The British country house hotel was born in 1949, brought to us in the pink and frilly shape of Sharrow Bay, overlooking Ullswater in the Lake District. Presided over by a splendid couple, Francis Coulson and his partner Brian Sack, it came complete with a gargantuan afternoon tea, and Sack’s famous Icky Sticky Toffee Pudding and Coulson’s bedtime poems on the pillow. People adored it. There had been leisure hotels in Britain before, of course, but this was the first where you could be assured of being personally pampered in beautiful rural surroundings, with a committed owner at the helm offering a warm welcome, decent food, peace and quiet.
Hundreds of characterful country estate hotels have followed, and today there’s a bewildering amount from which to choose. Here we present the cream of the crop. While some continue to offer no more than the pleasures of a beautiful old house, a roaring fire and a cup of tea, others cater to our increased demands: for spas, cookery courses and activities such as foraging. All these country house hotels share in common comfort, excellent food and the joys of the English countryside.
England
The Newt in Somerset
Castle Cary, Somerset, England
The Newt is one of the most exceptional country house hotels Britain has seen. It stands in a large working estate between Castle Cary and Bruton, and its famous gardens have been entirely replanted and redesigned. There’s a cyder press, bottling plant and bar, mushroom house, History of Gardening Museum, farm shop, treetop walk, thatched ice cream parlour and wild swimming ponds. Former editor of Elle Decoration South Africa Karen Roos is responsible for the hotel’s interiors. There is plenty to admire, especially the simplicity: the rough-hewn walls of the natural, unadorned spa; the unfussy, almost Scandinavian style of the 23 bedrooms and bathrooms.
From
£
383
per night
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• The best hotels in Somerset
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Oxfordshire, England
Belmond Le Manoir’s style is a happy marriage between stately Oxfordshire and eccentric French fancy. The honey-coloured manor house creates an attractive focus around which an eclectic mix of 15th-century ponds, Provençal lavender rows, a Japanese garden, kitsch sculptures and a wild mushroom patch can all co-exist. Seasonality is king in its two-Michelin starred restaurant. A 1930s-style bar serves comforting cocktails and the wine cellar stocks a French dominated list of more than 1,000 different wines.
From
£
1,010
per night
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Lympstone Manor
Exmouth, Devon, England
Lympstone Manor is easily one of Britain’s most exciting country house hotels, with double-Michelin-starred BBC Great British Menu icon Michael Caines MBE at the helm. The man himself takes the time to greet guests and can often be spied striding through the halls in his white chef overalls. Don’t miss the eight-course tasting menu dinner. Many chefs get bogged down in zany experiments with foams and moleculars, but Michael prefers to bravely poke at the booby-trapped boundary between sumptuous and sickly. Book a room with an outdoor bath overlooking the golden syrup sunsets of the Exe estuary.
From
£
395
per night
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• The best hotels in Somerset
Babington House
Somerset, England
Soho House’s country escape is housed inside a honey-hued Georgian house, snugly swathed in pristine parkland. Guests loll on ludicrously oversized loungers, overlooking a reed-fringed lake. With one outdoor pool overlooking the lake, and a pool housed inside a cavernous stone barn, plus sauna, a cinema, tennis courts, a football pitch, gym and a Cowshed spa, you’ll want for little else. Rooms have antique four-poster beds, roll-top baths, open fires, hand-painted wallpaper and a plethora of toiletries.
From
£
220
per night
Heckfield Place
Hook, Hampshire, England
This Georgian house commands far-reaching views across its 400-acre estate (woodland, gardens, lakes, biodynamic farm) and open countryside beyond but is only an hour from London. Design-wise, there’s a sense of warmth, naturalness and flop-down homeliness that’s artistic and literary – fine 20th-century English pictures from owner Gerald Chan’s private collection, a curated collection of books in the Morning Room and bedrooms – plus earthy and artisanal (lime plaster walls in natural colours, linens, English oak floors, hand-crafted furniture). Rooms are all beautiful, with bespoke minibars, exceptional artwork and many charming, spoiling touches.
