I have stayed at Beaverbrook enough times now, across different points of the year to write about it properly. One stay tells you what a hotel is like on a good weekend. Several stays across seasons tell you what a hotel actually is. So let me tell you what this one is.
First, the thing some people get wrong: you do not have to be a member to stay here, but you do have to be a member to play golf. Anyone can book a room. The place carries itself like a private club, which I suspect is why the misconception survives, but the doors are open and you should walk through them.
The second thing in its favour is the drive. An hour and fifteen minutes from central London without traffic, which for a proper countryside escape is very convenient.
Families should look at The Village first. The family rooms are themed after different authors, with gorgeous interiors, bunk beds and the kind of attention to detail the thoughtful traveller will clock immediately. My personal test of a hotel is the confectionery selection - I love discovering brands I would genuinely buy, and the one here is a treasure trove of healthy and decidedly unhealthy snacks in equal measure. It sounds like a small thing. It is exactly the sort of small thing that separates places like this from everywhere else.
On my most recent trip I came with my entire family, all twelve of us, and we stayed in the Dower House.
It was exceptional. Interiors of dreams, a private pool, a chef for breakfast, and almost anything can be arranged at the house itself - we had a magician for the children, the largest trampoline on wheels I have seen, a barbecue at sunset and a forest picnic I am still thinking about. If you are travelling as a large family or marking an occasion, this is the way to do Beaverbrook.
My favourite part of the entire estate is the outdoor play area, which looks lifted straight out of a fairy tale. Built around a huge tree trunk, it is big enough that every grandparent in our party enjoyed it too, which is not a sentence I write often about playgrounds.
There is a kids club as well - I will be honest and say I have never used it, though I believe the entertainment is run by Sharky & George, who have a strong reputation. And then there is winter, when the place properly comes alive. An ice skating rink, mulled wine, pancake stations. If you are choosing a season for a first visit, I would point you there.
The eating and drinking is where I will give you my one honest caveat. There are multiple restaurants and bars across the estate and the standard is high, but I found the Japanese restaurant overpriced and not as worth it as expected. Plenty of friends have been and loved it, so take that as one honest data point rather than a verdict, but at those prices I wanted to feel differently than I did. My picks instead: the pizzeria in the spa, which I love, and the Garden Restaurant, which is simply serene. The spa itself is extensive and there is an outdoor pool, which in an English summer is a quiet luxury all of its own.
If you are looking for comparisons, the closest are The Newt and Estelle Manor. Both are worth a look if this type of stay appeals to you. All three sit in the same category: expensive, design-led countryside escapes that take families seriously without being defined by them.
Beaverbrook is the best of the British countryside paired with something rarer - unusually good British hospitality. The attention to detail is stellar, and having now seen it across seasons, it holds up. For a family that wants a proper escape from London without the journey becoming the story, Beaverbrook delivers.
With love,
Roshni
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