There is no place like the strong houses of England for the delicious decadent taste of rural life, as was the case in spoiled days. Fortunately, many of them have now turned into luxury hotels that you can sense, even if you are not in a manor that was born.
Here are a trio of superstars, where the scenic settings and caring care are hard to beat - including the less well-known find with a 200-year-old Canadian connection and surprisingly affordable prices.
They are all within easy walking distance from each other in the picturesque southeast, but all are delightfully distinguished by their calm tranquility.
BEAUPORT PARK HOTEL
Near Hastings, East Sussex
In 1763, no one expects to find a stable English home, named after a remote village in Canada.
But Beauport Park in Sussex was called after Quebec Beauport, instead of the usual conventional method, General James Murray. He fell in love with the deceptive pioneering settlement when he was the governor of Quebec, and then the governor of Canada, and wanted something to remind him of this after he returned to his home in England.
Stroll through the 33 acres of private forest surrounding the beautiful Georgian manor, which is now the Beauport Park Hotel, and you will know how she felt there when Murray lived there - besides, then he owned 2000 acres.
The original mansion was engulfed in flames in the 1920s, but was restored in an almost identical style. And with the exception of a completely modern swimming pool, formal gardens, where you can flood the day when the weather cooperates, just like them.
On cooler days, you can relax over a roaring fire in the elegant lounge. Or putter around the green field, play tennis, golf or squash; or join the equestrian kit for a quick trot along calm lanes.
It should be recognized that the food served in the romantic dining room, overlooking the terrace with a statue of the Italian, does not correspond to the heights of high cuisine that have won two other hotels in this trio, their star clusters, and is mentioned in many of the best restaurants on the World List. But this is remarkably good by most of the country's hotel standards - they get in the way of flames and cook them with loving prosperity.
Their prices do not meet the high standards of the other two. That's about $ 96 per night for two in a regular bedroom, which includes such nice touches as hair dryers, a trouser press and teapots along with the usual modern amenities; up to $ 124 per room with four-poster bed.
Beauport Park is located halfway between the two cities of the battle and Hastings (near the site of the Battle of Hastings). If you are not traveling, it’s easier to find a taxi for a five-kilometer drive from the busier Hastings. But if you go by train, when you leave, go to the hotel to arrange a taxi before the battle. It is a shame to miss the quaint old railway station in the converted church.
CHEWTON GLEN HOTEL
Next to New Milton, Hampshire
You cannot say that the good people who run the Chewton Glen hotel are not doing everything they can to make life easy for you.
They know that many of their guests who arrive on a jet plane pick up the car when they arrive at the airport to go to Chewton Glen. They also know how tiring unfamiliar roads can be after a long flight. Therefore, they thoughtfully say that you have your own car, delivered directly to the hotel, “to wait for your arrival,” and they will send their Jaguar with a driver to meet you at the airport and beat you in their luxurious shelter in Hampshire, which borders New Forest "so you can safely and comfortably complete your journey."
It costs 290 dollars from Gatwick, 250 dollars from Heathrow. But this means that you will arrive in style as well as calm comfort.
We didn’t go that far, but we took Jag and his caring chauffeur to New Milton Station, within walking distance. It costs only $ 8, which is more than twice as much as our taxi needed, but a small price for such a stylish feeling.
Everything about Chewton Glen stinks of class from the moment you enter the long, winding driveway leading to the impressive Georgian manor house that used to be the home of the 19th century writer Captain Marritt - all the rooms are named after Mr.Michman Light and his characters other classics.
The restaurant is a Marriat room, and the food is as impressive as the view of the well-kept lawns for croquet up to Glen. Dining lunches are the best purchases, from $ 24 to $ 30 and offering such delicacies as salmon from salmon, decorated with caviar, Dover’s head to dream, and a masterly display of cream brulee on black currants.
If you get tired of eating at the Marryat Room, then, oddly enough, the hotel, as you know, invited its guests to dine at other private hotels in the Prestige group.
This is $ 192 and for a night for two to stay in one of their 33 tastefully modernized bedrooms, $ 384 and up for one of 11 super-suites. But this includes a continental breakfast and extra touches like a glass of sherry that greets you on arrival, and a bidet in most bathrooms.
MANOR GRAVETYE
Middle East Grinstead, West Sussex
You can not help but feel a trifle, if you do not arrive at the estate Gravetye in the driver-controlled Rolls Royce - preferably vintage model. Anything else, even Jag, is unlike the calm grandeur of this 16th-century Egyptian mansion, located on 30 acres of gardens and woodlands with its own lake of three acres of trout (guests can fish there in season)
We arrived from East Grinstead in a common booth, but the ultra-attentive staff in Graveith were too careful to hold it against us.
Gravetye was home to one of the greatest brilliant masters of Britain, William Robinson from 1884 to 1935, and he was a pioneer in the English natural flower garden. He also placed most of the rooms in an ancient manor with oak from his huge estate, where he bought it on 1000 acres.
Little has been done to change the character of a private house in the country since it became a hotel in 1957, with the exception of adding bathrooms to each of the 15 bedrooms.
This will be a favorite of British politicians who, for obvious reasons, like to hold high-level conferences there - do not be surprised if you come across it. Prices for a double room at the Gravetye Manor hotel range from $ 128 to $ 216 for a large room with a seating area. As of April 1, they increased to $ 136 and $ 238.
Their restaurant has won so many gourmet awards that they have not even bothered to list them now. But they suggest that you refrain from smoking in the luxurious dining room "in relation to food and other guests."
They also provide such subtleties as bread baked on promises twice a day for maximum freshness; fruits and vegetables mainly from their own gardens; and decanters of water from their own spring. They use the same spring water for the tank, where they store fresh trout and crayfish, which make unforgettable (and expensive) meals. So do other gastronomic dishes, such as homemade smoked venison, duck brisket with raspberry sauce, fried sweets with oyster mushrooms and spinach mousse.
As their elegant brochure promises, Gravetye is truly an "experience that affects all senses."