From
£
450
per night
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Cliveden
Taplow, Berkshire, England
This has to be one of the loveliest spots for a hotel, overlooking a spectacular 19th-century parterre and surrounded by acres of ancient woodland running down to the Thames. Contrary to its appearance, Cliveden is not in the least bit stuck up and doesn’t mind whether you turn up in a Ferrari or a Fiat. The house has witnessed much intrigue over the years – it was the setting for the infamous Profumo affair – and a hint of naughtiness remains.
From
£
535
per night
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Chewton Glen Hotel
New Forest, Hampshire, England
Chewton Glen has lovely grounds and guests can follow the stream through the woods to emerge at Naish Beach, with a view of the Needles rising from the sea. Facilities are legion: a lavish spa, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis centre, nine-hole golf course and many activities, from archery and buggy riding to duck herding. Bedrooms and suites, in many different styles, display astonishing attention to detail, down to the stamped postcards on each desk.
From
£
400
per night
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• The best hotels in Hampshire
Hambleton Hall
Rutland, England
Beautifully decorated by Stefa Hart, who with her husband Tim has owned and run Hambleton Hall since 1979, the house exudes a feeling of controlled and carefully orchestrated wellbeing without ever feeling unnatural or overly theatrical. The flowing country house good looks are matched by the surrounding gardens and the beautiful view of Rutland Water from the lovely flower filled terrace. The cooking of Aaron Patterson, who began here as a 16-year-old sous chef, easily deserves its long held Michelin star and is rooted in local and seasonal produce, charmingly presented and always delicious.
From
£
265
per night
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Gidleigh Park
Chagford, Devon, England
Perched atop a bank overlooking private woodlands traced by a boulder-strewn river, Gidleigh’s location is wild and dramatic. The décor is stylish if a little straight-laced, with everything you’d expect in an English country house hotel: antique furniture, wood panelling, stone fireplaces and elegant bouquets of flowers. The 24 bedrooms are decorated individually in a classic English country style, with supersized beds, roll-top baths, televisions, L’Occitane toiletries, spring water from the Gidleigh Estate, bowls of fresh fruit and complimentary decanters of Madeira.
From
£
297
per night
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Askham Hall
Penrith, Cumbria, England
A mixture of family furniture and paintings have been combined with more modern, or quirky pieces to create something both charming and unusual. The whole place feels part stately home, part private club, but mostly unique. Richard Swale is a gifted chef who draws his influences from, amongst others, Magnus Nilsson of Faviken restaurant in Sweden and Shaun Hill of the Walnut Tree, in Wales. Richard’s food is locally grown, or personally preserved and tastes correspondingly fresh and interesting.
From
£
150
per night
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Calcot & Spa
Tetbury, Cotswolds, England
A weathered stone manor house and farm building that’s grown to house 35 guest rooms, a gorgeous spa, a function centre in a converted barn, an Ofsted-registered crèche in the kids’ Playzone and two restaurants. There’s something incredibly relaxing about this hotel, with ‘country modern’ bedrooms that manage to be both cosy and elegant, soothing and spoiling, natural and sophisticated. Double rooms are in the manor; family rooms overlook the outdoor pool.
From
£
364
per night
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Soho Farmhouse
Chipping Norton, Cotswolds, England
Created by the Soho House group, this is not your standard rural retreat: a boutique hotel meets Canadian wilderness cabin meets American country club. What was once a derelict farm has been transformed with some 40 reclaimed timber cabins flanking four man-made lakes and the original 18th-century farmhouse buildings. Electric milkfloats whisk guests around the estate, while families pedal by in matching dressing gowns and cow-print wellies. If feels more Truman Show than true country living. The result? The ultimate “country-lite” retreat.
From
£
350
per night
Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Spa
Evershot, Dorset, England
Decoration and style tends towards the feminine and the flouncy with fabric covered ceilings and padded fabric walls, pictures of dogs, plenty of cushions and so on but they add up, in general, to a feeling of spoiling indulgence and do not, mercifully, overwhelm. The drawing room, designed by the poet and author Thomas Hardy, is admirably classic in style, now painted a pretty blue, and the bedrooms are divinely pretty and comfortable.
