Coworth Park, The Dorchester Collection

Why book?

For a top-drawer modern country-house hotel break. Since 2010, Coworth Park has outdone itself as a Dorchester 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.

Set the scene

This 18th-century estate near Windsor might be 45 minutes from Central London and a mere 17 minutes from Terminal 5, but it’s light-years away in feel. Coworth forefronts its equestrian roots, with stables on site as well as polo fields. Country pursuits are the order of the day – a light spot of riding, tennis, clay pigeon shooting or falconry. The best spot on the beautiful estate is the meadow land in summer, when pink roses tumble over the gazebo and striped deckchairs line the croquet lawn. In winter, lolling is best done in the warm and cosseting spa.

There’s nothing loud or cluttered going on here, nor any great insistence on tradition or overt Englishness. The soignée afternoon tea takers are a combination of local families on jollies and the usual global Dorchester crew – American travellers incoming from Heathrow, Gulf-based fans of the London mothership, and anyone who wants a slice of the cossetted side of Berkshire. Fox Linton Associates’ 2010 interiors still stand the test of time: soft furnishings and art are British-made in the main, with smoked oak floors throughout and an elegant modern spiral staircase curving up from the reception and the colours are soft, understated, natural and duskily neutral, the maximalism of more recent years studiously avoided. This extends to the restaurant Woven, where Martin Hulbert and Jay Grierson’s earthy colours, natural materials and subtle lighting create the setting for a meal that I dare anyone not to enjoy.

The backstory

Built from 1776, Coworth Park was the home of an East India merchant, William Shepheard. Since then, it’s had a cavalcade of owners, including the Earl of Derby, for a large swathe of the 19th century; then, in the 1980s, Galen Weston, the owner of Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason, who created the polo grounds and stables. Nine years after Weston sold to the investors behind the Dorchester Collection, Coworth opened in 2010 as their tenth opening.

Rooms and suites

The 49 rooms and 22 suites are scattered across the estate, between plainer modern stable blocks and cottages, and large individual houses, with gulf buggies zipping guests about on request (though it’s not much of a walk from anywhere to The Mansion). The original Georgian mansion houses the main part of the hotel and 30 rooms and suites. Grander options elsewhere include the Dower House, the oldest house on the estate dating from 1755, with its own clock tower, lake and gardens (it’s where Prince Harry spent the night before his nuptials) and the North Lodge gatehouse, a classic three-bedroom gabled country home with a mock-Tudor façade and an atmosphere of coiffed informality. Across the rooms and suites, four-poster beds, open fireplaces and signature freestanding copper roll-top baths are signature additions. Some in the modern stable blocks have duplex layouts and private patios.

The Dower House’s three bedrooms and oak-floored interiors have just been buffed up by Martin Hulbert: expect a high-tech country kitchen for private chef-created celebration meals; a new wine room, The Nook; framed botanical prints inspired by the estate’s wildflower meadows and a new collection of characterful portraiture. The walls of the informal dining room are lined with old English ceramics and dried flower displays.

The area

In the vicinity of Ascot Racecourse, Eton, Windsor Castle (and Windsor Great Park, locus of Wills and Kate’s new “forever home”, Forest Lodge), and just across the road from Virginia Waters, the area is sumptuous in all seasons, exuding greened beauty and wealth galore. With a surfeit of resident silver foxes riding around in flash wheels, it would be practically nouveau riche if it weren’t Royals Country.

The service

Confident and down-to-earth service from a well-established team.

Food and drink

Coworth shines most brightly when it comes to eating and drinking. Michelin-starred Woven by Adam Smith is the main event, its cuisine British and seasonal, utilising some ingredients from the estate itself. The food is accessible, earthy and technically brilliant, from the amuse bouches (including jellied eel) and sensational bread basket onwards (the Armenian flat breads, crispbreads and sourdoughs with pomegranate molasses, onion seed jam, caramelised brown butter, and pumpkin seed hummus with a pinot noir vinaigrette are too moreish to resist devouring in full despite so many courses to come) to the turbot primped with caviar, lobster and purslane. Come hungry as a horse to tackle the English cheese trolley, the four pages of single malt whisky options and the petit fours.

Elsewhere, The Barn, which opens onto parkland, is earthy, jolly and informal – blazing stone fireplace in winter, open to the elements and spilling out into the parkland-facing terrace in summer – and has laid-back brasserie-style menus (veggie burgers, chateaubriand, ribs, chicken pie et al). The Drawing Room is best for afternoon teas accompanied by a tinkling piano. Summer’s dreamy alfresco pop-up is Tide, which has Provencal vibes with its umbrellas and striped navy seats. Baked oysters, smoked eel amuse-bouche, Kentish strawberries, a Panzanella salad with Isle of Wight tomatoes, rustic croutons, and grilled prawns, plus a Gusbourne English Rosé, made the experience of eating here ultra-pleasurable.

Spa and wellbeing

The Spa at Coworth Park hovers discreetly in the landscape close to the croquet lawn with a streamlined shape of an elegant horseshoe-shaped spacecraft coming into land. It’s had a buff up of late, with a series of new features added next to the 18m pool with its amethyst statues – an expanded thermal suite with a new sauna, a steam room, a snow shower, an experience shower and RLX Satori Loungers.

The gym has brilliant Technogym Artis equipment, a UK first which uses AI to assess wellness levels and create bespoke workout programmes. An updated treatment menu has welcomed in Ishga’s oils, balms, marine creams and lotions; Wildsmith Skin, the British hotel beauty brand most on the up; and Made for Life; and there’s a summer partnership with the Natura Bissé Oxygen Bubble, which pumps out 99.99 per cent pure air during facials. The Spa Café has been done up, with new menus from Adam Smith, and healthy juices and salads on tap. The terrace is heavenly in summer. Kids under 16 are only allowed only during specific times, so be careful to plan your visit in advance to avoid disappointment.

For families

A whole house close to the tucked-away equestrian centre focuses on the comfort and pleasure of junior guests – replete with train tracks, doll’s houses, book corners, a messy space for baking and painting, and a den just for teenagers. Their activity programme is seasonally dependent but pretty comprehensive and any given week may include the likes of archery, beekeeping training, tennis club, horse and carriage rides, clay shooting, falconry, sculpting with clay, or even duck herding.

Eco effort

The Dorchester Collection as a whole has aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and aims for a net-zero business by 2050; this year, it aims to be an early adopter of the Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosure. Whilst it’s difficult to glean their granular approach to sustainability on an individual hotel level, Coworth Park, like other Dorchester Collection properties, has moved to a system of replacing linens every other day, using refillable bottles for its amenities and keeping a closer eye on local suppliers.

Accessibility

Accessibility features include lowered signage on the Mansion House, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, roll-in showers, wheelchairs available for use, accessible lifts, wide entry points, and service dogs are welcome.