FIVE OF THE BEST UK RETREATS

This family-owned 12-acre estate in the Sussex High Weald has been available for group holiday takeovers for up to 32 guests for a decade. What makes it stand out is the variety of accommodations: beautifully converted barns (including a grain store and cow shed); a Grade II-listed farmhouse (which features a fire pit in the courtyard at the back); wooden eco-lodge tree houses with valley views; shepherd’s huts in an orchard, each equipped with a log burner; and an oast house - the most recent addition in 2021. As if that weren’t enough, there are communal barns too, dedicated to dining, movie nights, and games (the ping pong table is a highlight), along with an outdoor children’s play area. Stroll through the woodland and grounds to discover the roaming alpacas, sheep, and peacocks, and afterwards, unwind in the sauna. A private chef can be arranged, as can reservations at nearby restaurants and spa treatments by local therapists. The farm also hosts private retreats throughout the year, focusing on everything from yoga to reiki and even piano lessons.

Surrounded by 30 acres of parkland that leads to the coast at Climping, the bucolic setting alone makes a stay at this luxury Sussex hotel feel like a proper reset-and-recharge getaway. But it has several themed retreats too, including one night of mindful stargazing (dates in April, September and October) with Mark Westmoquette, an astrophysicist who teaches yoga and mindfulness. Less about understanding scientific concepts or cosmological theories and more about being at one with the universe, it includes celestial meditation, a group discussion on our place within the world, a dusk Qigong breath work and movement session, and dawn zen yoga. Plus, of course, a three-course dinner, full English breakfast and full use of the spa, including the indoor and outdoor pools. Other current offers include spa and dine, a spoiling overnight special, from Sunday to Thursday, with a two-course dinner.

Four years ago, this luxury country hotel in Northamptonshire emerged from a £1.5m refurbishment with a destination spa that includes an indoor pool, outdoor hydrotherapy pool, Himalayan salt sauna and steam room. Bright, open spaces are decorated in soothing shades of sage green and pink; there’s a ‘Spatisserie’ serving healthy lunches; and a relaxation area overlooking the courtyard for those simply wanting to soak up the benefits of being surrounded by nature. Book in for treatments such as the antioxidant-rich Elemis Expert Touch Express Facial or the revitalising combined body scrub and massage – both pampering add-ons to a restorative stay. Classic British dishes with a contemporary twist are served in the Cedar restaurant, which is decorated with antique-style furniture and wall-hung tapestries. The Tudor Great Hall is a restful spot for reading and Afternoon Tea with views of the estate, while the Tudor Bar (originally a brew house) has a roaring log fire in winter and a summer terrace. And the grounds – formal private gardens landscaped by Capability Brown surrounded by 2,000 acres of parkland – are excellent for exploring on long spirit-lifting walks that blow the cobwebs away. The current Spring Renew offer means that when you reserve a room for three nights or more, one is complimentary (valid until 1st June 2025). 

Just six miles from Stratford-upon-Avon – and two hours from London – this luxury country escape is set in 40 acres, in a picturesque valley with the River Stour winding through it. Comfortable rooms are split between the main neo-gothic, Cotswold stone mansion and the garden wing; the best have four poster beds and living areas with rural views (take advantage of the hotel’s Spring Renew offer which means that when you stay for three nights or more before 1st June 2025, one is complimentary). With an ornate ceiling, dramatic chandeliers, tapestries and sash windows, The Great Drawing Room epitomises the building’s historic splendour and is the ideal place for tucking into a sumptuous Afternoon Tea (there’s also The Oak Room, which has an informal all-day dining menu, including steaks and sandwiches). To really unwind though, nowhere beats the spa, which has a glass-ceiling indoor pool and hot tub, sauna and steam room.

In the heart of the New Forest yet only a 10-minute drive from Lyndhurst, this gorgeous country house hotel sits in 40 acres of grounds. Hire bicycles to explore the surrounding woodlands; stroll through the gardens with their ornamental ponds, fountains and terraces; and book in for some well-deserved me-time at the spa (in the summer, the highlight is the outdoor pool). The hotel itself seamlessly blends Tudor and Gothic architecture in rooms that range from cosy Classic to the master Walker suite, with original features and a rolltop bath (stay for three nights before 1st June and one is complimentary, as part of the hotel’s Spring Renew offer). Wood-panelled restaurant The Armada looks formal (pale pink marble fireplace, linen tablecloths, a wooden carving of a naval fleet on the wall) but the British menu is refreshingly unfussy – making it the ideal place for a fabulous dinner.