The Alfriston, East Sussex
Virginia Woolf described the South Downs as “too much for one pair of eyes, enough to float a whole population in happiness”. So where better to head at this time of year, when our happiness levels are traditionally at their lowest ebb? Striding across the rolling chalkland towards the teetering sea cliffs buoyed up by a stiff breeze is the perfect antidote to the January blues. And if there’s a cosy hotel bar with an open fire waiting for you at the end of the walk, so much the better.
The Alfriston, on the edge of the Sussex village of the same name, reopened under new owners last spring. Housed in a red-brick manor house, parts of which date back to the 14th century, its new look nods to the Arts and Crafts movement with attractive block-printed wallpapers, patterned furnishings and wood panelling painted in warm colours.
There’s a long front lawn laid out for games of croquet, skittles and pétanque but the jewel in the crown is the 10-metre outdoor pool, heated and open year-round. After a swim, warm up in the sauna or steam room or treat yourself to a massage or beauty treatment in the small spa area. On a Saturday evening the 1554 Brasserie was lively with a mix of guests and locals and the menu had something to please all palates – from slow-roasted Norfolk cauliflower (£18 for a main) to haunch of fallow deer with chestnuts and cacao sauce (£28). My starter of scallops followed by grilled whole sea bass with samphire was excellent. After a deep sleep we woke up to views across the mist-shrouded downs and breakfast in the Orangery, where the walls are hand-painted with delicate murals of trees and flowers. I can’t help feeling that Woolf, whose Charleston farmhouse HQ was just a few miles away, would approve.
Doubles from £135 B&B, thealfriston.com
Joanne O’Connor
Wildhive Callow Hall, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire
The feel was more cool Cotswolds than traditional Derbyshire as my son and I pulled up at this hotel, just outside Ashbourne, with its glass-box restaurant jutting out from a grand Victorian mansion. The hotel’s interiors, with grand staircase and ornate ceilings, have been injected with eye-catching colours and a swirl of patterns by designer Isabella Worsley. The best-value rooms are here in the main building, with cute treehouse-style wooden hives tucked into the 35 acres of grounds should you feel more flush.
Just down the hill is the Coach House, home to a small spa offering botanical facials, reflexology and massage, a yoga studio, gym and sauna. This is where you’ll also find the map room, stocking everything you need to plan a day out, and complimentary bikes. We headed out on the blessedly flat 13-mile Tissington Trail, which runs along the old Ashbourne to Buxton railway line. It was an easy ride but we still felt entirely justified in demolishing an enormous shared platter of seafood misto in the buzzy restaurant, with its curved bar and artificial olive trees.
Doubles from £157 room-only, wildhive.uk
Jane Knight
The Cliff Hotel & Spa, Cardigan Bay
Blow away any lingering Christmas cobwebs at this breezy coastal retreat on a headland above the grand sweep of Cardigan Bay. From the lobby to the restaurant and 76 guest rooms, the style throughout is slick and contemporary, with soothing shades of grey, green and blue reflecting the Atlantic views framed by the huge picture windows.
There’s plenty to do here: go for a walk along the Ceredigion coast path (keep your eyes peeled for bottlenose dolphins and seals); have a round of golf at the hotel’s own nine-hole course; watch the surfers battling the swells at nearby Poppit Sands; or head into Cardigan for a mooch around the castle and shops.
Soak away winter chills in the hotel’s underground spa, which has a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, hot tub and gym, and offers a range of good-value treatments from facials to algae wraps and hot stone massage (from around £70 for a 50-minute treatment). An hour’s use of the spa facilities is included in the room rate for hotel guests.
Doubles from £110 B&B, cliffhotel.com
JO’C
The Barnsdale, near Oakham, Rutland
Rutland Water sits practically on the doorstep of this hotel in England’s smallest historic county. The quiet appeal of the location is mirrored indoors. A woodburner in reception makes you feel instantly at home, while beyond lies a relaxed sequence of spaces: a comfy seating area, the restaurant and bar with wooden floors, banquettes and modern art, and the Orangery dining room.
The 45 bedrooms, arranged in two storeys around an appealing courtyard, come with boldly coloured fabric headboards and patterned paper (pick one on the first floor for a quieter night). After checking mine out, I set off to circumnavigate the 23-mile reservoir by bike, earning the excellent bistro meal that awaited my return, including the hotel’s signature tempura cauliflower popcorn.
The Barnsdale offers superb value, but there’s still a pleasing spirit of generosity. If dry January isn’t your thing, there’s a complimentary 4pm drink in the bar as well as a nightcap. Massages are sensibly priced (£90 for 60 minutes) and you have unfettered access to the sauna, hot tub and outdoor pool from midday on arrival until the same time on departure, without paying extra. It’s civilised and faintly indulgent, all for just north of £100 a night.
Doubles from £125 B&B (£105 on Sundays), barnsdalerutland.com
Jane Knight
Dunkeld House Hotel, Perthshire
The approach to this elegant, white country house hotel couldn’t be dreamier, a speed-bump-controlled crawl through sweeping, tree-studded parkland, a bronze stag guarding the doorway. Bedded above the fast-flowing River Tay, on the edge of the historic village of Dunkeld (a mile-long meander along the riverside path) it was built at the end of the 19th century as a summer retreat for the 7th Duke of Atholl.
Today, it’s a relaxed and welcoming hotel (help yourself to a dram of whisky or glass of sherry) with a roaring log fire in the wood-panelled reception, muted tartan carpets and a smattering of taxidermy, including a mighty stag’s head lording it over the grand staircase.
Book a room with a tree-fringed river view: for a treat, the Duchess suite has a balcony, parquet flooring, art deco styling and gold-trimmed bathroom. The spa has a pool and indoor hot tub looking over plant-peppered gardens and offers ishga Hebridean seaweed treatments, hot stone massages, detoxifying seaweed wraps and restorative facials. The food is also fabulous, highlighting the Highlands’ larder with the likes of creamy smoked haddock cullen skink and venison loin with roasted roots.
Doubles from £144 B&B, crerarhotels.com
Lucy Gillmore
Wood Hall Hotel & Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire
If you’re looking for a cosseting country house escape that feels a bit special but refreshingly unstuffy, this ivy-clad Georgian manor house near Wetherby could be the answer. The location is suitably bucolic – set within 100 acres of rolling parkland and forest – but it’s just a short drive from Leeds, Harrogate and York.
Inside, the public areas are elegant but not old-fashioned, and the 44 bedrooms, kitted out in soothing shades of grey, are comfortable, many with far-reaching views across the Wharfe valley from the sash windows. Go for a walk in the grounds – there are printed maps for guests – or indulge in a treatment in the small Elemis spa (treatments from £60 for 25 minutes), which also has a pool, steam room and gym.
In the smart dining room, the seasonally-adjusted menu runs the gamut from homemade gnocchi with butternut squash and black garlic (£18.50) to pan-fried wood pigeon breast with game and pearl barley ragout (£28.50). There’s also an excellent kids menu.
Doubles from £130 B&B, handpickedhotels.co.uk
JO’C
All lead-in prices are based on a one-night stay in January or February and were correct at time of publication.
