Park House Hotel.
Bepton, Midhurst, West Sussex.
This late 19th century country house, situated in ten acres of grounds near Midhurst, was opened as a hotel in the late 1940s by Ione and Michael O’Brien, and has been in the same family ever since. It is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the heart of the South Downs National Park, yet only 50 miles from central London.
The pretty gardens spread out around the rear of the hotel and include seasonal beds full of colour, herbaceous borders, a stunning rose arch walkway, ponds, mature trees and distant countryside views. Within and beyond the gardens guests can enjoy games on the immaculate bowls and croquet lawns, two superb grass tennis courts, a 6 hole 18 tee golf course and a putting green.
Every bedroom at Park House has been individually designed and decorated to reflect a luxurious and elegant English country house feel. There are twelve en-suite bedrooms in the main house, six in South Down Cottage, two in Polo Cottage and one in Baytree Cottage.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served in the dining room or the adjacent conservatory which looks out over the gardens and croquet lawn. Wherever possible, locally-sourced produce is used to create delicious seasonal menus. Also a traditional English afternoon tea is served in the drawing room in winter, or outside on the surrounding garden terraces in the warmer summer months, and an all-day menu is available for light snacks.
The award-winning spa at Park House Hotel includes a stunning 15-metre mother-of-pearl indoor swimming pool, a gym, four treatment rooms and a relaxation room. A personal trainer is available on request. From May to September there is also a heated outdoor swimming pool and a wide range of outdoor sporting options, including tennis, croquet bowls and golf. Refreshments are served all day.
For guests who can tear themselves away from all that the hotel has to offer, the South Downs Way provides great walking and scenery. And just three miles from the hotel, Iping Common is a part of the South Downs Dark Sky Reserve; a star-gazing treat for anyone who normally lives in a town or city. Goodwood too is just six miles away.