Quietly maintaining a reputation as one of the UK’s most revered hotels is no mean feat but it's one that Chewton Glen does with aplomb. The five-star privately-owned luxury hotel and spa, which is situated on the edge of the ancient New Forest and a short walk from the sea in Hampshire, will be celebrating 60 (!) years in 2026 and this milestone is just the prelude to the hotel's next chapter.
A part of the Iconic Luxury Hotels group, the hotel boasts Cliveden House, The Lygon Arms and Mayfair Townhouse as siblings and has become the place where celebrities and London families decamp for a much-needed antidote to the capital’s chaos. Despite the hotel being best-known for its treehouses (thanks to those candidly-sipping-champagne-in-my-hot-tub snaps), Chewton Glen has so much more to offer than a backdrop for Insta likes and it is, in fact, very family-friendly.
Set within 130 acres of roam-worthy gardens, the drive up to Chewton truly sets the scene for a weekend of luxury ahead. Inside, the hotel’s decor is that perfect fusion of comfort and class without a trace of stuffiness. There are 58 rooms and suites within Chewton Glen’s early-18th-century main house, and no two are alike. Each has been designed with uncompromising comfort in mind, combining antique and contemporary furnishings with vibrant fabrics, grandiose beds (bunk bed nooks for little ones), and indulgently large bathtubs. No one bats an eyelid as you slink through the corridors en route to the spa in your robe and slippers and arrive at the spa’s epicentre: a breathtaking 17 metre indoor pool, which is flooded with natural light and adorned with wall murals. Through double doors, you’ll find a hydrotherapy spa we spent so much time in, we left akin to soggy prunes.
Chewton is truly an all-seasons hotel - somewhere you can happily hole up in regardless of the weather. Days can be whiled away poring over a good book in one of the hotel’s many cosy lounges (glass of Malbec, optional), enjoying a game of golf on the 9-hole par-3 golf course, making use of the indoor (or outdoor!) tennis courts or ambling down to the beach. There’s also a croquet lawn, shooting, archery, axe throwing and duck herding (yes, really).
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If the spa (and its fancy hydropools) weren’t enough to lure you to Chewton Glen, the revamped culinary offering certainly will. Under the masterful direction of London design studio Goddard Littlefair, the hotel's dining spaces have been transformed. Gloomier interiors have given way to rich leathers, plush velvets, and refined herringbone and tweed textures, all complemented by curated new menus inspired by the coastline’s seasonal bounty. Expect a selection of fresh British seafood, locally-sourced produce from British farmers and trusted New Forest suppliers, and, of course, a bounty cultivated within the hotel's own heritage orchards and kitchen gardens. Must-try dishes include just-caught halibut with sea vegetables, lobster and an indulgent tarragon sauce, as well as rod and line caught seabass with deliciously smooth fennel puree, brown shrimps, lilliput capers and zesty preserved lemon. Families are seated together in a side dining room, which takes the pressure off potentially ruining somebody's 50th wedding anniversary meal, and my kids will forever sneer at BirdsEye fish fingers after their succulent goujons here.
Perhaps the best part of the revamp is the Tasting Room, an intimately plush space offering all-day fanfare. Designed to rival a contemporary countryside kitchen, the open pantry-esque space offers a wooden harvest table laid with the best breakfast in Britain (voters: my children). Think artisan sourdough and fresh, flaky croissants, hand-baked granola drizzled with Chewton’s very own honey that would impress even David Beckham, and a Bloody Mary station kitted out with New Forest tomato juice and Isle of Wight Mermaid vodka. The evening sees the space transformed into a hub for the hotel's sommeliers, chefs and mixologists to showcase their flair via immersive wine tastings and gastronomy masterclasses.
With a little help from its recent face lift and a lot of help from its perennially charming confidence, Chewton Glen continues to maintain its reputation as the Grande Dame of UK hotel scene.
