Down Hall

A classic but contemporary country house hotel, situated just outside Bishop’s Stortford on the border of the two home counties of Essex and Hertfordshire, the 19th-century Italianate architecture and landscaped gardens of Down Hall give you a taste of what to expect inside. It’s elegant and classically styled with columns, chandeliers and panelling – but it’s also up to date, with a spa, a restaurant and a bar, a terrace and 110-acres of gardens, woodland and parkland. At just 45 minutes from London and 20 minutes from Stansted Airport, it's ideally placed for both a weekend break and an airport stopover.

There are 98 guest rooms inside this well-located former mansion house, ranging from suites with four-poster beds and separate dressing rooms to classic rooms which are smaller but still in keeping with the grandeur of Down Hall. All have a feature wall, panelling and are well-dressed and well-equipped for your stay. The suites are especially lavish and many feature large windows looking out on the well-tended, ornate gardens.

It’s more lavish still, downstairs, where some of the guest lounges are perfect for a drink or a pause before dinner. This can be taken in the Garden Room restaurant if you want to sample fine dining or out on the terrace if you’re after something more casual instead. Oh and you may recognise it as the location of a certain Great British Bake Off – so it would be rude not to indulge in an afternoon tea while you're here. To work off those cake-induced-calories, there’s a fitness suite and spa with a hydrotherapy pool, steam room and sauna – for which you need to book and pay a little extra.