Is This The Very Best Country Escape?

There are hotels and then there is Cliveden House. One of Britain’s most famous addresses, the five-star country house less than an hour from London has welcomed everyone from Queen Victoria to Meghan Markle, who stayed here the night before her wedding to Prince Harry.

Hotel Review: Cliveden House, Berkshire

STAY

There’s nothing ordinary about Cliveden House. Even its stately entrance feels like you’re dropping by Downtown, with the grand main house reached along a wide gravel drive complete with a golden clock tower and ornate fountains. Instead of underwhelming hotel gardens, Cliveden is surrounded by 376-acres of National Trust grounds, with formal gardens, year-round floral displays, wild woodlands, sculptures and even an amphitheatre where the first recital of Rule Britannia was played in 1740.

The original house was built in 1666 for the Duke of Buckingham, though it was later destroyed by fire and replaced by the current Grade-I listed palladian mansion in 1851. It was bought by William Waldorf Aston (once America’s richest man) in 1893, and has hosted every monarch since George I, as well as The Beatles, Gandhi and Charlie Chaplin. Most famously, Cliveden House made headlines in the ‘60s as the location where the then-Secretary of State for War John Profumo met model Christine Keeler in a scandal that would eventually bring down Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government.

The Chinese Room

Cliveden House has been a hotel since 1985 but its 19th century decadence has barely changed. Beyond the suits of armour, heavy drapes, crackling fire and drinks trolley, the only clue that the deep-red Great Hall is the hotel lobby is a small reception desk in the corner. An imposing mahogany staircase is lined with oil paintings and leads upstairs to some of the 47 rooms and suites. There’s also a separate, immaculate three-bedroom cottage on the nearby banks of the River Thames, with its own small lake, tea room veranda and boat launch mooring.

Rooms in the main house are similarly lavish, with antique writing desks, porcelain lamps, wood panelling and marble bathrooms stocked with full-size Noble Isle bottles. All have extra extravagant flourishes, be it a four-poster bed, hot tub, working fireplace or freestanding bath, while some suites have access to a 24-hour pantry stocked with snacks. Yet none feel stuck in the past: there’s a tablet to access room service and newspapers, a Nespresso machine and a Roberts radio. Better still, the hotel published its first sustainability report last year detailing its work to eliminate plastics, recycle food waste and source locally, proving the future is as important as Cliveden’s iconic history.

The Spa

EAT

Cliveden Dining Room is not to be missed. Originally the Drawing Room of the house, the opulent space is lit by chandeliers and overlooks the formal 19th-century garden and the winding River Thames beyond. A seven-course tasting menu is served each night, but there’s also an a la carte menu, at least a third of which is vegan or plant-based. Dishes focus on seasonal English ingredients, and include artichoke ravioli, wild halibut in burnt butter sauce and roasted duck with cherry during my winter visit. The truffle risotto is deliciously creamy while the airy chocolate soufflé is heavenly, though the unexpected highlight is a surprising savoury take on a Jammie Dodger filled with cranberry which is served as a canapé to start.

A more informal all-day menu is available in Astor in the adjoining stable block, offering crowd-pleasing classics such as sharing plates of mezze, fish and chips and beef wellington. The hotel has also recently launched its new afternoon tea which celebrates its illustrious history with favourite recipes from some of its most famous guests, including Winston Churchill’s adored roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Charlie Chaplin’s soft sour cake and Queen Victoria’s sponge.

Afternoon Tea

DO

There’s no need to go far: Cliveden House’s grounds are a tourist attraction in their own right, and guests have the run of them once the day’s National Trust visitors have departed. There are riverbank paths to wander, an elegant water garden, the apple tree-lined Round Garden, and even a maze formed by more than 1,000 two-metre-high yew trees.

Clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, falconry and archery can all be arranged, or it’s easy to take day trips to nearby Windsor Castle, Henley or Highclere Castle. In summer, the hotel has a range of restored vintage boats for leisurely trips down the Thames with an on-board champagne picnic.

Be sure to visit Cliveden House’s award-winning spa too. Surrounded by roses and beds of lavender, it’s built round the listed outdoor swimming pool – the very spot the Profumo affair began – and has an infrared sauna, outdoor hot tubs, three tennis courts, a large indoor heated pool, daily fitness classes, a spa café and its own range of vegan spa products designed by Oskia.

The Thames Boat

THE FINAL WORD

Cliveden House ticks all the boxes for a grand country escape, with its sprawling gardens, superb restaurant and plush rooms you won’t want to leave. Yet despite the luxurious surroundings and highbrow history, the hotel’s unexpectedly informal feel and welcoming staff will still make you feel right at home – even if you weren’t raised in a palace.

BOOK IT

Rooms start from £445 per night. Book at clivedenhouse.co.uk