More Than Moon Time
Our first visit was 13 years ago to sample the new spa menu. We observed how the sun, nature’s ultimate photographic colour enhancer, was in short supply. The same could not be said for our second visit on a particularly hot day. Host Manager Julia Pull had whisked us off on a tour of bedrooms and suites, some chintzy, some contemporary, all with balconies or terraces, then up to the recently completed first six treehouse lodges (eight more would follow in the intervening years). The treehouses are suspended 11 metres above the New Forest canopy. Tree coverage has grown much fuller since last time. Back then Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha had enjoyed the five star hospitality of this hotel the week before.
The memorable garden front of Chewton Glen Hotel has graced the glossies for over six decades now. Its signature doorcase capped by a semicircular shell encased in a triangular pediment resting on scroll brackets has become a motif for luxury. The distinctive green shutters, a rarity these days, continue to add definition to the original elevations. It was the favourite English riviera hotel of the doyenne of 20th century five star luxury Margaret Holmes-Wilson (may she Rest in Peace on a Louis XV chaise longue in a mansion). Not quite the intrepid traveller, she would always warn, “Never stay anywhere that it isn’t at least as grand as one’s own home.” Her own home was grand. Brochures show the hotel interior chintzed to the nines: all tented ceilings, floral wallpapers, festoon blinds and trellis screens. The red brick red roof tiled house dates from the 1730s and was extended a century later. It looks more like a Queen Anne Revival villa these days with chunky dentilled cornicing and Diocletian windows set in pediments.
This Hampshire hotel has grown organically since it first opened in 1962. Our first sighting driving up the avenue both times past the early 20th century gatelodge was and is of the two storey Croquet Lawn Wing. The 12 guest rooms with French doors framing views of the Croquet Lawn are mostly named after Captain Frederick Marryat and the characters from his 1847 book The Children of the New Forest. The novelist’s brother George owned the house from 1837 to 1855 and Frederick was a regular guest. On the ground floor are Aeolus, Centaur, Conway, L’Espiegle, Impérieuse and Victorious. The first floor is filled with Ariadne, Beacon, Larne, Rosario, Squirrel and Tees.
Chewton Glen is owned by a subsidiary of L+R (London and Regional Properties), a private global hotel investment company founded by British property developer brothers Ian and Richard Livingstone in 1987. Among their collection is Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire where we stayed as guests of previous owners Von Essen Hotels and 11 Cadogan Gardens, our “second home” in Chelsea. Ian Livingstone was a frequent guest at Chewton Glen before buying it from Martin and Trevor Skan in 2007. The Skan brothers had bought the house in 1965 and opened it as an 18 bedroom hotel the following year. “There was a little hotel in Bournemouth called the Dormy House which was excellent,” Martin recalls. “It was small but very luxurious and the restaurant was very good. We put the Dormy as our target at the beginning.” The Garden Wing overlooking the lawn falling towards Walkford Brook added another 15 bedrooms. There are now 37 bedrooms and 35 suites including the Treehouse accommodation.
We’ve an old hotel brochure – so old it includes the fax number 04252 72310 and telex 41456. It’s filled with photographs of amorous middle aged couples drinking, relaxing after a game of tennis, playing croquet and gazing longingly at each other beside the outdoor pool. The brochure states, “At Chewton Glen you come first. The pursuit of happiness is a very individual quest. It could be a rigorous game of tennis or golf in the grounds followed by a reviving Pimm’s, the intricacies of snooker heightened by the warmth of a cognac, or just relaxing with a glass of Champagne, listening to Chopin or Cole Porter. The choice is yours. You will find many ways of seeking and finding contentment at Chewton Glen.” There’s mention of sipping aperitifs and cocktails such as a Mint Julep. Basically the brochure suggests if you get sloshed enough you’ll inevitably seek and find contentment while staying in one of the 33 bedrooms or 11 suites.
In 2013, we recorded our lunch in the Spa overlooking the indoor pool: “The menu promotes less alcohol, more alkaline, intake. A spa buffet as organic as the hotel architecture. Vegetarian food plus salmon and prawns; nothing processed. Less acidic food such as meat and dairy. Your pH balance will be maintained, boosting health and upping energy levels. Our lunch is lentil, tahini and seaweed; jicama, endive and ewes’ curd; carrot and sweet pepper slaw. No wonder people choose to get married in the hotel’s kitchen garden. Old habits die hard – we’ve a coffee to finish – but this being The Glen, it’s served with buffalo’s rather than cow’s milk.”
Today we are lunching on the terrace overlooking the outdoor pool. We’re wonderfully looked after by Restaurant Manager Ami Norian. Courses are served at a leisurely pace. The wine list includes plenty of French white distraction including Burgundy, Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Côte Mâconnaise and Languedoc-Roussillon. Food choices are a little more indulgent than our last visit but there is still plenty of fruit and veg. Twice Baked Emmenthal Soufflé; Isle of Orkney Scallops, XO Sauce, Crispy Shallots; Chocolate and Cranberry Fondant, Mascarpone and Orange Ripple Ice Cream.
“Everything is hand cooked,” Ami explains. “Twice Baked Emmenthal Soufflé is a signature dish of Chewton Glen. It’s been served here for the last 33 years. And 72 hours ago these scallops were in the sea off Orkney Island!” We’re off late afternoon to burn some calories along the one kilometre walk to the beach through Chewton Bunny Nature Reserve, clad in waiters’ jackets to preserve our alabaster skin from the deepening rays. “It’s impossible to get lost,” waves Ami. We get lost. Somewhere beyond the pond strewn meadow, the trees grow taller and the foliage thicker and the path narrower. At least it’s shaded. This is one way to explore some of the 60 hectares of estate grounds of Chewton Glen Hotel.
On our return to London– rather later than anticipated – there’s a gaggle of excited photographers gathered at the base of the water tower in New Milton. Peregrines have been spotted nesting.
