Cliveden House

Character and identity

A Grade I listed country house first built in 1666, Cliveden sits on 376 acres of formal gardens and woodland in the Berkshire countryside, a short drive from Windsor Castle. Charles Barry's three-storey Italianate rebuild houses 39 rooms dressed in antiques, handmade beds, heavy drapes and intricate wallpapers, while the Great Hall and Gothic Revival mahogany staircase set the palatial tone. The Cliveden Dining Room and Astor Grill handle the cooking, both British and serious. A walled spa hides indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and external hot tubs. Service is country house formal, three centuries of aristocratic muscle memory still intact.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you are paying for is the estate itself, 376 acres, 350 years of royal history, and a house that genuinely feels like a stately home rather than a hotel dressed as one. Spend the money if heritage and grounds matter more than cutting-edge design. Book a room in the main house rather than the cottages, and time it for late spring when the gardens peak and a Thames launch makes sense.