Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa

Character and identity

An eighteenth-century redbrick country house on the edge of the New Forest, twenty minutes on foot from the English Channel, Chewton Glen runs to 58 rooms across the main house, garden suites, and a clutch of treehouse suites tucked into the woodland canopy. Interiors mix antique furniture with modern textiles in greens and yellows, and the better rooms open onto private garden terraces. The grounds take in flower gardens and a croquet lawn. Vetiver, the main restaurant, spans five rooms including a wine room and conservatory and turns out English cooking; Colonel Tinkers Bar handles afternoon tea among leather armchairs and first editions.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is the complete country-house package: grounds, spa, kitchen, and a service team that genuinely lifts the stay above the building itself. Book it for a long weekend rather than a single night, splash out on a treehouse suite or a room with a garden terrace if the occasion warrants, and aim for shoulder-season dates when the gardens are at their best.