THE NORTH

Suspend your fears about the national obesity crisis just long enough to enjoy the Michelin-starred food at Holbeck Ghyll (01539 432375, www.prideofbritainhotels.com), a 19th-century hunting lodge that overlooks Windermere.

Its four-night package begins on December 23 and includes a lake cruise, a gala dinner on Christmas Eve, midnight Mass in the quaint little church at Troutbeck and a guided walk on Christmas morning. Prices start at £825pp, full-board.

On the edge of the North York Moors National Park, the impossibly cute market town of Helmsley is home to the Feversham Arms Hotel (01439 770766, www.fevershamarmshotel.com). It promises a civilised approach to proceedings: breakfast on the big day is served in your bedroom, allowing you to conserve your energy for a seven-course lunch. Three nights, from December 24, start at £465pp, half-board.

If you like your city vibe with a countrified air, Jesmond Dene House (0191 212 3000, www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk) is the perfect compromise. It’s a rambling pile, set in pretty gardens just five minutes’ drive from Newcastle city centre. Other bonuses include the fact that the proprietor/chef, Terry Laybourne, is the proud owner of a Michelin star, and that, unlike many hotels, it will take bookings for December 25 only. Doubles start at £270, including breakfast and a four-course lunch.

Foxglove, Cowslip and Harebell lodges are brand-new luxury eco-cottages set in 50 acres of woodland and ancient meadows just outside Richmond, with views over Yorkshire’s Swale Valley.

They balance environmental credentials — for example, living plant roofs that blend into the landscape — with five-star amenities such as bespoke kitchens. Five nights, from December 22, cost £554 for up to six people, including a food hamper and a decorated Christmas tree, through Rural Retreats (01386 701177, www.ruralretreats.co.uk).

SCOTLAND

Edinburgh is home to one of Europe’s biggest and best Christmas markets for last-minute presents, and has a lovely ice rink in Princes Street Gardens, so you can enter even further into the spirit of things before holing up at one of its most fashionable hotels, the Scotsman (0131 556 5565, www.thescotsmanhotel.co.uk). Its two-night package, from December 24, costs £620pp, B&B, and includes a four-course Christmas lunch and use of the spa to work off those gastronomic indulgences.

At the best of times, Pool House (01445 781272, www.poolhousehotel.com), in Wester Ross, is a spectacularly OTT Victorian time warp (one room is decorated like a first-class cabin on the Titanic; another has an extraordinary 8ft-high canopied bath). But it really pushes the boat out for Christmas, with the most heavily garlanded and sumptuously swagged rooms imaginable. Dinners are by candlelight and, in true Dickensian style, run to eight courses, with traditional roast goose served on Christmas Day. Its three-day package, from Christmas Eve, starts at £850pp, half-board. Book before September 30 for a complimentary bottle of champagne and chocolates.

IRELAND

Slieve Donard (028 4372 1066, www.hastingshotels.com) is a grand red edifice in Co Down, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to a wild sea, but its pulling power this Christmas is all about the new £8m wellness retreat. Designed by spa queen Susan Harmsworth (creator of the award-winning Samas spa at the Park Hotel, across the border in Co Kerry), it is being tipped to become one of Europe’s hottest pampering palaces. Three nights, from December 24, start at £435pp, including breakfast, dinner and activities such as guided walks and archery lessons.

Aghadoe Heights (00 353 64 31766, www.aghadoeheights.com) has floor-to-ceiling windows in its public areas to maximise stunning views over the blissful lakes of Killarney and the Kerry Mountains — and if that’s not enough to destress you, its Aveda spa features the world’s first precious-stone therapy suite, certain to bring out your inner sparkle. There’s great walking and an ice rink in town, so you can work up an appetite for dinner at the hotel’s award-winning Lake Room restaurant. Three nights start at £655.50pp, full-board.

Even more options? Visit www.timesonline.co.uk/aplacetostay