SWELLEGANT STAYS
The Bradley
Cheltenham, England
The Regency streets of Cheltenham make for a quintessentially English town. Georgian ladies came here to take the healing waters, the Victorians promenaded through the parks, and even today a well-heeled set flocks to Cheltenham to shop, watch the races, and attend the annual Cheltenham Literature Festival.
The Bradley was built in 1912, and it is a gorgeous townhouse hotel. You step from the street through the golden stone facade, and are ushered into a succession of elegant reception rooms. Fine art hangs on the rich red walls, there are open fireplaces, and the conservatory opens out onto attractive gardens.
My four poster bed is in a large room with turquoise green walls and long shafts of natural light flowing in through the original, full length windows. Much of the furniture is antique, and all of it in keeping with the building’s history. I sit like a lady of leisure on an elegant, low settee, snacking on one of the home made cakes laid out thoughtfully for my arrival. There’s a decanter of port beside the bed, too, but I’ll save that for later in the evening.
In the immaculate bathrooms is a free standing bath big enough for two, and it is ever so inviting. The soap is by Penhaligon’s, and the bath products are from L’Occitane. Before bed I soak for an hour in the deep, hot water, drifting in and out of sleep before finally finding the energy to move through to the bedroom and slip in between the crisp white sheets.
Burley Manor
Hampshire, England
A couple of hours from London, in the New Forest National Park, stands an historic, red brick property in extensive grounds. Looking out across the lawns you might well see deer, which adds
