The Tawny

The Tawny may have a reception, a restaurant and room service but it rather stretches the definition of a hotel. That’s because, after check-in, guests are dispersed via leafy pathways rather than carpeted corridors; and instead of boxy rooms clustered under one roof, The Tawny is made up of huts, cabins and treehouses tucked away among trees and lakes. All of them have the facilities you’d expect of a regular hotel room, but none of the immediate neighbours – and each delivers a healthy dose of nature thanks to an outdoor spa bath and its unique setting on this lavish and bucolic Staffordshire estate.

At the heart of the hotel is its well-regarded restaurant: The Plumicorn. It’s a strikingly modern, glass-fronted affair and a quick check of the Oxford English will reveal that, yes, its unusual name is a real word – one that describes the elongated eyebrow feathers of an owl! Somehow the idea of this curious embellishment is rather fitting here: nature with a bit of a flourish and perhaps just a touch of magic, mixing botanical prints with plush upholstery under a high ceiling with huge windows, and with a gorgeous setting at the head of the estate's largest lake, just above the hotel's outdoor heated pool.

The landscaped gardens around the restaurant are home to a quirky collection of Victorian follies, while the lodgings have been just as carefully planned and just as beautifully designed as the restaurant. These range from the simple Wildwood Huts which sleep two in whitewashed, timber-clad Scandi style, to the grand Hillside Treehouses with their private verandahs, and the cedar-clad Retreats with sunken baths. Whichever you choose, you’ll have a bed that’s no less than king-size, en-suite facilities, a Smart TV, WiFi, a complimentary mini-bar, coffee machine and fluffy bathrobes to get you to that spa bath outside.

There are bikes to borrow, walking routes to follow and there’s always that heated outdoor pool. Bookable extras include private yoga sessions, treatments in the spa and mindful stargazing events. With breakfast included and lunch and dinner available in The Plumicorn, there’s little reason to leave the estate. Should you want to, though, the vastly different pleasures of the Peak District and Alton Towers are both within a half-hour's drive.