Chewton Glen

Chewton Glen is one of the loveliest country-house hotels in the land. It opened in 1964 with eight bedrooms, and even though it now has 72, it remains delightfully intimate. 50 years of evolution have brought a pillared swimming pool, a hydrotherapy spa, a golf course and a tennis centre. The most recent addition is The Kitchen, an informal foil to the main restaurant, where you can also come for cookery classes. As for the hotel, expect beautiful sitting rooms, roaring fires, busts and oils, a bar that opens onto a sun-trapping terrace. Bedrooms mix country-house style with contemporary flair. Expect marble bathrooms, private balconies, designer fabrics, flawless housekeeping. You’ll also find 14 treehouse suites that sit peacefully in their own valley with hot tubs on balconies and wood-burners within. Beyond, nine gardeners tend 130 acres of lawns and woodland, with a kitchen garden that serves both restaurants. The food is exceptional, especially the twice-baked cheese soufflé, Thai lobster curry, pineapple and black pepper tarte tatin. Beach and forest wait, there’s croquet on the lawn in summer.