Looking for the ultimate UK destination? Did you watch Saltburn like the rest of the world and think “twisted film. But that house” ? Let us introduce you to the country house hotel. All manner of political, royal and historical intrigue has gone on in these estates, enough to almost make Saltburn seem tame.
Stay in style at one of Britain’s incredible country houses, head out for country walks, have someone take care of the children and relax. Here are some suggestions for the perfect houses you can dance to Murder on the Dancefloor through…
Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire
A summer getaway call for the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. The grand mansion house hotel is bristling with luxury, and outside there’s no shortage of things to do in the great outdoors of Hampshire.
From an equestrian centre to shooting to a high-wire adventure, the hotel has plenty to entertain everyone. Plus it’s all a short drive from London.
Where: Dogmersfield Park, Chalky Lane, Dogmersfield, Hook, RG27 8TD
Website:www.fourseasons.com
Cliveden
There are a few country houses that sit prominently in the public imagination; Blenheim Palace, Chequers and Highgrove sit up there, and so does Cliveden. Having played a colourful role in 20th-century politics, it’s now one of Britain’s most impressive luxury hotels.
Vast in scale and set within 376 acres, every aspect of a stay at Cliveden is seeped in history and extravagance (to put that in context, it has a helipad…).
Where: Cliveden Road, Taplow, Berkshire, SL6 0JF
Website: WWW.CLIVEDENHOUSE.CO.UK
The Greenway Hotel & Spa
Country-meets-spa-town at extremely well-situated The Greenway Hotel & Spa. A mere stone’s throw from the chic regency shopping destination of Cheltenham, the imposing manor house hotel backs neatly onto the rolling Cotswolds countryside, providing hearty walks with spectacular views over the Malvern Hills.
The ultimate hideout, the hotel is set on immaculate grounds and manages to achieve a stately yet unpretentious sense of comfort. Rooms are spacious and cosy, dogs and children are welcome and the food is genuinely to die for. The spa is a cleverly designed indoor/outdoor haven complete with a hydrotherapy pool and al-fresco hot tub encouraging guests to unwind in between blissfully effective therapies.
But best of all, this is a hotel that excels in small touches – sleepy tea left beside at every turndown, newspapers delivered to your breakfast table, and croquet set up on the lawn at your whim and fancy. Delightful.
WHERE: SHURDINGTON, CHELTENHAM, GLOS, GL51 4UG
WEBSITE:WWW.THEGREENWAYHOTELANDSPA.COM
Heckfield Place
What the Heckfield? The Georgian country house hotel is a favourite with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Liv Tyler, royals and Insta-famous alike. The restaurant is also a strong advocate of sustainability, with the food for Skye Gyngell’s restaurant coming straight from the traditional walled garden, the 400-acre farm, and the bio-dynamic market garden.
As befits a hotel that’s hosted Beckhams and Meghan and Harry, the interiors are utterly divine, with a simple aesthetic that comes from great design, with Heckfield succeeding in being both grand and intimate simultaneously.
Where: Heckfield Place, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 0LD
Website:www.heckfieldplace.com
The Newt In Somerset
It’s the perfect country house hotel. Set in rural Somerset, The Newt is simply fabulous. Beautiful simplicity at every turn.
Set within a working estate, the house has been meticulously designed by Karen Roos, former editor of Elle Decoration South Africa, and her attention to detail along with rustic styling gives the house a unique and special feel.
Perfectly formed, with just 23 rooms, dine in the Botanical Rooms ideally after a stroll around the breathtaking gardens.
Where: Hadspen, Bruton, Castle Cary, Somerset, BA7 7NG
Website:www.thenewtinsomerset.com
Boringdon Hall Hotel & Spa
Straddling town and country, Boringdon Hall in Devon is ideal as a destination or a stop-off toward Cornwall. Don’t be put off by the industrial nautical metropolis that is near Plymouth, Boringdon Hall is tranquil and exquisite.
Relaxation comes easily here, either in the Gaia Spa or the luscious rooms and suites, each replete with four-poster beds that could not be more in keeping with the ancient.
Eating and drinking are, of course, centre stage thanks to Head Chef Scott Paton whose Àclèaf Restaurant showcases his creative dishes using only the finest locally sourced ingredients.
Where: Boringdon Hall Hotel, Boringdon Hill, Colebrook, Plympton, Devon, PL7 4DP
Website:www.boringdonhall.co.uk
Thyme
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Cotswold Stone, one of the best boutique hotels in the Cotswolds (and far beyond) is Thyme.
The 31-bedroom hotel feels more like the home of a friend, albeit a friend so lucky that you kinda hate them for having the most perfect house in the whole wide world.
The boutique hotel is the perfect ‘chocolate box’ stereotype with its postcard-perfect stone-washed houses, but the interiors are carefully created to be modern and stylish.
Take a stroll around the 150-acre estate before taking dinner at The Ox Barn (quite literally, a former oxen house) followed by a cocktail in the sheep-themed ‘Baa’ (geddit?).
Where: Southrop, Gloucestershire, GL7 3NX
Website:www.thyme.co.uk
Lime Wood Hotel
Where: Lime Wood Hotel, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7FZ
Website:www.limewoodhotel.co.uk
Is there anywhere that Martin Brudnizki hasn’t designed? The restaurant and bar at Lime Wood Hotel have had the same treatment as London’s Annabel’s, Brasserie of Light and 45 Jermyn Street, but it’s not just Brudnizki who waved his interior decorating wand over Lime Wood. Step forward The Handbook’s favourite designer Ben Pentreath who styled many of the rooms at this Hampshire home-from-home.
