Beaverbrook is a portal to a
long-gone era of British high society and old-world luxury. It
ticks all of the “country house hotel” boxes. Historic mansion?
Check. Swathing grounds? There’s 470 acres of them, in fact.
Charming service? Again, tick. Art abounds, too. The spa here is a
masterpiece of modern stained-glass by Brian Clarke, while walls
throughout are adorned with the Victorian painting collection of
Lord Beaverbrook, the property’s original owner.

With just 13 bedrooms and no restaurant of its own, Hurtwood
Hotel functions more like a boutique B&B than a hotel – which
is not to say it’s any less worth a visit. It’s based in the
tumbling village of Peaslake which makes a charming antidote to
city living and a good starting point for cycling or walking tours
of the Surrey Hills. Denbies Wine Estate is nearby, too. Oh, and it
would be rude to leave without trying the seasonal tasting menu at
the adjoining pub, Hurtwood Inn.

Perched just outside the Royal Deer Park, this 14-room boutique
hotel is about as close to a night’s stay at Hampton Court Palace
as one can get. Guests lucky enough to snag a bedroom on the
right-hand side of this period property will have a front-row view
of the famous palace maze. The hotel restaurant serves traditional
British dishes – wild rabbit, lamb rump and battered haddock – and
spills onto the garden terrace in summer.

Londoners will be only too familiar with José Pizarro, the Spanish tapas
maestro whose restaurants in Bermondsey and Broadgate routinely
fill out come rush hour. His latest venture, in the village of
Claygate, is a must for foodies looking to explore Surrey’s great
outdoors. Bushy Park (the second largest Royal Park, after Richmond Park) is nearby, as is
the exquisitely clipped Claremont Landscape Garden. Rooms aren’t in
the pub itself, but in a barn conversion just behind.

The White Horse Hotel’s history stretches back to 1278, when the
building was first used as a coaching inn. Today, it’s a different
story. Shrubby pot plants fill The Dozen, its bar and deli-concept
which serves an encyclopedic array of Surrey produce. As for the
rooms? Expect Scandi-style wood panelling and retro flourishes
including rotary-dial telephones. Golfers will delight in the
handful of courses right on the hotel’s doorstep.

The Orange Tree is a pub-meets-boutique-hotel slap bang in the
middle of Richmond. It’s a prime spot for exploring the town’s
natural bounty – Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and the stylish
emporium Petersham Nurseries are all 10 minutes away by foot – and
a favourite hangout among rugby fans, too. On summertime match days
the hotel’s pub becomes a huge viewing party with drop-down screens
and sizzling barbecue food served from 10am.

Yes, it’s an Elizabethan mansion with tennis courts, a spa and
50 acres of landscaped parkland, but the real selling point of the
Great Fosters is its Michelin-starred restaurant. Headed by chef
Tony Parkin, The Tudor Room is a tour de force of British fine
dining which seats only 20 at any one time. Those looking to fully
immerse themselves in this most British of hotels can reserve a
Historic Suite replete with original 18th-century tapestries or
Jacobean carvings.

Rumour has it that the grounds of Wotton House were once home to
kangaroos. It’s but one of many stories from this 16th-century
pile’s eccentric history. The River Tillingbourne still scores the
estate’s Italian Renaissance-style gardens like a romantic painting
but, today, the surreal quirks of the past have been swapped for
simple luxury. It has a tech-y gym, pools and a hearty British
restaurant. Our favourite features, however, are the boot room
stuffed with Hunter wellies and the fleet of freshly pumped
bicycles. Venture into the Surrey Hills in style.

Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth’s quite splendiferous residence,
might be 20 minutes away by car, but Pennyhill Park isn’t short on
regal pomp. Built around a grand 18th-century house, its corridors
are decked in chandeliers and earthy floor-to-ceiling tapestries.
Hungry guests can choose between The Latymer, the hotel’s
Michelin-starred restaurant, and the two AA-Rosette-awarded, The
Brasserie.

British whimsy is the order of the day at The Hand & Spear
where botanical arts and crafts-style wallpaper, brassy art-deco
ornaments and blue-willow porcelain sit together, cacophonously.
This jubilant, home-away-from-home sensibility carries through to
the hotel’s restaurant, a casual pub set up with a menu of locally
grown, fuss-free grub. Surrey Hills and Sandown Park Racecourse are
a short drive away, as is Brooklands Museum with its purpose-built
motor racing circuit.