Special Places to Stay in UK

Hartwell House
Hotel, Restaurant and Spa
Oxford Road Near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP17 8NR
REGION: Buckinghamshire    COUNTRY: England

Hartwell House, lying in the vale of Aylesbury and just forty miles north west of London, is one of Buckinghamshire's most celebrated country houses. Built in the early seventeenth century for the Hampden family, the house has both Jacobean and Georgian features with outstanding decorative plaster-work and panelling. Its fine elegant reception and dining rooms create the ambience of a great country house. The forty-six bedrooms, including those in the adjacent Hartwell court, are individually furnished with prints, pictures and antiques. The Hartwell Court, formerly a coach house, has been restored and extended to provide excellent conference and meeting rooms, with Hartwell Spa offering an indoor swimming pool and an extensive range of exercise possibilities and beauty treatments.

Owned and restored by Historic House Hotels, who also own Bodysgallen Hall in North Wales, and Middlethorpe Hall in York, Hartwell House is a member of Pride of Britain, has 4 Red Stars and 3 Rosettes from the AA, also a Gold Ribbon from the RAC.

Accommodations

Hartwell House is a beautifully restored 17th century stately home. The magnificent rooms are superbly furnished with antiques and hung with fine paintings. Many of the exquisitely designed bedrooms and suites are in the house and some in Hartwell Court, the converted coach houses or the Old Rectory, Hartwell. With high ceilings, fine fabrics and dreamy views over the extensive landscape, it is a truly idyllic setting.

There are thirty extremely comfortable bedrooms and three suites located in the Hartwell main house. There is a selection of various types of rooms to accommodate our guest's tastes and needs:

• Single room

• Double room for single occupancy

• Double or twin room

• Royal double room for single occupancy

• Royal double or twin room

• Four poster bedroom

• Royal four poster room

• Duc de Berry Suite

• Lee Suite

The Hartwell Court and the Old Rectory Hartwell are in close proximity to the Hartwell main house and the Hartwell Spa. The Hartwell Court is an 18th century indoor riding school that contains ten suites and six bedrooms all decorated to the same high standards as those in the main house. The Old Rectory, Hartwell is an elegant Georgian house with one suite and three bed-rooms, recently restored and traditionally furnished by Historic House Hotels. Both provide for a very private, self-contained stay for guests - who may also elect to enjoy all of the public rooms and facilities in the main house at their leisure.

Hartwell Court
Court single room
Double room for single occupancy
Double or twin bedded room
Court or Gallery suite

Old Rectory, Hartwell
Master four poster suite
Double or twin bedded room
Rectory single room

* All bedrooms in the Main House and Old Rectory are non-smoking. In addition the four Gallery Suites in the Hartwell Court are non-smoking.

Restaurant

The principal Dining Room, designed in 1988 in the style of the eminent early l9th century architect, Sir John Soane, is the setting for the imaginative cooking of our chef, which has been awarded three rosettes by the Automobile Association. There are fixed price menus for lunch of £22 for two courses and £29 for three courses, £31 for Sunday Lunch, and dinner is £46 for three courses including coffee and sweetmeats.

In addition to dining in the restaurant, Hartwell House also features private dining to accommodate your special events, while room service can be delivered to your individual room or suite. Of course, no meal is complete without a glass of fine wine. To that end, Hartwell House maintains an extensive wine cellar sure to contain the perfect wine to satisfy your palate.

Spa

The Hartwell Spa is situated close to the Hartwell Rooms and Hartwell Court, about 100 yards from the hotel. An essential part of a visit to Hartwell House is the opportunity to relax and enjoy the pleasures of the Spa. Swim in the warm clear water of the inviting pool lined with blue mosaic tiles, relax in the steam room, saunas and the bubbling waters of the whirlpool bath.

Experienced therapists offer a wide range of beauty treatments using Clarins, E'SPA, Jessica and St Tropez products. Hartwell Spa Health and Beauty Days, Half Days, Lifestyle Days and individual treatments are available to guests and non-residents.

For the energetic, a superb gymnasium has all the latest technologically advanced equipment, suitable for all ranges of fitness. In a gallery overlooking the pool are the Spa Bar and Buttery, open to both residents and non-residents for breakfast, morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. A delicious menu includes a range of salads and light meals.

Residential guests and Club members have full use of the Spa's indoor swimming pool, whirlpool spa bath, steam room, saunas, gymnasium, tennis courts, Buttery and Spa Bar.

Children of residents, between the ages of 6 and 16, may use Hartwell Spa between the hours of 9am-10am and 4pm-5pm, when accompanied by an adult.

There are thirty bedrooms and suites on three floors in the main house each aimed at ensuring your comfort and enjoyment during your stay. In addition there are ten suites and six bedrooms in Hartwell Court, the adjacent 18th century indoor riding school. The Old Rectory Hartwell has a superbly appointed master four poster suite with a sitting room and three other bedrooms with bathrooms.

Location

Hartwell House enjoys a tranquil setting in the Buckinghamshire countryside, two miles west of the busy town of Aylesbury. The Vale of Aylesbury is one of the most beautiful parts of Buckinghamshire, endowed with several grand properties owned by the National Trust, including Waddesdon Manor, home of the Rothschild family; Claydon House, renowned for its association with Florence Nightingale the "Lady of the Lamp"; and Stowe Landscape Gardens with its many follies.

London is easily reached by train or car and Heathrow airport is just an hour's drive. The hotel also lends itself to quick city breaks, or as a base for exploring Oxford, the Cotswolds, and the Chiltern Hills.

Whether you are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of London, for a country hotel not too far from the city, Hartwell House is the perfect setting to hold court.

Nearby Hartwell House, there are an abundance of activities and historic sights, including Waddesdon Manor, Blenheim Palace, and Hatfield House. Waddesdon Manor is a beautifully restored National Trust property built in the style of an 18th Century French chateau. Formerly owned by the Rothschild family it has a fine collection of furniture, paintings, carpets and tapestries and a superb display of Sevres porcelain.

Blenheim Palace in Woodstock is a magnificent "English Baroque" palace designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, home of the Dukes of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire is the home of the Dukes of Bedford, set in a 3000 acre deer park landscaped by Humphrey Repton. The house contains an impressive collection of furniture, porcelain, silver and paintings by famous craftsmen and artists.

Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckingham is one of the most important landscape gardens in Britain. Hartwell House is also within easy reach of Chiltern Open Air Museum, Beckonscot Village, Sulgrave Manor, Cliveden and the Verulamium Museum.