From
£
315
per night
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Dormy House
Broadway, Cotswolds, England
This handsome haven of comfort and wellbeing is above pretty Broadway on the north western edge of the Cotswolds. The 38 bedrooms are individually devised according to shape and outlook. Some of the 18 in the main house feature exposed stone walls and beams; entry-level rooms are among these and are large enough to accommodate a table and chair. Of the 20 rooms in adjacent wings, Rose Cottage is best for romantics and has its own hot tub, while the Courtyard suites particularly emphasise Scandinavian design.
From
£
399
per night
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Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
The hotel is a characterful Georgian house, built in 1901 and owned by three generations of the Cunliffe family. That’s not to say it’s a creaking relic — the décor is glamorous boutique meets country pile. Life at the Gilpin is all about kicking back — and that’s helped by the service, about which it’s hard to say anything negative. Everyone smiles, everyone says hello — yet it’s not overbearing. Fishing, shooting, horse riding, mountain biking, paintballing and treasure hunts can also be organised on-site.
From
£
255
per night
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Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire
Winchfield, Hampshire, England
Built in the 18th century as a manor house, the hotel is set amid 500 acres of green fields and paddocks full of grazing horses. Inside, it’s all slick and stylish, a blend of traditional and contemporary, as befits a metropolitan, cosmopolitan Four Seasons hotel set in English countryside. Bedrooms are sophisticated and elegant, traditional in style but with high-tech amenities and large marble bathrooms, and flexible sleeping options for families. The fine dining restaurant is very elegant, and there is a more casual bistro, a bar with open fire and library for afternoon tea.
From
£
501
per night
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The Pig at Combe
Gittisham, Devon, England
Sexy and fun as well as romantic. The 27 rooms are some of the most charming, traditional yet stylish (larders and minibars cleverly hidden inside antique cupboards; some televisions disguised as antique mirrors), comfortable, practical, quirky and soothing of any hotel bedrooms in the land. Head chef Dan Gavriilidis is responsible for the Devon version of the Pigs’ informal ’25 Mile’ menu, featuring the produce of the kitchen gardens and poly tunnels and the best locally-sourced ingredients.
From
£
225
per night
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The Fish Hotel
Worcestershire, Cotswolds, England
There’s a fun, innovative vibe at this haven in the rolling grounds of a private estate (sister hotel to Dormy House). It’s essentially a group of cosy-chic properties created from an old coach house, stables and a farmhouse, with other contemporary additions. The buildings are dotted across a wide area, some near a small lake, others variously up a steep hill commanding majestic views over Broadway and across the Vale of Evesham. Key to the operation is The Lodge, a modern chalet-style building which is the dining, bar, lounge and general activity hub.Dor
From
£
157
per night
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Lime Wood
New Forest, Hampshire, England
A petite, buttercream-coloured country house hotel located within the sylvan New Forest National Park. Lime Wood is a place for special occasions, restful spa weekends and romantic breaks. Its location is very much part of the place: the lush New Forest, can be seen, for example, through the windows of the spa. Over the last decade it has become a grande dame of the country, but it’s certainly more fun than frills and fuss – think Bridgerton over Downton Abbey.
From
£
565
per night
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Lucknam Park
Wiltshire, England
The hotel sits within a 500-acre estate that encompasses meadows, paddocks and woodland. The main building is a beautiful, symmetrical, creeper-covered Palladian mansion dating from 1720. Its public rooms are opulent and elegant, with a traditional country house feel. They include a panelled library, a drawing room with a corniced ceiling, an ornate fireplace as well as tassled curtains and sofas, and Restaurant Hywel Jones, laid out with white-clothed tables under a sky-painted ceiling.
From
£
373
per night
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Hotel Endsleigh
Tavistock, Devon, England
Built in 1812 as the holiday home for the Duchess of Bedford, Georgiana Russell, this wildly romantic, chintz-free country estate, run by Channel 5’s Hotel Inspector, Alex Polizzi, is steeped in royal history. It’s a verdantly gardened, Grade 1-listed Eden between Dartmoor and Exmoor, with shell houses and hidden glades for romantic tête-à-têtes. The cream teas are worth the journey alone: a help-yourself affair of just-baked scones accompanied by massive urns of clotted cream and fruit-laden strawberry jam. Breakfasts, too, are a cut above the rivals.
