In the bleak midwinter you can’t beat a cosy British period hotel. Fiona Adams enjoys some wonderful weekends
In these enlightened travel times, there are more holiday options on offer than you can shake a stick at: city breaks, yoga retreats, mini cruises, nature escapes, package deals… take your pick. But with the nights firmly drawn in and Jack Frost nipping at our toes, I don’t think you can beat a cosy weekend away in a British hotel. Think roaring fires, squishy sofas, country walks and dinner presided over by attentive French waiters before you climb that wood-panelled staircase to your four-poster bed. You don’t need to go far for some gorgeous historic gems and, at this time of year, there are some great deals too. Here are three of my favourites...
Middlethorpe Hall, York
Farthest-flung of the three – though only about an hour and a half on the fast train from King’s Cross – is Middlethorpe Hall Hotel, on the outskirts of the Roman city near the racecourse. It is one of the National Trust’s three ‘hotels with history’, the others being Bodysgallen Hotel and Spa in North Wales and Hartwell House and Spa, Aylesbury.
Built in 1699 for Thomas Barlow, a master cutler from Sheffield, Middlethorpe was also home to the 18th century bluestocking, letter writer and poet Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Now the William and Mary house has been lovingly restored with 10 bedrooms in the main house and further accommodation in the18th-century courtyard mews.
Here you really do step back in time: rooms are furnished with antiques and fine paintings, wood panelling clads the reception, stairs wind backwards and forwards, floorboards creak and there are four-poster beds upon which to rest your weary head after a day of exploring the city and the 20-acre grounds. The staff exude old-fashioned manners and it all feels like a charmed pocket of human and material warmth in God’s own country.
You can get into York via taxi or car (though I wouldn’t recommend the latter) or walk along beside the racecourse and river. This takes about40 minutes and helps to work off the not inconsiderable breakfasts – a full Yorkshire, including black and white puddings, and the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon are both particularly good.
There are two dining rooms for dinner – The Oak and The Pineapple – and the chefs work with local suppliers and the hotel’s gardeners for ingredients. You can choose from tasting, à la carte or seasonal menus and the service here is exemplary.
A spa and gym are also available.
- Special Dinner, bed & breakfast offer: Stay one or more nights for £109 per person per night, based on two sharing. Includes dinner, early morning tea in your room and full Yorkshire breakfast. Call Middlethorpe Hall on (01904) 641241 or visit: middlethorpe.com (b&b usually £199 per room per night)
Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club
Like Tylney Hall (see below), Ashdown Park belongs to the group Elite Hotels (which also includes The Grand, Eastbourne and Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire). A short hop down the A22, in East Sussex, it’s surrounded by Ashdown Forest, which inspired AA Milne to create his tales of Winnie-the-Pooh.
The estate dates from the 1600s, while the 19th century mansion house has served as an army training camp, a school, a hospital for Belgian officers, a convent and an international American university. There is still a charming churchyard and the chapel has been beautifully restored, complete with stained glass windows, as a venue for wedding receptions. As for the 186-acre grounds, they are divided into woodland, grazing land for wild deer, golf course and gardens. Dogs are more than welcome.
Dominated by the chapel at its heart, the main building has the feel of a well-maintained country house from the pages of a Jane Austen novel. Take afternoon tea in one of the drawing rooms, with views over the back lawn, or dine in the Anderida Restaurant where the menu is most certainly 21st century. Indulge yourself in the likes of roasted stone bass, Gressingham duck and bread and butter pudding with roasted plums. Gratifyingly for those of us who make an effort, the staff take the smart casual dress code seriously – witness the two wannabe diners sent back to change out of their jogging bottoms, that sine qua non of a Friday dinner date.
Brisk walks aside, there’s an aerobics studio, sauna, pool and gym. Alternatively, just loll about and relax. It’s what weekends are for, after all.
- Winter retreat: This two-night package includes cream tea, dinner in the Anderida on both nights, a bottle of wine, accommodation and breakfast. Available from Jan 1 – Feb 28 (excl Feb 14), from £125pp pn. Call Ashdown Park Hotel on (01342) 824988 or visit: ashdownpark.com
Tylney Hall Hotel & Gardens, Hook
Pete Webb petewebb.com
With its 66 acres of gardens and woodland, Tylney Hall is a lovely quiet haven just off the M3, near Junction 5. There’s been a mansion house here since the 16th century, and over 400 years later the site remains the perfect weekend escape from London’s relentlessly madding crowd.
Tylney Hall boasts not only the longest uninterrupted view in Hampshire – lovely to wake up to on a frosty morning – but also a wealth of walks from the front door, taking in lakes, landscaped gardens and water features. You can even feed the fish, if the fancy takes you.
Oozing character, the building itself is Grade II listed and has been used as a hospital, a school and the HQ of Clan Line Steamers. Having opened as a hotel in 1985, it offers super comfy beds, a mixture of traditional and modern bedrooms and plenty of space in the lounges and bar for reading the papers, warmed by log fires that are kept going throughout the day and evening.
For those of an active disposition there are pools, tennis courts, jogging trails and a golf course, plus a spa and fully equipped gym.
As for dining, the Oak Room Restaurant menu is stylish and well-balanced – my creamy parsnip amuse-bouche and cleansing dill sorbet were sensational. My only gripe concerned the length of time it took to transport some dishes from kitchen to table, despite an abundance of waiting staff. A small price to pay fora luxurious experience.
- Two-night winter warmer: Indulge in a luxurious two-night winter break with accommodation, dinner, breakfast and a complimentary port and cheese selection on arrival. From £124pp pn, till Feb 28. Call Tylney Hall on (01256) 764881 or visit: tylneyhall.co.uk
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