The Best Hotels in Harrogate for Every Traveller
From Victorian villas to grand Georgian mansions, hotels in the Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate exude history. Finding something with pedigree and character is a cinch in this heritage-laced weekend-break favourite. Here’s our guide to the best hotels and where to stay in Harrogate guaranteed to satisfy all tastes.
The Grafton, for award-winning breakfasts
Hotel
This boutique guesthouse is a good pick among Harrogate hotels. It has 13 ensuite rooms, with king-size beds dressed in high-thread-count linen, feature wallpaper and walk-in showers. The award-winning breakfast features many choices, from porridge to eggs with soldiers, and the produce is largely local. For example, if you decide to go all out for the full English, it includes Sykes House Farm pork sausage and black pudding, along with Yorkshire farm eggs. The roaring fire in the lounge bar makes it perfect for a cosy evening drink.
The Franklin, for terrific room service
Guesthouse
This family-run guesthouse inside a typical Harrogate Victorian villa has rooms that have been sympathetically decorated in chalky Farrow & Ball shades to complement the house’s original features. There are lots of thoughtful touches that set it above the B&B norm. Take room service – pick from a wide-ranging menu that has anything from a full English breakfast with locally sourced sausages to Yorkshire popcorn. The impressive variety of drinks on demand includes “tipple boxes” with everything you need to toast with bubbles or make the perfect G&T.
Hotel St George, for its proximity to the Victorian Turkish Baths
Hotel
One of the top Harrogate hotels, the St George is perched on Parliament Hill, a few paces from the famous Victorian Turkish Baths and Bettys Café Tea Rooms – one of the finest places in Yorkshire for a blow-out cream tea. The grand, honey-coloured mansion comprises 90 rooms, stylishly decorated in soft greys and featuring gleaming white linen, squashy sofas and velvet-upholstered armchairs. You’ll also genuinely want to lounge in the lounge, with its darker, richer colour palette and inviting seating.
The Inn at Cheltenham Parade, for superb on-site dining
Bed and Breakfast
The Inn at Cheltenham Parade is an especially gorgeous hotel in Harrogate. A bar and restaurant with rooms, it’s the place to sample local whiskies – it also has a long wine list – and dine on dishes cooked with flair. Enjoy the perfect home-made Scotch egg or vegan roast cauliflower in romesco sauce before heading up to your room. The rooms are notably inviting, in soft, warm shades, with wood-panelling, king-size beds, Nespresso machines and a sense of a classic-meets-contemporary style.
White Hart Hotel and Apartments, for a stay in a historical landmark
Budget Hotel
Looking for a calming colour scheme? You’ll love this historical Harrogate landmark in the Montpellier Quarter. Having hosted guests visiting the celebrated spas in Yorkshire for more than 250 years, it has bedrooms and apartments in cool, modern, Nordic-pale tones, which make even the entry-level cosy double feel spacious. The on-site Fat Badger Grill serves bistro dishes such as lamb shank tagine and mac ‘n’ cheese on smart stone-tone tableware.
Hotel du Vin and Bistro Harrogate, for characterful, individually styled rooms
Boutique Hotel, Luxury
Design devotees adore this grand Georgian row of townhouses-turned-hotel and bistro. Individually styled rooms have wooden beams and soft shades, marshmallow-soft beds and clawfoot baths. The softly lit bar-bistro is a den of Chesterfield-style sofas and potted palms – a stylish backdrop for moules-frites (mussels and chips) and crisp, biodynamic wine. Once sated, mosey over to the Montpellier Quarter, where restored 19th-century buildings house galleries, antique shops, cafes and restaurants.
West Park Harrogate, for a city break in a former coaching inn
Boutique Hotel
A previous life as a coaching inn lends this place its homely feel. There’s a log burner on the ground floor, sofas that swallow you up and local Black Sheep beer to whet your appetite for perfectly presented Gressingham duck. The two duplex suites salute local triumphs. Le Grand Depart penthouse nods to the Tour de France’s foray into Yorkshire in 2014, and its bathroom has all the trimmings, including a TV and a monsoon shower. It also has a terrace to toast the town before dinner.
The Crown Hotel, for breakfasts in a centuries-old ballroom
Budget Hotel
As one of the oldest hotels in Harrogate, the Crown keeps it regal, as its flag-flying entrance suggests. Interiors are elegant, in blue, gold and red, and lit by sparkling chandeliers – a fine setting for a traditional Sunday roast of local beef with Yorkshire pudding. Soaring ceilings in bedrooms make the rooms seem particularly spacious. As you dine on a breakfast of bacon and eggs in the Churchill Suite, one of the oldest ballrooms in town, admire the oak panelling, stained glass and ornate ceilings.
The Old Swan Hotel, for Agatha Christie devotees
Budget Hotel
Fans of Agatha Christie flock to this vine-clad Victorian grande-dame near the Valley Gardens. The whodunit author hid out here in the 1920s – during her famed mysterious disappearance – and one room bears her name. The 136 bedrooms share dark-wood details and red-striped carpets. If you want a four-poster bed and a roll-top bath, book one of the suites. Linger over afternoon tea, and dine on pan-fried seabass with fondant potato in the glass-ceilinged Wedgwood Restaurant.
Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate, for locavore cuisine
Boutique Hotel
The Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate is gorgeous inside and out, with dreamy grounds featuring beautiful lawns, plants, flowers and a fountain. With bold shades of orange and plum, the 100 rooms are high on comfort – deep-soaking tubs come as standard – and have families in mind (some come with bunk beds). Have dinner in the garden-facing restaurant, which favours locally sourced ingredients.
Still not found your perfect stay? Check into one of the the most budget-friendly hotels in Harrogate, best boutique hotels in Harrogate, or one of the best bed and breakfasts in Harrogate, bookable on Culture Trip.
Abigail Blasi contributed additional reporting to this article.