A big brother to the much-loved Pig Hotel, the regency house in the heart of the New Forest is reached via a sweeping driveway amid beautiful grounds. Inside the rooms are cosy, with deep copper bathtubs perfect for relaxing in after a muddy country walk (all the rooms come with multi-coloured Hunter wellies, natch).
Dining at Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett’s collab with Luke Holder in the form of Hartnett Holder & Co is the delight you’d expect from two leading chefs, after which you can curl up by the log fire and read a book while sipping a postprandial cocktail.
Chewton Glen
Set in the New Forest, Chewton Glen offers guests a lavish spa, glorious rooms, and a bespoke experience that will be as memorable as it is sumptuous.
If the perfectly appointed rooms aren’t to your taste, then several luxury treehouse rooms are also available, 30 feet above ground level.
Chewton Glen is exactly what springs to mind when someone says ‘country house hotel’. And it’s idyllic at that.
Where: Christchurch Road, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 6QS
When:www.chewtonglen.com
Soho Farmhouse
Grab your wellies and climb aboard the Chelsea tractor, we’re going to the farmhouse. Specifically Soho Farmhouse, the home of the Soho House set when they’re not in Soho (or LA, Istanbul, Bombay, or wherever else the perpetually expanding fashionable members’ club opens next).
Officially members only, Soho Farmhouse cleverly opened to plenty of hype as a Cotswolds celeb hotspot at that time when Chipping Norton seemed the most fashionable place on earth.
And it’s no less glamorous or luxurious, with various restaurants, cool rooms, a boathouse swimming pool, and various cabins to make a stay infinitely memorable.
Where: Great Tew, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 4JS
Website:www.sohohouse.com
Fawsley Hall
Tucked away in Northamptonshire’s picturesque countryside, Fawsley Hall has a rich and storied history. It has played host to a variety of notable clientele, including Queen Elizabeth I.
Highlights include a five-star spa and the intimate Cedar Restaurant, situated in a dining space built in the early 16th Century and featuring a menu from Head Chef Joe Gould characterised by vibrant flavours, fresh textures, and inspired specialities.
where: Fawsley, Daventry NN11 3BA
website: handpickedhotels.co.uk
Cowley Manor
The Cotswolds is difficult to beat for sheer breathtaking beauty. It’s like every American’s perception of what Britain looks like, all in one place. And amidst all the butter-coloured stone and rolling hills lies Cowley Manor.
The traditional stately home, formerly owned by the Horlicks family (the hot drinks people), has recently undergone an extensive and effective refurbishment. In addition to being one of the UK’s first luxury rural hotels to offer a destination spa, featuring an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, etc – the manor’s culinary side is just as strong.
Together, Chef Consultant, Jackson Boxer, and newly appointed Chef Dominic Hargreaves create innovative menus celebrating the beautiful natural surroundings and local produce.
WHERE: COWLEY MANOR, COWLEY, CHELTENHAM, GL53 9NL
WEBSITE:WWW.COWLEYMANOR.COM
Great Fosters
The clue’s in the name, it’s Great! This Elizabethan pile is packed with luxury, including a Michelin-starred restaurant, inside and ornate gardens, and parkland.
With 43 rooms and more wood paneling than you could shake a suit of armour at, Great Fosters combines archetypal country house shizz with modern luxury.
The result, all within a stone’s throw of London, is impressive.
WHERE: STROUDE ROAD, EGHAM, TW20 9UR
WEBSITE:WWW.ALEXANDERHOTELS.CO.UK
Lympstone Manor
We’ll raise a glass to Lympstone Manor, and with its own on-site vineyard that should be pretty easy to arrange.
The Devon hotel offers stunning natural beauty and sea views as well as a fabulous hotel and restaurant. The latter brings the exceptional Michael Caines to the table, literally, with unbeatable European cuisine.
21 bedrooms, each gorgeously styled, await guests, not to mention all that one of Britain’s best counties has to offer.
WHERE: COURTLANDS LANE, EXMOUTH EX8 3NZ
WEBSITE:WWW.LYMPSTONEMANOR.CO.UK
Pennyhill Park
Pennyhill Park mixes modern-day luxuries with those of the past. From a Roman-themed spa and the Tudor-themed Twickenham Suite to the ultra-modern Acacia Suite, which features a gobsmacking horizontal shower.
Their spa is certainly the highlight of this country house resort! Equipped with its own tepidarium and a one-of-a-kind Ice Igloo where you can cover yourself in ice chips, Pennyhill Park is a haven for skin enthusiasts and spa obsessives alike.
Where: London Road, Bagshot, Surrey, GU19 5EU
Website: www.exclusive.co.uk
Beaverbrook
A marvel of late Victorian architecture, Beaverbrook Hotel is one to put in your bucket list. With a grand total of three houses in this sprawling estate to choose from, you’re spoilt for choice in Beaverbrook.
From the gorgeous multi-coloured stained glass of the Coach House Spa to the delectable fares found at their Japanese Grill, it’s a time for relaxation and rest for all.
Where: Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8QX
Website: www.beaverbrook.co.uk
