10 hotels for the perfect 24-hour getaway from London

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Beacon summer house – Lottie Topping Photography

Swap the scramble of train delays and airport queues for something infinitely more restorative: a beautifully designed hotel within easy reach of the capital. These stylish stays – from countryside retreats to coastal hideaways – are all located around an hour from London, making them perfect for spontaneous summer weekends away. Whether you’re after long lunches on sunny terraces, spa treatments and walks in rolling countryside or simply a luxurious room to retreat to, these are our picks of the top 10 hotels for an excellent 24-hour break from city life.

For more hotel inspiration, check out our guides to the best UK spa hotels or best UK vineyards to visit.

The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells

Just an hour from London and about 10 minutes outside Tunbridge Wells is The Beacon – a secluded bolthole designed for a restful long weekend (it's also easily reachable without a car).

There are six elegant rooms to choose from in the main house (opt for Yarrow, with its round copper bathtub inside a turret that boasts views of the countryside), but our top pick is the seventh room nestled below the main house – the Summer House (pictured below). Its large bifold doors lead you to a long, private, covered balcony that offers expansive 180-degree views of the countryside, complete with a large outdoor bathtub and fireplace. The thoughtful room design includes a king-sized bed facing those valley views, a kitchenette, waterfall shower and Noble Isle toiletries. The radio, tuned to Classic FM as you walk in, sets the calming vibe for a weekend of relaxation. It's a secluded spot that would be idyllic all year round – it's a sun trap in summer, but would offer a cosy hideaway in winter, too.

Warm muffins and homemade cordial greet you on arrival, but you can also head to the Garden Bar for cocktails with a view. In the heart of the main house, The Beacon serves locally sourced, seasonal dishes and a wine list with strong English wine options. In the morning, enjoy breakfast alfresco on the terrace – opt for a full English or bacon and egg bap. Footpaths at the top of the driveway offer walks through the forest, or all the way to the Pantiles and Tunbridge Wells itself.

Rooms start at £123 per night; check availability at the-beacon.co.uk or mrandmrssmith.com

View from The Summer House bedroom and balcony — Credit: Lottie Topping Photography

No 42 Guesthouse, Margate

With trains from London taking approx 1 hour 30 minutes, Margate is slightly further out than some of our other picks, but still easily doable for a quick weekend away. The town's recent reinvention has seen it become a popular destination for food lovers, with plenty of notable independent restaurants to visit, such as Angela’s, Sète and Sargasso. Now, this seaside hotel, which is part of the small Guesthouse group, provides another reason to visit the Kent coastal resort: its Pearly Cow restaurant and rooftop terrace, with magnificent views across the channel.

Bedrooms are light and sunny, with neutral colours and fabrics, contemporary touches such as a record player and choice of vinyl, modern prints and a beach hut-shaped tea and coffee station. Bramley toiletries and power showers are very welcome after a day on the beach. In the lounge bar, Dreamland’s ferris wheel is referenced in the wall decorations, with raffia light shades and touches of aqua adding beach house vibes.

Pearly Cow focuses on seafood platters, fish and grills. Whitstable oysters and salt cod tacos make a good sharing starter, and salt-aged steaks are prepared in the open kitchen with whipped bone marrow butter and beef fat chips – the kind of easy food, prepared simply, that you want to enjoy on the coast. The reasonable wine list includes a decent house cava. Breakfast is similarly classic, with local Brogdale sausages in the full English alongside a decent eggs royale and organic porridge with honey and pistachio. Make use of the communal pantry for early morning tea, coffee and pastries, or late-night snacks like traditional sweet shop treats, such as lemon sherbets and chocolate bars.

B&B from £170 per night; check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com

Interior shot of the beach-front restaurant at No 42 in Margate

Boys Hall, Ashford

Only an hour's train ride from London, this revived Grade II-listed Jacobean manor is home to a soaring oak-beamed restaurant and nine rooms kitted with antique finds.

We stayed in Romney, one of the super-suites located in the eaves of the house and reachable via its own miniature staircase. The lofty space is enriched with dark sage walls, burnt orange cushions and bamboo furniture. The focal point – a freestanding roll-top bath – sits in front of the original stone mullion window and overlooks the front lawn. Rooms also feature super king beds, Dualit coffee pod machines and enviable toiletries from Pelegrims that are made with grape extracts from the nearby Westwell vineyard.

TVs are swapped for Roberts radios; for entertainment, pick up a board game, weekend paper or magazine from the panelled lower sitting room. If you’re feeling peckish, the honesty bar is stocked with treats such as Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers. For extra pampering, pre-book a massage in the comfort of your own bedroom on a pop-up massage bed – Swedish, sports or deep tissue massages, plus various facials, are all available.

The dining room puts Kentish produce at the forefront. Expect a menu of luxury comfort food: smoked Ashmore and speck croquettes with saffron mayo, 30-day dry-aged rib eye steak and cookie dough with salted caramel ice cream. There are also homemade cakes, served with locally sourced teas and coffee, available in the cosy lounges, or you can retire to the wood-panelled pub serving Kentish ales and bar snacks.

