The ten most romantic hotels in Britain

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Best of Britain
The ten most romantic hotels in Britain
From decadent baths to plush boudoirs, we pick the most amorous rooms at hotels
loved by stars such as Nicole Kidman
Tom Chesshyre
23 Jan 2015 21:00:00
Pennyhill Park
Bagshot, Surrey
Pennyhill is a hit with the A-list crowd: Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Kidman, Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz have all stayed of
late. With eight pools, hammams, hot tubs, saunas and a menu of lavish massage treatments, the spa at Pennyhill often wins
awards in the Good Spa Guide. Meanwhile, the main restaurant, the Latymer, is headed by Michelin star chef Stephen Duffy.
Many of the 123 rooms come with four posters and most have oversized bathrooms — one room, the Twickenham suite, has a
massive hot tub in the middle. Striking patterned wallpaper and bold colours are common throughout. The Silver Birch suite is
among the most romantic with two free-standing limestone baths with a champagne chiller built between them and a large
flatscreen television on a wall.
Details: Doubles are from £365 room only or £465 half board. The Silver Birch suite is from £500 B&B with a bottle of
Nyetimber English sparkling wine (01276 471774, pennyhillpark.co.uk)
Gilpin Lake House
Windermere, Cumbria
This one ticks all the boxes. The Lake House overlooks Knipe Tarn, a private lake surrounded by thick woodland within the
grounds of the Gilpin Hotel. It’s effectively a separate, tucked away, boutique hotel of six designer suites with sumptuous
interiors. Expect fireplaces, plush sofas and views across the water. It’s connected to a spa with a wonderful double treatment
room in a modernist shoebox-shaped annex. Massages are offered while a wood-burning fire flickers in a corner of the
otherwise minimalist space. There’s also a hot tub on a deck and a pool. Of the rooms, the Harriet Suite is the pick of the
bunch, with a massive bed and ceiling-to-floor views of the lake.
Details: Half-board doubles are from £615 in the Harriet Suite or from £505 in the cheapest Lake House suite; a night in Gilpin
Hotel is from £295 half-board (015394 88818, thegilpin.co.uk)
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Great Milton, Oxfordshire
We make no excuse for including the renowned Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in this list, because it really is perfect for a romantic
rendezvous. There’s the candlelit two Michelin-star restaurant with an exquisite menu featuring the likes of Devonshire crab
salad with grapefruit and celery, Cornish sea bass with scallops, and roasted fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef. Each of the 32
rooms is different, but all are special, with details that include sugared almonds colour coded to go with the decor. The
minimalist, almost totally white Blanc de Blanc is the top suite. Some reckon the French boudoir-like Lace suite is particularly
romantic, while the Anais suite with its 1920s mirrors, open fire and modern art is favoured by others.
Details: B&B doubles are from £555; dinner is an extra £140pp for a five-course meal. The Anais suite is from £1,075 B&B,
the Lace suite from £1,185 B&B, and the Blanc de Blanc from £1,465 B&B (01844 278881, belmond.com/lemanoir)
Brimstone Hotel
Langdale, Cumbria
This is a fabulous cool new 16-room hotel on the grounds of a larger hotel, the Langdale, which has 56 more traditional rooms,
an Elemis spa and a big pool (which can be used by Brimstone guests). Brimstone looks a little like a North American ski lodge
— a towering heavy-framed wooden building covered in slate from a nearby quarry. Rooms are massive and sumptuously fitted
with electronic curtains, velvet sofas, plush carpets, wood-burning fires. The chef Jamie Oliver recently described them as
“ridiculously beautiful” after a stay. Each comes with a big balcony and you have use of a cosy first-floor lounge, where free
alcoholic drinks (including decent wines) and canapés are provided in the evening, plus snacks during the day. The best rooms
are numbers one and nine: the “spa suites”. These have flamboyant ostrich egg-shaped baths filled by water that flows from
ceiling chutes.
Details: B&B doubles are from £250; spa suites are from £375 B&B (015394 38062, brimstonehotel.co.uk)
Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa
Climping, West Sussex
Tucked away in pretty grounds a minute’s stroll from a gorgeous pebble beach, Bailiffscourt is in a series of buildings built in the
1920s in a Gothic style by the Guinness family. There are 39 traditionally-furnished rooms found in the cluster of quaint, stonewalled structures, with their thatched and slate-tiled roofs. Flickers of light from church candles illuminate exposed beams in the
low ceiling of the cosy dining room. Expect crisp white table clothes, a refined atmosphere and a fine dining menu. The spa has
an indoor pool as well as a heated outdoor infinity pool, with sunloungers scattered on a lawn in warm weather. The rooms are
traditional but not fuddy-duddy, with the Baylies Room, with its giant four-poster, being the pick of the bunch.
