12 Great Pubs With Rooms For An Autumn Staycation
Sawday’s is a collection of personally inspected, special places to stay across the UK and Ireland – as well as France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Its USP is that the team has visited in person every single property in the collection. From villas in France to self-catering apartments across Sicily, each place is independently owned and chosen to make sure it’s just right for a special Sawday's stay.
At this time of year, cosy staycations are high on people’s must-book list. And Sawday’s has a well-honed collection of pubs with rooms that offer just that. From rustic rooms in hiking hotspots to gastropubs that are the ultimate reward for a day outdoors, each property has the flair and warmth that characterise the perfect pub.
Inspired? Here are some of our favourite pubs with rooms in the Sawday’s collection…
Wild Thyme & Honey
Cotswolds
Wild Thyme & Honey is found in the quintessential Cotswolds village of Ampney Crucis, just outside Cirencester. The 16th-century pub has been transformed into 24 bedrooms with several event spaces in addition to The Crown at Ampney Brook, the owners' stylish new gastropub next door, where diners can enjoy dishes made with local Cotswold produce. The menu could include dishes like crispy duck and watermelon salad; braised pork belly with raclette potatoes, wild garlic purée, peas, bacon and spring greens; and corn-fed chicken with dauphinoise potatoes and asparagus. Sunday lunch is a hearty roast with all the trimmings – think smoked duck fat roast potatoes, confit carrots, homemade Yorkshire pudding and lashings of gravy. Guests can choose to stay in rooms with views of the beautiful Ampney Hills, riverside and waterside suites or the luxury London Road apartment with its own private terrace.
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The Beckford Arms
Wiltshire
The Beckford Arms is a traditional country pub with rooms, located on the edge of the rolling parkland of the Fonthill Estate in south Wiltshire. The team offers great food in a classic pub environment with simple, yet stylish, bedrooms at competitive prices. The pub has a main bar, restaurant, sitting room, private dining room in the library, eight bedrooms, and a large pretty garden and terrace. A short walk away, there are two lodges, the Splendens Pavilions, which are available on a B&B basis throughout the week. Menus change with the seasons: think whole suckling pig spit-roasting on the bar’s open fire, the pub’s own hams and piccalilli, game pies with homemade pastry and aged Wiltshire steaks.
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Cary Arms & Spa
South Devon
Brimming with coastal charm, Cary Arms & Spa combines all the values of a classic English inn with the style and comfort of the best luxury hotels in Devon. This is the place to head if you’re in the market for seaside gastro dining, unwinding at the ‘Spa on the Beach’, and staying over in a selection of chic rooms, suites and cottages. Sitting in the sunny, sheltered haven of Babbacombe Bay on the south Devon coast, the views are impressive year round. Guests can spend their days with a restorative massage or bespoke spa treatment, a picnic down on the beach or at a table on the terrace for a refined pub lunch.
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Sign Of The Angel
Cotswolds
Sign of the Angel is a two AA Rosette-awarded 15th-century coaching inn that encompasses the key elements of a traditional inn – great food and drink in front of large open fires with warm, homely rooms for those staying overnight. The inn is in the National Trust village of Lacock, on the edge of the Cotswolds and only a short distance from Bath. The restaurant operates on an ethos of using the best local, seasonal produce and the team encourages a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere in the dining rooms, which provide the ideal place to settle in and warm up next to the open fires in the winter months. In the summer months, there’s a beautiful garden to enjoy a cream tea next to the stream.
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The Punch Bowl Inn
Cumbria
The Punch Bowl Inn is a luxury Lake District hotel, offering a blend of old and new in a striking rural location. When it comes to dining, guests can choose between a classic contemporary style restaurant, or the traditional, cosy bar area: the same menu is served throughout. The Punch Bowl also has nine luxury bedrooms with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Each room has been individually designed in keeping with the style of the area. All bedrooms come with flat-screen televisions, Roberts Revival radios and adjoining bathrooms with underfloor heated limestone floors, free-standing roll-top baths and separate powerful showers.
