The Best Hotels to Book Near Chartwell, Kent

For a waft of politics without the urban setting, this neo-Gothic hulk of a hotel was inspired by the Palace of Westminster. Swap city smoke for views over the Surrey Downs – from grand spaces set with marble fireplaces, stained glass windows and mammoth chandeliers. Rooms are more modern with a lighter touch of decor while cavernous suites named after writers take sleep seriously with either four-poster or sleigh beds. Tennyson packs on period charm – set into the eaves with vaulted ceilings, a roll-top bath and tv rising out of its cherry-wood sleigh bed. Dine on perfectly poached eggs and toast before hitting the expansive spa and health club with a pool made for languid lengths.

Fly in from Gatwick – which is a 14-minute drive away – and recuperate from a long flight amid Jacobean splendour overlooking the South Downs. After healthy bircher muesli or sausages, rest up in beds made for jumping on in rooms and suites lined with pretty feature wallpaper. Choose from cute Cosy Attic rooms to Comfy King and lavish Spa Suites with oversized freestanding bathtubs for two. Need more relaxation? The Utopia Spa is a real draw here – with a Tuscan-column lined indoor pool and Zen garden with hot tubs you’ll never want to leave. Except, perhaps, to visit the Wakehurst Royal Botanic Gardens – an easy seven-minute drive away.

Housed on the Crabbet Park estate in Worth close to Crawley, many holidaymakers choose this smart two-story bungalow – 10 minutes from Gatwick – over a faceless chain hotel at the airport. Hugged by attractive wrap-around lawns and a soothing spa-like decor once inside, soft tones, statues, scented candles and Buddha keep things relaxing here. Five rooms named after flowers continue the soft styling creating peaceful spaces – including Lily with a freestanding bath and Orchid’s four-poster bed and garden views. Breakfast on classic, creamy eggs benedict before venturing out to Chartwell.

Rooms at this 1806-built Kentish country house hotel – a few minutes from Brands Hatch – start with the contemporary classic, attractively decorated with warm tone and wooden furniture and go all the way up to Master Suites with crushed velvet sofas at the end of canopied sleigh beds. Kick off the day with savoury dishes such as eggs benedict or go sweet with Belgium waffles amid white painted panelling. Guests – including well-known racing drivers – love the blue-hued pool where you can show off your front crawl in as much as the serene setting.

Just 3mi from the Kentish spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells – and a 20-minute drive to Chartwell – this coaching inn’s rural location on Pembury’s village green is a good’un. Sip a quiet pint or sit at rustic tables in the snug space defined by prettily painted tongue-and-groove and overhead beams. In warm weather, eat breakfast kippers and toast al fresco in the flower-filled, brick-walled garden. Revamped rooms in nature-inspired shades green and brown – mirroring the rural locale – include romantic canopied mahogany four-poster bedrooms.

Lovers of grandeur and classical music flock to this Elizabethan country manor – 30 minutes from Glyndebourne – bordered by wild gardens, winding pathways and abundant flower beds. Soak up the wood-panelled public spaces warmed by log fires in winter on your way up to rooms that start grand – even at entry-level – with antiques and more wood panelling rising to dual-aspect suites with floral wallpaper mirroring the natural gardens below. Eat well on produce from the estate, the Victorian walled kitchen garden and authentic Victorian greenhouses: including fresh fruit and veg with old-fashioned kidneys on the breakfast menu, as well as yoghurt and honey.

If you’re a fan of period properties brought up to date, you’ll love this half-timbered Tudor country house – conveniently located just off the notorious M25 and minutes from Sevenoaks. Colourfully styled bedrooms – with striped shiny fabrics in caramel and berry tones – keep things contemporary while the more traditional oak-beamed restaurant combines European cuisine with Sunday roasts. Golfers love the multiple courses in the area, where they can tee off after hearty full English among the historic decor – or the palm tree-clad lawns eating outside.