Lewtrenchard Manor, in Devon, England. Photo / Supplied
Xenia Taliotis stays at a Jacobean beauty in the southwest of England.
Location: Okehampton, in lovely Devon, southwest England.
Check-in experience? A gracious welcome from the receptionist who had our bags taken to our room while we filled in a two-second form on newspaper choices and whether we wanted an alarm call (no thanks). A look around the reception area and the
walk up a grand staircase gave us an indication of what to expect — history and English quirkiness brought together in an immaculate country house hotel.
What's so special? Everything. For a start Lewtrenchard sits in a secluded, lush valley with the River Lew running through parkland and beech-tree avenues that wind through ancient woodland. Then there's its age: it's a Jacobean beauty, built in the 1630s for the Gould family — the initials of the first owners, Henry and Ann, are carved in the overmantel above the original fireplace. The place is crammed with antiques, but the fact that it was a greatly loved home for centuries — right up until it became a hotel in 1949 - means that it is also full of individuality and personality. The most notable of its owners was Sabine Baring-Gould who brought whatever took his fancy back home. His eccentric and eclectic embellishments include a riotous fireplace extracted from a German castle, and an internal folly.
Room: An immaculate king-size double with views of the parkland. There are 15 rooms, some modern, others furnished with antiques and four-poster beds. If you book "Melton", you'll be sleeping in a bed that belonged to Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I.
