Coworth Park

Coworth Park is the Dorchester Collection's answer to the question of what a London hotel group does in the country. A Georgian mansion sits at the centre, with converted stables and cottages arranged around it across 240 acres of Berkshire parkland, close enough to Windsor Great Park and Ascot racecourse to make either an afternoon's outing.

The estate is best known for its two polo fields — the only hotel grounds in the UK with them — and for a spa built largely below ground, entered through a sculptural above-ground pavilion. The interior is calm and low-lit, with a long indoor pool and a treatment list that runs longer than most. Above ground there is an equestrian centre, kitchen garden and a well-regarded dining room.

Heathrow is close but unobtrusive, and the estate is a straightforward drive from central London, which makes Coworth Park an unusually easy country escape for anyone short on time. Rooms in the stable yard and cottages offer more privacy than the main house.