A Magical Family Escape: Estelle Manor – Review

Fiona Duncan checks into Estelle Manor with her family in tow.

Review: Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire

I’m a hotel critic by trade. I go to hotels, usually on my own. I check out the food in the dining room, walk around the grounds, sleep in the bed, eat breakfast, go home, write my review. It’s not often that I am able to put a hotel to the test to the extent that Estelle Manor was given the third degree on this, my second visit, armed with one husband, two sons, one daughter in law and two grandchildren, Olive (aged five) and Max (aged nearly three). Not one critic, but seven.

The hotel nailed it. It’s no hyperbole to say that every one of us had a wonderful time. Estelle Manor comes with a hefty price tag and guests’ expectations are sky high, so it needs to be exceptional, both as a members’ club (Maison Estelle in Mayfair is the London arm) and as a hotel for couples, groups of friends and families. With an international, look-at-me, Insta-centric vibe, its Oxfordshire grounds are filled with a plethora of amusements and diversions, from the Roman-inspired spa Eynsham Baths to the seasonal ice rink. These are complemented and enhanced by gorgeous, eclectic, layered and patterned, art-filled interiors, personally overseen by owners Sharan Pasricha and Eiesha Bharti Pasricha, that manage to be both properly hip and cool and yet properly warm, enveloping and cultured. For me, it’s those bars, restaurants (Brasserie, Chinese, Japanese and kitchen garden), sitting rooms and bedrooms, whether in the Manor House or on the estate, that really set this place apart: they are all lavish and lovely, stylish without being showy, full of beautiful things and so thoughtfully equipped.

If hotels exist to make you feel better when you leave than when you arrived, Estelle excelled. ‘I walked in feeling 60,’ said daughter in law Flick, ‘and walked out feeling 16.’ Christmas and New Year were just behind us, and while the festive season may be a blast for children, it was exhausting for us grown-ups. Kicking off 2025 with an Estelle-shaped spring in our step was just what we all needed. It was reading about the ice rink that made me long to take the kids there, but once in that fantastical playground, there was so much else for them – and us – to do.

We stayed in Farriers, one of the houses on the estate (there are also Woodland Cottages). There is simply nothing that says ‘hotel’ about any of the accommodation at Estelle Manor; Farriers was a home, one with five bedrooms and bathrooms, a farmhouse kitchen and a log fire and a Christmas tree in the sitting room. Attention to detail: second to none. Open a drawer in the kids’ bedroom and there was everything a parent could need for a baby or toddler. Except your clothes, don’t bring a thing. A smiling butler, summoned like a genie via WhatsApp, sees to all your requirements and nothing is too much trouble.

Thank God for penguins. It’s years since I’ve skated and they were on hand (no not real ones – upright sliding supports shaped like them) to help as I careered around on the hotel’s temporary ice rink. There were whales too for little Max to slide along on, and there was Charlie from the Activities Team who made the session even more fun. Hot chocolate and marshmallows all round at the rink-side café afterwards.

What else for children? Just so much… mini Landies and off-road buggies to drive; Shetland ponies to ride; an all-day kid’s club; a games Den for older children; farm animals; a woodland tour and an adventure trail. And they can swim, during morning and afternoon sessions, in the huge heated pool in front of the terrace. On the coldest day of the year, only Olive and I braved the run from the changing cubicles to the pool. With the manor house as a backdrop, a hoar frost dusting the surrounding topiary gardens, and the steaming pool to ourselves, it was a magical half hour that neither of us will forget.

Yes, I tested Estelle Manor, this time with artillery. Nowhere is 100 per cent perfect, including this hotel, but for family fun mixed with real character rather than the soulless bling you find in so many super-luxury hotels, I cannot fault it. Olive and Max had to be peeled away, still clutching the Caran d’Ache drawing set that our butler had given them. If you can stand the wailing on the way back to reality, this is a treat worth saving for.

Children at Estelle Manor

Children are welcome to stay in the Walled Garden, The Stables, the Woodland Cottages and the private houses. Children aged 13 and over may stay in the Manor House. Extra beds in parents’ rooms, where possible, are charged at £50 (free for under 5s).

Activities for children and adults, from foraging to falconry, axe throwing to archery, can be booked in advance. Supervised ice skating (late November to early January) costs £30 for adult hotel guests and £20 for children for one hour.

Book It

Family rooms from £675 per night, including breakfast. estellemanor.com

Six More Activity-Packed Luxury Hotels…

• Beaverbrook, Surrey also has a winter ice rink, and a Sharky & George woodland kids’ club. beaverbrook.co.uk
• Chewton Glen, Hampshire has a new treehouse-style kids’ club, The Beehive, plus an array of activities. chewtonglen.com
• Gleneagles, Perthshire (sister hotel to Estelle Manor) has every conceivable activity, both sporting and fun, for children in the grounds surrounding the hotel. gleneagles.com
• Calcot Manor, Oxfordshire keeps younger guests occupied in their Playbarn plus plenty of supervised outdoor activities. calcot.co
• Lucknam Park, Wiltshire has a kid’s club, activities and a superb equestrian centre. lucknampark.co.uk