After all the fizz and fun of Christmas, it can be tough to work up much enthusiasm for ringing in the new year — and let’s face it, organising your own celebrations nearly always turns out to be much more trouble than it’s worth. Far better to hand the whole show over to the professionals who really know how to put on a party.
We’ve picked out the best places to see in the new year, each with their own special festive feature: perhaps a black-tie banquet, a Michelin-starred tasting menu, a champagne reception, or even a specially constructed ice rink. Fireworks are optional, as are most of the indoor and outdoor activities, but whatever you do, don’t overlook the spa: when you’ve indulged a little too heavily the night before, a massage and sauna session might be just what the doctor ordered.
Main photo: Ellenborough Park, Cotswolds
1. Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Cornwall
The north Cornish coast is at its wild best in midwinter, and Bedruthan has a grandstand view of it — overlooking Mawgan Porth and the restless Atlantic. Sister property to the upmarket Scarlet along the coast, the Bedruthan looks boxy from the outside, but the interior is colourful, quirky and full of intriguing design. It has a reputation as one of the top family hotels in Cornwall, and a three-night stay over new year includes plenty of quality family time: crafting workshops, swimming pool sessions, film screenings and blustery beach walks, along with fireworks at midnight over the cliffs. The spa treatments in the Sensory Spa Garden are a spoil, too, although for adults only.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
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2. The Bath Priory, Bath
Bath has no shortage of smart hotels, but The Bath Priory is up there with the very smartest: a grand Georgian house set in four acres of gardens, with a seriously upmarket spa designed by luxury perfumier L’Occitane. New year promises to live up to the bucolic setting: the three-night package features a five-course gala dinner with matching wine flight, a live jazz band to provide the soundtrack, and fireworks over the gardens to round things off. You’ll also get a guided tour of Bath on New Year’s Day.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
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3. Ellenborough Park, Cotswolds
Old-fashioned indulgence is the order of the day at Ellenborough Park: a 15th-century manor on the edge of the Cotswolds, with quaint four-poster rooms, a handsome wood-panelled dining room and acres of lawned grounds to wander. It’s a reassuring kind of place — there are complimentary coats and wellies, log fires are always roaring and dogs aren’t just tolerated, they’re positively encouraged (there are 12 dog-friendly rooms, including two dedicated Pooch Bedrooms with their own garden access). There’s a six-course meal for the new year, and nearby Cheltenham Racecourse holds a high-profile race day on January 1.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
4. The Lanesborough, London
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Luxury is what The Lanesborough is all about, and New Year’s Eve is no exception. It’s utterly indulgent, and completely unapologetic about it: there aren’t many hotels where you get your own personal butler, on call to indulge your every whim, whatever the time of day. A bottle of Moët & Chandon will appear in your room on New Year’s Eve followed by a five-course dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant Céleste. You’ll also have access to the Lanesborough Club & Spa, quite possibly the fanciest — and certainly one of the most exclusive — private members’ clubs in London. Rooms and suites have the feel of a traditional English country house; the very best have views of Hyde Park, but as you might expect, they don’t come cheap.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
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5. Fingal, Edinburgh
Ever thought about staying on a luxury liner for new year (or should we say hogmanay)? Built in 1963 by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company to ferry supplies to Scotland’s isolated lighthouses, this historic ship was refitted at a cost of more than £5 million, and now provides one of the most unusual places to stay in Edinburgh. Moored in Leith, it’s beautifully appointed: cosy cabins, spiral staircases, wood-lined hallways and a truly palatial ballroom and bar. The package, which runs from December 30, includes a festive five-course afternoon tea, a four-course hogmanay dinner and a ceilidh to welcome in the new year. Best of all, you also get a private tour and a champagne reception on the Royal Yacht Britannia, just along the river.
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Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
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6. Forest Side, Cumbria
Andrew Wildsmith’s boutique beauty near Grasmere reinvents the country house hotel experience in the Lake District. It’s playful, imaginative and enormous fun, with surprises around every corner: striking Zoffany fabrics, swirly Lincrusta wallpapers, velvet sofas and modern artworks. It makes a super setting for New Year’s Eve: chef Paul Leonard is laying on an eight-course tasting menu, followed by a hog roast on New Year’s Day, and you can spend the rest of your time tramping up the Lakeland hills (the hotel has its own patch of fellside) or exploring the Victorian-era gardens, filled with impressive rhododendrons and camellias.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
7. The Club Hotel & Spa, Jersey
How about an island escape for New Year’s Eve? The Club Hotel in St Helier offers modern, minimalist rooms, an excellent spa — including a salt cabin and herbal steam room — and Jersey’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, where chef Callum Graham will be hosting a special dinner followed by champagne and a midnight DJ. And the beaches of Jersey are perfect for blustery coast walks — very handy if you’re in need of some hungover exercise.
