The best countryside hotels near London
For some, a night or two away from the city in countryside hotels near London, immersed in rural life with a cloak of genuine darkness and the sound of nature as a nighttime backing track, is the ultimate way to recharge. The beauty of living and working in London – or even visiting the capital for an extended period of time – means you don’t have to travel far to find this kind of escapism. In fact, some of the UK’s best and most beautiful countryside hotels are located just an hour or two from the centre. Whether it’s grandeur, fine dining and a champagne-on-arrival kind of stay you’re looking for (imagine sinking into a roll-top bath and interrupting your book only to check in for your spa treatment), or a wholesome pub-with-rooms, welly boots at the door, board games by an open fire vibe, there’s something to suit. Forget taking annual leave and make the most of these doable road trip times to use your next free weekend as a chance to embrace the slow life. This is our shortlist of the best countryside hotels near London, all under 2 hours and 30 minutes drive from London W1.
Editor's picks
- For couples: The Alfriston
- For families: Four Seasons Hampshire
- For foodies: The Pig at Bridge Place
- For the spa: Cowarth Park
- For luxury: Heckfield Place
How we choose the best countryside hotels in the UK
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. For more information on how we review hotels and restaurants, please look at our About Us page. These are the best countryside hotels in the UK.
hotelBeaverbrook, Surrey
Best for: English heritage with modern finesse
A visit to the English countryside doesn’t get much more picturesque than at Beaverbrook. The hotel’s location in Surrey, as well as its heritage – the 470-acre estate dates back to 1866 – makes for an iconic UK stay. Elements of its history are woven into the main house's interiors, but this is a place that masterfully blends English worldliness with modern finesse. The spa is something of a marvel – all stained-glass ceiling and innovative experiences – and as I pad past the outdoor pool from the cabin-style massage hut, I know the treatments I’ve just had will live in my heart for years to come.
We spent the night in the Village, a zippy buggy ride away from the original house. This part of the hotel appeals primarily to families, as the rooms are colour-drenched and whimsical, and the restaurant is a British-style eatery. Elsewhere, food options include a lauded Japanese restaurant and the Instagram-famous summer dining experience held on the grounds under whimsical hot-air balloons. I make a mental note to return with friends and enjoy the juxtaposition between heritage architecture and typically British countryside, and top-notch fusion food.
Address: Reigate Rd, Leatherhead KT22 8QX
Distance from London: about 1 hour 15 minutes by car
Price: from about £490 per night
Jake EasthamThe Pig at Bridge Place, Kent
Best for: locally and home-grown fare
If you've never stayed in one of The Pig hotels before, then Kent is the perfect place to start, but be warned, it might just spark a desire to trot around the country and visit the rest of the ‘litter’. A wholesome collection of family-owned restaurants with rooms, each property is individually designed by husband and wife duo Robin and Judy Hutson, who scour antique fairs and one-off furniture stores to imbue every space in every house with character. This really is like pulling up at someone's (elaborate) home. There's no reception area as such, just a little desk tucked away in a corner of the main house, and guests can sink straight into one of the love-worn leather sofas in the bar area on arrival. Here, a spectrum of glass bottles and vessel lines the tall windows to scatter the space with fragmented natural light. Food and drink are celebrated, and the restaurant serves a 25-mile menu as well as veg from its own kitchen garden. Speaking of, there's a potting shed-style treatment hut in the grounds where lucky guests who plan ahead can secure a massage or facial if rest and recuperation really is the order of the day. Rooms are comfortable, cosy and quintessentially British. Try to avoid booking one of the tiny ones if you can – there really is just space for a bed in some, and for the extra investment, a bedroom you can retreat to and enjoy a bath and a coffee feels right for this kind of getaway.
Address: Bourne Park Road, Bridge, Canterbury CT4 5BH
Distance from London: about 2 hours by car
Price: from about £220 per night
Rob JameshotelThe Retreat at Elcot Park, Newbury
Best for: board games on the terrace and a heated outdoor pool
Just 40 minutes by train from Paddington to Kintbury, and a little down the road, The Retreat at Elcot Park is ideally located for London weekenders of all persuasions. Everyone from families who can roll around the grounds in colour-coordinated wellies (pick them up from the boot room) to couples who fancy a brisk hike around the Kennet Valley or want to spend a day in and around the spa. The main house is warm and welcoming, with a roaring fireplace, a comfy sofa and a smattering of glossy magazines on the coffee table. Upstairs, bedrooms continue the theme. In ours, a four-poster bed overlooking the grounds, a standalone roll-top bath and dark wood furniture that felt classic, elegant and in no way dated. On the dresser, a decanter of whiskey and two crystal glasses with a note. Our bathroom is modern in comparison, decked in glossy white marble with a dreamy waterfall shower. On the landing sits an honesty larder stocked with sweets, biscuits, drinks and milk – a fun addition that the children simply had to stop at every time we passed. Downstairs in the restaurant, flavoursome hummus and mezze sharer plates by day – which we enjoy in the bar or on the terrace, unboxing board games from the stack in the lounge – and British classics that befit the setting, by night (fish, steak and a host of other comforting dishes).
