The hotels we can’t wait to check in to
Now we can plan trips again, our crack team of reviewers reveal the first places on their wish lists
My fellow Hit Squadder Hattie Garlick and I have been chatting and dreaming about hotels during the long months of lockdown and hatched a plan to go together, on the first day it opens if possible, to one of our mutual favourites, Beaverbrook (right), to give ourselves and our kids (grand, in my case) a huge treat, to brainstorm what makes a great hotel and to celebrate freedom. After that, for me it’s a cosy shepherd hut in the New Forest at the Spot in the Woods, the about-to-open, divinesounding Glebe House in Devon and the thrilling new Whittington Suites at the Nare in Cornwall… to name a few. Doubles from £225; beaverbrook.co.uk
MARIELLA FROSTRUP
Just before our most recent (and hopefully last) lockdown, I spent an idyllic December weekend at the latest addition to the Pig family at Harlyn Bay (below). It left me with a lingering sense of longing that has haunted me throughout these last long winter months. With its unparalleled position minutes from the sea, ridiculously delicious food and equilibrium-restoring South West Coast hikes right on the doorstep, it represents everything I’ve come to miss. In no particular order, that includes the luxury of food not cooked by my own hand, an unfamiliar view to feast my eyes on and the heavenly opulence of a sumptuous bedroom and bathroom you don’t have to straighten up afterwards!
Doubles from £155; thepighotel.com
BRYONY GORDON
I’m heading to Chewton Glen in Hampshire, aka my favourite hotel in the UK. The treehouses are fantastic, but I think the best rooms are in the main house overlooking the croquet lawn. I once wrote a significant portion of a book looking at that lawn. There are amazing facilities, it’s great for kids and it’s a 15-minute walk to the beach. Dreamy!
Doubles from £325; chewtonglen.com
SHERELLE JACOBS
After so long spent in lockdown, I want to look up at the stars and sun between forest trees, and feel river spray on my face while careering down a canoe run. Put simply, I am looking for an adventure – and The Albion boutique hotel, set in two restored warehouses on the River Teifi and slated to open in summer 2021, has caught my eye. The new outfit will form part of the cult 200-acre Welsh farm meets Japanese retreat, Fforest, in Cardigan. Think historic graffiti drawn into the crumbling lime walls, Nordic-style bedrooms and locally sourced produce. There’s a sauna for unwinding after a hard day’s archery or bushcraft, and the camp even hosts Wales’s smallest stone pub.
Doubles from £125; coldatnight.co.uk
CLAIRE IRVIN
Once my family and I have reacquainted ourselves with lunch at our two favourite “local” hotels – buzzy Parker’s Tavern at Cambridge’s stylish University Arms, and the verdant elegance of Ickworth House, near Bury St Edmunds – we’ll be keeping a double lockdown promise to ourselves to get to know the outstanding beauty of the Peak District and the 18th-century architectural splendour of its latest luxury opening, The Buxton Crescent Hotel in Derbyshire. I mean, after all that fresh air from frolicking across rolling farmland and forests alike, what more could you want but fine dining and four-poster beds. Oh, and a state-of-the-art thermal spa. I’m counting the days.
Doubles from £125; ensanahotels.com
JADE CONROY
It’s almost blasphemous for me to admit (whisper it) I’ve never, ever set foot in Claridge’s! I had big plans at one point last year to try to book it for Christmas (and we all know what happened), and something about the tradition, the class and the very real need to get properly dressed up, after months working from home in tracksuit bottoms, is calling out to me. They also have very deep, very grand marble baths I’d like to sit in with a glass of something bubbly. My heart is also set on Lime Wood (somewhere else that has long been on my wishlist, but overlooked for weekends in Europe). I want to be in that wood-fired sauna, with forest views, contemplating everything we’ve been through. Then I want to eat Angela Hartnett’s pasta. Doubles from £510; claridges.co.uk
HATTIE GARLICK
As mentioned, the moment restrictions lift, Fiona Duncan and I are booking into Beaverbrook for a short break. The aim is to redress an entire year’s hiatus in quotidian treats – all those missed haircuts and mini moments of “me time” – in only 24 hours, something that may just be feasible in a hotel so gloriously and gratuitously luxurious. But perhaps the biggest treat will be sitting face to face (or poolside lounger to lounger) with a great friend and colleague. After that? Well, there’s a divergence of opinion within my family. I’d like to sooth my nerves with forest bathing at the beautiful Fforest Farm retreat in Ceredigion (above). The kids, on the other hand, are rooting for … wait for it … Butlin’s, Bognor Regis. Three nights from £285; butlins.com
WILLIAM SITWELL
Paradise is tantalisingly close. And there are good reasons my wife, Emily, and I are so excited. For two nights, we’ll chat about the joys of the pitter-patter of tiny feet that we shan’t hear for 48 hours. We’ll be nestling into the charming confines of Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds, with its spa, rose garden for evening drinks, cinema and the informality of Grey’s Brasserie, overseen by Great British Menu champion Niall Keating (below). Doubles from £299; whatleymanor.com
It’s not glamorous, it’s not chic, but I will be heading to The Vine Hotel in Skegness as soon as lockdown is over. My mother and my late aunt grew up in the town and we do an annual family pilgrimage at Easter. Last year’s was cancelled, but this year we are hoping to get there. My kids love hanging out with my cousin’s kids and kicking a ball on the lawn, and they never grow tired of the breakfast – boxes of Frosties and the all-you-can-eat full English. It’s a classic pub/hotel with an appealing frontage. Plus the bar is friendly and the drinks are cheap. The rooms are comfortable. We always go to the funfair and spend our pennies on the slot machines. Our trip always reminds me it doesn’t have to be decadent to spark joy. Doubles from £90; bestwestern.co.uk
RODNEY
I am so excited to get my paws back on the sand, it’s been far too long! I have booked three hotels (to make up for lost time). The first is The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall. I can’t wait, as I love the beach at Mawgan Porth and it’s my first holiday away with my pup pal, Leo. From there, it’s on to one of my faves, The Cary Arms in Devon. They know me there; I feel like a celebrity as I get to mooch about everywhere. They also do dog’s dinners! After that it’s the new Glebe House. It looks lovely, according to my mum, and there are great walks to be had. She also said the rooms look gorgeous. I do love a nice hotel room! Doubles from £240; scarlethotel.co.uk
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