This sprawling 300-acre Hertfordshire estate is all about outdoor pursuits and ensuring a good time is had by all ages
Location
For north Londoners it doesn’t get much better than this: a 40-minute drive up the M1 and you’re there, surrounded by lush rolling fields. It would be easy to think that you’re in the heart of the British countryside, rather than a 15-minute drive from Watford and the famous ‘Making of Harry Potter’ Warner Bros studio. But the Chiltern Hills are just a half-hour drive away and there are plenty of quaint nearby villages to visit.
The vibe
Arriving at the hotel is, admittedly, rather daunting. The first thing you hit is the vast championship golf course before you roll up the driveway into the ominously large car park. Passing two imposing event spaces before you even reach reception, the lobby – located in an 18th-century red brick mansion – bustles with families and groups of friends. The aforementioned conference centres (there are, in fact, three onsite) are found in the more contemporary west wing which was added in 2003 and, from the outside, looks more like a boarding school or new-build flats. This, teamed with the endless stream of golf club-wielding men gives parts of the place a disconcertingly corporate feel. But all of that is forgotten once you start exploring the estate, whose award-winning spa and outdoor spaces are the main attraction.
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Service
Whilst an intimate, boutique experience this ain’t, personal touches are still paramount. The staff are as available and attentive as in any smaller hotel and, although busy, nothing feels frenzied. Indeed, more than a corporate hub or golfers’ paradise, The Grove is clearly geared towards families. While visiting the games room, tucked into a long, glass-fronted potting shed, my two-year-old swiftly grew besotted with a staff member called Lizzie who was manning the arts and crafts section. Together, they decorated flags and paperchain-style people, and painstakingly threaded a beaded bracelet.
Bed and bath
The hotel’s bedrooms and suites are divided between the 189 rooms in the west wing, and the 12 suites and 13 bedrooms in the Grade-II listed mansion. All…
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