A NUMBER of hotels, inns and resorts in Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset make a new list of the best places to stay in the UK.

The Times newspaper has revealed the list for 2025 after a “team of experienced reviewers stay at hundreds of properties across the UK and we cherry-pick the best for our annual survey”.

“Whittling down our long list is always tough but this year the standard was so high it was even harder to choose the final 100,” the paper said.

“It caused some headaches for us but means that you can look forward to some fabulous breaks in 2025.

Gardens at The Newt, near Castle Cary

“Excellence in design, facilities and value for money — whatever the room rate — are always key considerations, but two other vital criteria stood out this year: dining and service.

“We have been impressed with how restaurant kitchens have risen to the challenge of food-price hikes to produce ever more creative and delicious dishes.”

The Newt, near Castle Cary, was named south west hotel of the year and was ranked number 32 in the top 100.

Elsewhere in the rankings were The Old Bell Hotel, in Malmesbury, Wiltshire (9); the Manor House Inn, at Ditcheat (42); Outbuildings, in Bridport (43); The Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury (44); and The Bath Arms, at Longleat (45).

New Park Manor, at Brockenhurst in the New Forest, pictured below, ranks at number 54 in the list.

The New Park Manor Hotel, in the New Forest, ranks at number 54

The regional winners in The Times 100 best places to stay list were:

• Central England & Hotel of the Year: The Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire
• Scotland: The Torridon, Highland
• North West: Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Cumbria
• South West: The Newt, Somerset
• Wales: Harbourmaster, Ceredigion
• South East: The Swan Inn, West Sussex
• North & North East: The Angel at Hetton, North Yorkshire
• East England: Meadowsweet, Norfolk
• Northern Ireland: The Cuan, Co Down
• London: The Goring, London

The category winners in The Times 2025 100 best places to stay list were:

• Best beach hotel: Saltmoore, North Yorkshire — Best beach hotel
• Best family-friendly hotel: New Park Manor, Hampshire
• Best blow-the-budget hotel: Beaverbrook, Surrey
• Best boutique hotel: The Rose, Kent
• Best foodie hotel: The Angel Hotel, Monmouthshire
• Best hotel for sports: Gleneagles, Perth and Kinross
• Best city hotel: 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh
• Best affordable hotel: SeaSpace, Cornwall
• Best romantic hotel: Bull, Oxfordshire
• Best countryside hotel: The Pig in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
• Best pub stay: The Kirkstyle Inn, Northumberland
• Disruptor of the year: Broadwick Soho, London
• The one to watch: The Beaumont Mayfair, London