When they tell you it’s in the woods – the magnificent setting of the 37,000-acre New Forest National Park to be exact – they mean it. As you leave the small town of Lyndhurst and make your way down the track, you soon find yourself negotiating cattle and shaggy-haired ponies, the hardy type you only find on moors, which are invariably indifferent to motor cars. From there it’s just a short distance to the hotel gates, and the sweeping drive with its equestrian-themed ‘easy now’ signs which delivers your first view of Lime Wood’s Regency splendour.
After an extensive refurbishment and five-year closure – not so much a facelift as an A celeb full body lift – Lime Wood has reopened its doors to reveal a thoroughly modern and luxurious manor house, complete with state-of-the-art Herb House Spa, the first outside Daylesford to offer Bamford Body treatments.
The only five-star hotel in the area, set in extensive gardens and grounds that adjoin both the forest and parkland, its history dates back to the 13th century when it was originally established as a hunting lodge. The renovation (by the architects who worked on Highgrove) is mindful of that heritage, striking a balance between high luxury and relaxed enjoyment, with immaculate attention to detail but nothing overdone. New red-brick buildings (incorporating many of the 14 bedrooms and 15 suites, as well as the spa) have been cleverly integrated with the original Georgian house, and classically designed interiors make the most of local materials like ash and stone, from a subtle palette that blends in effortlessly with the natural surroundings. Log fires and under-floor heating combine old and new, while the furniture is an eclectic mix of antique and bespoke, with objets d’art, oak leaf chandeliers and eccentric touches that make you forget you’re in a hotel. Not to mention an impressive modern art collection.
If your pockets are deep, Pavilion 1 is for you. The two New England-style duplex Pavilion suites are separate from the main house and perfect for honeymooners or those craving a leafy weekend retreat. Dominated by a dramatic black-vaulted ceiling, the large bedroom is high on romance and reminiscent of a medieval star chamber, its tones subtly changing at night to celestial effect as you flop into your modern four-poster. The free-standing bath is separate from the main bathroom, overlooking ancient trees and the fields beyond through large windows which, in interior designer speak, bring the outside in. To add to the luxury, there’s not just one real fire but two, both duly lit by country-clad staff on our arrival – the second in our downstairs living and dining room, off which we discover an additional single bedroom. The bedrooms in the main house are rather less distinctive but no less luxurious, the bathrooms decked out in elegant Italian marble. Rooms 1 and 2 have bathtubs beneath wide sash windows, while Room 11 has an especially large bathroom and double basins. All rooms are equipped with an iPad.
There are two restaurants, both of which welcome children, and a charming Mediterranean-style courtyard with box trees, dominated by the warm colours of the Portland stone. As if by magic, a retractable glass roof transports you al fresco. The informal whitewashed Scullery is bright and airy with a large fireplace and spit, and delivers superb and substantial breakfasts and an all-day menu that includes intriguing desserts based on historic recipes (Nell Heaton’s Queen of Puddings, orange and passion fruit flummery), as well as child-friendly favourites like beans on toast. All manner of locally sourced and forest-foraged goodies (girolles, dried and pickled penny buns) are also available for sale in hand-labelled jars on the dressers. While the elegant ash-panelled Dining Room (recently awarded 3 Rosettes by the AA) is more formal but unstuffy, with carved chandeliers and snug banquettes, the setting for Michelin-starred chef Luke Holder’s imaginative fine-dining menus. Small groups can also take in the kitchen theatre first-hand from the Chef’s Table.
For the energetic, the Boot Room’s neat rows of Hunter wellies in all colours and sizes beckon to the great outdoors. If you fancy playing lord of the manor, shooting and horse riding are available nearby, as well as sailing, while indoor pastimes are catered for in the Cellar, complete with billiards table and vast flatscreen television, and an impressive view of the wine vaults. For those inspired by the flora and fauna guides by their bedside, foraging master classes are available. In addition to truffle hunting, dedicated forager Garry Eveleigh will teach you the difference between an edible variety of mushroom and its evil twin, or introduce you to purslane at the nearby marshes.
For the time being I prefer to busy myself doing nothing, so we take afternoon tea – plus champagne – in the Library, a snug, cosy space filled with the scent of the log fire and bookshelves stacked with books you actually want to read. Our fellow guests in the adjoining lemon, lilac and mint walled sitting rooms are a mixture of ladies who do tea, couples celebrating anniversaries and the first of some well-heeled arrivals escaping the city. Mindful of dinner we’re uncharacteristically sensible and share a single portion of exquisite confections and finger sandwiches, although I can’t resist an extra order of crab on granary, to my delight the generous white and brown meat mixed with finely chopped spring onion and herbs. Sliding deliciously into a sugar coma, I plan the remains of the day and peruse the Herb House spa menu.
