Foxhill Manor, Cotswolds - hotel review: In the manor of an intimate hideaway
The house is beautiful but it's the rooms at Foxhill that really elevate the place
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Your support makes all the difference.If Foxhill Manor offers the seductive sense that it isn't a hotel at all, that's because it wasn't supposed to be one. The honey-stoned Arts and Crafts manor, built in 1909 on a sprawling Cotswolds estate, got a £2m-plus refit last year to become a sumptuous, secluded pile for hire. Its owners, the Philip-Sorensen family, know a bit about security, having founded Group 4 (later G4S) on this hill decades ago. When they opened the manor last year, its feeling of almost total seclusion drew U2 and Lady Gaga, among others, along the deep gravel to the front door.
For several thousand pounds a night, you can still take over the whole house (weddings are big business). But this year, when the place isn't booked out, the doors have opened wider still to accept any old guest, for a not insignificant fee, by the night. Ever the intrepid traveller, I made the journey from London to the Farncombe Estate, to be greeted before I had even reached that front door by the Manor's delightful host.
One question would be the extent to which Foxhill is different to its triplet sisters on the estate: Dormy House, with its award winning spa; and the comparatively low-key The Fish. Price is one difference. You'll struggle to find a room at Foxhill for less than £300 per night, but the premium is evident as soon as you walk in the door. While The Fish and Dormy House have 85 rooms between them, Foxhill has just eight.
This is where the non-hotel hotel thing comes to the fore (or the hotel thing disappears). There is nothing so vulgar as a reception and in the large drawing room near the entrance hall, the bar is a collection of spirits on an antique sideboard. The host will fix you a drink if you'd like it but otherwise you're free to do so yourself, at any time, and sink into an armchair in the window with views across the Vale of Evesham. Eat whenever you like, in the evening taking advantage (for £65 including a cocktail and amuse-bouche in the drawing room) of the Manor's top-notch four-course dinner menu (Michelin-starred Curtis Stewart was in charge when I visited). Breakfast is served whenever you choose.
The décor reinforces the sense that you are staying at a very (very) rich friend's house. Deep carpets, deeper sofas and a touch of modern, including some Danish influences, stop the country retreat schtick overwhelming the house's Arts and Crafts heritage. The staircase leads to most rooms on the first floor and the dangerously available pantry, which is replenished daily with drinks, local biscuits and other delicacies. There's a vast cinema room strewn with beanbags and a small formal garden at the front. A 10-minute walk or complimentary shuttle gets you to Dormy House and its stunning spa and indoor pool.
Location
You're on the northern edge of the Cotswolds and will want a car and some sturdy boots to explore. Start in nearby Broadway, where the main drag looks like it's been done up as a set for a period drama. I trekked to Broadway Tower, a castle folly with extraordinary views, before driving to Stratford-upon-Avon for some Shakespeare tourism (only go if you haven't been). Oxford's a short run down the A44 and Farncombe Estate has more than 400 acres, with activities including archery and a Segway safari.
Comfort
The house is beautiful but it's the rooms at Foxhill that really elevate the place. Of the eight options, three are suites, the Oak Suite being king, not least for the honeymooning or the perpetually loved-up, with its twin bath tubs in the bay window, contemporary four-poster and ornate marble fireplace. Yet luxe levels remain consistent working down from there, and into the five non-suite rooms, all en-suite of course, and including a comprehensive tablet guide to the estate, Nespresso machine and Temple Spa products. Those who truly value isolation may never leave their suites.
Travel essentials
Foxhill Manor, Farncombe Estate, Broadway, Cotswolds, Worcestershire WR12 7LJ (01386 852711; foxhillmanor.com)
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Double rooms start at £295, including breakfast
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