In the mood for a holiday with a difference? Look no further than our pick of the UK’s quirkiest hotels. Whether plucked straight from an Agatha Christie novel or hidden within a Brutalist architectural marvel, these novel options promise a stay like no other.
Georgian House Hotel, Pimlico, London
Inconspicuous on the surface, the Georgian House Hotel’s greatest secrets lie within. “Set across three beautifully restored Georgian townhouses”, the hotel offers its fair share of “‘standard’ boutique rooms”, said Hazel Plush in The Telegraph. But on the hotel’s lower ground floor, hidden behind “two false bookcases”, lie the “Wizard Chambers” offering an adventurous stay complete with “stained glass ‘windows’ to the velvet curtains and four-poster beds”. There‘s even a “wizard-themed afternoon tea” on offer. The hotel’s convenient location (10 minutes from Victoria Station) makes it “a treat for families, and those looking for something quirky”.
georgianhousehotel.co.uk
Burgh Island Hotel, Devon
The Burgh Island Hotel has a lot more to offer than its connection to Agatha Christie – the author wrote two of her books here. From the minute you arrive at the village of Bigbury-on-Sea across from the Art Deco dwelling, you know you're in for a stay like no other. Located on a tidal island, the hotel is reachable only by the “iconic sea tractor”, said Natasha Heard in Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, and only if the tides are low enough. If a guest misses their transportation window and the waters grow too tempestuous to cross, they must “head to a nearby town or village and pass the time until later in the day”. Once inside the hotel the exquisite interiors invite “guests to step back into another time and immerse themselves in a true escape”. With “elegantly decorated rooms”, fantastic views and “the tastiest foods to devour” guests are truly “spoiled”.
burghisland.com
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The Standard, King’s Cross, London
The Standard is a Michelin-recommended “Central London hotspot for the city’s young fun-seeking crowd,” said Lauren O’Neill in Time Out. With its “boutique-y” affluent rooms and notorious lift – flying “up and down the outside of the building like Charlie’s Great Glass Elevator”, it's “a new frontier of the idea of the luxury hotel.” The global chain’s King’s Cross outpost “contains 266 rooms of varying types” and several bars and restaurants, but remains “small enough to feel personal too.” The “Brutalist masterpiece preserved from the 1970s” has “everything you need as both a traveller, a visitor to London, or even a local after a bit of a treat”.
standardhotels.com
The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh
Channelling a perfect mix of “The Craft”, “Practical Magic” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, The Witchery by the Castle is a must-see when visiting Scotland’s capital city. The Gothic getaway with “bones dating back to the 16th century” feels “like ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in hotel form”, said Krystin Arneson in Condé Nast Traveler. “Imagine candlelit rooms, sumptuous velvet, oak panelling, and elaborate antique furniture” with the most helpful and friendly staff. One of Edinburgh’s best, this is a “decadent hotel you’ll remember for a lifetime”.
thewitchery.com
Bodmin Jail Hotel, Cornwall
Housed in a restored and converted 18th-century prison, Bodmin Jail Hotel is “the closest thing law-abiding travellers may ever get to spending a night behind bars”, said Suzy Bennett in The Telegraph. The perfect stay for thrill seekers looking to maintain a streak of luxury, the hotel sits on a hill “where crowds once gathered to watch public hangings outside the prison gates”. Whether you’re interested in the facility’s history or just looking for a comfortable yet slightly off-the-wall stay, the hotel has something for everyone. “An excellent daily guided tour and on-site prison museum provides detailed information about the jail’s history and inmates”, while “a beautiful glass roof now floods wings with light”. It cost £8.5 million to complete the conversion, “each room is three cells knocked into one,” and the feel is “pared-down and minimalist rather than romantic, which let’s face it, would have been a tricky brief given the context”.
bodminjailhotel.com
Aviator Hotel, Farnborough, Hampshire
On the periphery of TAG Farnborough Airport, where the Farnborough International Airshow takes place, sits the Aviator, a “luxury aeronautical-themed hotel” complete with “modern fine dining” and “panoramic airport runway views,” said Kathryn Liston in The Telegraph. The perfect getaway for aviation lovers, it offers a bird's eye view of the biannual airshow where “acrobatic flying displays” delight enthusiasts. On the other side of the hotel is the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum, “dedicated to the airport’s aviation history.” The hotel’s “stylish exterior curvature” and central floors that overlook the next “creating the illusion of an aircraft propeller” are “even more impressive inside.”
aviatorhampshire.com
