The Alfriston in East Sussex
Virginia Woolf said that the South Downs was “too beautiful for just one pair of eyes and enough to lift a whole community in happiness”. What better place to visit at this time, when our happiness is at its lowest point? The perfect way to beat the January blues is to walk across the rolling hills of chalkland, towards the seacliffs. The walk is even better if you find a warm hotel bar at the end with an open fireplace.
Last spring, The Alfriston in Sussex, near the village of the same title, was reopened by new owners. In a red-brick house that has parts dating back to 14th century, the new look of the Alfriston pays homage to Arts and Crafts with block-printed wall papers, patterned furniture and wood panelling painted warm colours.
There’s a long front lawn laid out for games of croquet, skittles and pétanque but the jewel in the crown is the 10-metre outdoor pool, heated and open year-round. After your swim, you can relax in the sauna or the steam room. You can also enjoy a beauty treatment or a massage in the spa. On a Saturday evening the 1554 Brasserie was lively with a mix of guests and locals and the menu had something to please all palates – from slow-roasted Norfolk cauliflower (£18 for a main) to haunch of fallow deer with chestnuts and cacao sauce (£28). The scallops and whole sea bass grilled with samphire were excellent. After a good night’s sleep, we woke with views of mist-shrouded Downs. Breakfast was served in the Orangery where walls were painted with delicate murals. Woolf would have been pleased with the Orangery, where walls are hand-painted with delicate murals of trees and flowers.
Doubles from £135 B&B, thealfriston.com
Joanne O’Connor
Wildhive Callow Hall, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire
My son and I were pleasantly surprised to find a hotel outside Ashbourne that had a glass-box restaurant sticking out of a Victorian mansion. Isabella Worsley has injected eye-catching colors and patterns into the hotel’s interiors. The grand staircase, ornate ceilings and large windows are all part of this. There are some of the best value rooms in the main building. If you want something more luxurious, there are also cute wooden hives with treehouses inside the 35 acres.
A short distance away, the Coach House has a small, relaxing spa with reflexology, botanical facials and massages. There is also a sauna, gym, and yoga studio. The map room is also located here, with all the information you need to plan your day, as well a complimentary bike. We took the 13-mile Tissington Trail along the old Ashbourne – Buxton railway. It was a flat ride. Even though we had a relatively easy ride, we felt perfectly justified in devouring a large platter of misto seafood in the buzzy eatery with its curved counter and artificial olive tree.
Doubles from £157 room-only, wildhive.uk
Jane Knight
The Cliff Hotel & Spa, Cardigan Bay
The breezy coastal resort is situated on a headland, above Cardigan Bay. The style is sleek and contemporary throughout, from the lobby, to the restaurant, and the 76 guestrooms. Soothing shades of green, grey and blue reflect the Atlantic views, which are framed by large picture windows.
You can do a lot here. Take a stroll along the Ceredigion Coast Path (keep an eye out for seals and bottlenose dolphins), play a game of golf on the hotel’s nine-hole course, watch surfers battle the swells in nearby Poppit Sands or visit Cardigan to explore the castle and the shops.
Soak away winter chills in the hotel’s underground spa, which has a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, hot tub and gym, and offers a range of good-value treatments from facials to algae wraps and hot stone massage (from around £70 for a 50-minute treatment). Hotel guests are entitled to an hour’s free use of the spa.
Doubles from £110 B&B, cliffhotel.com
JO’C
The Barnsdale is near Oakham in Rutland
Rutland Water is literally on the doorstep of England’s smallest county. The tranquility of the area is reflected inside. You will feel at home with a woodburner on the reception desk.
The 45 rooms are arranged on two floors around a courtyard and feature patterned wallpaper, boldly colored fabric headboards, and brightly colored fabrics. (Pick a room on the first level for a more peaceful night). I then went on to bike the 23 miles of reservoir and earned the delicious bistro meal, which awaited at my return. It included the hotel’s tempura cauliflower popcorn.
Barnsdale Hotel offers great value but with a generous heart. There’s also a free drink at 4pm in the bar, as well as an evening cocktail. Massages are sensibly priced (£90 for 60 minutes) and you have unfettered access to the sauna, hot tub and outdoor pool from midday on arrival until the same time on departure, without paying extra. It’s civilised and faintly indulgent, all for just north of £100 a night.
Doubles from £125 B&B (£105 on Sundays), barnsdalerutland.com
Jane Knight
Dunkeld House Hotel Perthshire
The approach to this elegant, white country house hotel couldn’t be dreamier, a speed-bump-controlled crawl through sweeping, tree-studded parkland, a bronze stag guarding the doorway. The hotel is located above the River Tay and on the edge the historic village Dunkeld. It was built in the late 19th century to serve as a retreat for the 7th Duchess of Atholl.
It’s now a welcoming and relaxed hotel with a wood-panelled lobby, a warm log fire, tartan carpets, and some taxidermy. A stag head dominates the grand staircase.
The Duchess Suite has a balcony with a view of the river and a parquet floor, an art deco style, and a gold-trimmed bathroom. The spa features a heated indoor pool overlooking plant-peppered garden and offers treatments such as ishga Hebridean Seaweed, hot stone massages and detoxifying seaweed wrappings. Food is fantastic, with dishes like smoked haddock with cullen skink in a creamy sauce and venison with roasted root.
Doubles from £144 B&B, crerarhotels.com
Lucy Gillmore
Wood Hall Hotel & Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire
This Georgian manor is a great option for those looking for a relaxing country escape. The house has a lot of ivy and feels very special. The location is suitably bucolic – set within 100 acres of rolling parkland and forest – but it’s just a short drive from Leeds, Harrogate and York.
In the interior, there are 44 rooms, all in grey tones, which are both elegant and comfortable. Many of them have views over the Wharfe gorge from their sash windows. Go for a walk in the grounds – there are printed maps for guests – or indulge in a treatment in the small Elemis spa (treatments from £60 for 25 minutes), which also has a pool, steam room and gym.
In the smart dining room, the seasonally-adjusted menu runs the gamut from homemade gnocchi with butternut squash and black garlic (£18.50) to pan-fried wood pigeon breast with game and pearl barley ragout (£28.50). A great kids’ menu is available.
Doubles from £130 B&B, handpickedhotels.co.uk
JO’C
All lead-in rates are based on an overnight stay in either January or February, and were accurate at the time of publication.