Address: Elcot, Newbury RG20 8NJ
Distance from London: about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car
Price: from about £220 per night
RobJameshotelThe Alfriston, South Downs
Best for: lakeside views
Culture and countryside come as a seamless double act in Alfriston, a ridiculously pretty East Sussex village just two hours south of London. The Alfriston is perfectly positioned between the chalky drama of the Seven Sisters and the Bloomsbury set’s old haunt at Charleston, ten minutes away. There are 38 rooms here, 31 in the main house and seven in the coach house. They're dressed in gentle pinks, splashes of aqua green or teal and fabric headboards. Some gaze over the gardens and the Cuckmere River, while the swankier rooms up the ante with half-tester beds and perfectly sized roll top baths. At the restaurant, 1554 Brasserie, a flute of sparkling Rathfinny and a bowl of cauliflower popcorn – dressed in teriyaki, soy, chilli and sesame – set the tone: British food with a twist. Starters range from the ever-popular tomato and burrata to a rather good potted smoked trout with Melba toast, and a wild garlic and onion soup that tastes like spring in a bowl.
Tucked away in a separate building, the spa may be small, but it’s still serene. Three treatment rooms cater for the full knead-and-snooze experience; a sauna and steam room provide the heat. A relaxation area looks over the heated outdoor pool (10 by five metres) lined with loungers made for lingering. Out back, a small garden area doubles as a yoga spot where you can salute the sun with a view of the South Downs. Jane Knight
Address: Seaford Road, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5TW
Distance from London: about 2 hours 15 mins by car
Price: from about £144 per night
hotelFour Seasons Hampshire
Best for: families
For a taste of fresh-air family-friendly country pursuits without the tedious slog, Four Seasons Hampshire is just an hour’s train from Clapham Junction, or a breezy 35-minute drive from Heathrow. The sight of the 18th-century manor house is impressive, looming large over the verdant 500-acre estate. Inside is a winding mix of old and new, from the traditional Drawing Room where afternoon tea is served, to the conservatory-style infinity pool. There’s an approachable elegance throughout, making it a particularly beloved address for families, with crowd-pleasing spots including the indoor pool playground Sharkie’s Reef, and the main restaurant Wild Carrot. Outside, the equestrian centre is home to an array of glossy horses. Other country pursuits on offer include archery, falconry, fly fishing and tennis.
Rooms marry English trad with Four Seasons signatures and are scattered throughout the property, from in the mews to the manor house and overlooking the garden. Walls are clad in wainscoting panels, and those famed Four Seasons beds are crowned with romantic scalloped headboards. Sofa beds for wee ones are available in a number of categories, while there’s room for a larger brood in the speciality suites. Meanwhile, the slick spa is set within a converted 18th-century barn and spread across 27,000 square feet, and is one of the best near London. Many come for a paddle underneath the period-style conservatory, where a heated infinity pool stretches out into a manicured garden and flows into a hot tub. The signature Ni-Putu massage, a masterful mix of accupressure, massage and stretches performed with ylang ylang, jasmine and rose oil, is an equally worthy drawcard. In essence, expect all the grandiose beauty of a Georgian manor plus modern Four Seasons accoutrements, and an exceptional offering for families. Lauren Burvill
Address: Dogmersfield Park, Chalky Lane, Hook RG27 8TD
Distance from London: about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car
Price: from about £468 per night
hotelCoworth Park, Ascot
Best for: quintessentially British-ness
This 18th-century estate near Windsor might be 17 minutes from Heathrow Terminal 5, but it’s light-years away in feel. Since 2010, Coworth Park has outdone itself as a Dorchester Collection version of the country – a perfectly pressed London-adjacent micro-break and fresh-air reboot with minimal dirt on the wellies. The 240 acres of handsome parkland folds in well-kept polo fields (complete with exciting matches and a grafted-on social scene), tennis courts, lakes, a sunken garden and wildflower meadow, and a sleek spa that’s just had a makeover.
Add in the promise of excellent food (Michelin-starred Woven by Adam Smith is British food at its apex) and there are plenty of treats to enjoy. The best spot on the estate is the meadowland in summer, when pink roses tumble over the gazebo, and striped deck chairs line the croquet lawn. In winter, lolling is best done in the warm and cosseting spa. Lydia Bell
Address: Blacknest Road, Sunningdale, Ascot SL5 7SE
Distance from London: about 1 hour by car
Price: from about £599 per night
Mark Anthony FoxBoys Hall, Kent
Best for: proximity to some of the UK's best vineyards
Boys Hall's location makes it a 37-minute train ride from King’s Cross, and the rest of the world seems to disappear with the road noise when you drive through the gates into the almost four acres around the old house. This is right in the heart of the county, well within half an hour of Canterbury, Deal and the south coast. In particular, its wine enthusiast owners are keen to promote its position close to many of the county’s best vineyards (Westwell, Woodchurch, Gusbourne and Chartham are all within ten miles). The design is understatedly beautiful – the whole place feels lived-in and true to its roots, but also fresh; a tricky balance in a property so old (Georgian and Victorian tend to skew modern more naturally).
