I’m a hotels expert and these are the best stays for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day marks the perfect occasion to treat your Mum (or the maternal figure in your life) to a special staycation. Nothing shows more thoughtfulness than booking a getaway for the pair of you. It’s a chance to slow down and reconnect, as well as to spoil them.

From coastal-chic hideaways to cosy countryside hideouts and all-frills escapes, there’s no shortage of inspiring hotels to choose from.

As a hotels expert and author of British Boutique Hotels, these are my favourite UK escapes for a memorable Mother’s Day stay – whether you’re looking for spa time, countryside rambles or standout dining options. There’s the Somerset spa break, a food-focused stay in North Yorkshire, and several chi-chi Cotswolds sleepovers (predictable? Perhaps, but a long-time favourite of both my mum and me, and an area blessed with an impressive concentration of exceptional stays).

open image in gallery

If prioritising calm over chaos is top of the agenda this Mother’s Day, Heckfield Place delivers a masterclass in restorative luxury. Set within a sweeping Hampshire estate, this beautifully reimagined Georgian manor champions slowing down and switching off through every aspect of its guest experience.

Rooms are serenely dressed in soothing tones and textures, while days can be spent drifting between woodland walks, the walled gardens and hours at The Bothy spa: a digital-free sanctuary designed to reset both body and mind.

A slew of special activities is scheduled just for Mother’s Day weekend, all available to dip into at your leisure: think cold water immersion therapies, estate tours, and a pop-up plant sale, where you can take home pots of tulips and bulbs, along with homemade marmalades, cordials and more.

Address: Heckfield, Hook RG27 0LD

Price: From £650 per night

Read more: Where is Bridgerton filmed? The real-life Regency locations from the Netflix show

open image in gallery

If you’re in the capital for Mother’s Day, The Ned delivers Art Deco decadence and unbridled merriment in spades. Housed within a grand former banking hall in the heart of the Square Mile, this glitzy members’ club-meets-hotel always puts on a good show – and Mothering Sunday this year will be no different. Sunday feasting will take centre stage at restaurants Cecconi’s and Millie’s Lounge. Expect extravagant buffets (Sunday roasts with all of the trimmings, and hefty dessert platters), live music throughout the day, and gifts for every mum who’s booked into the feast.

Once you’ve had your fill, head upstairs to one of the sumptuous, vintage-styled suites for a mother-daughter sleepover, or end the day with a pampering treatment at the hotel’s Cowshed spa.

Address: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ

Price: From £610 per night

Read more: I stayed at the hotel where the Spice Girls’ Wannabe video was filmed

open image in gallery

For a glamorous Mother’s Day escape in the rolling Surrey Hills, this spectacular Victorian manor – once the countryside retreat of newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook – makes a compelling case. Set within 470 acres of rolling parkland, time at this Surrey Hills estate unfolds slowly between the cocooning spa, hotel cinema, and its exquisite Japanese restaurant.

Go all out by treating Mum to the “Wonderful Woman Spa Day”, which encompasses a 90-minute restorative massage and facial, lunch in the spa deli, and a circuit of the pool and sauna. Things are rounded things off with a spoiling sleepover in one of the Susie Atkinson-designed suites. Named after illustrious former guests – everyone from Rudyard Kipling to Elizabeth Taylor – each suite features pastel-hued furnishings and a well-stocked, complimentary mini bar.

Address: Reigate Rd, Leatherhead KT22 8QX

Price: From £550 per night

Read more: Reading retreats are the hot new getaway – can a book-focused weekend help me prioritise my love of novels again?

open image in gallery

Cotswolds stays don’t get cosier than this honey-hued, 18-bedroom bolthole, which is perfectly pitched for relaxed country escapes. Housed in a former rectory just outside Malmesbury, The Rectory Hotel is made for leisurely weekend stays: think garden strolls, long lunches at sister pub The Potting Shed, and lazy hours spent playing games by the fire.

Bedrooms are dressed in muted palettes and soft linens, and offer views over the pretty gardens below. Unassuming and thoughtfully designed, it’s a cosy, countryside idyll that offers the space to slow down and reconnect – all without breaking the bank.

Address: Crudwell, Malmesbury SN16 9EP

Price: From £170 per night

Read more: The best cheap hotels in London for a budget-friendly city break

open image in gallery

Pull out all the stops by whisking Mum to The Newt, a bells-and-whistles Somerset stay. There are endless ways to enjoy this 850-acre all-frills escape: stroll through the immaculately manicured gardens, switch off at the spa, or settle in for a farm-to-table feast at one of the hotel’s three restaurants.

For something more hands-on, there’s a full programme of on-site activities to choose from, including everything from beekeeping and cider bottling to exploring the on-site restored Roman villa.

Whether you’re sleeping in the Hadspen House or Scandi-style Farmyard, all bedrooms are carefully considered, and each kitted out with touchy-feely furnishings, bathtubs, complimentary mini bars (stocked with homemade treats).

To mark Mother’s Day, The Newt is offering one-night stays with dinner on the house for mothers.