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The Horse Guards Inn
West Sussex
If you’re after a gentle walk through wildflowers in the West Sussex countryside – alongside a spot of shopping – look to Petworth and neighbouring village Tillington. Starting in Tillington, head west along Cemetery Lane and follow the road towards the vineyards. From there, turn right and walk towards Upperton Common – a good place to stop for some of the best views. You’ll then pass a cluster of beech trees before reaching the National Trust’s Petworth House where you can spot fallow deer in the park. Finally, walk across the deer park and back to the Horse Guards, an excellent gastropub with one of the nicest suntrap beer gardens we’ve come across. In terms of food, expect seasonal dishes like pan fried hake with Jersey Royals, local fish and shellfish stew, and veal fillet with wild mushrooms and spinach, potato and cauliflower gratin. For overnighters, there are three bedrooms, which come with the benefit of a hearty breakfast the next day.
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The Sun Inn
Essex
On the northern border of Essex and Suffolk, Dedham Vale has been a poster child for England’s landscapes ever since John Constable put oil to canvas and came up with ‘The Hay Wain’ in 1821. Flatford is the National Trust-run property where it was painted. A short walk away, The Sun Inn at Dedham is a proper old coaching inn with open fires if it’s cold and a terrace if it’s not. If you want to break up the on-foot explorations of the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the pub can sort you out with bikes and even a boat to float down the river Stour on. Each of the colourful bedrooms features local art and village views.
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The Gunton Arms
Norfolk
Near Cromer, The Gunton Arms is also home to some gorgeous rooms, decorated by renowned interior designer Robert Kime. Each looks out over Gunton Park, which you can stroll around before heading to the restaurant for dinner. Situated in a thousand-acre deer park, expect to see a few four-legged friends while tucking into your meal. It’s also home to owner and art dealer Ivor Bracka’s personal collection, with works by Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud featured on the walls. On the food front, chef Stuart (ex-Mark Hix) champions locally sourced ingredients – from venison to local Cromer crab.
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The Bull’s Head
Herefordshire
The Bull’s Head is a traditional drovers inn and farmhouse that’s well-loved for its cosy bar, dining room with an open fire and garden overlooking the Black Mountains. From the traditional ‘Hole in The Wall’ bar to the flagstone floors, this is a real, traditional pub experience – so its ultra-modern cabins come as a bit of a surprise. Made using locally grown timber, each cabin (there are four) features a king-sized bed, lounge area, kitchenette with toaster, kettle and mini fridge, bathroom with walk-in shower and a large outdoor deck area. And all offer those same peaceful countryside views as the pub itself.
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The Three Daggers
Wiltshire
The Three Daggers is an award-winning pub and inn with self-catering cottages, a farm shop and nano-brewery in historic Wiltshire. Steeped in character, The Three Daggers inn dates to the 18th century and resides on the grounds of the Battle of Edington (878 AD). Today, the inn is home to three beautifully restored rooms, three self-catering cottages and a farm-to-fork country pub that champions local produce, much of which is grown on the local village farm. The three guest bedrooms – Coulston, Priory and Tinhead – have been beautifully restored with modern touches while maintaining the rustic charm of the original 18th-century design. Guests can unwind in the homely shared living space and are also invited to enjoy a complimentary breakfast in the pub.
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The Montagu Arms
Hampshire
In historic Beaulieu, The Montagu Arms in the New Forest has nine lovely bedrooms and suites. Following a recent refurb, guests can now stay in a Courtyard Deluxe Room or Courtyard Studio Suite, both of which overlook the hotel’s landscaped gardens. They also have spacious lounge areas, four-poster beds, exposed wooden beams, private terraces and en-suites with free-standing baths. Ideal for a family trip or group getaway, you can even book all the new rooms and suites to have the courtyard to yourself. Dogs are also welcome. On the pub front, expect delicious food, traditional country-house interiors and walks that start from the front door.
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The Ferry House
Kent
Hidden-away on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, yet just an hour from London, you’ll find The Ferry Arms set between two wetland bird reserves, the river estuary and rolling countryside. Dating to the 16th century, The Ferry House and nearby Mocketts Farm Cottages offer nature lovers a secluded staycation – complete with a lovely restaurant, treatment rooms and kitchen garden. There’s a selection of individually styled, four-star ensuite rooms, with relaxed rustic charm and luxe touches. We like the look of the Waterside rooms, which offer estuary views.
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Your Chance To Win…
Found your dream getaway? SheerLuxe has teamed up with Sawday’s to offer one lucky reader a £500 voucher prize for a weekend pub break. The winner will be able to choose their pub – and Sawday’s will pay for the stay.*
Enter here.
To discover more pubs with rooms – and other lovely places to stay across the UK and beyond – visit Sawdays.co.uk and follow the brand at @Sawdaystravel
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*to the value of £500
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