Best hotels in Nottingham: Where to stay for culture and charm

The best places to lay your head in Nottingham

Nottingham has a diverse choice of characterful crash pads, ranging from the opulent to the alternative (istock)

Beyond the Robin Hood clichés, modern-day Nottingham is a dynamic hub for arts and culture. Shaped by an industrial golden age of lace-making, tobacco and bicycle manufacturing, the city has been galvanised in recent years, thanks to the arrival of a sleek, new tram network, the angular Nottingham Contemporary gallery and the part-pedestrianisation of its artsy Hockley district.

Although a city in flux – with the bulldozed Broadmarsh Centre undergoing a major facelift – there’s plenty of personality and many layers of history illuminating its compact city centre, including a Unesco-recognised literary heritage that counts Lord Byron, DH Lawrence and Alan Sillitoe among its heroes. A buoyant student population keeps Nottingham’s nightlife among England’s most relevant, while first-class retail, sports facilities and music venues give another reason for return visits.

And while Nottingham still lacks five-star luxury when it comes to its hotels, there is a diverse choice of characterful crash pads, ranging from the opulent to the alternative.

The best hotels in Nottingham are:

• Best for art-lovers: Lace Market Hotel
• Best for a foodie break: Hart’s Hotel & Kitchen
• Best for countryside charm: Langar Hall
• Best for heritage hunters: St James Hotel
• Best for the social scene: Mercure Nottingham City Centre Hotel
• Best for old-world decadence: Colwick Hall Hotel
• Best for all-out maximalism: Mama’s Inn Boutique Guest House

Best hotel for art-lovers: Lace Market Hotel

Neighbourhood: Lace Market

Cosy throws in a superior suite at the Lace Market Hotel (Superior Suite at the Lace Market Hotel (Lace Market Hotel))

Hitting the sweet spot between laidback and elegant, the Lace Market Hotel takes its name from its location in the heart of Nottingham’s former industrial centre. Flanked by storeyed red-brick warehouses, it’s just a short walk to the Nottingham Contemporary. Each of its 42 rooms comes in a muted, greyscale palette brought to life with splashes of colour and tactile throws, while superior suites have freestanding bathtubs with views over the rooftops. Artful photographs of bygone Nottingham add character to the common areas, too.

Best hotel for a foodie break: Hart’s Hotel & Kitchen

Neighbourhood: The Park

Breakfast on Hart's garden room terrace

Tim Hart is something of a fine-dining pioneer in the East Midlands, having founded the Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall in the late 1970s before following up with this elegant hotel and kitchen in 1997. Set on the old ramparts of Nottingham Castle above the upmarket Park Estate, this four-star hotel won Riba architecture awards for a design that opens up with stunning views over the city. With access to a leafy terrace, the garden suites are the most sought after of the 32 rooms, which – thanks to luxe touches such as mini-cafetieres and L’Occitane toiletries – set the standard for hotels in the city. And the restaurant remains one of the city’s hottest tables, with menus shaped by local produce, including Hambleton Hall-supplied meat and bread.

Best hotel for countryside charm: Langar Hall

Neighbourhood: Langar

Charming and quirky rooms at this 19th-century manor

Twenty minutes east of Nottingham, a glorious, lime-tree-lined driveway leads up to the impressive Langar Hall. This apricot-washed, 19th-century manor features carp ponds and wildflower gardens in its grounds and 13 rooms in a traditional, country-house style – think floral wallpaper and antique furnishings. Its excellent restaurant is defined by local produce that includes homegrown vegetables, Langar lamb from the surrounding fields and, come game season, fresh catches from the Vale of Belvoir. A special mention goes to the Agnews chalet room, which – a short walk from the house through the gardens – lacks wifi, making it the perfect option for a digital detox.

Price: Rooms from £135

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Best hotel for heritage hunters: St James

Neighbourhood: City centre

No.6 Bar and Restaurant at St. James Boutique Hotel

Sandwiched between Nottingham Castle and the austere, concrete office blocks that line Maid Marian Way, the four-star St James Hotel cuts a surprisingly sophisticated dash on Nottingham’s hotel scene. Located at the heart of the so-called Castle Zone, it’s well placed for getting acquainted with the city’s history, with Lord Byron’s former digs to the north and, to the south, Nottingham Castle and the self-proclaimed oldest inn in the UK: Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. The hotel’s bold decor pairs a red and purple palette with patterned wallpaper, which – while not for the faint-hearted – falls on the sophisticated side of eclectic.

Best hotel for the social scene: Mercure Nottingham

Neighbourhood: Hockley

Plenty of quirky charm to be found at the Mercure Nottingham City

Occupying the site of what was Nottingham’s oldest hotel, the Mercure is at the heart of the city’s hippest district. With independent cinemas, record and vintage stores in all directions, not to mention an al-fresco bar scene birthed by Hockley’s evening pedestrianisation, you might not find yourself hanging about at the hotel too much. But with original features, including a striking, oak staircase, alongside neon artwork, bold prints and retro-modern design accessories, it packs plenty of quirky charm. It also offers several worthy hangouts of its own, including a gin bar set in a sandstone cave.

Best hotel for old-world decadence: Colwick Hall Hotel

Neighbourhood: Colwick

There are 16 Grade II-listed, decadent rooms to be found at Colwick Hall.

Two miles west of the city centre, this Grade II-listed pile on the River Trent dates back to 1776 and its manicured grounds make a leafy alternative to Nottingham’s urban sprawl. Best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron, its heritage remains intact today with each of its 16 decadent rooms – complete with antique furniture and lavish textiles – named after poets and artists. Get outside and explore the gardens before booking into Byron’s Brasserie, where, beneath black-and-white images of Romantic-era poets, you can select from locally sourced specials that might even impress its namesake poet.

Best for all-out maximalism: Mama’s Inn Boutique Guest House

Neighbourhood: Mapperley Park

Romantic rooms at Mamas's Inn

Spread over two smart Victorian villas north of the city centre, this colourful boutique B&B launched in 2014, with owners Marina and David indulging their interior-design fantasies across 10 rooms themed by global cities. Spelled out via artwork and artefacts, rooms range from the romantic – Paris and St Petersburg come with four-poster beds and gilded cabinets – to the exotic, with the pair’s hands-on hospitality securing multiple awards for excellence from Booking.com and TripAdvisor. The global theme continues in the Versace-inspired breakfast room, where an extensive brunch menu includes croque monsieur, shakshuka and even a Japanese tamagoyaki omelette.

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