Britain’s most festive hotels

The festive season is in full swing and those who like their merriment turned up to 11 know that hotels are where Christmas wishes come true.

But with so many Norfolk Bronze turkeys, baubled Douglas firs and alpine-themed terraces to sort through, where best is your Christmas coin spent?

We’ve done the legwork and listed all of our favourite winter hotel happenings in London and beyond, whether you’re looking to learn a new skill, fall flat on an ice rink or tuck into festive feasts.

London trees to see

Over at The Goring in London’s Belgravia, fashion doyenne Lulu Guinness has magicked up a London-themed tree, complete with miniature postboxes, phone boxes and her signature red lips.

Mount Street stalwart The Connaught is best known for its artist-designed trees (previous names include Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Antony Gormley); this year the nod went to Urs Fischer who has covered baubles in AI-generated faces and illuminated them from within – one for the tech bro in your life, perhaps.

For those who want to keep things classic in the capital, your best bets are The Peninsula and The Ritz.

The Peninsula’s 22ft tree is styled in a pleasingly traditional palette of burgundy and gold, dominating the hotel’s lobby; a fine background for those festive afternoon teas.

If size matters, The Ritz comes out on top at 25ft and is again an old-school riot of bows and baubles in crimson and champagne.

Finally we have Claridge’s, whose fashion-collaboration trees have become the most anticipated of them all. This year they’ve partnered with Daniel Lee, the creative director at Burberry.

His design will see hundreds of bows made of surplus Burberry fabrics combined with chess piece-shaped baubles.

Festive feasts

How better to catch up with friends and family over the holidays than with a pot of tea and some cake? Christmas-themed afternoon teas are ever-popular in the capital, and our picks are classics of the genre.

Go for a chic art deco theme at The Beaumont, with roast turkey sandwiches and a pistachio yule log (£70), or for the ultimate jacket-and-tie experience, The Ritz’s iconic Palm Court tea (£120) promises orange-infused loose leaf blends and the most delicate finger sandwiches you ever did see.

Stop by Claridge’s again for either afternoon tea (theirs comes with a bowl of Christmas pudding, £95) in the Foyer or the set festive menu at Claridge’s X Dante, a collaboration with the famed New York City bar. You’ll find smoked salmon, pigs in blankets, mince pies – the lot (£95).

Those with a sweet-tooth should head to Cakes & Bubbles at Piccadilly’s Hotel Café Royal where pastry chef Albert Adrià is offering a vegan spiced plum cake and a superb panettone ice cream. If you’re looking for somewhere to take children, The Hari in Belgravia will give them a mini easel, gingerbread biscuit and icing pens for them to create their own edible masterpiece, while adults can enjoy the likes of reindeer macarons, Christmas tree cupcakes, zesty blood orange tarts and charming mouse baubles (£70 including a glass of champagne per adult; £25 per child).

And for when you just can’t face another mince pie, shake things up with a Chinese banquet fit for an emperor at The Peninsula’s Canton Blue. Expect lobster dumplings, barbecued pork, king prawns in XO sauce, stir-fried wagyu and fried noodles with crab (the “Winter Solstice” menu, £178).

Alpine pop-ups

Seasonal hotel pop-ups and themed terraces have become de rigueur, and most of them are inspired by the Alps – so there’s plenty of opportunity to get a dose of molten cheese whether you’re heading for the real slopes or not.

In London, The Berkeley is once again conjuring up Switzerland on its rooftop with their “Feast Off-Piste” dining experience – enjoy raclette, tartiflette and mulled wine in your own heated ski gondola (£85 per person, minimum of four diners).

The Corinthia has transformed its garden into “The Alpine Club”, named in honour of the world’s first mountaineering club. Expect the classics: sheepskin blankets, potato rostis, tarte flambées, spätzle and kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes).

Think it’s only London that loves a pop-up? Think again. Scotland’s tartan fantasy, The Fife Arms, has its own “Fondue Hut” – a converted outbuilding now reimagined as an Alpine outpost, complete with wood-panelling, a cosy fireplace and a scary amount of cheese.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire grande dame Grantley Hall has partnered with Moët & Chandon to bedazzle the indoor-outdoor Orchard lounge, where chicken schnitzel and apple crumble are accompanied by plenty of champagne.

