Tucked away down the hill from Beaverbrook’s imposing Victorian mansion, The Village is a charming collection of family-friendly suites designed to plunge guests back in time
Location
Beaverbrook and its grounds – where you’ll find The Village – are a sight to behold. Set in 470 acres of the Surrey Hills, approximately an hour and a half’s drive from central London (as long as the M25 is functional), or a quick hop from Leatherhead station, it’s unlikely that you’ll have the time or inclination to explore the surrounding areas. But, if you do, you’ll find the quaint villages of Mickleham and Headley nearby, as well as Epsom – famed for its racecourse – and the National Trust’s Edwardian country house Polseden Lacey, which is well worth a trip.
The vibe
The Village is largely presented as its own neighbourhood, a quiet haven designed with parents and young children in mind. The cottages are reconstructions of the homes lived in by the estate’s workers back in the 1800s and are accompanied by their own restaurant, Mrs Beeton’s. The cottages sit around a courtyard whose centrepiece is a boules court which, when the sun is out, gives the feeling of being in the south of France more than Victorian England. And yet, the Village is far from self-contained. Access to the main body of the hotel is essential, unless you’re happy to while away the days in your room or one of Mrs Beeton’s dining booths, or playing endless rounds of petanque. The house is a fully renovated late Victorian mansion, whose Art Deco decor and displays of historic treasures pay tribute to its most famous occupant: the 20th-century media mogul, and great friend of Winston Churchill, Lord Beaverbrook.
To reach the main hotel while staying in The Village, and thus enjoy the playground, pool, spa and other key amenities, you must commandeer a golf buggy or drive five minutes up the steep, speed bump-flecked hill. Part of the charm is that each room is allocated its own buggy to be used at the guests’ leisure, provided you undertake an efficient, three-minute training course.
The service
The Village only opened in December 2023 and is yet to feel busy. But rather than feel empty or desolate, the whole place was soothingly calm, especially after the excitement of…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…