Sopwell House

Hotel review

This 4-star white-washed Georgian country house hotel was the former residence of Lord Mountbatten’s family. It’s in walking distance of St. Albans with its famous cathedral and in easy reach of Luton Airport and London St. Pancras. The spacious lobby is open-planned beneath its glass roof with velvet sofas and a large open fire leading to a succession of traditionally-furnished drawing rooms lined with bookshelves, curios in cabinets and portraits of people with animal heads.

There’s both an old part and a new that houses the 128 rooms and family and balcony suites that share the same contemporary and homely interiors. They have leather furnishings, flock armchairs and duck feather duvets on the king-sized beds. The Mews Suite, originally a stable block has a privileged area with a courtyard with immaculate topiary within its communal garden and an illuminated outdoor jacuzzi for nighttime stargazing.

By day the restaurant hosts a quintessentially British ‘afternoon tea’; by night it’s lit up and transformed into Omboo, an Asian dining experience. The tropically themed series of rooms are colourful, playful and funky. The cuisine is inspired by the spice routes of Asia and the Far East. There’s also the Brasserie, a light breezy summer house where guests sit in their dressing gowns and slippers.

There are 12 acres of well-kept gardens in which to wander and it’s close to a golf course. Another attraction is the adults-only Cottonmill Spa, a magnificent modern fully-equipped pamper palace. The spa uses amber and quartz crystal beds. There’s a Whisper Room, a Rose Relaxation Room and a Garden Room, with cabanas and a fire pit. The Thermal Suite comprises an organic sauna, a therapeutic sea salt steam room and a botanical steam room, a vast indoor pool and vitality and hydrotherapy pools. All very snug and reassuring like a cocoon.

Adam Jacot de Boinod Review published: 04/11/2018