If Downtown Abbey is your gulity pleasure and you would love nothing more than relaxing and spending the weekend in a spectacular mansion- take a look at the following ‘Downtonesque’ Destinations for that perfect break.
1. Rushton Hall Hotel and Spa: Kettering, Northamptonshire
From £119 / per room per night (saving £61 / per room per night)
The Grade I listed Rushton Hall Hotel and Spa is so grand and packed full of original features that guests could easily imagine they're living the Downton Abbey dream. The magnificent 16th century building is surrounded by 25 acres of beautiful grounds, with a large lake, croquet lawn and tennis court, making for the perfect country escape. Having been awarded four coveted red stars and three rosettes for dining, the hotel itself features a gourmet restaurant, a full sized billiard table and the Stable Yard Spa - which has its own indoor swimming pool, fitness room and indulgent range of treatments on offer.
Offer includes accommodation in a superior room, full English breakfast and a 10% discount on treatments at the spa and on dinner in the restaurant.
2. Melville Castle: Edinburgh, Scotland
From £99 / per room per night (saving £66 / per room per night)
Standing within 50 acres of beautiful woodland, Melville Castle is an 18th-century country house hotel just 20 minutes from Edinburgh. With original features, gorgeous views of the surrounding landscape and luxurious rooms, even Lady Violet wouldn’t have much to complain about in this historic four-star castle. Stylishly decorated with traditional touches throughout, guests can throw themselves into the Grantham lifestyle, engaging in countryside activities like clay pigeon shooting, horse riding and falconry.
Offer includes accommodation in a Classic Double room, cooked breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea for two and complimentary late check-out.
3. Peckforton Castle: Tarporley, Cheshire
From £125 / per room per night (saving £90 / per room per night)
Boasting stunning vistas across the Cheshire plains and a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014, the dramatic Peckforton Castle combines regal charm with modern luxury to create an exclusive four-star retreat with a real touch of enchantment. With a range of gung-ho country activities like falconry and land rover experiences, guests will feel like Lord and Lady of Manor from the moment they pass through the drawbridge.
Offer includes accommodation in a Classic room, breakfast and two-course dinner in the brasserie and 30% discount on pre-booked spa treatments.
4. The Ickworth Hotel: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
From £149 / per room per night (saving £86 / per room per night)
The Ickworth Hotel is situated in the grounds of the grand Ickworth stately home, a National Trust property which dates back to the early 1700s and is one of the most unusual and spectacular country mansions in Britain. It’s easy to imagine the Earl of Grantham strolling down the magnificent corridors while the girls take a stroll in the stunning landscaped gardens. Guests can explore the grounds on foot or on the hotel’s bikes and can access the exclusive Italianate gardens out of hours.
Offer includes accommodation in a Standard room, full English breakfast and three-course dinner.
5. De Vere Slaley Hall Hotel: Hexham, Northumberland
From £109 / per room per night (saving £65 / per room per night)
The serene grounds at De Vere Slalely Hall are just 40 minutes from the centre of Newcastle and offer one of the country's most spectacular golf settings, featuring green championship fairways and bordered by beautiful woodland. The stately hotel also boasts a wide selection of restaurants and bars, including a stylish brasserie and a cosy whisky snug. There's also an exclusive spa offering Germaine de Capuccini treatments, as well as a gym and a 20-metre pool, offering guests the ultimate luxury experience.
Offer includes accommodation in a standard room, breakfast and a two-course table d'hote menu dinner per person, a complimentary bottle of wine in the room upon arrival, full use of leisure facilities, 25% discount on any spa treatments booked directly and 20% discount on spa retail products.
6. Walton Hall: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
From £114 / per unit per night (saving £103 / per room per night)
Constructed as the ancestral home of the Mordaunt family, the 16th-century Walton Hall served for centuries as a high society residence before its recent multi-million pound restoration, which has transformed it into a luxury hotel with 65 acres of parkland. It boasts the two time AA rosette awarded Moncreiffe Restaurant, in addition to a spa and wellness centre, which includes a fitness suite, aerobics studio, indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room. Walton Hall is the perfect spot for enjoying a leisurely getaway full of countryside walks and provides an excellent base for exploring nearby Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick.
Offer includes accommodation in a premium room, full English breakfast, three-course set menu dinner on first night, a bottle of house wine with dinner, afternoon tea, use of leisure facilities and late check-out until 1pm.
