If you want a holiday where the food matches the quality of your accommodation, these three culinary staycations offer exceptional meals, comfortable rooms, and striking scenery. From seven-course tasting menus to open-flame cooking, these spots deliver memorable dining experiences.

The Cottage in the Wood Malvern

Assistant Editor Claire Frost and partner Steve experienced a tasting menu retreat in Worcestershire. The hotel features views of the Malvern Hills, and they stayed in Room 1, which includes a huge bed, a roll-top bath, Bramley toiletries, and a record player with vinyl ranging from Elgar to The Rolling Stones. The new spa includes a hot tub, sauna, and cold plunge pool. Breakfast options include coconutty overnight oats, scrambled eggs, and smoked salmon.

The brasserie serves local pork belly with artichoke, chimichurri, and roasted peppers for £29, while the 3AA Rosette 1919 restaurant offers a seven-course tasting menu for £95 inspired by CS Lewis. Standouts included heritage tomatoes with balsamic vinegar spheres, tomato consommé, and eel croustade. A Malvern Gin and tonic costs £10, while the wine flight is £55.

Guests can walk through the hotel's eight acres of woods to reach a panoramic view, or hike to Worcestershire Beacon to see seven counties and Great Malvern. Local spots include Mac and Jac's for a Kinder Bueno latte at £5.50, Malvern Bakehouse for croissants, and Blackbird for homeware. Eastnor Castle, a 19th-century stately home with a Knight's Maze, has entry starting at £13.50. Double rooms cost from £104 with breakfast.

The Feathers Hotel, Woodstock

Writer Rebecca Miller and boyfriend Dan explored the Cotswolds for meals. This Grade-II-listed 17th-century townhouse has 23 bedrooms across five staircases, set in the centre of Woodstock near indie boutiques and a farmer's market.

The Aviary terrace serves house music, signature cocktails including a £17 mix of champagne and marmalade syrup, and sourdough pizzas like The Grazer for £17. Charred corn with chilli and lime butter costs £5. The Michelin-rated The Nest serves Cornish crab with hazelnut and apple for £16.50, Quarr Cross venison with beetroot for £36, a side of creamy leeks for £5, and rhubarb soufflé for £13, alongside a bottle of Ancora pinot grigio rosé for £30.

Blenheim Palace is a 15-minute walk away, with entry starting at £31 per adult. Oxford is a 25-minute drive away, offering tours of Oxford Castle Prison for £19.50 per adult. In Woodstock, visitors can stop at The Missing Bean, Cotswold Botanical, and The Back Lane Tavern. Rousham Gardens, dating to the 17th century, costs £10 to enter. Double rooms start at £250 with breakfast.

Seal the deal

Writer Ellie O'Mahoney reports that Norfolk's The Gunton Arms was named the UK's Pub Of The Year 2026, serving as a stop for North Norfolk seal tours during pup-spotting season until February. Set on a 1,000-acre deer park, visitors can spot stags.

Artwork by Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst decorates the walls, alongside a 10,000-year-old fossilised Giant Irish Elk skull above the fire where meat is cooked over flames. The menu features Cromer seafood, a chicken, leek and bacon pie for £18, and buttermilk pudding with walled garden rhubarb for £9.25. A glass of rioja costs £11.25. The 16 bedrooms feature fancy fabrics and marble bathrooms, with doubles starting at £160 a night.