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Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
8. Beaverbrook, Surrey
This elegant Surrey estate is pulling out all the festive stops this year, including the installation of an ice rink on the lawns in front of the house, with rink-side waffles, hot chocolate and mulled cider for added good cheer. There will also be alfresco pizzas served at the Coach House Deli, seasonally themed cocktails in Sir Frank’s Bar, and a special menu in the Dining Room, Beaverbrook’s Japanese-style grill. Expect Eastern treats like yellowtail shabu-shabu, charcoal-cooked wagyu beef and a selection of handmade sushi and sashimi.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
9. Careys Manor & SenSpa, New Forest
Get on your glad-rags: this country manor in the New Forest is hosting a black-tie dinner party on New Year’s Eve, starting with champagne and cocktails, followed by a slap-up six-course meal and a late-night shindig featuring casino tables, dancing and DJ. For post-celebration cure-alls on New Year’s Day, the SenSpa — arguably the best spa in the New Forest — offers soothing packages from Thai massage and a Zen garden to a relaxing hydrotherapy pool. There’s no more relaxing way to welcome in a brand new year.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
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10. Lympstone Manor, Devon
Michael Caines’s swish Georgian retreat overlooking the Exe estuary makes an elegant place to see in 2022. The renowned Devon chef has crafted a bespoke tasting menu with accompanying wine selection from his in-house sommeliers (unfortunately, the first vintages from the hotel’s own vineyard are still a work in progress). It’s a smart, black-tie affair, with live music from the Swing Kings, midnight fireworks over the estuary and guided walks along the river on New Year’s Day: bring binoculars if you’re a birdspotter.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
11. Sopwell House, Hertfordshire
Covid delays meant this Georgian manor near St Albans had to postpone its New Year’s Eve house party in 2020, so they’re planning a big bang to make up for it in 2021. A new year’s banquet, Ibiza-style DJ and a lavish firework display are the main highlights. For maximum space, it’s worth upgrading to one of the Duplex Mews Suites, which feature cedarwood hot tubs, private lounges and mezzanine layouts. Hidden behind a private gate, the gardens are especially noteworthy — they were designed by the award-winning landscape designer Ann-Marie Powell.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
12. The Westleton Crown, Suffolk
What could be more perfect for new year than a cosy coaching inn overlooking an English village green? That’s what you get at The Westleton Crown, along with winter walks at the nearby RSPB reserve at Minsmere, or along the beach at Dunwich Heath. For new year, the pub is laying on a celebratory feast of Gressingham duck, Cromer crab, Taittinger champagne and local cheeses, served under the dining room’s striking glass atrium. The 34 bedrooms are attractive, but occasionally squeezed into awkward spaces — go for one of the Large or Excellent King rooms and you won’t go too far wrong.
Spa N
Pool N
Price ££
13. Linthwaite House, Cumbria
Long one of the Lake District’s top country hotels, Linthwaite House has a compelling reason to consider it for a new year getaway. The notoriously experimental, Michelin-starred Cumbrian chef Simon Rogan has taken charge of its restaurant, Henrock, and has devised a special five-course tasting menu for the occasion (the team is tight-lipped about what exactly what’s on offer, but with Rogan running the show, it promises to be a meal to remember). Singer-guitarist John Gatenby is providing the dinner soundtrack — but the views over the hotel gardens towards Windermere are reason enough to stay on their own.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
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14. Hotel Meudon, Cornwall
This little-known hotel in the Cornwall countryside outside Falmouth sits in a private valley, and has its own patch of shingly beach, Bream Cove. It’s under new ownership and has undergone an extensive — and very successful — refurbishment, with the updated rooms offering fine views of the valley and the subtropical gardens. For new year, there’s a champagne reception, a six-course feast and post-dinner drinks in the hotel’s speakeasy-style Freddie’s Bar. A sea shanty or two might even be sung to ring in the new year. Proper job.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price ££
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Take me there
Inspired to do something different for New Year’s Eve but yet to book your trip? Here are the best Forest holidays staysand Lastminute.com breaks. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch with the Designer Travel experts here and one of the team will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break
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