If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that England was a frequent destination for us prior to 2020. I was lucky enough to travel to London for work a few times, and we would always make a stop over on our way to other European cities. This is the first trip back we’ve made since our 2020 trip got cancelled the week LA went on lockdown, and it was, quite possibly, my favorite. You’ll soon see why. Estelle Manor is a new, luxury hotel and country club in Oxfordshire, and it made our stay truly special. Read on for what you need to know ahead of your stay!
Estelle Manor is a 90-minute drive from Heathrow. We flew on the one non-stop flight they have from Raleigh to London, arriving at 6:30am. It took 1.5 seconds to breeze through customs and our bags were already waiting when we arrived at baggage claim. We hopped in our rental car, taking a few minutes to adjust again to the wrong side of the car and wrong side of the road, and we were on property by 9:30am!
When we entered the private gates of Estelle Manor, I became Mary Lennox, living out my childhood fantasy from “The Secret Garden.” The manor house is grand—with high walled gardens, and bikes to explore the property. There are 108 hotel rooms, four restaurants, a workspace, a gym and an extraordinary 3000 sq meters Roman-inspired bath house and spa opening next year.
Design legends Roman and Williams somehow managed to make the spaces feel Old World, yet contemporary, and taking in every single mind blowing detail became one of our favorite part of the experience. The vision is that of owner Sharan Pasricha, the founder of Ennismore (Hoxton hotels and others) with artistic direction of Sharan’s wife, investor Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. I seriously bow down. What they have created is astounding.
Throw open the doors, kind sir, your footman will escort you to your room. This is Estelle Manor, and it’s my next Stylish Stay.
What I Loved: The attention to detail at every turn was unsurpassed. From the design to the bar to the service to the food to the rooms to the gardens—you would be hard pressed to find a flaw. It’s not often I want to return to a hotel over and over, but we’ve already talked about going back next year. We also got an incredible deal with stay two nights get one night free AND breakfast was included.
Something to Know: The hotel is also a private club, and a DJ was playing one night (we were told). While I can’t say for certain since we weren’t staying in the main house, I would imagine the noise could be hard to control. We were so happy we were in the cozy and quiet Walled Garden bedroom, which is separate from the main house.
Suite Dreams: We loved our room! It had a separate sitting area, which was perfect for my husband, who always wakes at the crack of dawn. It also had the most incredible amenities, such as George Northwood shampoo and conditioner and even a curling iron, that I tried to buy once we got back to the states, and they don’t ship outside the UK (boo hoo!). My hair stylist uses this similar one, though and it’s on my Christmas list! When you opened up the mini bar, it was anything but mini. It was so thoughtfully stashed with eye masks and craft cocktail mix and so many fun things—no detail was overlooked! I also loved the Commune products in the bathroom—which will make a fabulous client holiday gift this year! Don’t tell!
Stylish Sips: We often joke that it’s hard to mess up a Negroni, but it takes a very good bartender to make it something special. The cocktails were so good, that we called over the Drinks Specialist (that’s what they prefer to be called) to talk about their secret sauce. Don’t miss dinner in the Glass House, which was the best meal we had our entire trip.
Cool Factor: A self-proclaimed “new school club with old school values,” they have succeeded in their mission to feel unstuffy. A membership gets you access to the members only areas, events, supper clubs and workshops, The Clubhouse workspace, 20% off a stay. If I lived in London, this would be a no brainer!
Hero Shot: From the end of the pool looking back at the house. Spectacular!
The sitting area in our room had warm and cozy vibes when we made a fire one night and watched the rest of the Beckham documentary.
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