Pennyhill Park

Pennyhill Park sits in 120 acres of Surrey parkland near Bagshot, close enough to the M3 for an easy run from London but far enough to feel properly removed from it. The 19th-century house has been extended considerably over the years, and the result is a large, comfortable hotel built around one of the biggest spas attached to any UK country house, 45,000 square feet, with heated indoor and outdoor pools, ice caves and a genuinely wide range of treatment rooms.

There are two main restaurants. Latymer is the serious option, holding 5 AA Rosettes and run with real technical ambition, tasting-menu-led modern British cooking with a strong wine list to match. Hillfield Restaurant and Bar is the more relaxed alternative, better suited to a lunch after the spa or a lighter dinner, and the lamb dish there has drawn particular praise from guests.

Rooms mix traditional period features with more contemporary comforts, rain showers, free-standing copper baths, and some suites come with private outdoor hot tubs, which is a genuine draw for a country escape rather than just a marketing line.

The scale of the place is also its main drawback: with 124 rooms and a large spa, it can feel busy and corporate compared with smaller, more intimate country-house alternatives, particularly on spa days or when a wedding is taking place elsewhere on the estate. It is polished rather than intimate.

For a spa-focused break within easy reach of London, it delivers on facilities convincingly; for a quiet, private retreat, look elsewhere on quieter weekdays.

Latymer’s kitchen has held on to its 5 AA Rosettes across several consecutive years, which is a meaningful marker of consistency for a hotel restaurant operating at this scale. The estate is also a popular wedding and events venue, so it is worth checking availability of the wider grounds and spa facilities before booking if privacy and quiet are the priority. Rates sit at the top end of what a Surrey country hotel commands, reflecting both the spa’s size and the two-restaurant offering on site.