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The UK has some wonderful holiday destinations, where sustainability and luxury meet. International travel is opening up now, but if you feel you don’t have the energy for the PCR tests and quarantines, opting for a UK re-treat might be just what you need.
In a recent gentle amble around the web, I found so many options for my daughter and myself, we are looking to indulge in a gals weekend away.
Our requirements were, no long flights, we want to hop in the car and hit the road. A spa and healthy nutritious fare were next on the list and lastly because it’s only two or three nights, some sumptuous luxury for us to nestle into and feel like we are a world away.
Lost in options and feeling overwhelmed, I came across Hapaars Bazaar and their recent round up of must visits and it was instantly calming, I could close my other tabs, glance through their list and voila!
The Newt, Somerset |
The Newt set on the Somerset estate spans the original Hadspen House (built in the 17th century and remodelled during the Georgian era), apple orchards, a cider press, gardens, woodlands and lakes. There are luxury suites in the listed building and a spa that makes use of the land’s bounty. Treatments feature ingredients plucked from the medicinal-herb garden outside and the food and drink offering is fresh and holistic and includes high tea on the terrace and, of course, plenty of cider. The perfect spot to unwind.
Burgh Island, Devon |
A hotel on its own tidal island, accessible by foot only when the tide is out, Burgh Island has been catering to revellers crossing over from Bigbury-on-Sea since the 1930s. The art deco design is perfectly preserved, with ocean-liner glamour, black-tie dinners in the ballroom, a pianist and jazz on the radio. The Devonshire coastline is showcased through floor-to-ceiling French doors, but once the sea floods over the natural sand causeway, you’re stranded for the night, athough with delicious food, great service and soirées, no one’s complaining.
Former guests have included Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill, a setting Poirot would relish. (We decided, to leave this one off of the girls list and include Mark and Pagan’s beau in a future murder mystery weekend away)
Our requirements were, no long flights, we want to hop in the car and hit the road. A spa and healthy nutritious fare were next on the list and lastly because it’s only two or three nights, some sumptuous luxury for us to nestle into and feel like we are a world away.
Beaverbrook, Surrey |
Occupying perhaps the finest corner of England’s pleasant land (or at least one of them), Beaverbrook is an Italianate mansion bringing a taste of Tuscany to the Surrey Hills. The terrace is the perfect place for cocktails, mostly because of the view, but also because of the excellent barmen. The estate’s decadent days are far from over, with ice rinks added to the 470-acre grounds at Christmas. There are also indoor and outdoor pools, the Coach House Spa, where every treatment begins with a ritual instead of your average consultation, a Japanese restaurant and the Garden House for British brasserie classics.
Limewood, Hampshire |
Lime Wood may look like a Regency manor from the outside, but the pale yellow building was actually constructed in 2008. It has all of the anticipated Georgian grandeur though, not least along the sweeping drive, but with a thoroughly modern outlook. At the Herb House spa, sign up for Bamford treatments and Sarah Chapman facials, spells in the forest-facing pool and sauna, and a trip up to the roof garden, before calling in at Raw & Cured bar for wholesome meals to keep the wellness vibe going.
Heckfield Place, Hampshire
The story that surrounds Heckfield Place is that it took seven years to build, with the meticulous owner refusing to receive guests until it was simply perfect. Fortunately, it was deemed flawless in 2018 and has been the Hampshire hideaway of choice ever since. Handily just an hour’s drive outside of London, and yet immersed in more than 400 acres of British countryside, the eco-friendly estate spans a manor house built in 1790, two Skye Gyngell restaurants, a screening-room, woods, a farm and a lake. The Little Bothy Spa has all-natural treatments, using Wildsmith products, named after the estate’s head gardener in the 19th century and Bodyism personal trainers are on hand.
Lost in options and feeling overwhelmed, I came across Hapaars Bazaar and their recent round up of must visits and it was instantly calming, I could close my other tabs, glance through their list and voila!
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire |
One of the country’s most celebrated hotels, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is a little slice of Provence in rural Britain, with a kilometre-long, lavender-lined walkway as the fitting entrance. The peaceful, honey-coloured house has classic French elegance, with draped beds, toile de Jouy wallpaper and roll-top bath tubs. It’s little wonder that the restaurant has held two Michelin stars for three and a half decades now – the kitchen is well-supplied by the hotel’s vegetable and herb gardens, and there are orchards on-site, too, since Blanc is keen to champion both local produce and sustainability. The grounds also include a Japanese garden and a ‘mushroom valley’.
I simply had to share my favourites with you.
Happy local travels, may peace, quiet and luxury find you.
Karen Reed
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