With the UK leaving lockdown, why not consider treating yourself to one of the many luxury Christmas hotel breaks on offer in England, or say good riddance to 2020?
For many of us there is nothing new in Christmas ending in tiers, but few of us could quite have anticipated this. The UK government’s decision to replace England’s lockdown with the new tier system has at least allowed those of us fortunate enough to be in Tiers 1 and 2, to spend the festive period in a hotel. Instead of quarrelling with the family, you can spend some quality time on a luxury Christmas hotel break in England, or perhaps see in the New Year in style. Let’s be honest most of us want to see the back of 2020.
With this in mind here is our selection of seven Tier 2 offerings for luxury Christmas hotel breaks in England. But don’t leave it too late otherwise you might spend your Christmas Home Alone.
Luxury Christmas Hotel Breaks: Brudenell, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Our first hotel sits proud on the Suffolk coast in the delightful town of Aldeburgh. The original Brudenell was built by Newson Garrett in the early 1800s and opened as a hotel in 1868. Ensure you secure a seafront room and listen to the waves crashing into the shoreline below, lolling you into a peaceful repose.
This chic hotel has a three-night festive package starting on Christmas Eve with all meals included from £600 per person. Alternatively you can opt for the New Year’s Eve escape from Wednesday, 30 December £760 (£380pp) for two. To book, click here.
Swan at Lavenham, Suffolk
Our second hotel is also in Suffolk. The Swan is located in the amazing, timeless market town of Lavenham. The half-timbered hotel with its oak beamed interiors, dates back to the 15th Century, making this the ideal place to snooze before roaring log fires in cosy nooks, or perhaps experience midnight mass in Lavenham Church of St Peter and St Paul, followed by a glass of mulled wine and mince pies in your room.
The Swan has a special three-night festive package with champagne and various meals from £1,839 for two sharing with room upgrades and extra nights at a supplement; bed and breakfast stays are also available over the festive period. To book, click here.
Beaverbrook, Berkshire
Built in the French Renaissance style for a Birmingham businessman in the late 19th century, Beaverbrook gained fame in the following century as the Berkshire home of newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook. The list of people who have wined and dined here is like a Who’s Who of the Twentieth Century from Churchill to Chaplin, and Rudyard Kipling to Liz Taylor.
Throughout December and January Beverbrook will have its own ice-skating rink. The Beaverbrook on Ice experience starts from £550 per night including overnight accommodation for two, breakfast, daily 45-minute ice skating sessions, a bottle of Beaverbrook bubbles upon arrival, dinner at the Japanese Grill Alternatively, you could ring in the New Year, then pamper yourself with a New Year’s Day programme at The Coach House Spa. To book, click here.
Hawkstone Hall, Shropshire
Built between 1690 and 1700 for Richard Hill of Hawkstone in the Shropshire Hills, Hawkstone Hall and Gardens is pastoral England at its best, with sheep munching away by the side of the road and verdant fields leading down to a beautiful river. At the end of the drive, Hawkstone Hall appears as though it belonged in a Jane Austen novel.
The Hall’s two day package which includes champagne and mince pie upon arrival, mulled wine and afternoon tea, a Christmas Eve Festive Feast, Christmas Day Lunch, evening cocktails and even a Christmas quiz costs from £510 for two nights, or £720 for three. Alternatively bid adieu to miserable 2020 in a Prohibition themed party with six-course meal for £150 per ticket. To book, click here.
Crathorne Hall, North Yorkshire
Crathorne Hall, near Yarm in North Yorkshire, was the largest country house built in the reign of Edward VII. With spectacular sweeping views across the North York Moors, Crathorne is part of the Hand Picked Hotels Collection, ensuring you have a quality stay over the festive period.
Christmas stays start at £810 for two nights, or £970 for three, and include mulled wine and mince pies upon arrival, Christmas Eve meal, Buck’s Fizz Christmas Day breakfast, five-course Christmas Day lunch, and a gala Boxing Day dinner for those staying the extra night. To book, click here.
Whatley Manor, Coswolds
On the cusp of the Cotswolds, just outside Malmesbury, Whatley Manor was originally an 18th century farm house on Twatley Farm. The interior rooms exude the grandeur of the 1930s, where the Manor used to house many a party.
With one of the finest kitchens in the country, Whatley Manor is a gourmand’s Christmas treat. Headed by 2018 Michelin’s European Young Chef of the Year Niall Keating, the Dining Room will be showcasing the finest in contemporary British cuisine with local produce on its gastronomic menu for £130. Alternatively you can join the four-day Christmas house party that includes Midnight Mass at Malmesbury Abbey, champagne Christmas breakfast, traditional Christmas lunch in the Dining Room, a Boxing Day walk in the Westonbirt Arboretum followed by a four-course Black Tie Gala dinner with wine pairing and live jazz from £3,899 per couple. To book, click here.
Wasing Park, Berkshire
The last of our Luxury Christmas Hotel Breaks in England is also our newest. The recently-opened Wasing is a boutique hotel in Berkshire.
Stay in one of Wasing’s grade II listed Old Estate Rooms on a three-night Christmas break which includes a six-course tasting menu on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day Champagne Breakfast, a four-course Christmas Lunch, and Boxing Day Brunch and Dinner. Work all this food off by walking through the woodland on the 4,000-acre estate. Prices start from £1,165 for two people sharing a room. To book, email: bookings@wasing.co.uk.