Q Magazine - Summer 2019

19 In search of the sublime Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Great Milton, Oxfordshire Nestled in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons has been the touchstone of haute cuisine for over three decades. Yet its prestige is not limited to the dining room. This 15th- century former manor champions what maître de maison, Raymond Blanc OBE, would call l’art de vivre. “The good does not interest us,” he says, “only the sublime.” His passion permeates through the hotel, from the individually designed suites to the restaurant’s seven- course tasting menus. Just a year after he created Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in 1984, it was awarded two Michelin stars. Today, it is Britain’s only country house hotel to have held this badge of honour for over 30 years. Don’t rush a good thing Heckfield Place Hook, Hampshire What do you get if you combine the spending power of billionaire Gerald Chan, the design flair of Ben Thompson, the culinary genius of Michelin star accredited Skye Gyngell and the day to day management prowess of Olivia Richli with 18 years of Aman tucked under her elegant belt? Add to this a determination to get it just right regardless of how long it would take before opening - 6 years overdue! - and you will probably realise why Heckfield Place, a renovated Georgian mansion, has become one of the UK’s most anticipated country house hotel openings. Unassuming from the exterior, the hotel is an amazing statement in understated excellence where contemporary and antique sit in measured balance, where the estate grown fare defines the cuisine and where urban simplicity draws the guest to appreciate the beauty of the magnificent parklands. High society in the Surrey Hills Beaverbrook Near Leatherhead, Surrey This Surrey Hills Country Estate, former home of Lord Beaverbrook, is set in 400 acres and has been transformed into a lavish hotel that exudes charm and eccentricity. Steeped in history, each of the beautifully appointed bedrooms in The House nod towards past guests - Elizabeth Taylor, Rudyard Kipling, Ian Fleming and Sir Winston Churchill were frequent visitors to the Estate. Choose to stay in either The House, with interiors designed by Susie Atkinson, or The Garden House, with stunning country interiors by Nicola Harding. In The Garden House, there is an Anglo-Italian restaurant and a unique cookery school, while in The House, an ex-Nobu chef runs The Japanese Grill. The Coach House Spa offers treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a gym and a deli offering healthy food options. The Orangery is a haven for children to escape the parents at weekends and is transformed during the week into an ideal meeting space.