Heckfield Place, Hampshire

In short… A grand yet cozy Georgian estate with incredible food and spa in the English countryside.

The surroundings… An hour from London, 40 minutes from Heathrow, and an hour from Gatwick, this is a perfect entry or exit haven on a trip to London. Located in Hampshire in southeast England, a county that may not have the reputation of the Cotswolds with its charming villages to explore, but that doesn’t matter, as it leaves you free to stay on property to relax and explore all 438 acres. You won’t want to miss a second here—there’s so much to do, from walking its extensive 19th-century pleasure gardens, to visiting its home farm, and maybe a swim in the lake! But if you do want to explore off-property, there are plenty of options, from visiting Windsor Castle to riding at Wellington.

The vibe… Incredibly tasteful—there’s nothing schtick here, no hitting you over the head with “you’re in the English countryside!” Rather, it reads private elegant home that you’ve been invited to stay in—in great part because of the owner’s art and photo collections, so nothing feels overdesigned or cluttered. It’s impressive but warm—and while you might be tempted to photograph every photogenic corner, it wasn’t created to attract the Instagram crowd. Staff are lovely—super friendly and unscripted, and genuinely so happy to work here. Every time I complimented the property to one of them, they would beam and talk with so much pride about it. (Side note: their uniforms come from Egg, which I promptly visited as soon as I got to London.) It’s the kind of place where every single detail is so considered—down to the fact that you don’t have to worry if you don’t have foul weather gear, they have wellies and waxed jackets you can borrow!

The rooms… As we were traveling with our daughter, we were in two adjoining rooms, with a central living room we rarely left. Both rooms had a view out to the lawn and the estate beyond, and Clara’s had a little terrace. Our bathroom was divine—thoughtful details like large rugs, lots of storage and hooks, even a hair hat for the bath, and their own products called Wildsmith, which were so lovely. Bedding and the mattress were top. Loved the minibar with its homemade snacks and tea setup, and a perfect mini bottle of milk from their farm. 

The food & drink… We arrived midday on Sunday, so we were able to experience their Sunday family-style lunch at their green Michelin-starred restaurant Marle, which was so delicious. We may have eaten too much of their homemade butter and bread—I dream about that butter, a yellow I’ve never seen before, made from their Guernsey cows. We somehow made room for afternoon cake, which was lemon poppyseed and to die for. Tea and cake is a daily affair—on day two, I found myself wondering what the cake of the day would be during my massage. (It was an equally delicious spelt/berry.) Cocktails in the Moon Bar were perfection, with their homemade bbq potato chips alongside. Dinner the first night was at Hearth, where everything is cooked over fire and so insanely good. The standout was the wood-roasted chicken with muhammara and grilled lettuce, but I still can’t stop thinking about their pickled farm vegetables and the flatbread with spiced carrot hummus. For our last dinner we ate at Marle, which was elevated but not fussy. The food philosophy throughout is to use as much as possible from their own biodynamic farm, and what they don’t have, they source using as few food miles as possible. Of course they have very talented teams in the kitchens, but the ingredients are just next level.

The wellness… The Bothy, their new-ish (opened in 2023) spa, is a delight. While I normally don’t like when someone parents my phone use, I thought it was clever to ask guests to either leave theirs in the room, or to check them when they arrive. I had the best massage of my life, as did Matt and Clara—a woman who did some form of Thai-meets-deep-tissue that was so healing. The pool is lovely—and it has no chemicals/chlorine; they use minerals to keep it clean—so it leaves you feeling silky. We had a Sauna Medicine treatment too, which was so great—an hour-and-a-half of two women scrubbing us down in the steam room, followed by a cold shower and rest, then two sets of saunas with lots of fanning and icing down…followed by cold. It was just incredible.

Don’t miss… There’s a wooden swing that seats two side-by-side, which is so lovely. You can’t not smile on a swing! Also, take a ride in Chamomile, the 1950s Morris Minor that’s been converted to electric. And even if you don’t see a movie in their screening room, definitely go check it out. 

Date of stay… October 26-28, 2025