Sneak away and snuggle up!

Cosy nooks, crackling fires and tubs for two. Pray for rain because we’ve got the pick of places to cuddle up on cold, winter weekends

By Wendy Gomersall, 13/12/2009

Foam and away: relax in Dalkeith

BEST FOR... BUBBLE BATHS
THE SUN INN, LOTHIANBRIDGE, DALKIETH

Slip into this copper bath together and sip champagne while you soak in soft bubbles for an hour. Rooms at this boutique hotel on the outskirts of Edinburgh also come with monsoon showers, king-size beds with Egyptian cotton linen - and even GHDs!

BED REST: The suite with the copper bath costs from £150 per night. Visit Thesuninneskbank.co.uk or call 0131 663 2456 for more details.

Trott off to snug Suffolk

BEST FOR... REAL SWEETHEARTS
KING'S HEAD, LAXFIELD, SUFFOLK

All open fires, thatched roof and beams, the picturesque 16th-century King's Head offers romantic horse and carriage rides and pub grub including a delicious home-made sticky toffee pudding (yum!). And if the way to his heart is through his beer, this hidden gem serves fine traditional ales straight from casks.

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £55 per night. Log on to Laxfield-kingshead.co.uk or call 01986 798395 for more information.

Cosy and cutting edge in Windermere

BEST FOR... HIDING AWAY
GILPIN LODGE, WINDERMERE

Be spoilt for snuggle time in the hills above Lake Windermere, with roaring fires, sink-into-me sofas, huge beds - even bigger baths! - and steaming hot tubs to choose from in this cosy-but-cutting-edge-cool retreat. In the evening eat in one of the four individually themed dining rooms (food is fine-dining exquisite in gastronomic portions), then retire to your romantically secluded bedroom.

BED REST: One night in a double room costs from £145 per person, including five-course dinner and breakfast. Garden suites with outdoor hot tubs cost from £220. For more information, visit Gilpinlodge.co.uk or call 01539 488818.

Enjoy new romance in the New Forest

BEST FOR... ROMANTIC WALKS
THE WHITE BUCK INN, BURLEY, HANTS

Stroll hand-in-hand through crunchy leaves or soft snow, then return all rosy-cheeked to warm up in this former country house set in two-and-a-half acres in the heart of the New Forest.

The inn has seven stylish bedrooms, and you can even take your pet pooch as doggie guests are allowed in two of the rooms.

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £85 per night. For more information, visit Fullershotels.com or call 01425 402264.

Northern Ireland is a right blast

BEST FOR... SPA HEAVEN
SLIEVE DONARD HOTEL & SPA, NEWCASTLE, Co. DOWN

Blow away the cobwebs on a bracing hike in the beautiful Mourne Mountains then soaks away stress with a Full Body Salt And Oil Scrub (£37). Later you can cuddle up by the fire in one of the comfy lounges or head to your room, with views of the coastline and mountains.

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £110 per night. For more information, visit Hastingshotels.com/slieve or call 028 4372 6002.

Have a choctastic time in Dorset

BEST FOR... CHEEKY CHOCAHOLICS
CHOCOLATE BOUTIQUE HOTEL, BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET

Melt into each other's arms at the world's first chocolate-themed hotel - £30 buys you a chocolate fountain in your room with strawberries and marshmallows to dip in it. There's also a chocolate bar, where you can sip a cocoa cocktail, and the hotel arranges Chocolate Workshops at locations throughout the UK where you can learn to paint portraits of each other in dark, milk and white... guess what?

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £90. Visit Thechocolate boutiquehotel.co.uk or call 01202 556857.

BOOK IT! If you book a double room for two nights in January, you get a chocolate fountain in your room free!

Exmoor's excellent for unwinding

BEST FOR... GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL
THE ROCKFORD INN, BRENDON, LYNTON

Tinkling water, twittering birds and not much else disturbs the quiet in this traditional country pub, nestled beside the East Lyn River in Exmoor. Lock yourself in and bliss out!

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £50 per night. For details, visit Therockfordinn.co.uk or call 01598 741 214.

Meet Jamie Oliver's ma and pa in Essex

BEST FOR... SUNDAY LUNCH WITH THE PAPERS
THE CRICKETERS, CLAVERING, ESSEX

Roaring fires, beamed ceilings, and great food - everything you'd expect at this 16th-century English inn that's owned and run by Fabulous chef Jamie Oliver's mum and dad, Sally and Trevor. The restaurant uses fresh seasonal veggies, and the salads and herbs come from Jamie's nearby organic garden.

BED REST: Double rooms cost from £90 per night. For further information about The Cricketers, visit Thecricketers.co.uk or call 01799 550442.

Curl up on a sumptuous sofa in Devon

BEST FOR... ROARING FIRES
BUCKLAND TOUT-SAINTS, DEVON

Squishy sofas, roaring log fires and four-poster beds - Buckland has the lot! The manor house also offers candle-lit dinners.

BED REST: Four-poster rooms cost from £210 per night. For more information, visit Prideofbritainhotels.com or call 0800 089 3929.

BOOK IT! A two-night break with dinner one night costs from £249 per person until January 31 2010, with an automatic upgrade for Fabulous readers to a master suite (worth £100), subject to availability.

BEST FOR... SOAKING UP THE VIEWS
LAKE COUNTRY HOUSE, BUILTH WELLS, WALES

Imagine sipping champagne at sunset as you sink into an outdoor hot tub overlooking a lake in the gorgeous Welsh countryside... The Lake Country House is on the edge of the Brecon Beacons near Builth Wells, and the room to pick is Eugenie, large, opulently furnished in golds and silvers, with two deep armchairs beside the window and an invigorating whirlpool bath.

BED REST: Rooms from £225 per night, with dinner; Eugenie from £275 per night. More info www.visitwales.co.uk 0800 089 3929

FAB OFFER! Fabulous readers booking a night's stay in Eugenie receive a complimentary welcome bottle of champagne.

FOR MORE DETAILS ON THESE DESTINATIONS, PLEASE SEE VISITSCOTLAND.COM/AUTUMN, VISIT-SUFFOLK.ORG.UK, THENEWFOREST.CO.UK, VISITESSEX.COM, DISCOVERIRELAND.COM, INENGLAND.COM, VISITDEVON.CO.UK

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY CORBIS ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AND SPECIAL OFFERS ARE LIMITED

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