WALES

The Brecon Beacons make a magical winter setting, even without a frosting of snow. Set in 50 acres, The Lake Country House has a four-night Christmas break for £650, arriving on December 24 and including all meals, morning coffee and afternoon tea. A Welsh male-voice choir will provide the entertainment on December 27.
01591 620202, www.prideofbritainhotels.com

The town of Llanwrtyd Wells — said to be the smallest in Britain — celebrates New Year with a torchlit procession led by a cloaked figure wearing a horse’s skull, who drops in on local homes to trade rhyming insults. The evening ends with fireworks and a party in town. The Lasswade Country House Hotel has rooms on December 31 for £30, B&B, including champagne at midnight. A seven-course dinner is £45.
01591 610515, www.lasswadehotel.co.uk

SCOTLAND

Edinburgh is the place to go for Hogmanay; its street celebrations are among the best in the world. Rocco Forte’s five-star Balmoral Hotel, in the city’s heart, has a two-night package for £478, B&B, including a New Year’s Eve gala ball, with a four-course dinner prepared by the Michelin-starred chef Jeff Bland, a ceilidh, a disco and bagpipes at midnight.
0131 556 2414, www.thebalmoralhotel.com

On the shores of Loch Lomond, the five-star De Vere Cameron House promises bagpipe lessons, Scottish-dancing lessons and whisky-tasting as well as dinners, party events and the obligatory champagne reception. To allow for sore heads, breakfast on New Year’s Day will not be served until noon. It comes with champagne, too. Two nights cost £580.
01389 755565, www.devereonline.co.uk

A traditional Scottish Christmas is promised at Balbirnie House, a family-run 18th-century hotel in Fife. Carol singers will put guests in the mood on Christmas Eve, then, after midnight Mass at the village church in Markinch, mince pies and mulled wine will be served. Three nights cost £420, half-board (children £20 per night, plus meals).
01592 610066, www.prideofbritainhotels.com

IRELAND

Dublin is a grand place to be on New Year’s Day. Hangovers permitting, head for the streets, where the Lord Mayor’s Parade features marching bands from across the world. The Merrion, one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, has a two-night New Year’s package, including traditional Irish dinner on December 31 and breakfast on both mornings, for €380.
01 603 0600, www.merrionhotel.com

The Dunraven Arms, a quiet 18th-century country hotel in Adare, Co Limerick, has a three-night Christmas break that includes a candlelight dinner on Christmas Eve and a carol recital by the local church choir. On Christmas Day, St Nicholas will dispense with his familiar sleigh and arrive on horseback. Then, in the afternoon, guests will be taken on a Victorian-themed walking tour of Adare before returning for a five-course champagne dinner. On Boxing Day, Limerick races are a 20-minute drive away. Prices start at €600 (under-4s free).
01 295 8900, www.dunravenhotel.com

If you’re visiting Ireland from the British mainland, it makes sense to buy a package from a tour operator. Bridge Travel (0870 191 7287, www.bridge-travel.co.uk) has three nights at the four-star Schoolhouse Hotel, in Dublin, from £302, B&B, including flights from Heathrow.

ITC Classics (01244 355527, www.itcclassics.co.uk) has three nights over Christmas at Sheen Falls Lodge, in Co Kerry, from £927, including flights from Manchester, a black-tie banquet and a traditional lunch.

Seasons in Style (0151 342 0505, www.seasonsinstyle.co.uk) has two nights, full-board, over New Year at the Park Hotel Kenmare, overlooking the Ring of Kerry, from £840, including flights from London or Manchester. After a black-tie banquet, guests can nurse their hangovers in the hotel’s new spa, which has treatment suites for couples, with private pools.

Travelling by sea can bring down prices. For instance, two nights at the four-star Lodge & Spa at Inchydoney Island, in West Cork, costs £212, B&B, including ferry crossings, leaving Fishguard on December 30, with Cresta Holidays (0870 333 3303, www.crestaholidays.co.uk).

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