ESCAPE
Beaverbrook SUR R EY
In its former guise as the 19th-century château-style home of the infamous press baron after
which it is named, Beaverbrook has welcomed a thrilling rollcall of guests including
Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor. Today, the luxury hotel is a firm favourite of the
smart west-London set, who can reach the estate by car in under 50 minutes, and whose little
ones benefit from a gigantic treehouse, cinema and spacious, pet-friendly family suites. A
more grown-up atmosphere descends at night with excellent sushi at the Japanese Grill, and
decadent cocktails in the gold-and-velvet-swathed bar. And then there’s the Coach House
Spa, whose superb therapists will restore your equilibrium for days to come. LH
Beaverbrook, from £385 a room a night (www.beaverbrook.co.uk).PHOTOGRAPHS: RICH STAPLETON, MOLLY CARR PHOTOGRAPHY (WWW.MOLLYCARRPHOTOGRAPHY.COM), © JAKE EASTHAM
Bibury Farm Barns GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Down a quiet country lane, the formidable husband-and-wife team
George and Polly Phillips have breathed new life into a group of
derelict barns near the pretty village of Bibury. The duo enlisted the
help of the interior designer Pippa Paton, who has artfully trans-
formed the buildings into five self-catering rentals, each sleeping six
to 10 people, nodding to their heritage with weathered doors reim-
agined as coffee tables. Kitchens come stocked with a fresh loaf of
bread, butter, milk and local eggs, and there are baskets filled with
board games to while away the afternoons in front of a wood-
burning fire. Add hand-blended 100 Acres body products in the chic
bathrooms and mountains of cosy linens, and all that’s left is to
gather up your nearest and dearest for the ultimate rural retreat.
LUCY HALFHEAD
Bibur y Far m Bar ns, from £ 350 a night (www.bibur yfar m .com).