insideKENT Magazine Issue 74 - May 2018 | Page 132

GETAWAYS
Georgian splendour meets modern flair at
SOPWELL HOUSE
A WHITEWASHED GEORGIAN MANOR TURNED CHIC COUNTRY ESCAPE THAT’S AS POPULAR
WITH FOODIES IN SEARCH OF TOP-NOTCH DINING AS IT IS WITH THE COCKTAIL-SUPPING
ST. ALBANS SET, SOPWELL HOUSE IS SET IN 12 GLORIOUS ACRES OF HERTFORDSHIRE
COUNTRYSIDE. WITH A SOCIABLE SPA, TWO RESTAURANTS TO CHOOSE FROM – EACH
WITH A DISTINCT CHARACTER – 128 ROOMS AND AN IMPRESSIVE SET OF MEWS SUITES SET
IN A GATED FORMER STABLE BLOCK, IT’S A FANTASTIC HOTEL THAT DELIVERS ON ALL
‘TRADITIONAL’ ACCOUNTS, BUT SURPRISES IN EQUAL MEASURE. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
These days, I can’t help but feel that tradition
gets a bit of a bad rap – as though it’s
something to be sneered at in favour of uber-
modern and ultra-sleek trappings. It’s entirely
subjective of course, but personally, I’m happy
to walk into a restaurant with individual tables
cloaked neatly in crisp white tablecloths
instead of taking a bench seat at a communal
dining set up. And I’m happy to be addressed
as Mrs Humphris instead of instantly finding
myself on first-name terms with reception
staff dressed in jeans and trainers.
132
edgy flower arrangements providing a
youthful injection of cool, but the reception
desk runs like a very well-oiled machine; the
staff are impeccably turned out and very
efficient, giving immediate reassurance that
you’re in professional, capable hands. Handed
a soft robe and slippers, I was tempted to head
straight to the spa (currently undergoing a
state-of-the-art extension), which is a haven
of dimmed lights, wood, stone and glass,
all framing a 14.5-metre indoor pool, but was
too eager to check out our room – one of 16
mews suites.
If you’re headed to a city hotel that prides itself
on capturing some sort of futuristic zeitgeist
then fine, you know what to expect and it’s all
ultimately enjoyable in that context, but if
you’re heading to a splendid Georgian pile –
something that Sopwell House very much is
– there’s no shame in wanting to play by the
rules of tradition a little; something this hotel
does brilliantly, while keeping one eye firmly
on what today’s guest expects in terms of
modernity. Over the past few years, the hotel has
undertaken a substantial amount of
investment and the mews suites are certainly
the fruits of this labour. Reached via a private
courtyard surrounded by landscaped gardens
creatively curated by Ann-Marie Powell, 2014
RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold-award winner,
the suites are a mixture of individual studios,
apartments and duplexes (ideal for families)
each named after English flowers.
The spacious lobby with glass atrium roof sets
the tone for your stay perfectly – it’s light and
breezy in its style with velveteen sofas and Transformed traditional farmhouse cottage
buildings and stables, the exterior blends
beautifully with Sopwell’s established character,
but the interior – custom-made furniture and
fittings, four-poster beds, high-end
kitchenettes, outdoor hot tubs, mood lighting,
NEVO sound systems and colourful flourishes
of modern art – is ve