Ettington Park, Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom

The drive up towards luxury hotel Ettington Park in the Cotswolds does not disappoint. Venturing up the wide sweep of gravel pathway, guests are met by a gorgeous Gothic mansion of peachy coloured stone, twisting turrets and large arched windows. Film buffs may recognise it as the setting for Robert Wise’s The Haunting. The less cinematographic amongst us simply appreciate this luxury country house hotel as a perfect means of escaping the hustle and bustle of the big city.

The facilities

Everything about Ettington Park Hotel is quintessentially English. The manicured lawns that stretch around the Grade I listed building are dotted with oak trees (what else?) and a few well-mannered sheep look over from the opposite bank of the River Stour. The crumbling ruins of a 12th-century church that stands in the grounds gives a tantalising hint of just how much history Ettington Park is steeped in. In fact, the family that lived here have the oldest lineage on record in Britain, and the original house can be found in the Doomsday Book.

The main Drawing Room at Ettington Park is where guests tend to congregate throughout the day. It has high ceilings of ornate plasterwork, pompous curtains, massive canvases that cover the walls and lots of squashy armchairs, sofas and low lying tables. Their dainty afternoon tea that is so in vogue could hardly require a more picture-perfect setting.

The rest of the communal areas are just as charming, from the heavily panelled Oak Room Restaurant to the beautiful chapel, well positioned to catch the evening light through its stained glass windows. There are plenty of spaces for private gatherings scattered throughout Ettington Park, which serves this luxury hotel well for the plentiful business and wedding groups that make use of it.

The rooms

The 48 bedrooms at Ettington Park are spacious, with stunning views over the Warwickshire countryside. Since a complete refurbishment, they all have low-level lighting in the bathrooms, air conditioning, flat screen televisions and brand new furnishings. The Deluxe Room categories benefit from brilliant bathrooms, with roll-top tubs and embedded televisions (waterproof remotes included!). The Courtyard Bedrooms have sitting rooms that are geared up for business clientele, in that they can quickly be turned into professional meeting rooms.