Review: Chewton Glen, Hampshire

Why book Chewton Glen?

For a heavenly Hampshire escape ideal for families, couples and nature-loving city escapees.

Set the scene

There is something forever cosy, comforting and rooted about Chewton Glen, a British hotel that feels no pressure to be anything other than that. Set in 130 acres of Hampshire countryside, the 18th-century manor house with its croquet lawn and walled garden, tennis courts and outdoor swimming pool, is the stuff of country-club dreams. The unapologetic chintz and ankle-deep ruby-red carpets that run along seemingly endless corridors are part of why its hordes of fans love it. The refusal to bend to trends or whimsy is certainly elegant, and there’s a charming confidence to this grande dame of the country hotel scene.

The backstory

The estate on the border between Dorset and Hampshire has been a hotel since the 1960s but in its most recent guise it is under the wing of the Iconic Luxury Hotels group. Its smart siblings include Cliveden, The Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds and London’s Mayfair Townhouse. In 2023 they upped the wellness offering, partnering with Beauty Triangle to launch a series of holistic health and wellbeing retreats.

The rooms

Vast, varied and totally dependent on which one you have booked. Stay in the main house and you’ll find in any given room an eclectic scattering of antiques, sleigh beds, old-school marble bathrooms and light switches that simply turn the lights on and off. Manage to bag one of the 14 highly coveted Treehouses and you’ll be sleeping in what feels like a wooden UFO in the woods, with curving sweeps of glass and terraces 20 feet above the ground – very crisp and contemporary.

What’s there to do

Masses. This side of the New Forest is less heather and wild ponies than where Limewood and the Pig are set. But the trump card here at New Milton is the seaside. A 20-minute stroll through the hotel gardens, down into the woods and alongside a babbling brook pops you out onto Highcliffe beach. Walk to the right for the rather magnificent Gothic Highcliffe Castle, and to the left for Barton-on-Sea and fossil hunting at Becton Bunny gorge, or plop straight onto the sand in front of the low-rise cliffs and take in the glorious views of the Isle of Wight and out to the English Channel.

For those wanting the full country house experience, there’s everything from clay pigeon shooting, archery and axe throwing to goat grooming, family falconry and horse riding. The 17m pool is the nerve centre of the spa and, outside the dedicated times for families to splash about, provides a serene setting for grown-ups to soak up the bucolic views through vast floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s the usual menu of top-notch manis, massages and facials, as well as specialist treatments from Amethyst Trust for people with cancer, results-driven CBD products from Oto and rituals aimed at to support women during different stages of the menopause.

Food and drink

There are two restaurants. The Kitchen, with a capital K, is where you can see the James Martin show. The Yorkshire-born chef champions a fish-heavy menu filled with caught-that-day Cornish sardines, Porthilly oysters and a scallop and samphire-laced Padstow Pot, and he’s regularly seen behind the pass. But don’t underestimate the chefs in the Dining Room who turn out inventive, delicate, spoiling suppers, breakfasts any which way and bar-snack lunches that include the most dolled-up crab sandwich on the South Coast. White bread, crusts off.

Who goes there

Multi-gen gatherings of London families gasping for air, special-occasion couples, and those who’ve clocked that a few days here, if the weather is smashing, are worth a week abroad. Plus spa day-trippers and new-engaged couples looking for the perfect wedding venue.

We like

There is no risk in coming to stay somewhere like Chewton Glen. The place is entirely conditioned to get you to relax. With 72 keys, it’s big enough to sink in and switch off but small enough that they’ll know your name in the lobby and remember your nightcap in the bar.

Accessibility

It’s quite a jumble of stairs and steps in the main house, which could prove tricky however improving this is high on the agenda for the hotel. There are portable ramps for access to the restaurant and ground floor rooms, a disabled cloak room, a disabled access room with wider door, easy access to the terrace, lower level switches, grab rails in the bathroom, strobe lights and vibrating pillow for anyone hard of hearing. There’s also a pool hoist for indoor and outdoor pools and the staff are trained in disability awareness.

Sustainability

More than 50 bee hives provide honey for breakfast; fruit, veggies, herbs and edible flowers are grown onsite for the kitchen and there;s a POD charging station for those who drove their Tesla down. Chewton also falls under the ILH sustainability commitment to actively support the local environment and economy where possible, which includes monitoring flora and fauna on the estates, planting native species of trees, developing wildlife habitats and working with local schools and colleges to develop practical skills amongst their students.