Strolling from the hotel along the pebbly beach towards Henry VIII's Hurst Castle, battling blustery winds from the west that over time have flattened trees and threatened to do the same to us, I felt I ought to be clad in a vintage tea dress and gloves, while my boyfriend adopted an odd jaunty walk, using a colossal golf umbrella as a walking stick.

Westover Hall has a wistful ambience of bygone days that inspires you to take champagne and sandwiches on to the terrace and listen to Noël Coward-style music as the sun sinks into the vast lilac horizon over the sea.

Inside, the walls are covered in golden wood panelling, and cupboards and doors are so discreet it feels like there must be dozens of secret passages if you just knocked on the right spot. There are also huge expanses of stained glass in turquoise and emerald decorated with peacocks.

Parquet floors, grand marble fireplaces and chandeliers lend aristocratic luxury. We played chess surrounded by fading portraits, oriental statues and armfuls of fresh flowers.

Antique treasures such as a maharajah's Art Deco wardrobe feature in the rooms. Ours had a magnificent gold wicker bed and a shared roof terrace.

Though historic, the hotel is never stuffy. There are modern elements including CDs, original art, and hundreds of black-and-white photos of sultry models in bikinis and moody rock boys that hang in the dining-room and bar.

Guests can borrow the hotel's beach hut, and scoff smoked salmon, cheese and champagne in deck chairs looking out over Christchurch Bay to the Isle of Wight and the Needles.

· Westover Hall Hotel (01590 643044; www.westoverhallhotel.com), Milford-on-Sea, Lymington. B&B from £165 per night, £225 including dinner. Picnic of fruit, sandwiches, cake, cheese £15. Three-course dinner £32.50, wine from around £15.