As well as Bamford products, there is Tri-Dosha (a luxurious take on Ayurveda), NUDE (founded by Fresh & Wild founder Bryan Meehan and Ali Hewson, wife of Bono) and Voya. Among the treatments, ‘Forest Dream’ promises the ultimate Ayurvedic tension-releasing massage, requiring two therapists (£215), while for couples there’s ‘Together in the Forest’, an indulgent 3½ hour mud massage after which you and your partner relax together in your private hot tub and steam room (£380).
As I’m short on time I opt for a more modestly priced Bamford neck and back massage and having donned a taupe honeycomb kimono and disposable slippers, head over to meet Caroline, my Belgium-born therapist. Radiating calm she puts me at ease immediately and I ponder how many sessions might be required to match her glowing skin. Face down on the electronically warmed bed I breathe in geranium oil, combined with soothing lavender and peppermint and within minutes can feel the tension in my neck receding. We talk like old friends, covering everything from dieting, nutrition and skincare, to stress, being a control freak and the fact I’ve brought my iPhone with me.
Designed over three levels, the Herb House Spa is warm, fresh and inviting with honey-coloured oak, and limestone floors. In addition to the 16m pool with retractable glass doors to the garden, there’s a Technogym, Mud House, a hydropool and a massive glass-fronted sauna and Hot Pool overlooking the forest. The ten treatment rooms include two doubles, each with its own private steam room and an indoor and outdoor garden bath respectively. The changing rooms are boudoir-like with private bathrooms, soft lighting and flattering mirrors – no fun-fair effects that make you run for cover. But its crowning glory is surely its ‘living roof’, a stroll-through herbary roof garden and meditation area planted with all manner of herbs for use both in the spa and kitchens, that’s also perfect for pre- or post-treatment lounging. If the nurturing herbal aromas and uplifting sylvan views don’t make your shoulders drop, the chances are nothing will.
The holistic approach to well-being continues in my favourite part of the spa – the fabulous Raw & Cure Bar, which serves everything from fresh smoothies, imaginatively prepared salads, and salmon and cured ham from Lime Wood’s own Smoke House (a quaint restored building near the lake), to cupcakes, cocktails and champagne, including award-winning ‘Cornish Champagne’ from Bob Lindo’s Camel Valley winery. It’s as much about pampering and pleasure as it is about health, without so much as a whiff of virtuous self-denial.
At dinner, after a pre-requisite cocktail in the smart bar, an original Cocteau oversees proceedings. Chef Luke Holder is passionate about local and organic produce and the menu is bursting with forest food (roasted fillet of brill with black figs, bacon and fresh forest hazelnuts), local venison (new house game fallow venison with organic beetroot coffee and basil) and home-reared beef and lamb.
I join Robert in the seven-course vegetarian tasting menu, kicking off with a stylish amuse bouche of warm beetroot velouté, celeriac ravioli, hazelnut purée and curly kale, served on warm slate and accompanied by an unusually textured cabbage bread with a delicious flavour that reminds me of seaweed. Our first course is a delicate salad of violet artichokes paired with a sauvignon blanc chosen by John (our ebullient and very knowledgeable sommelier), followed by creamy polenta and autumn truffle. Next there’s a beautiful but perhaps overly ethereal dish of sweet carrot (a substitute for the billed butternut squash, roasted with pickled trompette de la mort and salted seeds), and finally a deliciously silky and perfectly al dente risotto with forest foraged mushrooms and roasted hazelnuts. Exquisitely crafted and capturing the colours and earthiness of autumn, it’s woodland on a plate. Dorset cheese precedes a refreshing ‘sweet fix’ of lychee with lemongrass foam, the perfect pre-dessert before we embark on our final course, a substantial hazelnut and chocolate Aero with blackberry compote and lemon balm cress.
Everything about Lime Wood is high-end and unsurprisingly, given its pedigree and proximity to London, it has quickly acquired a stellar following. Model-turned-food-writer Sophie Dahl and jazz writer Jamie Cullum tied the knot here in 2010; Jamie helped to choose its grand piano. But beyond its unique location, excellent food, slick service and quintessential Britishness, what makes it truly special is its quality and attention to detail. As the red brick weathers, this smart and sophisticated bolthole will just keep getting better and better.
Room Rates: £225–£725 (excluding breakfast)
Breakfast: Continental £12.50, Full English £16.50
Dinner: Seven-Course Tasting Menu: £70, £119 including sommelier’s wine pairing, Coffee with Petits Fours: £4.50 (all exc. service)
A la carte Lunch and Dinner: £40 (2 courses), £50 (3 courses)
Afternoon Tea: £21.50
Bamford Neck and Back Massage (30 minutes): £50
Lime Wood, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7FZ
Tel: +44 (0) 23 8028 7177, Fax: +44 (0) 23 8028 7199, Email: info@limewood.co.uk
www.limewoodhotel.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment