Explore historical hotels filled with old-world charm
Ten-time British Travel Awards winner, deals publisher Travelzoo, brings you their favourite hotel breaks that are rich in history and abundant in charm.
Their deal experts curate amazing hotel offers giving you the opportunity to explore the British Isles one county at a time all whilst soaking in the history of your surroundings!
The Mermaid Inn
Settle down for the night in the same room as the Queen Mother did, or even a hardened smuggler when visiting the storybook village of Rye in East Sussex. The Mermaid Inn dates back to 1420 when it was a smuggler’s inn.
To fully explore the secrets at The Mermaid Inn, you can take a tour of the 600-year-old building, occasionally ducking if you are particularly tall, including in one of the bed chambers discovering a passageway hidden behind a bookcase to reveal a priest hole.
Feathers Hotel
Have you ever wondered what the New York Times considers the world’s “most handsome inn”? Well, wonder no longer as it is the grade 1-listed, Jacobean Feathers Hotel in Ludlow.
Ludlow was used as a boundary town by William the Conqueror to help defend his border with Wales which lead to Ludlow castle being built. Unlike in Chester though, you won’t find any laws around shooting Welsh men with a longbow after midnight.
If you fancy yourself a foodie as well as a historian, Ludlow is considered the gastronomic capital of Shropshire and has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other town in the country.
Ruthin Castle
Feel like royalty at Ruthin Castle Hotel in North Wales. Dating back to 1277, Ruthin Castle remained part of the Crown Estate until 1632, counting King Edward I, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I among its former owners. The royal connection has continued to the modern day with King Charles staying the night before his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle.
Before opening as a hotel, it was Britain’s first private hospital for obscure internal diseases.
The hotel itself is ivy-clad, adorned with battlements and sits with the walls of the ruined 13th-century castle, the spa can even be found in the old moat!
Crown Hotel
As a city, Harrogate is steeped in history and The Crown Hotel, nestled in the Montpellier Quarter, is one of its oldest and most treasured hotels dating back to the 18th century.
Many famous guests have stayed at the hotel, including the composer Sir Edward Elgar and poet Lord Byron, who was inspired to write “To A Beautiful Quaker” by a local woman passing by.
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