Romantic UK retreats for Valentine's Day and beyond

By Lucy Richardson

Find the perfect hotel to cosy up with a loved one this Valentine’s Day. Or avoid the rush (and high prices) by whisking your dearest away to a romantic UK retreat on one of the other nights in February!

Romantic hideaways for two

For privacy, independence and a whole lotta style, these beautiful boltholes are heaven.

Base yourselves in a postcard-perfect Cotswolds village and hole up at the Broadway Hideaway, a cute-as-a-button cottage with roots tracing back to the 17th Century.
Or head to the Sussex Coast to relax at Barnhorn Cabins, a trio of cosy log cabins with hot tubs and sea views.
This pair of boutique hideaways in Bridport is superb value, with the beautiful Jurassic Coast on the doorstep.
And then there’s the ultimate in romantic escapes at Wild North Crofts in northern Scotland: gaze through walls of glass at wildly beautiful landscapes of water, mountain and sky.

Gourmet getaways

If the way to your heart is via your stomach, you’ll love these scrumptious retreats.

At Tudor Farmhouse in the Forest of Dean, the chef serves an innovative ’20-mile menu’. Or, if you’re celebrating something special, pre-book the five-course tasting menu.
Of similar calibre is The Dipping Lugger, a destination restaurant-with-rooms in the Scottish Highlands, offering seven-course tasting menus in an intimate dining space.
If wine and cheese boards are more your thing, shack up at the ultra-stylish Terrace Rooms & Wine on the Isle of Wight – you get a free tasting in the wine cave with incredible sea views.
Over in Margate, No.42 by Guesthouse is a cool seafront hotel with a destination restaurant offering fire (flame-cooked) and ice (raw) menus; there’s a fab rooftop bar, too.

City escapes

Culture and top restaurants on your doorstop; seriously gorgeous rooms for lazy Valentine’s Day lie-ins.

Number Thirty Eight, a luxurious B&B in our home town of Bristol, has panoramic city views and delicious breakfasts in bed.
Or go for cocktail hour or afternoon tea at the fabulously quirky Zetter Townhouse in London.
Stroll into central Edinburgh from The Roseate, where i-escape guests get free champagne when booking a suite.
Or discover Georgian Bath from The Bird, a flamboyant boutique hotel with private hot tubs in some rooms.

Great-value breaks

A romantic night away with your beau needn’t break the bank: these escapes are high on style and impressively low on budget.

Buzzy riverside hotel Timbrell’s Yard in Bradford-on-Avon has double rooms for under £100 per night
In the centre of Canterbury, walkable from the railway station, is The Falstaff, a renovated coaching inn with affordable rooms that brim with character
The Lord Poulett Arms in a bucolic Somerset village has bags of style and incredible prices
The delightful Grosvenor Arms in pretty Shaftesbury offers a lively bar and restaurant, and tasteful rooms at great value.

Rural retreats

Escape to the country to truly unwind together; the peace will be a balm to your souls.

Sitting in 108 acres of fairytale parkland is Hotel Endsleigh, an elegant country retreat sandwiched between Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, on the Devon-Cornwall border
At literally the other end of the UK, Coillabus, a duo of luxurious eco-lodges on Islay in Scotland, is ridiculously romantic with incredible wild views and alfresco bathtubs (honeymoon HEAVEN).
Tees River Hideaway, County Durham’s best-kept secret, is an unbeatable place for walking and deep relaxation.
Wildlife lovers will adore the birdlife and animal sightings on offer from a shepherd’s hut at Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent.

Boutique hotel blowouts

And for classic romance, here are four perfect all-rounder hotels with beautiful rooms, buzzy bars and great restaurants.

Oil paintings adorn the walls and chandeliers hang from ceilings at classy Lime Wood, in the heart of the New Forest.
Or try The Rectory, a romantic Cotswolds bolthole with Scandi-chic rooms and a choice of elegant restaurant or buzzy pub for dining.
Fabulous Yorkshire bolthole Middleton Lodge has been dubbed ‘Northern England’s Babington House’; come and see if you agree.
The Grove of Narberth, near Tenby in Pembrokeshire, has got to be one of the most attractive hotels in Wales, its handsome Georgian facade gazing out across acres of private estate.