The art, mostly gilt-framed oil portraits, all feel like they’ve been here forever – but, apart from the Samuel Pepys portrait that was inherited from previous owners, most of it was picked up from auctions and dealers. It’s all notably homely and unpretentious – from the newspapers and Scrabble boards in the living room, with its massive fireplace, to the extra-large caramel wafers in the honesty bar. When it comes to food and drink, the whole place has been designed around local Kentish food and wine, including a little locals-friendly pub in one of the oldest corners of the house. The restaurant serves rich, comforting dishes – from a starter of pulled venison on a crumpet with Dijon mustard and pickled blackberries to a rich, coal-fired turbot in a creamy sauce with Kentish mussels and cider. Toby Skinner
Address: Boys Hall Rd, Willesborough, Ashford TN24 0LA
Distance from London: about 2 hours by car
Price: from about £228 per night
hotelHeckfield Place, Hampshire
Best for: a luxury stay
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Heckfield Place is your typical grand country-house hotel. There’s certainly enough of the usual elements to throw you off the scent: the sprawling grounds and manicured gardens, the impressive stately exterior, the sweeping staircase and walls adorned with oil paintings. But all is not what it seems. For starters, there isn’t a hint of stuffiness or pomp. The team greet guests with a calmness that’s contagious, guiding you about the place with the kind of ease that never feels imposing. Even the uniforms, designed by cult clothing company Egg– all corduroy, linens and flouncy blouses – are refreshingly unexpected. Bedrooms are stripped back and country comfy without leaning too heavily into the more ubiquitous country-pile aesthetic – creamy oatmeals, subdued greens and pinks and yellows, not a sniff of chintz. And then there’s the food.
Both Marle and Hearth, the two restaurants, are overseen by starry chef Skye Gyngell. There’s a farm-to-fork ethos, drawing heavily on the estate farm and kitchen garden for the menus. The latest addition is The Bothy by Wildsmith, a serene, two-floor oasis enveloped in the hotel’s gardens. Years in the making, it’s a deeply soothing space with a gorgeous pool and treatment rooms for hours-long sessions that might include diagnostic kinesiology or abdomen massages. The hot tubs on the deck overlook the grounds, where, in the summer months, you can take a walk around the estate with a picnic or enjoy a dip in the misty lake. In the winter, follow up a session in the waters with a cosy afternoon curled up by the fire in the living room – aim for 4pm and wait for a homemade cake to magically appear on a platter before staff dutifully place fat slices on plates to enjoy as a piano tinkles in the corner. Sarah Allard
Address: Heckfield Pl, Heckfield, Hook RG27 0LD
Distance from London: about 2 hours by car
Price: £650
hotelChewton Glen, Hampshire
Best for: treehouse living and an excellent spa
History books at the ready as you step through the doors of this imposingly grand stately home. Since it was first built in 1666, it has been home to three Dukes, an Earl and a Prince of Wales, among others. Queen Victoria was once a frequent guest, and when the American William Waldorf Astor bought it in 1893, it became a social hub for a heady rotation of high-profile guests from Winston Churchill to President Roosevelt and Charlie Chaplin. Inside, expect interiors to match the grandeur of its past, with high panelled ceilings, period bathrooms and glistening chandeliers, plus a corridor of marble busts and 16th-century tapestries to gawp at. Savour the view of the Grade I-listed gardens during the tasting menu in The Cliveden Dining Room or opt for more laid-back fare in the Astor Grill, built in the old stable block where tables have been cleverly slotted into the former stalls. There are 376 acres to explore here, but you’ll be tempted to succumb to a day lying by the listed outdoor pool: the scene of the 1961 Profumo affair (back to those history books…) Madeline Silver
Address: Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Christchurch Rd, New Milton BH25 6QS
Distance from London: about 2 hours 30 mins by car
Price: from about £350 per night
Mark Bolton PhotographyhotelThe Grove, Hertfordshire
Best for: the Sunday buffet
Countryside escapes that are both close to central London and take less than an hour to reach are something of a prized commodity for city dwellers. The Grove in Hertfordshire is such a thing: roughly 18 miles from the city and situated across a sprawling 300-acre site. At times, the property feels like two different hotels. The modern West Wing has 189 rooms, decked out with a brooding colour palette and modern aesthetic. But the mansion, which houses newly renovated signature suites and bedrooms, really dials up the wow factor. Each has ornate fireplaces, spacious rooms and curved bay windows with calming views of the grounds and Hertfordshire countryside. There’s plenty for children to do (especially during the school holidays), with adventure trails, lots of space to roam, and a kids club open throughout the day. Some rooms are more suitable for families (and pets) than others, so it’s worth asking for those when you book. Don't miss the Sunday buffet, where guests load up on fresh shellfish, hearty roast dinners or (/and) plates of Italian and Indian cuisine. Lauren Burvill
Address: The Grove, Chandler’s Cross WD3 4TG
Distance from London: about 1 hour 30 mins by car
Price: from about £330 per night
