Hartwell House hotel review: To the manor drawn

Step back

Step back in time with an indulgent stay at
the English countryside retreat of Louis XVIII

Review Megan Roberts

First mentioned in the Domesday Book, the site originally
belonged to a son of William the Conqueror before King Louis XVIII
of France lived here in exile for five years from 1809-1814. He
brought with him his queen, Marie Josephine, and a 200-strong
entourage. It was apparently a wild scene – an entire French court
accustomed to the gaieties of Versailles landing in the middle of
the English countryside. They crammed into the house and a farm
popped up on the roof – chickens and rabbits lived happily
alongside vegetable plots atop the manor.

As soon as you step into Hartwell, the house cocoons you in
tranquil luxury. Crystal tinkles, voices are lowered, people are
nice to one another and dinner is something to dress up
for. It’s as if manners are being piped in through the walls,
such is the restful English decorum of the place. The house has
been so expertly restored, it feels far less like a hotel and more
like a vivid, fascinating slice of history. It’s easy to imagine
the place filled with bustling courtiers and chambermaids while
Louis plays whist in the library or strolls through the grounds
tending to his beloved roses.

The bedrooms are impressive – big sprawling affairs with soaring
Rococo ceilings, antiques and fine paintings. A dramatic gothic
hall in the centre of the stately home houses an extraordinary
Jacobean staircase, lined with hand-carved statues of the knights
of Europe, who guard the way to bed. Legend has it that Marie
Josephine was so terrified of the looming candlelit shadows cast by
the statues, she banished them to the cellars.

Climbing the stairs to the Maids of Honour room, sunlight floods
in through huge sash windows. There are window seats perfect for
curling up in with a book. It’s hard to find a reason to leave this
charming room with its bath deep enough to swim in, but pre-dinner
drinks in the drawing room call.

Dinner is a high-ceilinged, white tablecloth affair served by
affable waiters in tailcoats, no less. Highlights of the
well-judged menu include a delicious confit rainbow trout with lime
puree and zesty cherry and cardamom parfait. Herbs and vegetables
from the expansive kitchen gardens and orchards are woven into the
menu, and local produce is used wherever possible. Retiring to the
library for post-dinner drinks is the obvious next step. Here we
are lulled by the graceful tinkle of the in-house pianist.

More modern but still elegant is Hartwell spa, where
we sunbathe in a secluded walled courtyard before heading inside
for a swim. My swimming strokes become slower than usual, more in
tune with the gentle pace of the spa as sunlight pours through high
windows onto a mosaic-lined pool. Set in a former orangery 150
yards from the main house, the spa has a sauna, steam room and gym
overlooking the pool.

Hartwell is the only hotel in the UK to offer treatments by
Bioeffect, a premium skincare brand founded by three Icelandic
scientists. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery of growth factors in
1986 opened up a universe of genetic research, inspiring the trio
to spend ten years working on bioengineering human growth factors
in barley. The results are impressive – it’s the world’s first
skincare brand to contain three different types of cellular
activators found in human skin, replicated in plants. 

I had heard astonishing things about Bioeffect facials, but
nothing quite prepared me for my dewy, childlike complexion
post-treatment. I eyed my time-bending therapist with suspicion
when she re-entered the room but she laughed and assured me most
people respond the same way.

Staying at Hartwell helps to preserve the curious
history of the place – the stately home is managed by Historic
House Hotels who donate all profits to the house and the National
Trust. The perfect spot for a spa weekend with a friend, or an
amorous getaway, Hartwell is also the ideal place for
some peace and tranquility.

“Why wouldst thou leave calm Hartwell’s green abode?” asked
Lord Byron, of Louis XVIII’s return to France in 1814.

Why indeed? 

Doubles start at £230 and include early morning tea and a
cooked English breakfast taken in the dining room, as well as use
of Hartwell Spa. 

Hartwell House, Oxford Road,
Aylesbury; hartwell-house.com; 01296 747444