A two-hour train journey from Paddington to Cheltenham Spa, followed by a short taxi ride is the magnificent five-star Ellenborough Park hotel, set in 90 acres of estate grounds surrounded by Cotswolds countryside and pretty villages. As you approach along the hotel’s sweeping drive, you’re greeted by the statue of a horse – a nod to Cheltenham Racecourse, which is walkable along a track through two fields and whose grandstand is visible from the hotel’s entrance.
Parts of privately owned Ellenborough Park date back to 1485, and there’s a real sense of history and nature combining here. When we first arrived, the hotel felt like a labyrinth of elegant, ancient rooms, with oak beams, wood-panelling, oil paintings, intricate stained-glass windows and the scent of polished wood and log fires throughout.
There are also jars of dog treats dotted around – the hotel is dog friendly and I’m pretty sure my dachshund would have enjoyed the treats and the dog menu, not to mention the grounds to explore. There are 62 bedrooms, suites and recently opened lodges – my spacious junior suite had panelled walls and ceilings, a very large bed with the comfiest of mattresses and a large bathroom and shower with Noble Isle products.
The view from one of my windows was of the heated outdoor pool, where people in white bathrobes lazed on sun loungers, some with glasses of fizz in hand. As well as the outdoor pool for all guests, there’s a Spa Garden Retreat available for private hire. It’s surrounded by cobblestone walls, ferns and flowers. Here you and your friends or family can enjoy a glass-enclosed hot tub, a Scandinavian sauna and an invigorating ice bath, with sole use of the sun loungers and dining area. Plus there’s a Taittinger yacht box, one of just five worldwide and the only one on dry land.
Lover as I am of a spa treatment, I chose the Elemis Expert Touch Facial massage and put myself in the expert hands of Natasha, who over 50 minutes applied all the oils, lotions and potions necessary to leave me in a state of complete relaxation. It really is the ultimate in pampering and as I write this review a week later I can still feel and see the glowy benefits. The hotel also has a small gym, or those who prefer the great outdoors can borrow a coat and boots from the Dubarry boot room to go for a wander around the vast estate.
As for dining, guests can choose between the wood-panelled restaurant or the cosy Horse Box Brasserie. For dinner, we chose the restaurant, where I started with the perfectly balanced braised spice lamb shoulder tagine with apricot, yews’ curd, almond, fennel, onion fritter and raita. My main course was the roasted brill with saffron-poached fennel, ratatouille, mussels, samphire and a bouillabaisse sauce; both were superb. Dessert choices included a passionfruit soufflé with mango and coconut ice cream, and a cinnamon crème brulée with a blackberry sauce.
Lunch, which we enjoyed in the brasserie, includes ciabatta sandwiches and larger plates of a hand-pressed burger with tomato, red onion marmalade, bacon, smoked Cheddar and fries or a lighter Caprese salad of heritage tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and smoked balsamic.
Choices for breakfast, also served in the restaurant, included Cotswold English breakfast, eggs benedict, Scottish smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and smoked kipper.
Ellenborough Park being a place to enjoy the finer things in life, we opted for a Champagne tasting in one of the hotel’s cosy rooms with a log fire. Sommelier David Knipli talked us through the relationship between the estate and Taittinger (eight of its Domaine Evremond Meunier vines from the brand’s 2021 plantings grow in the grounds of the hotel). Following a sword-wielding demonstration of sabrage, David served three Taittinger Champagnes – Brut Réserve NV, Brut Prestige Rosé and Nocturne Sec, each matched perfectly to different canapés.
Another fun thing to do at Ellenborough is the chocolate-making workshop with Tom Jeffery of Cheltenham Chocolates. Over two hours in a room with a large table covered in clingfilm – Tom was clearly expecting mess – we learnt about what makes quality cacao and how to temper and decorate chocolate eggs. I channelled my inner Jackson Pollock and copied Tom’s splattered paint effect – the clingfilm was a good idea after all. And the chocolate, which didn’t last until the following weekend, was delicious.
Finally, while you’re in the area, it’s worth taking a short cab ride to Sudeley Castle, once home to Katherine Parr, the surviving wife of Henry VIII, who is buried in the church, making this the only privately owned castle to have an English Queen buried in its grounds. Past visitors include Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Richard III and Charles I, who found refuge here in the Civil War. Today, it’s one of the few castles left in the country that is still a private residence, and you might spot Lady Ashcombe, who lives here, walking her cockerpoo Rudy or minature wirehaired dachshund Tula in one of the gardens.
Somehow, I feel my train journey back to Paddington is going to be pretty lacklustre after all this thought-provoking history, the glorious natural environment and indulgent pampering. If only they served Champagne on board…
Room rates at Ellenborough Park start from £269 per night for a double room on a B&B basis. For more information, visit www.ellenboroughpark.com.
The spa garden retreat is available for private hire for £249 for 90 minutes for up to six people.
Read more about Cheltenham Chocolates at www.cheltenhamchocolates.co.uk and Sudeley Castle at www.sudeleycastle.co.uk.
