May Featured Venue: Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa

There are many magnificent hotels, but only a few of them can call themselves a true English Original.

Chewton Glen is a quintessentially English, privately owned luxury Country House Hotel & Spa on the fringe of the New Forest.

With some of England’s most stunning countryside rolling up around the hotel and the calmness of the sea just moments away, Chewton Glen is an idyllic escape.

You wouldn't know the hotel is a mere two hours from London, easily reached by rail, air and road when you’re there, in such a tranquil setting. Christchurch, Bournemouth and Southampton are also nearby.

Chewton Glen is full of the unexpected. Here are some more things you may not know about the hotel:

• There are 70 rooms and suites in total with 12 of them being luxury Treehouses, for a one-of-a-kind experience

• They’ve got over 1800 wines on their famous wine list

• In the 12th century the Chewton Glen estate was know as 'Cheventone', 'Chyveton' or 'Chewghton' and the first document mentioning the house appeared in 1732

• Captain Frederick Marryat used his visits there to write the enduring children's novel 'The Children of the New Forest'

• With over 130 acres of woodland, gardens and parkland the Chewton Glen estate now extends to the edge of the New Forest National Park and down to the Solent coastline

• In 1990 The Spa was opened, the first of its kind in the UK. The spa currently boasts 12 treatment rooms, a 17 metre swimming pool, fitness suite, dance studio, sauna and steam rooms, Nail Studio, hydrotherapy pool and hot tub

• The border between Dorset and Hampshire follows the path of the stream that flows through the Chewton Bunny, a valley in the grounds of Chewton Glen

• The hotel has more than 50 working bee hives of very well behaved bees, cared for by Bee Keeper, Rob Oliver and Estate Manager, Darren Venables

• A fabulous array of vegetables, fruit, herbs and edible flowers are harvested each year from the Walled Kitchen Garden and Nursery, they even have a team of volunteers now helping the gardeners sowing seeds and potting up

• With miles of stunning coastline just minutes walk from the hotel, you can enjoy plenty of water-based activities

• A POD Charging Point with a universal charging socket is available at the hotel. Guests to provide their own charging cable, the charging point offers a 3.7kw - 15 Miles of range per hour of charge

New for 2017, The Kitchen is Chewton Glen’s fantastic new bakery, cookery school and casual eatery created by chef James Martin. This purpose-built space in the grounds of the hotel sets the stage for enjoying and learning about food and cooking. The design is open plan; bi-folding doors and glass panelling flood the rooms with light. Surrounding the building are raised beds and a greenhouse where herbs and vegetables are grown year-round to supply The Kitchen. The Kitchen is a feast for the senses. On any day you’ll find guests and visitors gathering for informal lunches or taking a cookery class, gardeners selecting fresh ingredients or chefs developing this season’s menu. For more information on The Kitchen click here: www.chewtonglen.com/the-kitchen

For more information about Chewton Glen Hotel and Spa please go to www.chewtonglen.com or call 01425 275241.