One of the world’s best hotels is in a UK national park with lakeside cabin, woodland cottages and annual festival
THE world’s best hotels have been revealed – and one in the UK has been named.
Lime Wood is a sprawling hotel in a the New Forest National Park, which opened back in 2009 although the building dates back to 1750.
And Conde Nast Traveller named it in their Best Hotels in the World: The Gold List 2025.
They praised the country house hotel for its “utilising its surroundings to put nature, relaxation, and nourishment front and centre”. as well as its quaint rooms and spa.
They wrote: “The real star of the show is the New Forest, the venue for bike rides and guided forages among trees, heathland, and wild horses.
“Here, families, couples and women on girls’ trips take restorative country walks before kicking off their wellies for high-quality meals and spa treatments in lushly vegetated surroundings.
“[For kids,] Lime Wood provides bicycles for all ages for rides in the forest and wellies for walks and foraging expeditions while Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant offers a children’s menu, and the hotel provides cots, baby monitors and a babysitting service if required.”
A number of celebs have been spotted at the hotel over the years.
Noel Gallagher held his wedding to to then-wife Sara back in 2011, while Ewan McGregor was spotted there with his now-wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
And in 2022, Katie Price stayed at the hotel with her son Harvey after splitting from ex Carl Woods.
The hotel, which underwent a huge £30million revamp in 2019, has 33 rooms, including 16 in the main house as well as a lakeside cabin and woodland cottages.
Each one comes with its own stocked pantry and super king-size beds, with some having roll top baths.
Families can choose the forest cabin, tucked away from the house with bunk beds and kitchenettes.
Or the lake cabin is like being on “your own private little island” with it floating over the water.
When it comes to food, the hotel has its Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant, with an Italian-inspired menu including risottos, gnocchi and fresh fish and meat dishes.
The Herb House was named spa of the year 2024 by The Times, with treatments, forest hydropool and even a sauna.
And every year it hosts the Smoked & Uncut festival, with food and music.
Celebrating it’s 10th anniversary in 2023, headliners have included Kelis, Sister Sledge and Razorlight, although it was suspended this year to allow for a break.
Its around 1hr30 by London, or 20 minutes from the coast.
The New Forest was named the most popular destination in the UK for an out-of-season holiday.
Looking at criteria such as cost and number of activities, holidaycottages.co.uk found that the Hampshire national park was the best.
The New Forest National Park is the perfect place for walking as there’s over 140 miles of trails and footpaths.
Most paths are signposted with wooden posts, and you might even spot some free-roaming ponies along the way.