(Bloomberg) -- It used to be possible to get a decent hotel room in the UK for £150 ($190), but these days you’re lucky to find a closet-size room on Airbnb for under £300. And it’s not just in London, where the hotel scene has been making headlines for normalizing four-figure nightly rates, even for small entry-level rooms.

In truth, escaping to the countryside isn’t necessarily much cheaper; a night this June at the celebrated Four Seasons in Hampshire starts at about £900. Average prices for UK hotel rooms have increased 30% from 2019 to 2023, according to data from market researcher CoStar shared with Bloomberg. Blame inflation.

But there’s now a new guard of affordable luxury properties offering excellent value by any standard, from beachside breaks to chic cityside options.

Read more: The Best London Hotels for Under $500

Take the wisteria-clad Boys Hall, a renovated 17th century manor house in Kent where you can book a romantic wood-paneled room with a roll-top bath and views of the garden for around £200 in July. Sure, there’s no spa, but who needs it if you’re spending the day with a bottle of English sparkling wine in the property’s tranquil garden?

Here are six excellent spots in England if you’re looking for a weekend away—all with options under £300 a night.

Best for a city break: The StoreWhere: OxfordDistance from London: An hour via train

You know it for its famed university, but Oxford is also beloved for its stunning Gothic and baroque architecture. There’s so much of it, it’s been called the city of “dreaming spires.” Now, right in the heart of town, a new hotel has opened with a rooftop bar that overlooks those magnificent buildings. The Store is a transformation of Oxford’s oldest shopping complex, with posters from the former department store serving as wall art in its 101 rooms. QR codes on windows help guests understand the history hiding within the views, and at the bar, cocktails have cheeky names that reference Oxford alumni. (The “Second Breakfast,” made with bourbon, maple syrup and blueberry, nods to Oxford grad JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, for instance.) Treadwells, the light-filled restaurant on-site, is all about British classics: Think Sunday roasts and bangers and mash. And downstairs there’s even a small spa and steam room, with treatments from British brand Oskia. Rooms from £285

Best for wine lovers: Boys HallWhere: Just outside Ashford in KentDistance from London: 30 minutes via train from Stratford International, and a 10-minute cab from the station

This former Jacobean manor house, with its sprawling manicured gardens, is described as a “restaurant with rooms”—the showpiece is a skylit restaurant that highlights hyperlocal produce and meats. Given that Kent is the UK’s Napa Valley, it has a deep wine list featuring the area’s best producers, including sparkling wines from Gusbourne, whose vineyards are only 10 miles away. Service is relaxed and friendly: Guests are welcomed warmly with tea and a slice of homemade cake upon arrival, which they can enjoy in the timber-framed common rooms of the grand 17th century home that once hosted Charles I. At just nine rooms, it never feels crowded, and the on-site small pub and restaurant are a hit with the community and buzzing with energy. Rooms from £190

Best for art and design lovers: No. 42 by GuestHouse, MargateWhere: MargateDistance from London: About 90 minutes by train

This stylish seafront hotel infuses warm Mediterranean beach vibes into a classic Victorian building on the chilly Kent coast, where celebrated painter JMW Turner created many of his iconic seaside landscapes. No. 42 builds on that artistic legacy—the town remains a hub for contemporary artists such as Tracey Emin—with prints from local artists in its 21 rooms. The celebrated Turner Contemporary art gallery is just a five-minute walk away along the seafront; after a day at the museum, guests can sit for rounds of oysters from neighboring Whitstable on the hotel’s ocean-facing rooftop bar. The communal “pantry,” a snack-filled retrofit of a vintage ticket booth, is not to be missed: It’s stocked with local ice cream and baked goods and is open all night. Rooms from £170

Best for an escape to the country: Outbuildings DorsetWhere: West DorsetDistance from London: About 2.5 hours by train, then a 20-minute taxi journey

These new lodges called the Byre are like Soho Farmhouse minus the crowds and membership applications. Each cabin comes with its own private deck, outfitted with a copper bathtub that surveys the verdant Dorset countryside. In the evening, guests can cozy up under heated blankets for a Netflix series or film at the Hay Barn cinema on-site—the projector screen is set amid barrels of hay. Experiences are focused on the great outdoors and include walks through West Dorset’s countryside or along the dramatic cliffs of the nearby Jurassic Coast. But there’s also a secluded hot tub where you can book a “bubbles in the woods” experience; hit the “crank for champagne” button and a server will arrive to top off your flute. Rooms from £190.

Best for a beachside break: The NiciWhere: BournemouthDistance from London: About two hours via train

This is the closest a Londoner can get to South Florida vibes without jumping on an airplane—though this still being the UK, sunshine is not guaranteed. And yet, the Nici’s palm-print fabrics and 30-meter (98-foot) pool can brighten any cloudy day; ditto the upbeat soundtrack guests will hear while lounging under pink-and-white-striped umbrellas. The food at the restaurant called South Beach features British seaside favorites such as fish and chips alongside fresh-caught lobsters and salmon fillets. If guests prefer the sea to the pool, the property is only minutes from Bournemouth’s sandy beaches. And for truly rainy days, there’s also an indoor pool and serene spa area—this is south England, after all. Rooms from £185

Best for a culinary detour: The Three HorseshoesWhere: BatcombeDistance from London: A two-hour train trip to nearby Bruton, then a short taxi journey

The village of Batcombe is practically the size of a sesame seed, and most of its local population has one destination in mind on Sundays: a revitalized 17th century pub called the Three Horseshoes. It reopened with a handful of antiques-filled rooms in April 2023 after a restoration by star chef Margot Henderson, who first rose to fame working with her husband, Fergus, at London’s iconic St. John; now she’s turning this corner of the Somerset countryside into a culinary destination in its own right. In the wood-beamed restaurant downstairs, her daily-changing menu includes refined British comforts like oxcheek pie with pickled walnuts or roast goose with apple jelly. Guests who overnight in the five rooms upstairs will find bathrooms thoughtfully stocked with local soaps and bath salts—in the mornings, they can borrow wellies for country walks to the area’s prized cheesemakers, cider producers and charcutiers. Rooms from £220

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