Under deconstruction

It’s no surprise that the appeal of a “deconstructed” hotel has skyrocketed since social distancing has become part of our vernacular. The concept is thus: take the rooms that would normally be part of a main house – along fiddly corridors with no outdoor space – and spread them around in pretty grounds. The result is all the seclusion you get with selfcatering, but with the facilities, style and dining you’d expect at a hotel.

Nowhere has done this with more aplomb this year than the Tawny (thetawny.co.uk) on a 70-acre estate in the Staffordshire countryside. The compact check-in area, restaurant and spa are all in separate buildings – as are the treehouses, boathouses and shepherd’s huts for bedding down.

The “rooms” feel much more remote than they are. The aesthetic of the grounds feels like a secret garden, although an admittedly large and grand one: ferns perfectly frame a snapshot of the boathouses from across the water; ficus and coppertips spill over the brick walls of a delightfully dilapidated folly; a bridge that

wouldn’t be out of place in Pride and Prejudice is surrounded by lush reeds. Choose a treehouse to feel like you’re sitting in a woodland canopy and relax in the freestanding tub, or a boathouse for floor-to-ceiling front aspect windows straight over the water, plus a huge outdoor tin bath from which you can watch the moorhens paddle about.

Similarly, Derbyshire’s latest country house hotel Callow Hall (wildhive.uk) may have some more traditional rooms, but it’s the 11 one-bedroom Woodland Hives and pair of two-bedroom treehouses that are the standouts. Natural wood interiors perfectly complement their tucked-away location among the ancient branches, and each comes with its own outdoor deck (treehouses come with al-fresco baths). Communal fire pits and woodland bars all add to the experience – there are marshmallows left in your room for toasting.

The chef Rick Stein has also captured the essence of the trend, unveiling five hand-built shepherd’s huts at the Cornish Arms, his gourmet pub with rooms in St Merryn near Padstow (rickstein.com). Each has its own private terrace and is hidden behind a traditional curved stone hedge for added privacy. Inside you’ll find a double bed with pasture views through large windows, Roberts radios, and Jill Stein’s Portdune natural skincare range.

i Staying apart: boathouses at the Tawny