In our Suite Staycation column, Gina Jackson – hotel expert and author of British Boutique Hotels – tours some of the best hotel suites in the UK. Next up, The Village at Beaverbrook.
Best for: Family Getaways
The former seat of Lord Beaverbrook, media magnate and glitzy socialite (whose friends included the likes of Rudyard Kipling and Winston Churchill), Beaverbrook is an elegant country pile nestled within the Surrey Hills with storied walls that have played host to plenty of household names.
Give us the lowdown
The 470-acre Beaverbrook Estate boasts rambling woodland, manicured gardens and various buildings to bed down in, including the Manor House, the adjoining Coach House, and cosy hideaways set within the walled gardens. A glamorous getaway that’s long been a favourite among Londoners and locals alike (the Japanese restaurant is the best you’ll find for miles around), Beaverbrook has recently added yet another quiver to its bow with the opening of The Village, a cluster of new bedrooms separate to the main house and primed for families.
What’s in the suites at The Village?
© Olly Hunter
Set a ten-minute distance from the estate’s cream-coloured mansion (you can stroll or buggy over), The Village encompasses a clutch of cottages deep within the woodland, occupying the site where the original estate workers’ cottages once stood. Designed by interiors hotshot Nicola Harding, whose work includes sister property Beaverbrook Town House in London, all of the 21 bedrooms here are named after literary giants spanning the Romantic, Victorian and Edwardian eras (think C.S. Lewis and the Bronte sisters). I checked into Kenneth Grahame, one of The Village’s larger Studio Suites, which came complete with a sprawling sofa area and bunk beds for little ones.
Where the main house is fitted with floral furnishings in shades of cream and pink, interiors at The Village are a playful cocktail of colour and print. Bold strokes of terracotta and navy are married with pastel shades and loud, clashing patterns; tartan checks and rainbow cushions are plumped on the beds, and striped curtains drape the windows. These bedrooms are markedly more spacious than their cosy alternatives in The Garden House nearby, and are kitted out with a smattering of toys: perfect if you’re visiting with children in tow. Complimentary minibars are full of artisan treats, and generous bathrooms stocked with Bamford body lotions are tiled in vibrant shades of blue.
How’s the crowd?
This is a hotel that appeals to all ages: loved-up couples, multi-generational families and local spa members visiting for the day rub shoulders across the estate. There’s an elegant but unstuffy atmosphere, with suited-up butlers bending to your every whim and fancy.
Where can we eat and drink?
Mrs Beeton’s is the onsite restaurant at The Village, a relaxed diner-style joint with booths to curl up in as you tuck into hearty fry-ups. Guests at The Village are loaned an electric buggy for swooshing around the estate – venture further to the orangery-style The Garden House Restaurant for comforting Anglo-Italian suppers, where dishes are inspired by the surrounding walled gardens.
The hotel’s standout restaurant is undoubtedly The Dining Room for exquisite silky sashimi, perfectly cut sushi rolls and bento boxes. Best followed with a tipple at the adjoining Sir Frank’s Bar, where Gatsbyesque interiors reign supreme; sip cocktails surrounded by velvety furnishings, glittering chandeliers and walls adorned with over 350 paintings by Marianne North.
Any stand-out touches worth mentioning?
During the summer months, the hotel has a recurring partnership with Summerill & Bishop, where you can dine al fresco in the gardens while seated within hot air balloons (yes, really!), and experience a Japanese Yakiniku grill, washed down with lashings of Moet & Chandon.
What’s on the to do list?
Head to The Coach House to work up a sweat at the fully kitted gym, and to swim laps in the indoor and outdoor pools. Underneath the spa’s stained-glass ceilings, sink into pampering treatments by a rotating calendar of wellness practitioners, before loading up on seasonally inspired flatbreads and plant-based treats at the spa deli. Wandering around the hotel’s extensive grounds is also a must (there’s 470 acres to explore!), and there are courts for tennis, padel, pickleball…the list of activities goes on. Meanwhile, leave the little ones at the popular kids’ club, where they can take part in nature trails and den building across the estate. In the evenings, wind down at the hotel’s velvet-seated private cinema, where daily screenings are shown.
What Should We Pack?
The atmosphere here is relaxed but elegant, and your wardrobe should reflect that: you’ll find other guests dressed up for dinners at The Dining Room, but wrapped in cashmere two-pieces at breakfast the next morning. Bring wellies and sports kit for getting stuck into everything the estate has to offer – and a chic swimsuit for kicking back at the spa.
What should we know before we go?
Beaverbrook is just an hour from London. The easiest (and most glamorous) way to get there is whizzing over in a Wheely: your private chauffeur will drop you directly at the hotel entrance. Wheely Membership (which you’ll get if you take 15 journeys during six months) affords plenty of benefits too – including chauffeur-for-the-day services, so you can easily pop to Beaverbrook and back within the same day.
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Any Questions or Tips to add?