Hampton Manor

The West Midlands village of Hampton-in-Arden, a comfortable half-hour from Birmingham, is the setting for Hampton Manor, a stately Victorian-era house that once belonged to the family of Sir Robert Peel. Its exteriors remain lovingly preserved, while its interiors are a tribute to the Arts and Crafts Movement of the house’s early years; rather than keep it to themselves, Hampton Manor’s new family owners have opened it to paying guests as a country house hotel and a pair of noteworthy restaurants.

Many of the rooms and suites are set in the main house, including the most lavish suites; all are decorated with a thoughtful mix of antiques and complementary modern pieces. Meanwhile a stylistic counterpoint is provided by the Walled Garden suites, set on the site of the estate’s old timber yard. With their neutral colors, cast concrete baths, and floor-to-ceiling windows they’re possessed of a sort of chic coziness that’s almost Scandinavian in its simplicity — and guests in these suites are offered a chef-led tour of the gardens.

On that note: one fine restaurant is typically enough for a hotel like this, but Hampton Manor has two. The one-MICHELIN-Star Grace & Savour serves a seasonal tasting menu that celebrates impeccably sourced British cooking, and next door is Smoke, featuring the coal-fired cooking of MasterChef: The Professionals winner Stuart Deeley.