There are lots of dreamy spa hotels in the UK but not many have such a bucolic woodland setting as Lime Wood. As soon as you drive over the noisy cattle grid into the New Forest and spot the wild horses frolicking about, you know this place is going to be special. The main hotel is set around a grand 19th-century building (a former school where T.S. Eliot taught) which houses some of the larger rooms and suites, the atrium bar, library and the cosy Angela Hartnett collab restaurant.
Despite being a deeply luxurious experience (with a price-tag to match), Lime Wood is surprisingly friendly and relaxed. From the moment you arrive, the staff couldn’t be more helpful – from whisking your luggage up to your room, to parking your car – and that continues throughout your stay, without being overbearing. Rooms are similarly pitched with all the decadent comforts you’d expect but without any fussiness. Kids are also thoughtfully looked out for with a mini robe and slippers in the room and a children’s menu with some utterly delicious pasta dishes. In fact, the whole of the restaurant is pretty good. You can’t go wrong by ordering a carb-fest of all the prima dishes – on our visit, these were blue cheese and pistachio risotto, handmade ricotta and walnut ravioli and duck ragu gnocchi. The central courtyard bar is reminiscent of a member’s club, with the sound of cocktails being shaken day and night, making it as great for some chilled laptop work as it is for late-night negronis.
The influence of the location is felt throughout, from the big sauna windows looking over the woods to the twig-shaped pens that are used throughout. The Herb House spa gets you even closer to nature with an outdoor jacuzzi, a rooftop herb garden and indoor hot pools where you can gaze out at the trees.
It might not be the newest or coolest hotel opening, but stays here are seriously relaxing which is exactly what you want from a place like this.
Nearby
Situated deep in the New Forest, this is the perfect base to explore this unique countryside: a mix of woodland and heathland full of wandering horses. A particularly nice bit is Bolderwood. The nearby towns of Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst are well worth a looksie and it’s a short drive to the coast for a nice beach walk on Avon Beach for fish and chips at The Noisy Lobster.
Time Out tip
Borrow a pair of Hunter wellies for a pleasant stomp through the woods behind the hotel. There are maps of varying-length walks in the rooms and a secret gate for hotel guests to slip out to do some shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).