insideKENT Magazine Issue 80 - November 2018 | Page 169

GETAWAYS BRANDSHATCH PLACE Hotel and Spa IT WAS ALMOST HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WE WERE A FEW SHORT MINUTES FROM THE MOTORWAY WHEN MY GUEST AND I DROVE UP TO THE TOTALLY SECLUDED, BEAUTIFUL GEORGIAN MANSION THAT IS HOME TO BRANDSHATCH PLACE HOTEL AND SPA, ONE OF JUST TWO KENT-BASED PROPERTIES THAT ARE PART OF THE EXCLUSIVE COUNTRY HOUSE AND SPA HOTEL OFFERING BY THE HAND PICKED HOTELS GROUP. BY SAMANTHA READY Built in 1806, the mansion house itself is a picture-perfect image of red brickwork and large white sash windows; it’s a cosy, welcoming abode and yet, while dazzling, the facade belies the tardis-like quality of the facilities beyond which have been cleverly extended and built into the hills and grounds. The results are the epitome of ‘small but perfectly formed’: just 38 bedrooms means the grounds and facilities never feel overwhelming busy, the 2AA Rosette restaurant is intimate but not claustrophobic, and a well- designed layout means that conference or wedding guests (the whole hotel can be booked for exclusive use) can use a separate private entrance that escorts them straight to the large banqueting suite and conference rooms. The spa, again with its own private entrance as well as access from the hotel, means that guests such as myself can arrive direct from the hotel in their robes and slippers with as much ease as a health club member arriving for an evidently popular personal training session. Not content resting on its Georgian laurels, the hotel has recently undergone a total refurbishment programme and the result is a warm palette of neutral colours, luxurious drapes, cosy armchair seating and sleek finishes, which extend into the lovely Dining Room Restaurant, characterised by high ceilings, original fireplaces and beautiful windows. For dinner, there are two menus: a changing table d'hôte and an à la carte offering. My guest, who is vegetarian, and I (mainly just fussy with a side order of allergic) were both impressed by the range of options across both menus and chose our dishes from the very reasonably priced daily menu. Whipped goats’ cheese with granola and red- wine poached figs followed by smoked haddock, pea risotto and buttered samphire; and duck galantine with poppy seed tuile and a zingy chilli apricot jam, and glazed pork belly with pea purée and baby gem were all well balanced and beautifully presented. Of course we couldn’t refuse dessert, plumping for the fragrant coconut and lemongrass bavarois with passion fruit coulis and the decadent salted caramel delice with toffee sauce and chocolate soil, which we justified with a few quick lengths in the beautiful basement spa pool. In fact, we happily whiled away a good few hours in the spa (pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi) with its calming natural stone and soft purple lighting creating a perfect restful haven finishing off our stay with the most perfect of massages from an extensive list of pampering options. Brandshatch Place Hotel and Spa offers a friendly relaxed environment, which was evident throughout our stay from the family groups relaxing in the lounge to the buzzing quick coffee stop and the social café space of the health club. After-dinner drinks in the mood-lit bar, making the most of the unexpected October sunshine in the outside suntrap of the almost-secret spa terrace, and, of course the staff who were welcoming, friendly and faultless really topped off a wonderfully restful stay. Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa Brands Hatch Road Fawkham Kent DA3 8NQ [email protected] 0845 072 7395 www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/brandshatchplace/ BrandshatchSpa brandshatchplace brandshatchplacehotel 169