A beautiful bolthole in Edinburgh with a secret door has been voted the most romantic hotel in the UK, with a property in Somerset ranked top in England

Hungry for a romantic staycation? Try these two hotels – for when it comes to serving up heart-popping allure, they’re the best in the business.

The Witchery in Edinburgh has been voted the most romantic in the UK, while The Newt in Somerset is runner-up and most romantic in England.

The former comes 19th on Big 7 Travel’s top 50 most romantic hotels in the world for 2024 list, with the latter placing 26th.

The accolades were awarded by Big 7 Travel, which took on board reader suggestions from previous lists and Tripadvisor review scores, along with ‘unique romantic experiences, room facilities and luxury’.

Big 7 Travel notes that The Witchery is located ‘right on the Royal Mile, moments from the castle gates’, adding: ‘Inside it’s all wood panelling, velvety furnishing and lots of soft candlelight. It’s the perfect bolthole for the most romantic minds. The library [suite] even has a secret door [hidden in a bookcase] and the rates include a bottle of Champagne.’

Tripadvisor reviewers concur that it’s a special place.

The hotel has an average score of 4.5 out of five from 1,889 reviews.

User ‘goldie1911’ commented: ‘We had an incredible stay at The Witchery.

‘We stayed in the Old Rectory suite, and it exceeded our expectations and then some.

‘The suite was huge with a bedroom, dining area, lounge and a very large bathroom.

‘Fantastically presented but with superb modern touches too (my wife loved the GHD hair straighteners and Dyson hairdryer). Plus, chilled Champagne was waiting for us on arrival. From check-in to check-out, we loved every minute.’

The Newt in Somerset was awarded four stars out of five by the Daily Mail’s hotel inspector, with Big 7 Travel piling on the praise.

It said: ‘Live out your romantic Pride & Prejudice dreams in this grand Georgian mansion. All 23 rooms are tastefully kitted out with huge comfy beds to sink into after leisurely days of walking and talking and there’s also a spa with an indoor-outdoor pool, sauna and medieval herb garden.’

Big 7 Travel singles out the food, saying: ‘Best of all is the restaurant, where award-winning chef Ben Champkin invites guests to feast on the estate’s vegetables, cuts from the salt room and fine wines from the cellar.’

Surrounded by an 800-acre estate, with 30 acres of formal gardens, it’s little wonder – despite being named for a slimy salamander – that Big Seven singled it out as the perfect scene for amour.

Guests can amble around the bucolic apple orchards, with 300 varietals of apple tree on display – and, according to The Newt’s website, the occasional ‘clumps of mistletoe in the canopy’.

Guests on Tripadvisor have been delighted with their experiences.

User ‘Samboii’ said: ‘From the moment you turn off the A359, you are transported into another world… Absolutely everything combines to make this one of the most magical places we have ever been to.’

‘Pausianus’ agreed: ‘The Newt is incredible. Full stop. Except that it never stops. It will probably always be a work in progress, in refinement, in new ideas. I thought it was truly exceptional and, despite the considerable cost of staying here, worth every penny.’

The Newt is the project of South African billionaire and tech magnate Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos, who bought Somerset’s Hadspen House in 2013, wanting to settle in a UK grand manor that also had cider orchards.

Instead of maintaining it as an English country seat, as originally intended, they spared no expense and developed it into a hotel estate, which opened in 2019 under the amphibian epithet ‘The Newt’.

And if you’re wondering why this newtopia has its distinctive – if not precisely swoon-worthy name – it’s derived from the rare-crested newts that live on the land, a protected species that temporarily delayed building.

Topping the top 50 list is The Vasilicos in Santorini.

Follow The Witchery on Instagram – www.instagram.com/thewitcheryedin. Rooms cost from around £475 per night.