When I was a little girl, I used to love David Winter Country Cottages. These miniature examples of perfect olde world cottages showcased the very best of English village life. I am fairly sure one of David Winter’s cottages was a copy of the luxury hotel, Langshott Manor, which simply couldn’t be a more perfectly formed 16th-century Manor house.
Location
Langshott Manor is located near the town of Horley in England. As you drive towards the hotel, there is no need to panic when you are moments away in the middle of suburbia. Persevere, as you will soon find yourself driving down a pretty little country lane and then swinging into an immaculate gravel driveway between outbuildings and beautifully manicured hedges to arrive at Langshott Manor.
Style & Character
The most striking thing about this luxury hotel is the Manor house itself. The Elizabethan beams and brickwork mix with the higgledy-piggledy turrets and chimneys to create an absolutely charming building.
The house is made even prettier with the vines and roses that grow up its ancient walls. Once inside, you walk through to a dark wooden and balconied main hall where you will find the reception desk. Tea rooms and a bar seating area can be found in the historic, and cozy little rooms to your right and beyond is the coveted 3 rosette restaurant in a more modern annex.
Rooms
There are just 22 rooms in this intimate boutique hotel. We stayed in a luxury room at Langshott Manor. Sadly this was in a newer outbuilding connected to the main building, so it lacked much character. If you would like a character room, request a room in the main house. The view from our room was directly over the moat pond and I found it utterly relaxing watching the local ducks swim past.
Service & Facilities
Langshott Manor has lovely gardens as well as many ponds that were originally part of a moat surrounding the property. Weeping willows droop into these ponds, and the lawns are bordered by colorful flowers and hedges. Life doesn’t get much better than sitting in this quintessentially English garden with a glass of Pimms sparkling sunshine. If David winter made gardens to go with his cottages, they would be based in this garden.
Food & Drink
The AA has awarded the Mulbury dining room at Langshott Manor with 3 Rosettes, which is a reason to stay at this Small Luxury Hotel. We had the 7-course taster menu, which was accompanied by some truly delicious wines. Highlights were the quail main and the violet and pistachio dessert. The dishes were tasty and beautiful, although I felt that the chef was a little over-enthusiastic about his cold (ice cream cold) courses considering that the dining room was already cold.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a luxury hotel a short drive from the lovely towns of Reigate and Dorking in the Sussex Downs, this petite Elizabethan manor house hotel is hard to beat. It is also one of the only true luxury hotels on the doorstep of Gatwick, making it the perfect overnighter before flying away.
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