Weekend like a king in the countryside
Zuzana Kasparova says everyone feels like royalty at Hartwell House
Hartwell House Hotel is only 40 miles north-west of London in the heart of the Vale of Aylesbury, but it is a long way from real life unless you happen to be royalty. So, if you want modern amenities in magnificent settings and only want to spend an hour on the train, this is the place for you.
From the station, it is only few minutes’ drive by taxi to Hartwell where, on arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the hotel director Matthew A C Johnson and house manager Adam Parsons. Our room was located on the first floor of this stunning historical house with a view overlooking the lush grounds.
Hartwell House has a remarkable history: its most famous resident was Louis XWIII, exiled King of France, for five years from 1809. And once a property hosts royalty, standards are set.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
Hartwell House has 30 bedrooms and suites on three floors. All of the ‘boudoirs’ (Louis XWIII’s term) on the first floor, where we were accommodated, have been named after members of the Bourbon family. Many of the rooms have four-poster beds and all are decorated in a style reflecting the character of the house. We stayed in the Duchesse d’Angouleme room, named after the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who resided there with his uncle for five years. I hope she was as comfortable as we were. After settling in, the sunshine called and we set off to explore the 94 acres of parkland, landscaped by a contemporary of Capability Brown.
“Hartwell is the best that can happen to a great house if there is no family to guard it”
– Sir Simon Jenkins
A lengthy stroll around the house revealed various hidden treasures and surprises around every corner, be it church ruins
or 18th century sculptures.
We also discovered two all-weather tennis courts and in the gardens many of the herbs and vegetables are grown for the hotel kitchen.
After a couple of hours walking, we were really tired and that was a signal to enter the Hartwell Spa, housed in a splendid building modelled on an orangery and containing a generous-sized swimming pool, spa bath, steam room, saunas, hot tub and gymnasium.

They also have four treatment rooms providing a wide range of enjoyable massages and facials you only ever have on a mini-break.
The house is an ideal setting for special occasions such as weddings or anniversaries, and might even stretch to hosting a princely barmitzvah.
We ended our first day at Hartwell with a delicious three-course meal by candlelight accompanied by live piano music.
After breakfast the following day, Adam kindly gave us a guided tour around the house, which has both Jacobean and Georgian features. There are outstanding decorative ceilings and panelling, fine paintings and antique furniture in its elegant and spacious rooms. I was most taken with the dramatic Gothic hall and staircase, with its Jacobean carved figures, one of them even featuring Sir Winston Churchill.
After our stay, I was not only fully rejuvenated and relaxed, but keen to tell friends about the place. What I will remember most is the pride and passion of the staff at Hartwell House looking after this historical gem,
where all guests feel like blue bloods, no matter what their pedigree happens to be.

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Allyson Shaw
-
By David Gross
-
By Brigit Grant
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)