The best new British hotels for an autumn break under £200

With its undercurrent of fresh starts and sharpened pencils, autumn has a reset vibe that’s gentler than the New Year. Before winter sets in, this is a chance to explore the British countryside in a blaze of colour or feast on the bounties of harvest season. It’s a perfect time to explore the UK coastline too, with the crowds having departed. All the hotels below have just opened or will open in the next month or so, and are ideal for a weekend break. Some are fresh from renovations or reinventions and now brimming with great ideas – be that restaurants that aim to combat food waste, mini kitchens in rooms or 24-hour larders. The best bit? All have rates that start from under £200 a night.

No. 124 by GuestHouse, Brighton

The aptly-named Guest brothers will open their fourth hotel in October on Brighton’s seafront by the i360 viewing tower. Continuing the cheery informality of the other hotels in the group, it’s likely to appeal to both locals and out-of-towners, plus there’s outdoor seating, a rarity with Brighton hotels. The Hideout Suite has sea views, a hot tub and a secret entrance into the rest of the hotel. The other 31 rooms aren’t too shabby either, with nods to the building’s Georgian heritage. By the end of the month, Pearly Cow – a gutsy restaurant concept brought over from the Margate GuestHouse – and the Field Trip Spa should both be open.

Doubles from £192, room only (guesthousehotels.co.uk)

SeaSpace, Cornwall

Surfers will tell you that the waves in the UK are often great in October. SeaSpace, which is billing itself as Cornwall’s first coastal aparthotel, opens near Newquay on the 18th. The California-inspired site features 1950s-themed decor, a restaurant and deli, padel courts plus an ochre-coloured indoor swimming pool and hot tub. All 56 apartments – sleeping between two and six people – have fully equipped kitchens and living areas, with cots and high chairs available for families (who might appreciate the 24-hour larder).

Doubles from £100, room only (sea.space)

Treehouse, Manchester

Manchester’s long-awaited Treehouse hotel is due to finally open this side of Christmas and will provide an eco-chic place to stay in the city. The 244 rooms at this sibling to the London pioneer will have a summer-amp feel, with reclaimed wood and colourful quilts – not to mention reasonable rates. Head upstairs to the rooftop and peer through the houseplants (Treehouse hotels are all about biophilia); you will be greeted by views over Manchester Arena and Deansgate. The main restaurant, Pip, from acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague, will celebrate low-waste seasonal food. There will also be two other restaurants and a screening room.

Doubles from £140, room only (treehousehotels.com)

The White Horses Hotel, Rottingdean, East Sussex

In the 18th century, this pub was a smugglers’ haunt and coaching inn. Today, Greene King has chosen it to test out a new boutique hotel brand, Everly Hotels. Since late August, its prime position on the beach can be enjoyed from a veranda and terrace. A 1930s rebuild has left a legacy of 32 rooms, some featuring balconies and all now with a peppy seaside-break feel thanks to the whitewash inside and out and cheery furnishings. Good weather brings the locals out in force; coming here in winter promises blustery walks and Sunday roasts.

Doubles from £103, room-only (thewhitehorseshotel-rottingdean.co.uk)

The Maltings, Norfolk

A flinty sense of locality is at the forefront of this new hotel near the glam market town of Holt, on the edge of Weybourne village. August saw this hotel open with 26 rooms spread around the original building, former stables and cottages, plus snugs, bars and the lofty Grain Store. The menu here casts a wide net along nearby coastlines, including salmon smoked in Brancaster and crab from Cromer. Next door, the hotel’s Bottle Shop brings locals to browse while guests pay a corkage fee. The beach is a 10-minute walk on footpaths strewn with sloe bushes. Unlike most of North Norfolk, you don’t need to have a car – Sheringham train station is a short taxi ride away.

Doubles from £140, B&B (01263 804731; themaltingsweybourne.com)

Nest Farmhouse, Norfolk

After a soft opening in July, autumn will see this foodie hotel near Kings Lynn come into its own. From the trio who head up the Michelin-starred St Barts restaurant and Shoreditch’s Nest in London, this new venture sits at the centre of a 1,000-acre working farm near the village of Docking. The six bedrooms are in a former cattle shed that has been given a prairie-style update with verandas, but you will really be coming for the food. Think sharing dishes of slow-braised lamb or rib of beef, plus foraged and cultivated accompaniments from the farm itself.

Doubles from £180, B&B (nestfarmhouse.co.uk)

The Resident, Edinburgh

This growing hotel group aims to offer good value along with a sense of style. The Scottish capital will welcome one of its properties in October. Though there is no restaurant, all 164 rooms have kitchenettes including fridges that can be stocked from local shops prior to arrival (the surrounding Haymarket area has plenty of delis), plus hallways with luggage storage. There’s a lounge to work in and the hotel hosts free wine and canapé sessions each evening.

Doubles from £168, room-only (residenthotels.com)

The Leddie, East Lothian

This hotel, named after the river that winds through the village of Aberlady, opened quietly at the end of July. It’s well located for East Lothian’s links golf courses, including Muirfield, plus there are superb beaches to tramp along, as well as footpaths through the Aberlady Bay estuary – a nature reserve that’s a short walk away. Back at the hotel, the 27 rooms have gone with a Scottish-lite approach, opting for gentle plaid tones rather than full-on tartan, plus log fires, an enthusiastic young and locally recruited staff, and food that aims to reward a day spent outdoors.

Doubles from £180, B&B (theleddie.com)

Hoots Hotel, Inverness

The Scottish Highlands’ best-loved music venue, Hootenanny in Inverness, has quietly opened a seven-room hotel upstairs. Georgian proportions mix with serious beds and plenty of humour, including tartan tiles in one room. Downstairs there’s live music every night – previous performers include Mumford & Sons and Russell Crowe – and (just as popular) food that runs the gamut from haggis and neeps to veggie curry, while breakfast is delivered to your room.

Doubles from £199, B&B (hootanannyinverness.co.uk)

Bridge End Hotel, Llangollen

After a lengthy closure, new owners unveiled the results of a £1.5 million renovation here in early September. New bathrooms come in soothing shades of pale green and cream, with metro tiles. The hotel overlooks both the river Dee and the Llangollen and Corwen steam railway, and is located in one of the most attractive towns in North Wales. Autumnal activities in the vicinity range from white water rafting to horse-drawn canal boat trips.

Doubles from £86, room only (bridgeendhotel.co.uk)