Now that summer holiday season is in full swing, it’s time to take advantage of the good weather and zip off to the countryside. When you find yourself with a free diary and blue skies above, book in for bucolic immersion at one of these lovely hotels boasting nature walks, fine food and splendid design.
All are within two hours by rail and taxi of a London station, yet couldn’t feel further from the commuter crush of Waterloo.
The Grove, Hertfordshire
Travel time: 20 minutes by train from Euston + 8-minute taxi
USP: Family-friendly country house
It’s only 18 miles from London, but Grade-II-listed country house The Grove oozes arcadian charm with its rambling 300 acres of woodland, trimmed lawns and walled garden. Particularly in warmer months the onsite to-do list ranges from bush craft camps to golf, tennis to horse-riding, so busy families check into the rooms with marble fireplaces and rolltop baths then immediately head out to burn off energy. When it’s time for more slow-paced pleasures, the spa, partnered with Bamford, awaits with radiance-boosting facials. Come evening, immersive dining experience Feast on Cloud 9 serves up nine courses from grounded hot air balloons in the formal garden.
From £370, thegrove.co.uk
The Pig in the South Downs, West Sussex
Travel time: 1 hour 20 minutes by train from Victoria + 8-minute taxi
USP: London-adjacent branch of fab mini-chain
Undulating chalky hills, rolling woodland – the South Downs National Park is a breath of fresh air within easy access of the capital, and in its verdant sprawl this stay from The Pig group delivers laid-back weekending. Cosy rooms are spread across a mix of traditional country house, converted stable buildings and compact ‘wagons’, and as with its sister hotels all produce for the restaurant menu is sourced within 25 miles. Hire bikes nearby or kayaks for paddling along the River Arun, or strap on boots to tackle the South Downs Way, seeking out higgledy-piggledy pubs for hydration as you go.
From £220, thepighotel.com
The Bower House, Warwickshire
Travel time: 1.5 hours by train from Paddington + 12-minute taxi
USP: Cotswolds restaurant with rooms
Craving a bit of Cotswolds-style romance? This restaurant with rooms in Shipston-on-Stour serves it up alongside Georgian original features and funky fabric prints. Dishes like pork belly with gooseberries and white beans – or venison steak tartare – are reason to book into the six bedrooms, outfitted with Scrabble, books and playing cards for rainy day entertainment. If the weather is playing ball, plan to explore the local tea rooms, shops and church before a walk along the River Stour – then return to home base to carry on the feasting.
From £155, bower.house
Port Hotel, East Sussex
Travel time: 1.5 hours by train from Victoria + 20-minute walk
USP: Scandi-chic on sea
With its Victorian pier, 1930s bandstand and shingle beach, Eastbourne is a nostalgic seaside getaway that comes into its own when temperatures climb. The Port Hotel throws in an element of contemporary chic, with rooms and a studio apartment boasting minimalist good looks and pastel hues. Many rooms look out over the steely English Channel, and there are options to suit families and visitors with pets in tow. In the restaurant chef Alex Burtenshaw sources produce from the fields and waters nearby, from Sussex wagyu to crab on toast.
From £95, porthotel.co.uk
The Three Horseshoes Batcombe, Somerset
Travel time: 1 hour 40 minutes by train from Paddington + 16-minute taxi
USP: Foodie pub from celebrity chef
It takes a bit longer to reach The Three Horseshoes – you can just about get here within two hours from Paddington – but this new pub with rooms from star chef Margot Henderson is worth the travel time. Set in the sleepy honey-stone village of Batcombe, north of trendy Bruton, it has all the olde-worlde atmosphere you want in a local pub – worn floors, low-slung wooden beams, crackling fires – but with food kicked up several notches. It’s still honest pub fare, like decadent rabbit pie or cured trout, but with top ingredients and an expert touch. When you’ve had your fill, up the staircase a few cosy bedrooms let guests sleep it all off.
From £220, thethreehorseshoesbatcombe.co.uk
Beaverbrook, Surrey
Travel time: 45 minutes from Victoria + 8-minute taxi
USP: Historic country house with design flair
The former home of media magnate Lord Beaverbrook comes with plenty of stately appeal – Victorian staircases and gild-framed oil paintings, 470 acres of woodland and landscaped gardens. Yet if you’re sick of the cookie-cutter country house vibe, the Susie Atkinson and Nicola Harding interiors also bring plenty of freshness, with punchy wallpaper prints, juicy colour pops and an abstract Gerhard Richter tapestry that makes Beaverbrook feel fun rather than fusty. With multiple dining options hopping from Japanese to pizza, there’s crowd-pleasing appeal in the food department too.
From £505, beaverbrook.co.uk
Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa, Hampshire
Travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes from Waterloo + a 10-minute taxi
USP: Contemporary getaway on the water
Rising up from Southampton port like a slick cruise liner, this modern hotel is a quick social escape when you want a weekend of the good life with your closest mates. You can kick off your long-overdue catch up on the 6th-floor rooftop HarBAR, overlooking the yachts of the marina, before descending down to the sea-level Jetty restaurant where chef Alex Aitken dishes up plaice with lobster ravioli (when it’s sunny, on a glorious open deck). Next day, a spa is on hand for low-key hang outs before the train back home.
From £236, harbourhotels.co.uk
The Wild Rabbit, Oxfordshire
Travel time: 1 hour 20 train from Paddington + 20-minute walk
USP: Delight from Daylesford
Nothing feels quite so ‘rural idyll’ as Daylesford in the Cotswolds, and yet the chic brand’s pub in Kingham can be reached in a little over 90 minutes from Paddington. With exposed stone, crisp white linens, four-posters made from birch trunks and delightfully distressed beams, it ticks every bucolic box. The open-plan restaurant buzzes with welly-wearing locals come weekend lunch, as roast lamb saddle and Lincolnshire poacher dumplings are devoured with enthusiasm. When the mood for exploration strikes you, the mother ship – that is, Daylesford Organic farm shop – is just a half-hour’s hike away through scenic fields.
From £135, thewildrabbit.co.uk
Boys Hall, Kent
Travel time: 40 minutes by train from St Pancras + 5-minute taxi
USP: 17th-century grandeur reborn
Opened just this January, restyled Boys Hall in Kent yanks 17th-century a manor house into the present day. Bedrooms boast both dark wooden antiques and slick new Roberts radios; regal drawing rooms pair oversized old fireplaces with contemporary floral arrangements. Besides a worthy restaurant serving wood-fired porterhouse steak and sea bream, guests come for the roster of workshops that range from painting to floristry. And the onsite pub set in the walled garden, which handily negates any need to head out for a properly pulled pint.
From £180, boys-hall.com
Oakley Court, Berkshire
Travel time: 25 minutes by train from Paddington + 10-minute taxi
USP: Gothic Revival opulence with cool
The Gothic-style frontage of Oakley Court is seriously jaw-drop – it’s a riot of turret and windows, stepped gabled roofs and stone slabs. But the wow-factor is no less present when you step inside. Thanks to a recent modernist refurb from Eagle & Hodges, Victorian-era stylings have been traded for curvaceous sofas and gentle hues. Residencies from guest chefs like Shimizu Akira of AKIRA ensure an always-changing menu across the multiple dining spaces, while lounges lined in books provide intellectual nourishment. Grab a map to explore the 35 acres of grounds, or take to the River Thames in a self-drive boat.