From
£
190
per night
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Beaverbrook
Surrey, England
Step into a bygone era of English high society, original artworks and antiques at this luxurious country house hotel, where press baron Lord Beaverbrook entertained world leaders and literary greats. Grandeur and opulence ooze from every room, beautifully designed by Susie Atkinson: A cosy morning room with log fire and plump, squishy sofas offers stunning views of the North Downs and Italianate garden. The library’s shelves heave with weighty tomes, and the UK’s first home cinema, where Beaverbrook and Sir Winston Churchill discussed the war’s progress, still has the original wood-panelling and lighting.
From
£
495
per night
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Bovey Castle
Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor, England
This grand stately pile on a sporting estate in Dartmoor National Park caters for every whim, whether rugged outdoor pursuits or fine dining and pampering. Inside, there’s a heated swimming pool and whirlpool with deckchairs overlooking the grounds, plus steam room, sauna and gym, while the ESPA Spa offers an extensive range of treatments. Outside, in the 275-acre grounds, there’s an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, a croquet pitch, archery and rifle range, putting green, helipad and beautiful lakeside walks to be had.
From
£
215
per night
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Plumber Manor
Sturminster Newton, Dorset, England
Steeped in a wealth of family history and nestled in the pretty thickets of rural Dorset, this Jacobean country home has been in the same family for some 400 years. It boasts a collection of imposing family portraits, from valiant military ancestors to glamorous American heiresses, along with pretty, traditional rooms with Jacobean windows and garden views. The grounds are quintessentially English with magnificent trees towering over groomed hedges, flowers and bird song in spring and summer, and a fairy-tale white bridge over the Divelish Stream.
From
£
200
per night
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Wales
Penally Abbey
Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Probably Pembrokshire’s loveliest bolthole. Set above the sea, amid tumbling gardens, the beautiful bones of this Strawberry Gothic house have been brought back to life by a family who run it with love, decorate it with a keen eye for interiors, and source food locally. Melanie and Lucas employ a close-knit crew of lovely, local friends and family as staff. Their son Jacques, will whip his phone out from behind the bar and show you all the best beaches and how to get there. Lizzie (who runs reception) acts, in Melanie’s words, as ‘an all round fairy godmother’ and will go to any length to help you out
From
£
150
per night
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Gliffaes Country House Hotel
Brecon Beacons, Wales
What’s not to love? Down a rural track, Gliffaes reclines peacefully in 33-acre grounds in the shadow of the Black Mountains and on the edge of the River Usk. With antique dressers, floral drapes, retro Roberts radios, and carpets you can sink your toes into, the look is traditionally elegant, never twee. There’s also an excellent restaurant.
From
£
149
per night
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Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno, Wales
The medieval core of a fine 16th-century mansion, the tower was built as a lookout for Conwy Castle. The higher you climb, the older its spiralling staircase becomes: Victorian at the bottom, 13th-century at the top. The encircling view is enthralling. As you turn, first Conwy Castle, then Snowdonia, then the sea and Anglesey, then Great Orme, catching the golden light, and lastly Llandudno, with the promise of its marvellous 19th-century promenade, come into view.
From
£
290
per night
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Llangoed Hall
Powys, Wales
The house itself, redesigned by Clough Williams-Ellis in 1912, has great presence. Later bought and restored by Sir Bernard Ashley, widower of Laura, family photographs, as well as his fine collection of early 20th-century British paintings, including a collection of prints by James McNeil Whistler abound. Guests are encouraged to relax, curl up on sofas and play the piano.
From
£
360
per night
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Grove of Narberth
Narberth, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The hotel is set in 26 acres of grounds amid deep countryside, with distant views of the Preseli Hills. The main building is a handsome three-storey residence with Georgian proportions and distinctive Arts and Crafts panelling and fireplaces. The lounges – cosy yet elegant, with real fires, window seats, plush sofas and modern prints and paintings of coastal Pembrokeshire – set the tone of the whole property. There are 26 rooms in total. Expect treats such as the softest of sheets, posh toiletries, thick towels and house-made biscotti.
