The top 5 luxury gay hotels in the UK
If you love holidays as much as we do, you’ll be ready for a luxury break right about now. Whether you’re celebrating (congratulations!) or you’re looking for a fabulous flight-free holiday, as the LGBTQ+ travel experts we know just the places where you’ll be lovingly taken care of from the moment you breeze through the doors. From dreamy country estates to quirky seaside boltholes, we’ve hand-picked the best luxury gay-friendly hotels in the UK.
Pride vibe: Fun and fresh country estate
There’s nothing fishy about why we love this understated country estate. The Fish takes all the best bits of a posh escape to the country and combines them with the friendly nature of a boutique hotel; think sprawling 400-acre grounds, a pared-back Scandi design, fab food and drink, and quirky rooms including treehouses and shepherd’s huts.
Set on the huge Farncombe Estate (which can be reached in around two hours from London), The Fish is the perfect weekend retreat where you can zone out from everyday life. The accommodation set-up here is more like a village than a hotel; rooms with sleek wood-burning stoves, huts with hot tubs and grown-up treehouses are all dotted around the grounds.
The hub of the Fish is its chalet-style Lodge, which houses the top-notch seafood restaurant, Hook, and a buzzy lounge-bar. As you’d expect from a Huben-selected hotel, there’s serious attention to detail, too. You’ll find cute ‘gone fishing’ do-not-disturb signs and wellies to borrow so that you don’t need to muddy your own. If you can’t bear to leave your pet pooch at home, dogs aren’t just welcome here – they’re pampered with their own bed, bowl and treats. There’s even ‘Doggy Afternoon Tea’ on offer for four-legged friends to enjoy while you devour your own ‘Tipsy Tea’ that comes with tea-infused cocktails.
Artist Residence, Oxfordshire
Pride vibe: Bohemian British pub
There’s a genuinely warm welcome at the Artist Residence in Oxfordshire, which is why it makes our list of the best luxury gay-friendly hotels in the UK. It feels more like you’ve been invited into an eccentric family home. This 16th-century-farmhouse-turned-boutique-pub-hotel is top-quality fun and fabulous, from its playful modern art and colour-clash patterns to the original thatch and feature fireplaces.
An intimate restaurant serves the hotel’s twist on hearty British classics and there’s a small bar with comfy nooks where you can enjoy guest ales with the locals. The five luxurious rooms burst with character: high beams, reclaimed furniture, distressed wooden chests, roll-top baths and vintage trinkets. You’ll feel so at home here that we know you’ll want to return.
Pride vibe: Boutique Georgian townhouse
The Nira Caledonia is Edinburgh’s top luxury gay-friendly hotel – a gorgeous 28-room Georgian townhouse tucked away on a classy cobbled crescent in the city’s New Town and close to the ‘Pink Triangle’. The hotel is smart and modern yet brims with elegant Georgian features including floor-to-ceiling sash windows, arched ceilings and wooden floors.
Of course, you’re in Edinburgh so there are plenty of world-class restaurants to dine at, but the Niro’s own eatery, Blackwoods, gives the outside joints a run for their money. Blackwoods serves up fresh, local and seasonal produce wherever possible – stand-outs include the Highland beef and Shetland-grown mussels. Head to the cosy bar for vintage malt whisky nightcaps before sinking into your huge bed… where you can stay under the sheets for breakfast the next day.
Pride vibe: Cool-meets-country manor house
You can be whisked away to this private manor house on a 500-acre country estate in just an hour from London. A recent multi-million-pound refurb has taken the Four Seasons to new heights of country-chic – you’ll find sumptuous Insta-worthy interiors and equally camera-ready seasonal dishes at the restaurant, Wild Carrot.
The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool and large indoor lap pool (if you’re on a romantic trip-for-two then make sure you check out the adults-only swim times). During your stay, up the activity levels with tennis or horse-riding, or simply take time out to roam around the scenic estate.
Artist Residence, Penzance
Pride vibe: Funky seaside art hotel
Our final entry is another Artist Residence – this time in sunny Cornwall – and just like its sister in Oxfordshire, the art here is quite something. In fact, the super-friendly Artist Residence in Penzance is as much a funky art gallery as it is a boutique hotel. Housed in a series of buildings on charming Chapel Street, it has 22 one-of-a-kind rooms, all individually designed by local artists who were given free rein to use the walls as their canvas.
Hang out on the retro sofas or sip cocktails in the hammock-hewn garden, then head to the sociable rustic restaurant to test out mouth-watering dishes like prawn tacos and beer-can-smoked chicken from the on-site smokehouse.
Fancy a stay at one of the best luxury gay-friendly hotels in the UK? Then get in touch – we love nothing more than chatting about holidays and will take care of the small details so that you can have a fun and fuss-free break.
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