The Newt in Somerset, UK

In short… The Newt in Somerset is centered around a restored Georgian manor within an 800-acre estate in southwest England—encompassing more than 30 acres of formal gardens, extensive woodlands, farmland, apple orchard and even an ancient Roman villa. With endless outdoor activities and a stellar spa, it hits all the notes of an English countryside fantasy. 

The surroundings… A 2-hour train from London brings you to Castle Cary station, arguably one of the most charming stations in all of England. The station’s retail space—aka The Creamery—was recently transformed by The Newt into a farm shop, restaurant and tea room in a renovated vintage train car (complete with the same china used on the Titanic) and a fully working creamery, where they make their own cheeses, including buffalo mozzarella (using milk from buffalos raised on property). From Castle Cary station to The Newt it’s about a 10 minute drive along winding roads through the quaint English countryside. Depending on which side of the property you’re staying on (yes, it’s that big), you’ll either be dropped off at Hadspen House or The Farmyard. We stayed at the Farmyard, a mix of traditional English lime cottages and Nordic-style farmhouses—a cool juxtaposition against the natural backdrop. There’s a restaurant at The Farmyard reserved exclusively for guests, where you can have breakfast and other meals, along with a beautiful light-filled swimming-pool barn.

Upon check-in, you’re given a key to a golf cart to use throughout your stay, which was exciting—I love driving a golf cart and was really looking forward to practicing my left-side driving. Why a cart? Because it’s a 30 minute walk from The Farmyard to Hadspen house—a route that brings you through The Newt’s extensive gardens and apple orchard, which is beautiful, but too far when you’re going back and forth multiple times a day.

A walk down a pebbled path past Hadspen House takes you by the gym, spa, and other guest houses in the property’s Stable Yard—all buildings that are original to the property, where you can enjoy a night in the original Granary, or even sleep in the former stables. Hadspen House occupies a beautiful Georgian building with guest rooms on the second floor and a few common spaces. Most meals are taken in Hadspen House’s restaurant, The Botanical Rooms, so even if you’re staying in The Farmyard you’ll spend plenty of time here.

Continuing on from Hadspen House and through an enchanting hedge row, you reach the Estate’s main gardens and café, open to hotel guests and also members, which means it’s always lively with families and locals. At the heart of it is the Threshing Barn, which houses another farm shop, gelateria and cidery. In the gardens, you’ll find a summer produce garden, a greenhouse winter garden, a traditional Japanese garden, a quaint cottage garden—which when we visited was transformed into an incredible Christmas installation—a parabola garden filled with various apple varieties, and their “Beezantium” housing various bee colonies. A short walk away is their fully restored Roman Villa, which was constructed after excavations on the grounds turned up a site of ancient Rome ruins. It’s now a fully fledged archaeological museum, as well as a reimagining of what the building might have been when the Romans lived in Somerset, with the original structure dating to 351 AD.

The backstory… Acquired by South African husband-and-wife team Karen Roos and Koos Bekker in 2013 (who also own the similarly concepted Babylonstoren in the Cape Winelands of South Africa), The Newt opened in 2019, following a complete restoration of the 18th-century Hadpsen House and its 900 acres. It had been a private residence for its entire history, and The Newt’s opening also marked its debut to a wider public. The scale of the project is amazing: not only in the hotel itself, but also as it provides a beautiful space for the local community to explore and gather, and a land conservation vision that benefits greater Somerset as well.

The vibe… We visited over New Years and felt incredibly welcome, and the staff were lots of fun. I always appreciate when you can feel the enthusiasm of the staff—ably led by GM David Gelhaar—many of whom live on property, and this absolutely came through at The Newt with an infectious influence on guests.

At The Newt, you’re encouraged to explore at your own pace. Days are spent walking the gardens, relaxing at the spa or in a treatment, playing croquet, taking lunch when you please at either of the property’s three restaurants, driving your cart around, or relaxing in The Garner Bar (the property’s complimentary honor bar) in the Farmyard with a G&T and a book in front of the fire. There’s also lots of programming on offer, such as the “Birds of Prey” experience with Jim, who has worked with the birds (including a Harris hawk and a beautiful falcon) since his youth, morning cold plunges in the lake, and lots more…

The rooms… Our room in the Farmyard was spacious and high-ceilinged, a stylish mix of Nordic-inspired minimalism and English countryside antiques. The bathroom was huge, and some of the other rooms in The Farmyard even have built-in steam baths. The rooms in Hadspen House read more traditionally Georgian, learning into more of the classic aesthetics of the building.

The food & drink… The food is excellent—fresh, light and delicious; never fussy or complicated—with the primary restaurant The Botanical Rooms anchoring the culinary program. Produce is grown on property in their kitchen farm, which draws on technology that guarantees fresh produce year round. At breakfast in the Farmyard Kitchen, I had a poached egg on wilted winter greens and sourdough toast on a bed of bagna cauda… I mean, I’m still thinking about this breakfast. In the Garner Bar, all of the gin is made by a local distillery using apples from The Newt, and they are all delicious! All of the cider is made on property in their cidery as well.

The wellness… The spa here is the perfect balance of serene interiors and the raw natural surroundings. The pool has an indoor/outdoor feature, which is a dream in the winter as you can experience the bitter English cold from the comfort of a bubbling thermal pool. They also have an incredible sauna that looks out into the garden, a pink salt room and a steam room. I was also fortunate enough to experience their hammam, where traditional body scrub treatments are carried out, and it was amazing.

Be sure to… Explore the grounds (on foot and cart) and take the time to experience the spa. If you can, book yourself into the hammam! It was such a nice change from the more generic massage on offer at most hotel spas, and I sort of felt reborn after the fact. 

Date of stay… December 29 2025 – January 1, 2026