Spotlight on Hartwell House Hotel & Spa

Swim in a ballroom pool, stroll in immaculate grounds and sleep where kings once slept at the unequivocally beautiful Hartwell House Hotel & Spa. As if you needed any more reasons to visit than that, here's what you need to know about this unique destination.

A heritage hotel

Now part of the National Trust, Hartwell House was built in 1570 and has played host to kings and conquerors in its time. Its most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King of France, who held court here from 1809 to 1814. Today, things are a little calmer, as the Grade I listed Jacobean and Georgian property invites you to stay within its achingly beautiful walls.

Royal rooms

Rooms and suites at Hartwell House remain as regal as ever. If you choose to stay in the main house, you will find an innate sense of history with period features and stately style intact. Alternatively, there's the former riding school, Hartwell Courts, which is close to the spa and has a cosier, vintage look and feel to it. The other option is The Old Rectory, a two-storey house set within the grounds and with two acres of its own gardens. It's ideal for group getaways with a dining room for up to 10 people, sleeping seven and with its own outdoor swimming pool. Children over the age of six are welcome at Hartwell House, and well behaved dogs delight in the grounds and gardens.

Fine dining

Dining is as elegant as you might expect in a hotel that feels more like visiting extremely grand relatives. The Soane Room is their elegant restaurant, serving everything from breakfast to Sunday lunch and candlelit dinners in fine dining style. The kitchen works closely with local suppliers and the hotel's gardening team to ensure the menu's ingredients are fresh and seasonal, while the dress code is smart - so no trainers, track suits or shorts please.

Natural beauty

The grounds are a big part of the appeal at Hartwell House, which is set in 90 acres of gardens and parkland in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite being just 40 miles north west of London, you are enveloped in a world of natural beauty within the Vale of Aylesbury and on the edge of the Chilterns. It's absolutely worth exploring, whatever time of the year, seeing 10,000 daffodils bloom in spring, a historic orchard come to fruition in the autumn, wandering over, past ad under temples, columns, an obelisk, garden statuary, canals and an amazing yew tree exedra.

Ballroom beauty

It's against that unique backdrop that guests are invited to stroll over to the spa, set within Hartwell Court, just a short walk from the main house. The jewel in its crown is arguably the swimming pool, which dominates a former ballroom and is flanked by a spa bath, steam room, saunas and a gym.

There are several treatment rooms where therapists use 111SKIN products in a collection of face and body treatments. The products are known for their cutting-edge science and a revolutionary complex of active ingredients designed to repair, soothe, and protect skin.

To complete the experience, there's a gallery overlooking the pool, where you will find the Hartwell Club Room - perfect for relaxing with self-service, complimentary tea, coffee, biscuits and a selection of fruit.

Looking for a romantic getaway?