From
£
280
per night
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Scotland
The Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Built in the 1920s as a railway resort hotel, the design is Scottish Baronial meets French chateau, with all the opulent comfort of a grand country house on steroids. (A dull-looking modern addition to one side is easily ignored). It’s so big you need the map provided when you arrive, but this five-star formality comes with a splendid sense of ease: time seems to slow from the moment the kilted doorman welcomes you to the hotel.
From
£
405
per night
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Inverlochy Castle Hotel
Fort William, Highlands, Scotland
No bows to passing fashions here. Moving with the times means waterfall showers, Bang & Olufsen stereos and televisions, while the unashamedly country house style – all swags, gilt, silk and brocade, sparkling crystal, polished wood and an all-pervading sense of time suspended, remains. Nowhere else makes grandeur so cosy, combining Jacobite rose wallpaper, Venetian chandeliers and French Empire-style ceiling frescos with perfectly judged élan. Dinner begins with a drink by the fire in the Great Hall, followed by a delightfully light-handed five-course menu with a distinctly Highland accent.
From
£
375
per night
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Cameron House on Loch Lomond
Balloch, Loch Lomond, Scotland
Resurrected after a devastating fire, this baronial mansion on Loch Lomond’s bonny banks is what the region has been missing: a truly world-class resort hotel for couples, families or friends that feels utterly Scottish. Many people used to come here for the food alone, and that isn’t going to change. The Cameron Grill is for grass-fed Black Angus steaks and lobster, while newcomer Tamburrini & Wishart clearly has Michelin in its sights and comes with a soundtrack of cleanly scraped plates.
From
£
265
per night
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Glenapp Castle
Ballantrae, Ayrshire, Scotland
Secluded in a verdant estate of walkway-studded forests, with giant redwoods and pond-kissed formal gardens, Glenapp Castle is a grand 19th-century Scottish Baronial escape. Sandstone battlements viewed from the Azalea pond and Italianate gardens evoke a fairy tale, while imposing public rooms with Austrian wood panelling, period furniture, log fires and objets d’art create a warm, modern Victorian ambiance. Old-school, posh and opulent, without being stuffy, the castle has a sense of being at ease with its privileged role in the country life of South Ayrshire.
From
£
268
per night
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Glenmorangie House
Fearn, Highlands, Scotland
A row of Wellington boots and Barbour jackets by the back door are a statement of intent at the heart of this welcoming house, and you don’t have to like whisky to love the low-key luxury vibes offered here. Hidden in a walled garden next to the sea in an often overlooked corner of the Highlands, it’s one to seek out for those who appreciate life’s quieter pleasures. A highlight has to be the delightful staff who are well-versed in impeccably efficient informality. They will arrange transfers from Inverness, private distillery tours, picnics, archery on the lawn, clay pigeon shooting and no doubt anything else you might require.
From
£
293
per night
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Dumfries House Lodge
Ayrshire, Scotland
Dumfries House Lodge, set on a 2,000-acre country estate on the fringes of Burns Country, is playing a prominent role in the renaissance of this part of lowland Scotland. Homespun service in regal surroundings takes the potential stuffiness out of what is a charming bolthole with a cottage feel and royal connections. All rooms are en suite, stocked with Arran Aromatics toiletries, robes and slippers and with either a shower or both a shower and separate bath. Given the need to navigate around the vast estate on foot, wind-up torches and umbrellas are a welcome inclusion.
From
£
130
per night
The Fife Arms
Braemar, Highlands, Scotland
The delight is in the detail at this wildly romantic, sublimely comfortable, uniquely fascinating passion project from international art dealers Hauser & Wirth. You’ll like it for the location and because it’s a great hotel, but you’ll love it for the extraordinary imagination that’s turned art into an experience. From William Morris to Timorous Beasties, interior designer Russell Sage has used sumptuous fabrics, acres of antiques and fine oriental rugs, whilst transforming high-class bric a brac into objets d’art, to create meticulously realised, light-hearted design drama.
From
£
250
per night
This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.