On the drive from Fleet train station to the Four Seasons town gave way to villages, the houses got bigger and the driveways longer, until we reached the meandering driveway of the hotel.

In the distance was the monolithic Georgian mansion – a grand red brick edifice that overlooks fields, lakes and woodland.

The arrival will be all the more impressive once the trees along the drive have matured. At the moment the parkland lacks the feel of a grandiose estate – the sort that Capability Brown might have landscaped with aged oaks and knarled monkey puzzle trees.

A bit more greenery will also help to hide the stable yard, half way up the drive, which provides entertainment for horsey guests, but isn’t as attractive as the original brick stables, now the hotel’s spa.

Tylney Hall, Hook, Hampshire

Ginny McGrath finds a grand hotel offering the perfect English country weekend away

BACKGROUND

• Keppel’s Head Hotel, Portsmouth, Hampshire

• The Montagu Arms, Beaulieu, New Forest

• Anchor Inn at Lower Froyle, Hampshire

• Aviator, Farnborough, Hampshire

• TerraVina, Southampton

BACKGROUND

• Four Seasons, Hook, Hampshire

• Botley Park Hotel & Country Club, Hampshire

• Chewton Glen, New Forest, Hampshire

• Master Builder's House, New Forest, Hampshire

BACKGROUND

• Rhinefield House, Brockenhurst, Hampshire

• The Wykeham Arms, Winchester

• Lainston House Hotel, Winchester

Related Links

• Botley Park Hotel & Country Club, Hampshire

There is a story behind the lack of trees - the house was once owned by the Mildmay family, who gambled away their fortune and sold the trees on the estate to fund their love of horses and horse racing. Further trees were plundered to build ships for the Royal Navy.

In an effort to redress the deforestation, the hotel teamed up with English Heritage when it opened and planted 33,000 sapling trees in the grounds.

Backdrops aside, the hotel management could have been shooting a brochure photo when I arrived – a jogger was setting out across the parkland, a couple were returning from a bike ride along the Basingstoke Canal and a girl was being led on a pony around the grounds.

The welcome is typically Four Seasons – a besuited doorman takes your luggage and guides you into a pillared hallway. Thoughtfully, the reception desk is off to the side, so you still get the feeling of walking into a private country house.

Check-in was done in my suite on the first floor, and after my credit card details and signature were taken, I was left to admire far-reaching views on two sides through tall sash windows.

The suite was roomy with high ceilings and elegant plaster moulding. The lounge had a small dining table, sofa and chairs, and was decked in rich cream and gold. The furniture was period and mahogany. Likewise in the bedroom, where a huge double bed was backed by a gathered silk curtain, the decoration was sophisticated with attractive pencil etchings on the wall.

As you’d expect from a Four Seasons, my room had all the mod cons – safe, minibar, two televisions with digital channels, DVD player, elegant tea and coffee set, and good signage, including one handy note that saved me the usual rummage for the hairdryer.

Disappointingly wired internet access is charged at £15 for 24 hours in the rooms, but there’s free wireless access in the bar, library and spa café.

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