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Sober stays are on the rise – meet the UK spots catering for sober-curious travellers

Sober stays are on the rise – meet the UK spots catering for sober-curious travellers
Written by Travel Adventures

The staycation smorgasbord has much to recommend it, from access to some of the UK’s most charming rural spots to memorable gastronomy and gorgeous spas seriously dedicated to the art of wellness. But there is a new era dawning, one that is beginning to shake up both country house hotels, nestled deep in the English countryside, and city-tucked properties alike: the rise of the sober staycation. There was a time when a glass of fizz was as rudimentary to a good holiday as a bucket and spade, but quietly bubbling for many years, the low- and no-alcohol hotel scene is now making its way to the fore, with trend-leading properties creating booze-free offerings that feel like seamless parts of the luxury experience, rather than an afterthought, better communicated in hushed tones as you lean over the bar so as not to be heard by other guests or staff.

And it should perhaps come as no surprise, given that research suggests that 29 per cent of pub visits and 37 per cent of restaurant meals involve zero alcohol consumption, while the number of adults who participated in Dry January this year was up by 22 per cent – with the number of people who said they would continue to stay sober, or semi-sober, after the month was up also increasing. Leading brewers are now beginning to bank on non-alcoholic lagers and various UK-based vineyards are taking pride in offering alcohol-free versions of their much-loved favourites.

So it seems natural then, that Britain’s staycation scene should follow suit. Lots of hotel bar’s have introduced specific no or low alcohol menus, The Library Bar at The Lanesborough, for example, the Albie at The Hoxton or the afternoon tea offering at The Charlotte Street Hotel in London, due to demand, and the more you delve, the more you notice the sheer number of properties now specifically catering to alcohol-free guests, rather than just having a one-mocktail menu. Like Grantley Hall in Yorkshire; the sprawling five-star property launched a non-alcoholic wine pairing in late 2022 as part of their Michelin-starred restaurant Shaun Rankin experience, an addition they say has proved highly popular. “Our guests have welcomed the arrival of a more inclusive drinks offering and we have received great feedback,” the food and beverage team say. “Now, more than ever, the non-alcoholic movement has been paving the way in the industry, therefore it is important for fine-dining restaurants to ensure that all guests have a dining experience to rival any other.” And other esteemed institutions have also adopted similar offerings, including the Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square and The Londoner who have created their very own alcohol-free wines.

The message is clear: move with the times, or risk losing guests.

“We are certainly starting to see more diners and guests of the hotel looking to our non-alcoholic offering,” Jonathan Ellson, director of food and beverage at Coworth Park, part of the Dorchester Collection, tells Conde Nast Traveller. “And our bar team continues to evolve our non-alcoholic cocktails with long standing products such as Seedlip whilst also experimenting with new offerings such as Crossip.”

Coworth Park now offers an alcohol-free pairing at its Michelin-starred restaurant Woven by Adam Smith, as well as non-alcoholic afternoon tea accompaniments as standard. “As with our traditional wine pairings, we make [non-alcoholic options] bespoke to each guest depending on their preferences,” Ellson explains. “From non-alcoholic wines to beers or spirits, they are all very different and we want our guests to enjoy drinking them while also matching the food.”

And the changes haven’t gone unnoticed. “Our guests have definitely appreciated the higher quality non-alcoholic options that we have been able to provide as the selection for us to choose from has rapidly increased over the past couple of years.'”

So, if you fancy a sober staycation yourself, we’ve rounded up a clutch of hotels that will take care of your every whim, alcohol-free or not.


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