Further south, in Berkshire, Cliveden’s Astor Grill has launched the “Après Ski Terrace”, where diners can feast on bratwurst, fondue and hot chocolate spiked with nutmeg and chilli.

Wintry things to do

Once you’re well fed and looking for something to do, forego stressful last-minute present shopping and instead try one of these charming activities.

Browns, London’s oldest hotel, is offering horse-drawn carriage rides down to Buckingham Palace (£795). If you’d like to get behind the reins, Mandarin Oriental’s Hyde Park Riders offer private-lesson winter rides along Rotten Row and the Serpentine.

On December 10, Soho’s Ham Yard will be hosting “Carols in the Courtyard” from 5-6pm, joined by the cast of Les Misérables and Oliver!, complete with mince pies and mulled wine.

For more carols, this time by candlelight, Penally Abbey in Pembrokeshire is welcoming all at 6pm on Dec 23 for mulled wine and melodies by the local Quaynotes choir.

Those seeking a little post-party pre-Christmas day glow should try The Lanesborough’s “Yuletide Glow” package, which combines a lifting EMS facial with a collagen-infused manicure (£425, including a two-course lunch and use of the spa).

Surrey’s buttercream-frosted Beaverbrook is bringing back its winter ice rink, where guests can enjoy sliding across real ice as merry music plays. Hotel residents have free access, others should book through the “Skate & Dine” package, which includes 45 minutes in the rink and a set menu (from £45 for adults, and £35 for children).

Santa’s workshop

Christmas is a time for indulgence and relaxation – but it’s also a time for outdoing others, and these workshops offer a chance to hone those seasonal skills to perfection. Benoit Blin, pastry chef at The Cadogan on Sloane Street is running a series of mince pie masterclasses, where guests will sip mulled wine and learn how to craft an elevated Anglo-French take on the classic (£65).

Also in London, On Dec 8 join Sir Devonshire Square Hotel for a wreath-making class with Kuit Design, where you’ll learn to adorn evergreen foliage with dried fruits and winter berries (£65).

For more wreath action, The Pig-near Bath is hosting a class on Dec 3 with local florist Ivy Sherwood of Wild About Flowers (£65), and on the following day you can discover the art of cracker making over “piggy bits” and a glass of English sparkling wine (£55).

Hampshire’s Heckfield Place also has a wreath class on Dec 4 (£145), but we’re more intrigued by their “Fairy Decoration Workshop” on Dec 7, where you can create miniature fairies from foraged foliage (£75, hotel guests and friends of Heckfield).

Finally, the cookery school at Oxfordshire’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is running an adult-and-child experience on Dec 6 (£586 for two) where junior chefs can try their hand in a Michelin-starred kitchen, and there’s a four-course festive dinner party class for adults (£210) on Dec 19.

Staying over

If all you want to do for Christmas is leave it to someone else, and check in to a hotel as a merry guest in residence, this is where we’d hang our stocking.

Three-night stays (doubles from £1,200 a night, full board) from Dec 24 at Oxfordshire’s Estelle Manor include mulled wine on arrival, champagne breakfasts, grand lunches, evening buffets, festive film and King’s Speech screenings, and a visit from Santa’s reindeer.

Up at Lundies House in the Highlands, Christmas Eve arrivals will enjoy afternoon tea and time to relax in the sauna, followed by the sound of a traditional piper marking the start of celebrations.

Christmas Day begins with morning yoga and brunch, followed by walks to nearby Castle Varrich and a traditional dinner. Boxing Day takes in hot toddies, a sound bath and a simple dinner of local fare (doubles from £495 per night, full board).

Wiltshire classic Lucknam Park welcomes revellers staying for the season with afternoon tea, a champagne reception and then midnight mass at Colerne Parish Church on Dec 24, followed by a horse-drawn carriage visit from Father Christmas (rides around the estate available) and a musician-accompanied turkey lunch on the big day.

Boxing Day sees classic country pursuits, a hot buffet lunch and a black tie dinner with a live band, dancing and casino games afterwards (packages from £5,775, full board).

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