Best for: Family fun without compromise.
Why we love it: Since having a baby last year, I’ve begrudgingly accepted that holidays will never be the same again… until we discovered Four Seasons Hampshire, one of the UK’s most exquisite hotels that actively welcomes and embraces children. The 18th-century manor, which is set within 500 (!) acres of picturesque grounds and parkland, was the has-it-all hotel of choice for this pair of frazzled parents with a wild toddler in tow. We were seeking plush accommodation to actually feel like we were anywhere but our toy-strewn house, sprawling grounds for a buggy meander and an incredible array of kid-friendly activities. Thankfully, Four Seasons offered it all – and then some.
Sitting on the Surrey border, it takes little over an hour to reach the Four Seasons from London (so you can put baby to sleep and head down on Friday night after work just in time for a room service dinner) yet serves up the total tranquility you’d expect of the British countryside. You can fish, you can canoe; you can play tennis. You can ride horses, hire bikes, walk or challenge yourself to a run on the high wires course. Kids will not get bored. I repeat: will not get bored. There’s an indoor play barn that rivals any London nursery set up, outdoor play zone, horses to groom, and the most epic mini waterpark, Sharkie’s Reef.
If you’re travelling without kids (or enlist the hotel’s babysitting services) spend at least an hour in the hotel’s sensational spa, complete with outdoor pool, a 20 meter-long indoor pool and countless treatment rooms offering the most divine spa treatments. And after all of that, foodies can rejoice, because there are fine dining options aplenty. The spectacular Wild Carrot restaurant, atop the kitchen garden, comprises of an opulent outdoor seating area, a cosy sofa-clad bar and a more formal dining room, serving dishes made from only the best, locally-sourced ingredients. Elsewhere, the 18th-century Library serves afternoon tea during the day to a backdrop of roaming deer and the United Kingdom’s beautiful, rolling countryside (oh and be sure to stay for the sumptuous Sunday lunch, which has just relaunched). You’ll never want to leave. And neither will your kids, so good luck with that.
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