East Sussex Downs
Often overlooked in favour of West Sussex, its chocolate box neighbour, East Sussex is currently the talk of the countryside with the news that Towner Eastbourne is hosting next year’s Turner Prize as part of a year-long celebration of the gallery’s centennial. Guests at the annual British visual arts award now have somewhere stylish to lay their head thanks to the hotelier Olga Polizzi, who has brought her signature elegant touch to The Star, a boutique hotel in the mediaeval village of Alfriston. Wooden beamed ceilings, stone floors and smoky fireplaces are monuments to the property’s past life as a 15th-century inn that once served as a refuge for monks and pilgrims during their 80-mile trek from Battle Abbey to Chichester Cathedral. There are plenty of local flourishes, too. Furniture has been sourced with the help of Diana Kelly Interiors, whose shop can be found a few doors down, and there’s a library curated by Much Ado Books, a quirky bookshop in the village. Chef Tim Kensett, a River Café alumnus, helms the hotel’s restaurant, cooking up Sussex fare with an Italian twist in a nod to Polizzi’s heritage. (Think hand-rolled tagliolini with South Downs butter and a lush tiramisu made with Northiam Dairy cream.) Further gastronomical delights are found less than ten minutes away at the sprawling Rathfinny Estate, a vineyard where visitors can sample a glass of vintage sparkling wine at the estate’s much-lauded tasting room. Further north, there is Glyndebourne, a celebrated country-house opera co-founded by the soprano singer Audrey Mildmay; and, in Lewes, Tom Paine Printing Press and Press Gallery, a charming, working 18th-century-style wooden hand press and exhibition space for contemporary printmakers. Charleston, the modernist farmhouse and studio once belonging to the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, a Scottish painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group, is a must-visit. Today, the space is a living gallery, with artwork on virtually every surface, including the walls, tables, chairs and bookcases. And if you fancy replicating a bit of Bloomsbury bohemia in your own home, swing by the studio of Amy Balfour, a florist and decorative artist who paints frames, lights and mirrors by hand.
The Kent Coast
The advent of speedier rail links from London to Kent has revitalised the coastlines of South East England, allowing city escapees to build new nests in many of the unspoiled beachfront towns. England’s Garden, as the region is known, is also a haven for visitors, too. Just outside the historic village of Bridge, about three miles south of Canterbury, The Pig at Bridge Place, a hotel located on the stately grounds once belonging to Kentish gentry, has been a favorite getaway for rock-and-rolls acts like Led Zeppelin and The Kinks for decades. Updown, a renovated, four-room farmhouse that is located just outside Deal in White Cliffs Country, offers the type of rustic intimacy — on Fridays and Sundays, tables at the restaurant (housed in a barn, of course) are kept open for hotel guests — that will make you feel right at home. In the actual town of Deal, The Rose, a former pub that served pints on the high street for some 200 years, is now an eight-bed boutique hotel with playful interiors that mixes bold Liberty prints and retro furniture. Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes has collaborated on the hotel’s menu — sea buckthorn margaritas, scallops cooked in hay with seaweed butter, roasted pear ice cream with chestnuts – which showcases earthy ingredients foraged from the surrounding countryside. For seafood, try Angela’s or Dory’s, two seaside bistros located around the corner from each other, or 81 Beach Street, whose daily catches from a local fishmonger are posted on a chalkboard. For something quick, there is No Name Shop, a deli selling an artisanal selection of French cheeses, olives and cold meats. After all, Deal is technically closer to the borders of France than London. Taylor-Jones and Son, a contemporary art gallery located on the Margate seafront, exhibits works from big names such as Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry. A weekly Saturday market at Union Road is a great local spot to pick up fresh fruits and flowers, antique furniture and handicrafts. Smugglers Record Shop, a vinyl boutique and listening bar, and Hoxton Store, a homewares emporium that sells everything from kimonos to leopard-print cushions, offer an equally eclectic mix.
Bruton, Somerset
Nestled among a slew of historic landmarks — Stonehenge, Stourhead house and King Alfred’s Tower, to name a few — this once forgotten Saxon backwater is now a popular getaway for modern creatives, such as the fashion designer Phoebe Philo, theater producer Cameron Mackintosh and the gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Housed on site at the Hauser and Wirth, Somerset sprawling countryside grounds, Durslade Farmhouse, an 18th-century dwelling that sleeps 12 guests, mixes taxidermy with art hung salon-style on the walls. A 10 minutes drive away, The Newt is considered one of the most exceptional country house hotels in all of Britain. Along the 1,000-acres of woodland, guests are free to roam the apple orchards and Villa Ventorum, a reconstruction of a 1,600-year-old Roman villa whose remains were discovered on the estate’s grounds. The latest addition to the property is Farmyard, a former dairy farm that now houses a swimming pool and all-day kitchen serving delicious rustic fare like burnt citrus sorbet. In town, chef Merlin Labron-Johnson, who won a Michelin star at the age of 24, has attracted legions of admirers for Osip, his restaurant on the ground floor of Number One Bruton, for a menu championing hyper-seasonal farm-to-table fare, hand-picked sloe negronis and small-batch beers. At The Chapel offers Devon-crab bruschetta, roasted beetroot and pecorino risotto in a converted 18th-century chapel. (Guests can even book a bedroom at the chapel for an overnight stay.) Bruton is also a trove for off-the-beaten path antiques. Phillips and Skinner is filled with upmarket curios, from knitted socks exported from Morocco to bath bombs made from local honey; and Caro, a shop and event space selling custom Earl Gray-infused chocolates and sculptural homeware, is so picturesque that the space can be rented out as a photo studio.
The Cotswolds
The amber-colored villages and halcyon landscapes of the Cotswolds are a magnet for Brits in search of a slower pace of life. In recent years, the region has seen an influx of artisan boutiques, of-the-moment restaurants and modernist pubs. Take The Fox at Oddington, a 19th-century British inn tucked in the Gloucestershire countryside with a spa, farm shop, rental cottages and a craft bar serving elevated pub fare and a hearty Sunday roast made from seasonal ingredients. Nearby, the countryside hotel Thyme has bedrooms overlooking Dahlia gardens, cooking classes and The Ox Barn, a restaurant serving confit guinea fowl and baked chickpeas with pumpkin and goat’s curd. Gastronomes should also investigate The Double Red Duke, where meat is cooked on fire grills by the ex-Hawksmoor chef Richard Sandiford. In Wiltshire, the new kid on the block is Kin House, a Georgian manor restored by the interior designer Lucy Barlow with Lewis and Wood wallpaper and Pelican House rugs. Cutter Brooks, a charming textile and papery emporium opened by Amanda Brooks, is filled with one-of-a-kind ikat tablecloths, scrunchies made from vintage Chanel scarves and woven straw baskets sourced from markets in Saint Rémy.
