English Country House Hotels Make Changes

The Herb House Spa, Lime Wood

Two English country house hotels south of London have announced renovation projects, even as a third opens a new spa. Gravetye Manor, about 45 minutes from London at West Hoathly, will be closed through March for a major refurbishment of the Elizabethan stone mansion that includes updating much of the infrastructure, including new baths and the addition of 21st-century technology. Now under new ownership, the entire manor will be rewired and a new heating system installed. Public areas and bedrooms will receive a substantial makeover, while retaining the English country house feel that comes with fine antique furniture and real fires. Bright and cheerful floral fabrics will be used to bring the outdoors in, and restoration will begin on the estate’s gardens. During the three-month closure, staff will be in place to handle reservations for spring and summer.

Work is also under way at another Harper favorite, Chewton Glen in New Milton (about 90 minutes from London), through January and into February. A number of rooms are being renovated, along with some restoration work on the hydrotherapy pool in the spa. The hotel will remain open, management says, while keeping disruption to a minimum. Only the hydrotherapy pool will be unavailable during the project.

Meanwhile, December saw the opening of a sumptuous new 16,000-square-foot spa at Lime Wood, a recent Harper recommendation near the town of Lyndhurst, about 12 miles from Chewton Glen. The spa includes eight treatment rooms, a Bath House (complete with its own indoor pool) a Mud House, a Bath Garden (a double treatment room with its own outdoor whirlpool) and a hot pool, where guests may relax outside in quiet contemplation of the forest. A rooftop herb garden is intended for meditation. The Herb House will also feature the Raw Bar restaurant, serving salads and sushi.