Chewton Glen, Hampshire

Voted number one leisure hotel in the UK by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine, Chewton Glen in Hampshire is a gem. This luxury country house hotel, spa and country club, located on the edge of the ancient New Forest National Park, is set in 130 acres of grounds and boasts a 9-hole, par 3 golf course, a practice range, tennis courts, swimming pool, croquet lawn and putting green.

The Marryat restaurant offers an eclectic style of cookery and makes extensive use of fresh local produce such as wild mushrooms, vegetables and game from the New Forest and seafood from Christchurch and Lymington Spa.

But the highlight of the hotel is its spa, which underwent a £3.5m refurbishment in 2005. With a 17-metre, indoor pool, over 50 beauty and body treatments, “Air Machine” resistance equipment, three new treatment rooms, a relaxation room, hydrotherapy room, saunas and steam rooms, Chewton Glen has set new standards in what we expect of hotel spa facilities.