Friday 22 November 2013

Destination Stoke Park, country club, hotel and spa, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire



The soft golds of the autumn leaves, interspersed with russets and lit up with a splash of red, shimmered in the sunshine. So serene yet so dramatic. This was the backdrop to the 27-hole championship golf course, acres of gardens and parkland that I saw before me as I sat staring out of the windows while enjoying afternoon tea in the Orangery at Stoke Park.  

It was hard to imagine that this amazing country hotel was only 35 minutes away from London. The hotel’s impressive guest list which has included the likes of Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Anne Hathaway and One Direction, shows if I am not the only one who has discovered this gem.

Being close to Pinewood Studios, the British Film Industry too seems to have fallen in love with Stoke Park. It was where what is probably the most memorable golf scene in movie history, the duel between James Bond and Goldfinger was filmed. It also was the setting for the unforgettable “mini break” in Bridget Jones’s Diary with Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth. More recently, it appeared in the final scenes of Layer Cake, with Daniel Craig and Sienna Miller appearing on the Mansion’s front steps.



Stoke Park


Stoke Park has history oozing out of its very essence. From being recorded in the Domesday Book of 1085 to having being owned by Elizabeth l and Thomas Penn, son of William, the founder of Pennsylvania,  it is now an impressive “resort” which became Britain’s first exclusive country club in 1908. Nick “Pa” Lane Jackson, the owner, commissioned the renowned course architect Harry Colt to design the golf course. Today it attracts some of the world’s golfing elite.

The main building on the estate is the 18th century imposing stately mansion designed by "Mad" King George III’s architect, James Wyatt. It manages to meld old-world elegance with private home intimacy. It’s the sort of place you feel comfortable curling up in an armchair in front of one of its roaring log fires.

Stoke Park also boasts an incredible spa, which is in the Pavilion – next door to the Mansion – where I stayed.

If you like contemporary bedrooms you will prefer to stay in the Pavilion. The rooms are stylishly furnished with sleek furniture and plush carpets that your feet sink into. There is a nod to Hollywood glamour in the form of film posters and elaborate rugs. The star attraction has to be the marble bathroom with heated floor and a spacious walk-in shower.  



Humphry's


Another benefit of staying in this building is that you can pop on your robe and head down to the pool and spa, which has a menu of extensive treatments delivered by excellent therapists or to the gym and fitness studio. There are indoor as well as outdoor tennis courts. Nobody will mind being a golf widow here. There is so much to do and, if sport is not your thing, you can take an invigorating stroll around the estate. I took the Heritage Walk, passed a few interesting monuments and learnt a few facts along the way.

After lots of walking and a relaxing pedicure and manicure, I was ready for dinner. If you don’t want to go across to the Mansion for dinner, you can go to San Marco, which dishes up great Italian food.
I chose to go the few hundred yards by shuttle bus (it was raining) to the Mansion to experience Humphry's, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant which is a compelling juxtaposition of modern British cuisine with the glamour of a bygone era. 

To start with I plumped for scallops washed down with a glass of Ochagavia 1851, Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Chile, oozing flavours of gooseberries which complemented the dish really well.

For the main course I had a rather delicious grilled fillet of sea bass with potato purée, samphir, clams and teign mussels nage, accompanied by a glass of Palliser Estate Pinot Gris 2011 from New Zealand.

For dessert, it had to be the indecently decadent chocolate soufflé which just melted in my mouth. This meal was superb. No wonder Humphry's under the under the auspices of head chef Chris Wheeler has won 3 AA Rosettes.

Excellent service, relaxing atmosphere, wonderful food, a dose of pampering in the spa and a beautiful bedroom that was hard to tear yourself away from, this is a lifestyle that I could get used to. Will I be going back? You bet.

By Daralyn Danns

For more info on Stoke Park, visit www.stokepark.com