Address: Hadspen, A359, Bruton BA7 7NG

Price: From £795 per night

Read more: The best cheap hotels in Bath, from Regency-era rooms to affordable townhouse stays

open image in gallery

Set across 200 acres of rambling North Yorkshire parkland, this lovingly restored country estate feels worlds away from the everyday rush. Bedrooms at Middleton Lodge sit scattered across the former dairy buildings, coach house and garden cottages, where exposed beams, earthy palettes and thoughtful details (homemade flapjacks await you on arrival, and outdoor hot tubs are framed by rose bushes) create a sense of cocooning calm.

Dining is a highlight of any stay here: menus served at the relaxed Coach House and Michelin-starred Forge Restaurant are all hyper-local, and mostly feature what’s growing within the colourful walled gardens.

Make sure to treat Mum to a spa day at the woodland Forest Spa, which is all hushed pools, treatment huts and birdsong – the perfect finishing touch to a seriously spoiling stay.

Address: Kneeton Ln, Middleton Tyas, Richmond DL10 6NJ

Price: From £245 per night

Read more: I’m a wheelchair user from the Lake District – here’s how to explore it without limits

open image in gallery

If Mum’s an art lover, this one’s for her. The characterful Somerset townhouse, set right on Bruton’s stylish high street, has become something of a destination hotel for design devotees. Bold strokes of colour, antiques, and contemporary artworks collide with a dizzying effect across the intimate, individually styled rooms and living spaces.

For Mothering Sunday, in-house restaurant Briar (which is usually closed on Sundays) will open for lunch and dinner, serving seasonal small plates made for sharing, and will showcase the best of West Country produce.

All mothers staying the night will be spoiled with an extra treat: a full-size trio of Number One’s own organic toiletries, made locally in small batches and infused with hardworking essential oils.

Address: 1 High St, Bruton BA10 0AB

Price: From £190 per night

Read more: Why York is a haven for book lovers

open image in gallery

Mark Mother’s Day with a pampering stay at Oxfordshire’s Estelle Manor: a sleepover that’s sure to dazzle on every front. Set on the postcard-perfect edge of the Cotswolds, this grand Jacobean pile lends itself beautifully to idyllic mother-daughter time: long lunches segue into evening cocktails; while serene mornings at the Roman Bath-style spa roll into afternoons lolling by the Riviera-style pool.

Across Mother’s Day weekend, brow and lash specialist Suman Jalaf will be in residence at the hotel, offering everything from microblading to lash lifts – ideal for some mother-daughter preening.

For the ultimate sleepover, book one of the glitzy manor house suites, complete with grand four-poster beds, marble-draped bathrooms, and sweeping views over the South Terrace.

Address: Eynsham Park, Witney OX29 6PN

Price: From £495 per night

Read more: From Suffolk to Margate – exploring the lands of Turner’s fire and Constable’s rain

open image in gallery

For a dose of peace and quiet (and some fresh sea air), head down to the dunes for a stay at coastal-chic escape The Gallivant. Tucked just behind Camber Sands, expect cosy, laid-back luxury at this modish motel-style hotel, with interiors combining sea-blue shades and subtle nautical references that nod to the coastline.

Mornings begin with yoga sessions on the dunes, followed by beach walks on Camber’s fine stretch of sand, and pootles around Rye’s historic cobbled lanes (a short drive from the hotel). Return for relaxed suppers at the hotel that spotlight seasonal, thoughtfully sourced produce, all washed down with local wines.

Address: New Lydd Rd, Camber, Rye TN31 7RB

Price: From £165 per night

Read our full review of The Gallivant in East Sussex

open image in gallery

This bucolic Cotswolds getaway is hard to beat for cocooning, countryside retreats, made all the more special by the mother-daughter duo at its helm: owner Caryn Hibbert and her daughter Milly, the hotel’s general manager. Long celebrated as one of the area’s most beguiling stays, the sense of escape hits the moment you arrive and crunch along the gravel drive, which sweeps past the estate farm and fields of baaing sheep.

Self-described as a “village within a village”, Thyme’s 150-acre estate unfolds across a cluster of honey-coloured cottages and restored barns, along with a blissfully quiet spa nestled among lavender bushes, cookery school and chic boutique.

Botanically-inspired bedrooms designed by Caryn feel incredibly personal, each awash in pastel palettes and stocked with homemade cheese straws and cookies to welcome you.

For an extra special sleepover, bag the best room in the house: baby-pink “English Rose”, complete with a roll-top bath overlooking the lawns beyond.

Address: Southrop Manor, Thyme, Gloucestershire GL7 3NX

Price: From £450 per night

Read more: The best Cotswolds hotels for luxury spa breaks and countryside cuisine

The hotels featured in this list have been carefully selected by The Independent's expert travel writer, Gina Jackson. Gina is the author of British Boutique Hotels: An Opinionated Guide and as such, is an authority on all things UK hotels, ensuring a personal and informed perspective. When picking which hotels to include, Gina considered her own experience of staying in the hotels included, and evaluated location, facilities, service and all the other details that make for an exceptional stay for all types of traveller.