Dorset has long been one of England’s most attractive and rural counties, home to a UNESCO-listed stretch of coastline along the Jurassic Coast. Fossil-rich cliffs and beaches trace 185 million years of geological history, while inland, rolling hills, chocolate-box villages and wide river valleys feel a world away from the city. From the bracing walks of the South West Coast Path to its market towns and manor-house gardens, Dorset makes for the ideal staycation, with the sea never far from view.
It is also a county that does luxury particularly well, and the best places to stay lean into Dorset’s natural strengths, from coastal hideaways with panoramic water views to countryside retreats rooted in local produce, wellness and a sense of privacy.
In this guide, we take a closer look at five of the best luxury and boutique hotels in Dorset.
Louma Country Hotel, Bridport
Set amid the hills of Dorset’s Marshwood Vale and gazing down towards Charmouth on the Jurassic Coast, Louma Country Hotel is a rural retreat that makes slowing down feel like a luxury in itself. Part working regenerative farm, part rustic-chic sanctuary, it offers 17 rooms, suites and cabins that are scattered across beautifully restored farm buildings, from cosy stone barns and timber stables to star-lit logs and a storybook shepherd’s hut.
Days follow the estate’s steady pace, with a vineyard and farm tour included with every stay, alongside all meals that are built around garden-grown produce, honey from the apiary and local suppliers. Wellness is equally catered for, with a glass-fronted spa barn, an indoor heated pool and a seasonal outdoor pool overlooking cow-grazed countryside, plus bespoke massages, breathwork and private yoga or Pilates sessions. Additional touches, from Wildsmith Skin bath products to fireside dining and vineyard tastings, reinforce the feeling that this is luxury with a clear focus on relaxation and wellbeing.
Rooms from £680 per night.
Alexandra Hotel and Restaurant, Lyme Regis
Perched above Lyme Bay with sweeping views across the Jurassic Coast, the Alexandra Hotel and Restaurant feels like one of Lyme Regis’s best-kept secrets. Just a two-minute stroll from the town centre, yet wrapped in terraced gardens and quiet corners, this independent and family-owned retreat has welcomed guests for well over a century.
Inside, it leans into old-fashioned design with a light touch of eccentricity, while outside, lawns and pathways drift down towards the beach, setting the tone for slow afternoons of croquet, boules and sea air. Bedrooms are deliberately individual, as befits an old house, but the constants are firmly rooted in comfort, featuring super-king beds dressed in Egyptian cotton, sumptuous robes and natural vegan toiletries, with many rooms also framing wide coastal views. Food is equally strong, with the sea-facing Ammonite Restaurant in the orangery championing local and seasonal cooking and the Blue Bar providing a relaxed end to the day. It is, above all, a hotel that is run on genuine hospitality, impeccable service and a welcome feeling of coming home to the coast.
Rooms from £215 per night.
The Nici, Bournemouth
Set on Bournemouth’s West Cliff, The Nici is the south coast’s most convincingly “abroad” hotel. Its most notable feature is the 30-metre heated outdoor pool, flanked by billowing cabanas, fire pits and a steady flow of cocktails that makes the whole place feel like a resort, while inside there is a spa with hydrotherapy and a drift-between-pools rhythm that suits winter as well as summer.
The 91 bedrooms and suites are contemporary and calming, with everything from cosy doubles to sea-view suites and larger options for families, alongside extras such as Nespresso machines and well-stocked minibars. When the weather turns or the night runs long, a private cinema and games room keep things easy and the club offering adds year-round appeal for those who like their wellbeing on tap. Step outside and you are minutes from the pier, the beach and Bournemouth’s nightlife, as well as the cheerfully named Upper and Lower Pleasure Gardens, with an activity centre on hand that offer boards for the sea.
Rooms from £157 per night.
Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Evershot
Tucked into the village of Evershot, Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant is Dorset at its most cosseting, a fine Georgian house set within four acres of manicured gardens and run with the warmth of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Built in 1798 as a dower house, it delivers classic country-house comfort and a sense that every detail has been considered, from freshly cut flowers and signature in-room touches to the kind of staff continuity that regulars remember by name.
Bedrooms and suites are dressed in rich fabrics and elegant furnishings, with crisp Belgian linens warmed by hot water bottles, soft robes, luxury amenities, fresh fruit and homemade shortbread, while a handful of private cottages add an extra layer of seclusion, some with their own hot tub. Food is shaped by a serious commitment to local sourcing and home growing, with produce from the kitchen gardens and polytunnels, honey from the hotel’s beehives and an innovative menu. Days can be as active or as slow as you like, between the heated indoor pool, spa and beauty treatments, croquet lawn, tennis court and bicycles, with the Jurassic Coast just 25 minutes away for scenic country walks and sea air.
Rooms from £280 per night.
The Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury
Set on Shaftesbury’s historic Commons, with Gold Hill and the wide, green sweep of the Blackmore Vale close by, The Grosvenor Arms is a Georgian inn with a satisfyingly layered past and a smart, contemporary present. First recorded in 1553 as The New Inn, later The Red Lion, it was remodelled and renamed in the early 19th century under Earl Grosvenor, retaining parts of the older medieval structure and a balcony that once doubled as a stage for political speeches above the town.
Today, that sense of history is worn lightly: 17 boutique bedrooms pair high ceilings and period proportions with confident modern styling, mixing vintage pieces and upcycled finds with tactile textiles, rainfall showers, Nespresso machines and Ubiety natural bath and body products. Suites further elevate the experience from a balcony room that looks onto the courtyard’s fountain to a grand and light-filled suite with Georgian windows and original features. Downstairs, the bar and restaurant serve award-winning food and are also dog-friendly, with four-legged guests welcome across bedrooms and most public spaces. Well placed as a gateway to the South West, it suits weekends that swing between Bath, Bristol, Stonehenge and the Jurassic Coast, before returning to Shaftesbury for a cocktail and well-earned downtime.
Rooms from £245 per night.
For those seeking coast, countryside or a mix of the two, Dorset does the weekend-away formula better than most. These five hotels are some of the county’s best and each offers its own take on luxury and sophistication.
