A location a half hour’s drive past Heathrow from London means that Pennyhill Park is a good deal more convenient than the average English country-house hotel. It’s not exactly Downton Abbey, but having one foot in the modern age is key to Pennyhill’s appeal — though it dates back only to the 1920s, this Surrey estate is all ivy-clad atmosphere, and even the new residential wings stick to the style of the place, a sort of art-directed mod-glam version of a country-house romance.

Pennyhill Park’s rooms and suites, with their handmade mattresses and hand-selected furnishings, are all different, all comfortable and elegant — they’re not penthouse-suite over-the-top, but they’re certainly up to the task. It would be a vast exaggeration to say that the rooms are beside the point, but perhaps accurate to say they play a supporting role, as very few guests come to stay without an eye on the spa and the two highly regarded restaurants.

The former is simply known as The Spa, which is the sort of mock-understatement which belies a supreme self-confidence — and a look around the lavish facilities reveals that they’ve got quite a lot to be confident about. The same applies to the restaurants as well; The Latymer, under the direction of the Michelin-starred Michael Wignall, is Pennyhill Park’s fine dining option, and The Brasserie is more casual but no less worthwhile. It’s not unusual for visitors from London to grab a room as an add-on to a meal or a spa package — why not beat them to the punch?