Snug retreat with hotel benefits
THERE’S something rather lovely about pottering around Sherborne, surely Dorset’s prettiest market town, then passing the dinky cottages on Long Street to reach The Eastbury Hotel and unlocking the front door to Eastbury Cottage – to finish the day with a pot of tea in the garden or sip a glass of fizz in your hot tub.
Hotelier Peter de Savary was one step ahead of what post-pandemic guests wanted, opening Eastbury Cottage in 2020 with all the benefits of the Grade II listed, 26-bedroom hotel next door, but offering a family bolthole which sleeps six adults and two youngsters.
Inside, a dining room opens on to a bright, well-equipped kitchen and a goodie hamper. You can cook, of course, but it’s tempting to dine at the hotel’s Seasons restaurant, where light lunches and dinner can be enjoyed on the terrace.
A snug living room leads to the back garden where a brilliant design touch is an outdoor loo converted into a cool den for youngsters, with bunk beds and a TV.
The luxe refurb is by Kathleen Fraser, de Savary’s American interior designer, who brings verve with her palette, enlivening traditional brown furniture with pops of red and blue. A standalone bath in the master bedroom is quite the showpiece, but there’s a shower in the en suite too. The second bedroom is light, while the steep ascent to the top floor is worth it – the vast third bedroom and en suite feel wonderfully private.
Family and dogs are at the heart of de Savary’s boutique hotels across the UK. On the lawn of the Eastbury a croquet match with grandparents and children is heated, lunches are served on the terrace while guests make their way past the Potting Shed Suites to the spa. All ages are here, with romantic couples sitting near elderly couples hidden behind broadsheets, dogs at their feet.
Our visit is in peak bunting season but Sherborne prides itself on year-round appeal and offers a contemporary arts and crafts scene.
Around each corner you’ll find another gallery, boutique or antique shop where you can rifle for hours in search of treasure. Particular finds were Curtain Circuit for chintzy vintage curtains and, on Cheap Street, take a peek round Austyn, purveyor of ‘fine, strange and remarkable objects’.
Sherborne Abbey is a stone’s throw away, and do set aside a day to nose around Sherborne Castle – built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594 (don’t miss the pipe he smoked on the scaffold) and home to the Wingfield Digby family since 1617.
After Edward and Maria Digby inherited the seat in 2015, Maria in particular lavished attention on its gardens and lake. Visitors to ‘Sherbs’ are namely ‘intelligent grannies’ but, adds Maria, ‘we’re only two hours from Waterloo so it’s the perfect getaway.’ Eastbury Cottage costs from £600 per night off peak and £800 peak season with a minimum twonight stay. B&B at The Eastbury is from £236 per room per night (theeastburyhotel.co.uk).