Sussex fizz in a bubbling woodland hot-tub. Steam rising off the heated outdoor infinity pool. Dog walks on the beach before dinner of local, seasonal fare.
These are just some of the heavenly scenes you can expect from a stay at Bailiffscourt, a charming cluster of medieval mansions set in 30 acres of private parkland next to Climping beach in West Sussex.
The award-winning spa hotel features 39 bedrooms and the vibe is relaxed but regal: think tennis and teas in the extensive grounds, sinking into sofas next to a crackling log fire, and tip-toeing over the autumn leaves in your spa slippers.
From dinner in the ancient banqueting hall to the on-site helipad, here’s what to expect.
Where is it?
Just a 10-minute drive from the the historic town of Arundel – famous for its castle and antique shops – and right on a blustery stretch of West Sussex coastline. Climping Beach is just a two-minute walk from the hotel grounds (just follow the hotel’s charming little signposts pointing guests ‘to the sea’).
Sister hotels Ockenden Manor and The Spread Eagle – all part of the Historic Sussex Hotels group – are both less than a 30-minute drive away, with unique access to various beautiful corners of the South Downs National Park.
Style
Grand red tapestries. Charming four-poster beds. Roaring log fires and giant wooden doors so old you feel like you’re in a Jane Austen film.
Bailiffscourt has a regal, medieval feel, with steep old stone stairyways and working log fires in the rooms. You’ll feel like you’re staying in a Castle or grand old manor house, but it’s actually newer than it looks.
The place was originally built in the 1920s, as the home of the Guinness family, but antiquarian architect Amyas Phillips was careful to salvage materials from ancient buildings, with interiors that honour that era: charming oak-panelling, vaulted ceilings, latticed windows, framed tapestries and giant four poster beds. Think The Pig, but with a medieval twist.
Like The Pig, it’s all scattered across a series of buildings, from the main nine-bedroom manor house to smaller thatched cottages and barns, some of which are connected by underground passageways. Inside the manor house you’ll find several charming lounge areas, plus a main, banquetworthy dining hall.
Look out for the peacock-themed furnishings throughout – a nod to Archie, Bailiffscourt’s resident peacock, who is notably guest-friendly and spends his days roaming the hotel grounds.
Which room?
Each of Bailiffscourt’s 39 rooms is individually decorated with unique antiques, fabrics and art, with names (Le Herne, Arondel, Sothewode, etc.) taken from the surrounding fields, which date back to 1610.
Choose from more medieval-style rooms in The Medieval House, the Thatch House, The Court and Coach houses to more contemporary rooms in the Moat house and The Oaks. There’s everything from three to five-bedroom cottages to cosy double rooms, depending on your group size (The Oaks and the Moat house contain two bedrooms each and are side-by-side for groups of eight). Cots and additional beds are available on request.
Expect high ceilings, charming furnishings and surprisingly bright, spacious bathrooms with freestanding bathtubs. For extra romance, pick a room with a double bathtub – that’s not one, but two freestanding bathtubs side-by-side.
Food & drink
Sliced beetroot marinated salmon with beetroot pearls. Cumberland sausage scotch egg. Sliced roasted rump of lamb with crisp breaded braised shoulder bon bon and glazed kidney.
Many of ingredients on Bailiffscourt menu are local, and there’s a traditional feel, from cream of langoustine soup starters to Eton Mess for dessert. Dinner is served in the hotel’s elegant Tapestry Restaurant and is a grand, relatively formal affair, with tapestry-hung walls and candlelit tables draped in white tablecloths - or you can opt for a more intimate dinner (or lunch or afternoon tea) in one of the lounges.
Start with a glass of Sussex Ridgeview, a local sparkling wine, and pick the grilled sea trout with pickled fennel for main course. A triumph. Hot strawberry soufflé and dark Valrhona chocolate tart are among guests’ favourites for dessert.
Breakfast is included in each stay and is a buffet affair, with all the usual pastry, cereal, yoghurt, toast and fruit options. You can order hot breakfasts on top, from the suitably-named Full Bailiffs to a veggie version, or other favourites such as smoked salmon, avocado and a poached egg on toast.
Afternoon tea, starting at £35 per person, is popular options with day and overnight visitors, too. Upgrade to the £50 Celebration version to include a glass of Sussex sparkling wine.
Facilities
Bailiffscourt’s extensive grounds are dotted with paths, flowerbeds and old wooden swing seats and feature a chapel, rose garden and two hard outdoor tennis courts, so you can easily while away a weekend without leaving the perimeter - especially once you’ve fitted in a few blustery walks along the beach. Dogs are, happily, not only very much welcome, but encouraged (it was recently awarded ‘best dog friendly hotel’ just this month). Oh, and there’s a helipad for guests looking to fly in in style.
But the highlight of a stay at Bailiffscourt is, naturally, the hotel’s award-winning spa, set in an exposed-timber, Sussex-style barn that’s widely agreed-upon as one of the most beautiful spas in the south of England.
Inside, there are six treatment rooms with heated water beds and Temple Spa products, a state-of-the-art gym and fitness studio and sauna and steam room, though the centrepiece – or pieces – are its two magnificent infinity pools: one indoor, one outdoor; both lined with sunloungers; and both certainly spacious enough you can actually dive in for a set of lengths without being on top of other guests.
The hardest choice you’ll have to make is which one to go for (by which I obviously mean: you have to try both). The outdoor pool is gloriously heated, even in winter, and is somehow all the more inviting on a cold winter day when the steam is romantically rising off the water and squirrels are skipping over the leaves around the edge. The best part? You’re in prime position to pounce on the outdoor hot-tub, when the previous tenants finish their glasses of fizz and decamp indoors.
If you’d rather stay cosy, the indoor pool is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows so you’ll still get your natural light fix, whether you’re stretching your legs in the pool or soaking in the hot-tub.
Fluffy robes and flip flops are available in the rooms and at reception and there’s complimentary tea and coffee if you fancy lounging around and making a day or half-day of it.
What to Instagram
The steam rising off the pool at twilight, preferably from the hot-tub with a glass of Sussex fizz.
Best for?
Spa-seekers and dog-owners. Couples make up the majority of guests, but families are welcome and I took my mum for a spa day and she’s already looking to return with half her friends. The hotel is popular with day guests too, who come in for afternoon tea and a walk, or a day at the spa. Half-day packages start at £119.
How to get there
It’s just 90-minutes on the train from Victoria to Barnham, then a 10-minute taxi. You can drive there from London in under an hour.
When should I go?
Whenever you can get a room, but the beachside location obviously comes into its own in the warmer months.
Then again, wet wintry days make for the perfect time to make use of the light-filled pool-house – and it would be a waste not to make use of those log fires.
