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BACK in the day – 1924 to be precise – Alan Sanderson was a bit of a shrewdie.
It was Sanderson who bought the 200-acre Selsdon Park and the house that went with it for £13,000 – and turned it into a hotel.
The Victorian house is now the De Vere Selsdon Estate hotel in Croydon, south London, and has just had a £5million refurbishment.
The hotel boasts 150 bedrooms, ranging from standard to suites. For the outdoor types, there is an 18-hole championship golf course, plus a leisure club complete with heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and state-of-the-art gym.
The hotel is the ideal place for some serious rest and relaxation and it’s pet-friendly and children-friendly too.
“Well-behaved cats and dogs are welcome,” says the brochure – though nothing there about ‘well-behaved’ children!
Delight
Why not try a sumptuous afternoon tea in the Orangery overlooking the golf course or dine and drink in the 1042 Bar and Restaurant, named for the year when the Knights Templar owned the estate?
Yes, the estate is steeped in history and goes back as far as 861AD. It was once home to Benedictine monks and it is believed that Elizabeth I often rode in the woods of Selsdon Park.
The restaurant was a delight with attentive service and a varied menu, including a whole host of vegetarian options. I even tasted, for the first time, a vegetarian haggis Scotch egg followed by an excellent butternut squash, chickpea and spinach Thai red curry.
Breakfast, too, was a leisurely affair. With retro being the hotel’s style, there were no milk jugs – only old-fashioned milk bottles.
There are comforting log fires in reception, which features the most ornate and beautiful ceiling in any hotel I’ve ever stayed in, and the retro theme continues with the clever use of vintage luggage for displaying drinks.
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Rooms at the four-star De Vere Selsdon start from £89 a night B&B. You can book at devere.co.uk/selsdon-estate