Tylney Hall is the archetypal country house hotel. Right down to the manicured box hedges and the helipad, there isn’t a box it doesn’t tick if you’re looking for a luxurious break in bucolic English countryside.

The hotel is one of four hotels in the Elite Hotels portfolio, the most recent addition being Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire. Like the rest of the collection, the hotel has a rich history that dates back to 16th century and includes spells as a hospital and military quarters.

The most lavish of its rooms is the Italian Lounge, which has walnut panelling and an ornate ceiling.

The ostentatiousness started even before I entered the hotel though – the drive sweeps through ancient parkland of redwoods and rhododendrons, and up to the grand entrance, where I drove carefully between gleaming Rolls Royces and Jaguars to park alongside a trickling fountain in front of the Grade II-listed mansion.

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

An immaculate porter emerged to take my bag and within five minutes I was being shown to my room.

One of the hotel’s most extravagant additions is the outdoor pool, which is tucked discreetly in a walled garden bound by gnarled wisteria at the back of the hotel. It was an unexpected but pleasing sight, when en route to my bedroom, we passed the pool surrounded by guests relaxing on loungers and catching a rare glimpse of English summer sunshine.

If the weather isn’t so agreeable, the hotel also has an indoor pool plus a sauna, gym and spa. Treatments start at £40 for a 45-minute treatment and massages cost from £30 for 30 minutes, plus there’s a range of spa day packages.

If it’s exercise you’re after the hotel’s grounds, spanning 66 acres, offer an assortment of walks around its stunning surroundings, which include a rose garden, lakes, water garden, azalea garden and Dutch garden. If that doesn’t suffice, there’s also tennis, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, hot air balloon rides and golf.

But back to my bedroom – the hotel’s 112 bedrooms are located in different building – a former stable block is one, while mine overlooked the water gardens. Rooms are traditionally decorated – so expect heavy floral fabrics, four-poster beds in some rooms, polished mahogany furniture and the odd gold tap. It’s old-school chintz, but it’s in keeping with the hotel’s character. The only disappointment in my split-level room was the low ceiling, which made it feel less grand than the décor implied. I’d rather have ditched the lounge area downstairs and had a single-storey room with a more airy feel.

The room had everything you’d need – bathrobes, toiletries by Molton Brown, television with satellite channels, internet access, safe, iron, trouser press and tea and coffee making kit.

Dining at the hotel is a smart affair – men are requested to wear jacket or tie in the Oak Room Restaurant – although you can have lighter and less formal meals in the lounges. And if the weather is favourable, afternoon tea on the terrace overlooking the hotel’s croquet lawn, and what the waiter proudly told me was “the longest uninterrupted view in Hampshire”, is surely a must to round-off your classic English country weekend.

I dined in the Oak Room at lunchtime (two courses costs £18.50 including VAT and service) and had a stunning smoked Scottish salmon on spring onion blini followed by a classic sole meuniere that was fresh and cooked perfectly. This was accompanied by one of the nicest bottle of English white wine I’ve tried, recommended by the sommelier.

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