The New Hotels & Restaurants To Book Around The UK
STAY
The Seaside Hotel:
Margate House
Great restaurants, new hotels and family friendly attractions – there’s lots going on in Margate right now. Book a stay at newcomer Margate House, an affordable, boutique hotel just a ten-minute walk from Margate beach and the Turner Contemporary. Set in a restored Victorian townhouse, the hotel has nine en-suite bedrooms with chic interiors by designer Charlee Allan Quinton. Rooms are decorated in warm tones, like pink and terracotta, with exposed brick fireplaces, original wooden flooring and vintage furniture. Spacious and modern en-suites have baths or rainfall showers and Haeckel’s toiletries (made using seaweed handpicked in Margate). Downstairs, there’s a drawing room with a bar and larder of local treats, and there are plans to open a pop-up restaurant later this year. Read our pocket guide to Margate here.
Visit MargateHouse.co.uk
The Treehouses:
Elmore Court, Gloucestershire
Elmore Court, just west of Gloucester, is known as a wedding and events venue but has now become a new destination for a stay in nature. The owners have opened six luxe treehouses on the estate’s rewilded land, each sleeping between two and four. The Scandi-inspired interiors by fashion and homeware designer Tracey Boyd are all different but use similar materials such as wood, metal and glass with splashes of colour. Outdoor features include a fire pit and wood store, a bathtub, a kitchen area with hob, combi-oven and fridge and a heated dining area. Inside, you’ll find super king-size beds and an indoor bathroom. Treehouses are equipped for self-catering, but you can pre-order breakfast hampers, gourmet meals and drinks from the estate kitchens.
Visit RewildThings.com
Boz Gagovski
The Big Opening:
Cowley Manor, Cotswolds
This month, Experimental Group will launch its first UK project outside London. The 17th-century manor house in the Cotswolds will offer 36 spacious rooms, alongside a garden room, bar and lounge – home to Experimental Cocktail Club Cotswolds – an indoor restaurant and a 50-cover outdoor terrace, library, spa and two swimming pools. All areas are being reimagined by Dorothée Meilichzon, who has designed many of the group’s properties across Europe – think Grand Pigalle Hôtel and Hôtel des Grands Boulevards.
The New Rooms:
The Grove, Hertfordshire
Regular readers will know that we love The Grove in Hertfordshire for a special staycation, so we were excited to stay at the hotel’s new Century Mansion rooms which overlook the landscaped gardens. With interiors by Martin Hulbert Design, rooms and suites showcase the hotel’s 16th-century features, like mouldings, fireplaces and curved bay windows. Each one is individually designed with notes of terracotta, blue and green, resulting in ultra-luxe rooms that you won’t want to leave. Spacious bathrooms have freestanding baths and Bamford toiletries, and you’ll find thoughtful touches like extra fluffy robes and complimentary pots of Hackney Gelato. Elsewhere, the Sequoia Spa has been refurbished and now offers new treatments by Bamford – if you’re not staying overnight book in for a spa day and signature massage.
Visit TheGrove.co.uk
EAT & DRINK
The Neighbourhood Restaurant:
Lyla, Edinburgh
Edinburgh-based chef Stuart Ralston will open his fourth restaurant in the city in October. Lyla will offer a single sitting 10-course tasting menu served in the Georgian townhouse that used to house the late Paul Kitching’s 21212 restaurant. Diners will be made to feel like they’re in someone’s own home, beginning with snacks and drinks from the champagne trolley in the drawing room before enjoying dinner downstairs in the open kitchen. As expected, there will be a focus on seafood and ingredients from the Scottish Isles; expect dishes like N25 caviar with wild bream and black radishes, Isle of Skye langoustines and sorrel, and fermented white asparagus with laminated brioche and cultured butter. Paired wines or non-alcoholic tonics and kombuchas will accompany the meal.
Visit LylaEdinburgh.co.uk
The Pub:
The Bull Charlbury, Cotswolds
The team behind The Pelican in Notting Hill has opened a new pub in the Cotswolds. The Bull at Charlbury, a small town in west Oxfordshire, has the same charm of The Pelican, with chic but minimalist interiors and crowd-pleasing dishes. Set in a former inn dating back to the 16th century, the pub has a cosy dining room and garden with further seating. The team only uses trusted local suppliers, so the menu is hyper seasonal. Dishes are cooked on the BBQ, and on Sundays, the team cooks whole animals on open fire – think slow-cooked lamb with all the trimmings. Bedrooms upstairs will open later this month.
Visit TheBullCharlbury.com
The Bakery:
Lannan, Edinburgh
If you’re heading up to Edinburgh for the Fringe, make a beeline for Lannan, the first bakery from patisserie chef Darcie Maher, who previously worked at Edinburgh's Twelve Triangles bakery and The Palmerston. Having only opened a few weeks ago, the bakery already has queues around the block thanks to Darcie’s technical bakes made with seasonal ingredients. Choose from her signature treats like buttermilk croissants, custard slices, yum yums and iced buns – as well as deli-style sandwiches. This month, you can also order lemon meringue tarts, dauphinois pastries, and crème brûlée danishes.
Follow @LannanBakery
The Country Boozer:
The Silver Plough, Wiltshire
Wiltshire based Chickpea Group will open its sixth pub in the village of Pitton at the end of the month. A lovely day trip from the capital, the pub itself dates back to the 18th century and is packed with charm and period features – think beamed ceilings, wooden floors and cosy fireplaces. Diners can sit in the 100-cover dining room or enjoy craft beers and meals in the beer garden at the front of the pub. As with the group’s other sites, food showcases local suppliers in the south west. The ‘Pub Bangers’ menu will include classic dishes like beer battered fish and chips, pies and cracking Sunday roasts. Seven bedrooms will offer overnight stays next year.
The Hotel Restaurant:
Elodie at Birch, Selsdon
Lee Westcott is one of the chefs behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Pensons in Tenbury Wells. You might also recognise him from Great British Menu, MasterChef or Saturday Kitchen. Westcott is about to open his first outpost at Birch hotel in Selsdon, just 30 minutes from central London. Elodie will showcase dishes made with ingredients foraged on Birch’s 200-acre estate and kitchen garden. The 100-cover dining room has seriously cool interiors by studio Sella Concept – modern artwork and furniture brings a contemporary feel to the Victorian period room. Current dishes include sourdough with Marmite butter; Cornish mackerel with apple, cucumber and wild horseradish; lamb with green olives and turnip; and strawberries with cultured yoghurt.
Visit BirchCommunity.com
Adam Lynk
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