7. Danesfield House Hotel & Spa: Marlow-On-Thames, Buckinghamshire
From £149 / per room per night (saving £75 / per room per night)
A turreted white country house framed by crisp landscaped gardens, the Danesfield House Hotel & Spa sits pretty in the Buckinghamshire countryside, just a few miles from Marlow and the regal town of Henley-on-Thames. With two restaurants and a multi-award-winning spa, this cool retreat has an indoor pool, a gym and a range of luxury treatments. The restaurant is run by chef Billy Reid, and the Orangery has a gourmet menu to rival Mrs Patmore’s culinary delights, with spectacular views down to the River Thames.
Offer includes accommodation in a Standard room, full English breakfast and 20% off all spa treatments.
8. Stapleford Park: Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
From £149 / per room per night (saving £62 / per room per night)
It’s easy to imagine the Granthams entertaining at Stapleford Park, one of the finest stately houses in the country. Few hotels could match the aristocratic grandeur of this sprawling Leicestershire pile, with its maze-like gardens, a resident falconer and even a few sheep, making this landmark property the perfect English escape. In addition to its high-ceilinged rooms, open fires and antique furnishings, Stapleford Park boasts a genteel restaurant, a championship 18-hole golf course and a luxurious Clarins Gold Spa, with a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room.
Offer includes accommodation in a manor room, full English breakfast, unlimited access to the spa and leisure facilities, 25% off any spa treatments booked directly with hotel and late checkout.
For Downtonesque breaks like the above, visit www.secretescapes.com.
9. Warner Leisure Hotels’ Holme Lacy Hotel, Hereford
From £250 per person for a 3 night weekend break on 10th October on a half board basis (saving up to a total of £442.46)
With the serenity of Regency England, Holme Lacy House is a beautiful hotel with a perfect location to explore the Wye Valley.
Holme Lacy House has played host to the great and the good so frequently during its ancient and remarkable history that you’d think it’s worthy of a raft of Royal Warrants. This magical Grade I-listed mansion, nestles in the Wye Valley just 20 minutes from Ross-on-Wye and close to the handsome city of Hereford. Take for example King Charles I, who reportedly rested his still-intact head at Holme Lacy in 1645. William Pitt the Elder conducted cabinet meetings in its grounds, perhaps not far from the spot where Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Beatrice marked a memorable visit by planting a tree.
Offer includes three nights in a standard room (based on 2 people sharing) including half board (breakfast and a 3 course dinner), live entertainment and a host of daytime activities.
For a full list of Warner Leisure Hotels’ breaks, visit www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk or call 0844 8714 523
10. Warner Leisure Hotels’ Thoresby Hall Hotel, Nottinghamshire
From £250 per person for a 3 night weekend break on 26th September on a half board basis (saving up to a total of £379.34)
From wherever you view it, Thoresby Hall is an architectural delight. A sumptuous riot of bays and balconies, gables and galleries and as sublime a slice of Grade I-listed Revival exuberance as you’ll find in the whole of Britain, let alone here at the edge of glorious and ancient Sherwood Forest.
But although what you can enjoy today is archetypal Victoriana, its history is telling. For Thoresby Hall is a noteworthy part of The Dukeries: a tract of forest land belonging jointly to the Dukes of Portland, Newcastle and to the house’s original owner Earl Manvers, whose ancestor Robert de Pierrepont accompanied William I during the Conquest of 1066.
Today, as you stand in the extraordinary Great Hall and gaze three storeys to its open hammerbeam roof and its minstrels’ gallery you can almost taste Thoresby’s heraldry and sense of place. The Pierrepont coat-of-arms dominates the huge stone fireplace.
Yet the most famous name with which Thoresby Hall is linked is, Robin Hood, commemorated by the fabled Major Oak, England’s most famous tree, and the nearby church of St Mary, Edwinstowe, where Robin reputedly exchanged vows with Maid Marion. Whether for history or legend, a visit to Thoresby Hall never disappoints.
Offer includes three nights in a standard room (based on 2 people sharing) including half board (breakfast and a 3 course dinner), live entertainment and a host of daytime activities. For a full list of Warner Leisure Hotels’ Downton-esque breaks please visit www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk or call 0844 8714 523
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