From £190; check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or boys-hall.com

Boys Hall dining room, a wooden-beamed, high-ceiling dining space dominated by a huge fireplace. It has oversized raffia lampshades, comfy booths, views over the grounds and a plant-filled interior courtyard

Beaverbrook, Surrey

A curiously brilliant mix of traditional British and modern Japanese influences makes this character-packed Surrey hotel a playground for food lovers. Once the home of Winston Churchill’s Minister of Aircraft Production, newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook, the hotel’s aviation theme is evident, from the Spitfire at the entrance to vintage photos and artworks throughout the house.

The restaurant options here will more than keep you going for a weekend away. Japanese Grill serves exquisite sushi, sashimi and Josper-grilled specialities, including charcoaled wagyu. The eight-course tasting menu includes popcorn shrimp with ponzu mayo, scallop ceviche, nigiri topped with Kentish ants (which add a wonderful citrussy kick) and a chocolate flowerpot with nasturtium – a nod to Beaverbrook’s commitment to growing its own. The estate’s relaxed The Garden House restaurant is a short stroll from the main house and reached via the kitchen garden, where chefs harvest leaves, veg and herbs. The menu here is British with Italian influences, such as pici with Cornish crab and crispy polenta squid. Nearby Albury Vineyard produces the house English sparkling wine, which is best enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the gardens and Surrey Hills countryside.

Each of the luxurious bedrooms in the main house are named for Beaverbrook’s illustrious guests – Churchill, the Kennedys and Liz Taylor, to name a few – and decorated in an appropriate style, from muted masculine tones, bold stripes and graphic tiling to delicate floral fabrics. In the spa, two pools (indoor and outdoor), a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are available to guests for some relaxation. Between the massages, facials and personal training, yoga or pilates sessions – plus the relaxation room with its glass log burner and the spa café with wood-fired pizza oven – it’s easy to spend your entire weekend here. But, if you need a change of scenery, you can walk straight from the grounds out into the surrounding Surrey hills.

Doubles from £545; check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or beaverbrook.co.uk

The leafy and relaxed interiors at The Garden House Restaurant

Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond

Technically, you don't need to leave London at all for this mini break, but you'll still thoroughly feel like you've escaped the city at this riverside bolthole, which is converted from two Georgian townhouses with literary history. Though compact, the hotel has plenty of nooks to enjoy a peaceful moment. French windows open out onto a pretty terrace for afternoon tea, and the country-style drawing room is a beautiful spot to sip a mezcal jalapeño negroni. Breakfast is taken in the library, where squishy teal blue banquettes sweep beneath shelves lines with hundreds of Penguin paperbacks.

The 15 rooms – each named after a Michael Field’s poem (the pseudonym for the literary couple who previously lived in the building) – are decorated in luxurious mid-century style, with touches including Hebridean wool throws, stacks of vintage books tied up in string, sensual LA-EVA toiletries in the marble bathrooms and artisan crystals for wellbeing. Book a river room for views of the Thames, eye-catching Catchpole & Rye copper bathtubs and to avoid traffic noise from the roadside options.

Doubles from £194; check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com

The Mitre Hampton Court, Surrey

Located directly opposite Hampton Court itself, The Mitre couldn’t be better placed for a historical weekend away. The hotel’s main restaurant is 1665, a cleverly designed, moody brasserie where every table offers river views. The menu features generous portions of British and Italian classics, including burrata and chicken Milanese, plus surprisingly standout crispy cauliflower popcorn to start. For more foodie experiences, try afternoon tea served in the airy Orangery, or spend a sunny evening on the waterfront terrace as you watch the sunset over Hampton Court Bridge.

Each of the 36 stylish rooms are individually and colourfully designed (don’t miss the cosy library, complete with a jukebox). For a true treat, the luxurious Catherine Parr suite has a four-poster bed and freestanding roll-top copper bath in the bedroom (although it does face the road). Extra touches, like complimentary wine and freshly baked shortbread hanging on your door, add to the luxurious hideaway feel.

Rooms start from £200; check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk

The Mitre Hampton Court overlooking the river

The Retreat at Elcot Park, Berkshire

The Retreat at Elcot Park perfectly balances quirky British charm with easy-going luxury. It’s a place where old meets new, refined meets relaxed and the familiar feels freshly imagined. Located just under an hour from London by train, it’s an ideal countryside escape for city dwellers in need of a reset.

Food is at the heart of The Retreat’s appeal, with two standout restaurants on site. The 1772 Brasserie champions seasonal British cooking, reinventing comforting classics with flair. The Fowey mussels with crusty bread are a must-order – the Somersby cider sauce is so good, you’ll want to mop up every drop. For something with a livelier, more social feel, Yü brings a pan-Asian twist to the Berkshire countryside. Think: sharing plates of silky black miso cod, spiced aubergine and jewel-like nigiri, sashimi and sushi rolls that are as beautiful as they are delicious.

