The Spread Eagle

If the opportunity to stay in the oldest coaching inn in England isn’t reason enough to book a stay at The Spread Eagle, there’s plenty more to entice the traveller. This utterly bewitching hotel was built in 1430 – twenty years before Machu Picchu was founded by the Incas – and it still retains some of its original features, including some astonishingly well-preserved stained-glass windows. The hotel has had quite the roster of past guests, from Queen Elizabeth I to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, indeed the bedroom Her Majesty stayed in is now called the Queen’s Suite and has one of the last remaining wig rooms in the country.

Sitting right in the centre of the Sussex market town of Midhurst, The Spread Eagle is all timber beams on the outside and dark wooden floors and cosy fireplaces inside. And while it’s evidently old and filled with antiques, it’s not at all stuffy, with 39 guest rooms that have been sensitively and successfully updated, with right up-to-date en-suite bathrooms with large rainfall showers, roll-top baths and robes and Temple Spa toiletries. Some rooms have four-poster beds and all have tea- and coffee-making facilities

There are also plenty of state-of-the-art facilities, including a wonderful Scandi-style spa with a small indoor pool, hot tub, fitness suite and four treatment rooms, and a restaurant that serves a mean Sunday roast and a great a la carte menu during the week. It’s a historic, atmospheric place to eat, with excellent service, but serves food that is very much in tune with the times – as does the equally historic, cosy bar, which has an extensive gin menu and is a venue for a post-walk pint!

One of the nice things about the Spread Eagle – indeed about all the hotels in the Historic Sussex Hotels group – is that dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere except the spa and the main restaurant, with hounds encouraged to curl up in front of the fire or join you in the bar or conservatory for dinner. They also have the hotel grounds and immediate area for quick and easy walks, and of course the South Downs are on your doorstep for more strenuous affairs. They even do a ‘Muddy Paws’ package which includes a list of their recommended local dog walks, It's dog heaven, but with plenty for well-behaved humans too!