Details: B&B doubles are from £229, the Baylies Room is from £519 half-board (01903 723511, hshotels.co.uk)
Dormy House
Broadway, Worcestershire
Dormy House reopened a year ago after a major refurbishment with a stylish spa set around a lovely indoor infinity pool. The
style is Scandinavian-chic — the owners are Danish. Expect scoop-shaped chairs, lobster pot-style stools, scented candles, and
use of bold colours and patterned fabrics. The old farmhouse, where most of the rooms are found, dates from the 17th century,
but there’s nothing ancient about the bedrooms, which are in pale greens, pale pinks and soft greys. The Attic is probably best in
the main building, with exposed oak rafters and a giant bathroom, tucked away at the top. The stand-alone Rose Cottage in the
garden is the most private and is slightly different in style to the rest of the hotel, with a quintessentially English look.
Details: B&B doubles are from £240 B&B a night; the Attic room is from £440 B&B; Rose Cottage is from £320 B&B
(01386 852711 , dormyhouse.co.uk)
Idle Rocks
St Mawes, Cornwall
By the harbourside in the heart of the pretty Cornish fishing village of St Mawes is Idle Rocks, which was completely refurbished
and reopened in 2013. It’s in pride of place with sweeping views across the sea from the public areas on the ground floor: a
cosy and colourful guest-only lounge, a relaxed restaurant and bar, and an often-busy terrace (in the summer). The simple yet
imaginative menu — with a strong seafood slant — includes delicious lobster, oysters, bouillabaise, scallops and squid. Rooms
have a whitewashed look mixed with splashes of colour and were cleverly designed by Karen Richards, who has run the hotel
with her husband David since 2010. The most romantic rooms, with the best views, are the Grand Seaview Rooms.
Details: B&B doubles from £180; Grand Seaview Rooms are from £280 B&B (01326 270270, idlerocks.com)
No 11 Cadogan Gardens
London Sw3
If you’re after a French boudoir-style hideaway . . . look no further. Liz Hurley is a big fan of No 11 and there is often an Alister contingent among those in its cool cocktail bar, which has flamingo-pink chandeliers, darkened walls, old gilt-framed
portraits and low-slung pink-velvet chairs. The restaurant, Tartufo, has picked up a loyal following for its Italian food; starters
include truffles with beef carpaccio and parmesan, smoked duck breast salad, and rabbit loin rolled in pancetta spinach with
quince marmalade. Mains include a choice of sea bass, monkfish, venison and pheasant. The rooms, meanwhile, are OTT and
sumptuous with red velvet aplenty, four posters and ruby-red walls. The Velasquez Suite, with a four-poster and acres of
crimson curtains, is the pick.
Details: B&B doubles are from £300 B&B; the Velasquez Suite is from £400 B&B (020 7730 7000,
no11cadogangardens.com)
Monachyle MHOR
Balquhidder, Perthshire
In a stunning, isolated location overlooking Loch Voil, this is one of the best design hotels in Scotland. As you drive along the
twisty road to the loch, heading towards a glen and passing the centre of the village of Balaquhidder (where Rob Roy is buried in
the little churchyard), it’s hard to believe you’re about to stumble upon a boutique retreat. Yet soon you’re arriving at an old
farmhouse and collection of old buildings at the back that have been converted into a wonderful 14-room chic hotel. The rooms
look a bit like Manhattan apartments, with chaise longues, anglepoise lamps, wood-burning fires and exposed beams. Go for
one of the “feature” rooms for the most romantic, though they are all great. The restaurant overlooks the loch and offers firstclass food including fish and Scottish beef.
Details B&B doubles are from £185; the feature rooms are from £235 B&B (01877 384622, mhor.net)
Ynyshir Hall
Powys, Wales
Parts of Ynshir Hall date to the 15th century but its historical heydey came much later when the property belonged to Queen
Victoria, who oversaw a big redesign of both the house and the gardens. Now it’s a gorgeous country hotel that has become a
bolthole for many a celebrity escaping the limelight: actor Richard Gere, rock star Jimmy Page, television presenter Denise Van
Outen and comedian Eddie Izzard have stayed (to name just a few). The attractions are the peaceful setting, the excellent food
(head chef Gareth Ward formerly worked at the two Michelin star Sat Bains restaurant in Nottingham), and the sumptuous
rooms. The latter are a mixture of modern, with neutral colour schemes and designer lights, and traditional, with antiques and
oriental rugs and vases. Common to each is the collection of vibrant art hung throughout. The best modern room is named
Chagall, while Hogarth has a dark red colour scheme and a whacking great four-poster.
Details: Half-board doubles are from £315; Chagall is from £600 half-board; Hogarth is from £415 half-board (01654
781209, ynyshirhall.co.uk)
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Published Date: 23 Jan 2015 21:00:00
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