The hotel’s interiors are a joyful mixture of country manor elegance and playful home-from-home comfort – expect bold prints, statement art and plenty of cosy corners to sink into. Thoughtful touches run throughout, from the help-yourself pantry stocked with nostalgic boiled sweets and chilled soft drinks to the charming Signet Moments that punctuate each stay. There’s The Signet Biscuit Tin, 4pm Pour and Nightcap & Natter – three small rituals designed to make guests feel part of something special.

The spa offers facilities, including a Himalayan salt sauna, hydrotherapy pool, aroma steam room, Matrix gym, salt floatation tank, outdoor infinity pool, tennis court, wood-fired hot tubs and cold plunge tubs, as well as an outdoor yoga studio.

Rooms from £225; check availability at retreatelcotpark.com or booking.com

Four Seasons, Hampshire

Set within a restored Georgian manor and surrounded by 500 acres of picturesque countryside, Four Seasons Hampshire offers a refined yet relaxed country retreat. Interiors blend traditional English charm with understated luxury – think grand fireplaces, plush armchairs and elegant nods to the estate’s rich heritage.

Wild Carrot, the hotel’s main restaurant, serves modern British dishes that showcase local produce, from tender Hampshire lamb to perfectly seared sea bass. Breakfasts are equally impressive, with everything from classic full English platters to delicate smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and champagne bellinis on weekends. For drinks, the cocktail bar’s inventive creations – many inspired by garden herbs and hedgerow fruits – can be enjoyed on the terrace overlooking rolling meadows.

Rooms and suites are generously proportioned, with deep soaking tubs, crisp linens and soft, neutral palettes that echo the natural surroundings, and many offer sweeping views of the grounds or walled gardens. The communal spaces also invite you to linger with a book or glass of wine.

The spa is a sanctuary of calm that will make London feel a million miles away. Its highlight is the glass-walled indoor pool, which opens out onto a vitality pool and sun terrace. There’s also a sauna, steam room and aromatic relaxation lounge to complete the experience.

Doubles from £520; check availability at the Four Seasons

Cliveden House, Berkshire

Sink into grandeur at this mansion retreat, where a clocktower distracts from the time with its gilding. Inside, mahogany panelling is studded with oil paintings of former residents, including Frederick, Prince of Wales (mid-1700s) and socialite Nancy Astor (circa 1908) gazing demurely over a bared shoulder by the yawning fireplace. We’re shown to the Prince of Wales suite, which boasts three fireplaces and sweeping views of formal gardens and Thames. It comes with access to the Butler’s Pantry for complimentary drinks and snacks.

Cocktails in the library are a nod to the past. The Profumo is richly fruity (lychee and strawberry liqueurs topped with champagne), but we opted for the Prince of Wales, a toned-down version of the classic, made with maraschino and bitters. Dinner echoes Cliveden’s initial use as a hunting lodge, with silky venison tartare among the raw starters, followed by a surprisingly dainty slow-cooked guinea fowl. Cooked breakfast is served in the same formal dining room, but do venture next door, where the continental offering is beautifully presented in baroque surroundings.

The old stables now house the indoor spa facilities (pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room) in neoclassical style, complete with wafting voile curtains. Massage treatments are administered with lotions specially formulated for Cliveden by Oskia – the Nancy, floral with berries and wild mint, or the spicier Anna Maria, with black rose, named after the mistress to the second Duke of Buckingham.

Rooms from £445 per night including spa access; check availability at clivedenhouse.co.uk or booking.com

Sopwell House, St Albans

Tucked away down a country lane in the historic Roman city of St Albans lies Sopwell House, a modernised Georgian property with a spa, plush bedrooms and fine dining at its award-winning Omboo restaurant. Omboo offers a sharing menu inspired by the spice routes of Asia, and highlights include pulled duck, cashew and orange salad and melt-in-the-mouth, miso-glazed black cod. Afternoon tea features tiered stands of delicate cakes (don’t miss the matcha cherry mousse), traditional finger sandwiches and warm scones. Swing by the Octagon bar to discover a little of Sopwell’s history through its carefully curated menu; the Battenberg Wine cocktail is a tribute to Lord Mountbatten, who was a former owner of the estate.

The hotel has 128 guest rooms, 16 of which make up the exclusive Mews courtyard – the place to stay if you’re looking for luxury. Rooms are elegant and cosy, with duck-feather duvets and super king-sized beds.

A trip to Sopwell wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the world-class Cottonmill spa. A spa day includes use of the indoor pool, vitality pools, gym, sauna, steam room and poolside terrace. Upgrade to a Club package for use of the state-of-the-art relaxation rooms, a heated indoor and outdoor infinity pool and spa gardens. Don’t miss the botanical steam room and sensory deprivation pods for the perfect way to unwind.

Rooms from £239 per night including spa access; check availability at sopwellhouse.co.uk or booking.com