Birch, Hertfordshire
A perfect place to blend both work and play, Birch is a country house hotel with a dedicated co-working space in the Hub. The centre is lavishly endowed with power points, coffee machines, desks – and sofas. Put in as many hours as you like here and then relax by trying out one of the hotel’s many activities, from yoga to bread making and glass blowing. It’s all set in 55 glorious acres of Hertfordshire. Add to that superb food, a new lido and 141 bedrooms split between an original Victorian mansion and a new block – and it’s only 40 minutes from central London.
• Doubles from £150 room-only, birchcommunity.com
Artist Residence, Brighton
Brighton is surely the spiritual home of remote working and the Artist Resident group is happy to provide a temporary roost in one of the city’s oldest squares. There are 24 rooms, ranging from small and cosy to expansive with sea views, but all guests get to hang out in the Clubhouse, a cafe/lounge space on the seafront. It’s a temple to midcentury taste and the ideal place to mate up with your Mac.
• Doubles from £159 room-only, artistresidence.co.uk
Eden Locke, Edinburgh
Work, lounge or socialise in this six-storey former Georgian townhouse on George Street in the centre of the city – that calls itself an “aparthotel”. There’s a chic and comfortable lounge in pistachio and cream. You’ll find many of the customers are tapping away at their laptops. For more privacy, head to your own room. All 72 have decent work areas and kitchens.
• Doubles from £85 room-only, lockeliving.com
Dartington Trust, Devon
If your work – or interests – veer towards the creative, the Dartington Trust has helped remote workers for more than 70 years. The 1945 Labour party manifesto, entitled Let Us Face the Future and which argued for an NHS, was written here. And it’s still a centre for learning – for social justice and ecology as well as the arts – on its 1,200-acre estate near Totnes. Guests staying in a mansion, that dates in part from the 13th century, can work alone or try out short courses on anything from abstract ceramics to taiko drumming. The campus also includes a cafe, cinema and pub, and hosts live music events.
• Doubles from £131 B&B, dartington.org
West Dean, Sussex
Alongside a college devoted to conservation and the creative arts, West Dean near Chichester has a handful of B&B rooms in the former home of Edward James, an influential patron of the surrealist art movement. You can work here and then play, too. There are 6,400 acres of gardens, including tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. When you’re through with your office chores, West Dean also has short courses, some with bursaries.
• Doubles from £88 B&B, westdean.org.uk
Graduate Hotel, Cambridge
Opening in July on the banks of the Cam, between Sheep’s Green and Scudamore’s Yard, Graduate Hotel will have a suitably cosy and bookish decor with comfortable seating around mahogany tables – the ideal atmosphere to tap away undisturbed. For a diversion, there’s an all-day cafe and all those museums and ancient colleges to explore in your downtime. The Randolph in Oxford will become a Graduate Hotel later year as well.
• Doubles from £189 room-only, graduatehotels.com/cambridge
Native, Manchester
Spread across six floors of a magnificent Grade II Victorian cotton mill, the Native has 166 bedrooms, many featuring cast-iron columns and exposed brickwork. All rooms come with work areas and kitchens, but on the ground floor is the Ducie Street Warehouse with cafe and a terrace that backs on to the canal.
• Doubles from £93 room-only, nativeplaces.com
Mitre, Hampton Court, London
This building, originally commissioned by Charles II as overspill accommodation for Hampton Court, became a hotel last year and the co-working space is in the 17th-century mansion. It is supplied with coffees, teas and printing access, however, the distractions are numerous – and delightful. They include a sheltered Thames-side terrace serving Whispering Angel rosé and two restaurants, while the Palace and Bushey Park are a short stroll away. The hotel can arrange rowing boats if you want to stretch your shoulders.
• Doubles from £189 B&B, mitrehamptoncourt.com
Southwark/Hoxton Hotel, London
Opened just over a year ago and attached to the Hoxton Hotel in Southwark, there are six floors to spread out over, with a mixture of desks, tables and sofas, with kitchens stocked with teas, coffees and snacks. The top floor houses a cafe with an outdoor terrace that has views across London. Next door, the hotel offers a full range of urban joys, including Seabird, the Hoxton’s 14th-floor restaurant and terrace, or try out the rotating set of street food-inspired menus at Albies on the ground floor.
• Doubles from £119 room-only, thehoxton.com
Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden, north Wales
Not reopening until September but worth booking up now because Gladstone’s Library is hugely popular, especially with writers. Close to Chester on the Wales border, at its heart is a Victorian Gothic library with 150,000 volumes. There are 26 aesthetically pleasing bedrooms each with Roberts radios and Anglepoise lamps and desks. A cafe serves meals all day and there’s an honesty bar in the drawing room, alongside jigsaws, newspapers and yet more books – for when you aren’t hard at work.
Doubles from £114 B&B, gladstoneslibrary.org
Before you book, please check Covid refund and rescheduling policy
