
Newport, Wales
Telecoms tycoon Sir Terry Matthews’ dream came true when he brought the Ryder Cup to Celtic Manor, his birthplace, in 2010. More than just a place to stay and play golf – there are 54 holes of it – the Principality’s biggest hotel aims to be a centre of Welsh excellence and a one-stop resort for families, short breaks, events, and couples. Rooms are comfortable and functional. Big groups and large families might prefer one of the 10, self-contained Hunter Lodges, each with four bedrooms, a cavernous sitting room, well-equipped kitchen and a hot tub on a private deck.
From
£
125
per night
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• The best hotels in Wales
Vale Resort
Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Spread across 650 acres of castle grounds on the fringes of Cardiff, the Vale Resort is a terrific getaway, with one of Wales’ top-ranking spas, two championship golf courses, a health club, country walks and plenty of activities to amuse the kids. Spread over vast grounds, the style is uncluttered and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows maximising on the green country views and letting in loads of natural light. A sense of space is key here and even at peak times the resort doesn’t feel crowded. Golfers, families, spa-breakers, conference-goers and rugby players might seem like an odd mix of guests, but somehow the Vale makes it work.
From
£
90
per night
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Northern Ireland
Lough Erne Resort
Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Almost two hours’ drive from Belfast, this haven of relaxed, friendly luxury in the lovely Fermanagh lakelands, is nestled between Castle Hume Lake on one side and Lough Erne on the other. If you’re a golfer, you’ll be in heaven, with two courses in the grounds: the Castle Hume and the championship Faldo Course designed by Sir Nick, with immaculate fairways and greens. Inside the hotel, there’s a gym, pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub and Thai-oriented spa. Four restaurants include the Halfway House log cabin café at the ninth hole of the Faldo Course and the formal but airy Catalina for fine dining.
From
£
144
per night
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Slieve Donard Hotel and Spa
Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Built in the 1890s, the Slieve Donard was and is one of the most majestic spa hotels in Ireland, right on the beach flanked by the Mourne Mountains and the prestigious Royal County Down golf course. The style may be grand, but the service is relaxed and friendly, and the value good considering the location and view. Golf Digest described the Championship Links of Royal County Down beside the hotel as the best course in the world outside the United States, with its rolling links formed by nature and perfected by nurture. The club is certainly one of the most exclusive around, with membership by invitation only.
From
£
162
per night
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Contributions by Gavin Bell, Suzy Bennett, Martin Dunford, Shilpa Ganatra, Hattie Garlick, Geoff Hill, Janice Hopper, Sherelle Jacobs, Charlotte Johnstone, Suzanne King, Linda Macdonald, Helen Pickles, Kerry Walker & Fiona Ward