Travel + Leisure India & South Asia — October 2017

COURTESY OF BELMOND

BEYOND

First Person

The list of anointed chefs that have

trained under Monsieur Blanc

reads like a roll call of who’s who

from the modern British food scene.

So, the chance to glimpse behind these imposing

walls to capture a sense of the true essence that

permeates Oxford is well worth the opportunity.

Most tours that allow you to do this are

offi cial and run by the tourist board and

the guides are extremely knowledgeable and

helpful. Generally, tourists walk around head

agog and blend in to the hoi polloi of Oxford.

Having the luxury of someone ushering you

around allows you to feel a little more secure

and confi dent as you travel through wonderland

with a feeling of the familiar being unfamiliar.

After hours of walking, the eight-mile

journey to Le Manoir seems to transport you

to a bygone era. The pace of life is more sedate

as you see the roads meander through sleepy

hamlets and past enigmatic walls keenly

guarded by an odd gargoyle or two that hint

at something magical.

Like all good country retreats it would be easy

to miss the entrance of Le Manoir, as the

unremarkable driveway gives none of the house’s

secrets away. The circular driveway deposits you

in front of a lavender walk and the doorman

appears from nowhere to take your luggage and

escort you through the scented blooms. To one

side of the walk, ironed lawns extend to reveal

croquet mallets, nonchalantly left where someone

had been playing—as if to hint that they will be

back after a Pimms on the terrace. Past the lush

borders of the opposite side of the walkway where

shapes of buildings fl ash through the foliage

hinting at the traditional grandeur of the place—

stables, dovecots, and orangeries—you are

transported to the reception.

The overall walk is akin to leaving one world

and entering another. As you pass the

fantastical topiary and sculptures, it becomes

clear that the owner has carefully selected and

curated artwork to emphasise the escape form

the routine and transport you to the passage

from a novel.

The fact that Belmond took over the

management of Le Manoir from Raymond

Blanc and didn’t touch a thing speaks so highly

of the way it was run, managed, and cared for.

Belmond maintained the uniqueness, the

variety, and the quirkiness of a home and

didn’t ham-fi stedly sweep through the place

removing any sign of the last owner and

standardising the interiors.

Clearly, Belmond understood they had taken

over something special.