Best hotels in the New Forest, England

At the end of a long driveway (often clad by the free-roaming horses we mentioned earlier), Lime Wood is late 18th-century on the outside and achingly cool on the inside, with beehives, a smokehouse and a lakeside cabin thrown in for good measure. Inside, cosmopolitan guests cluster around crackling wood fires surrounded by patterned wallpaper and swanky furniture. Or, they settle in just across the hallway at the double-height courtyard bar – the epicentre of the hotel. In the evening, guests – suitably hungry from swimming the lengths of the four pools at Herb House spa – migrate toward the glamorous Hartnett, Holder & Co restaurant run by renowned chef Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder (of Orrery and The Sloane Club). With views over the garden toward the back of the house, order Peter Hannan’s Glenarm Estate salt-aged beef rib and white onion risotto with confit cod. As all good nights at a country hotel should, the evening is likely to end with a soak in one of the claw-foot tubs that grace the rooms (freckled between the main house and a range of woodland suites).

Address: Lime Wood Hotel, Beaulieu Rd, Lyndhurst SO43 7FZ

The Crown Manor House Hotel

Occupying a central position on the high street in Lyndhurst, the capital of the New Forest, the timber-clad Crown Manor House Hotel dates back to the 15th century, with sympathetic additions and renovations made throughout its history adding to its historical flourish. ‘Sleeping quarters’ are reached via an antiquated gate lift or the stairs, which sweep up from the parquet-floored reception and whisk guests away from the library, bar and restaurant of the main area and up toward the sloped ceilings, cosy eaves and antique furniture that peppers the guest rooms. Breakfast and evening meals are taken in the award-winning restaurant, with a menu packed full of meticulously chosen, local delicacies, while afternoon tea can be poured over in the walled garden. Thirsty explorers will do well to remember that happy hour, where guests can enjoy various deals on cocktails, takes place daily from 3-6pm – we recommend the Forest Sundowner.

Address: The Crown Manor House Hotel, High Street, New Forest, Lyndhurst SO43 7NF