THERE’S something innately satisfying about approaching a grand old dame of a building through a meandering tree-lined driveway.
Arriving at a holiday destination should always fashion a feeling of leaving daily life and troubles behind.
Tynley Hall Hotel and Gardens, located on the outskirts of Hook village in Hampshire, does just that.
Structurally striking in every way, it’s like stepping into a space with its very own storybook.
History and heritage in abundance, this Grade II listing property was built in 1700.
It came into the ownership of mining magnate and financier Lionel Phillips in 1898, whose home was the house that stands today.
Over the many decades since it was been a wartime hospital and later the headquarters for a shipping line during WWII.
Hampshire's glorious Tynley HallIn more recent times it functioned as a school until the mid-1980s when it reopened as a hotel.
Tynley celebrates 40 years of hospitality this October, and while much will have changed over time, it remains steeped in tradition and surrounded by smashing gardens that weave into rolling Hampshire hills and countryside.
This country house’s gardens are the jewel in the crown, made for meditating in, waiting to be wandered about and calling out for a quick game of croquet. How very Bridgerton.
We took the time to stroll around the grounds made up of greenery-swathed pathways, plant-lined passages and tree-laden tracks.
Among them is The Water Garden, designed by the horticulturalist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, who worked alongside Glaswegian-born Arts and Crafts architect Robert Weir Schultz, who carried out extensive works at Tynley in the early 1900s.
Drinks on the patio are a mustAn orangery above the top lake was originally used to grow tropical fruit trees and a replica erected in the 1990s now forms part of the hotel’s guest suites.
Replanting is ongoing at Tynley by the estate management team who are keen to keep Jekyll’s original vision alive and bring a sense of wonderment through colour, texture and variety of flowers.
On balmier days, there’s an outdoor heated swimming pool to lounge by, which was built on the site of the Lower Dutch Garden in the 1930s.
Other amenities include outdoor tennis courts, an indoor pool, gym, sauna and wellness area.
Plans are also underway to return more of the grounds and Tynley’s magnificent natural offerings to their former glory, such as restoring the circular Rose and Azalea Garden.
Poolside, architectural enthusiasts will immediately spy the cast iron gates that lead from The Dutch Garden to the terrace.
This Arts and Crafts piece by Weir Schultz was reinstalled at Tynley having been sold in the second half of the century. It was returned in 1993 with the support of local groups and the Cayzer family who owned Tynley between 1916-1946.
Elsewhere on the property is a beautiful sun-soaked terrace with ample seating for outdoor drinks and snacks.
The view is peaceful and enticing. As is the lunch menu which offers a selection of sandwiches, light bites or heartier meals from chargrilled burgers to spinach ricotta tortellini.
The hotel’s interiors are equally as ornate and intricate as its botanicals outdoors - look up in the lounge areas, the ceilings are remarkable.
A splendid dining room setting awaits you at dinnerChoose conversations on comfortable sofas by the open fire or a cosy corner for reading a geographically appropriate Jane Austen novel, the author lived and wrote in Hampshire.
You can choose to take afternoon tea here too. We visited mid-week and there was a steady stream of scone searchers in need of their clotted cream fix.
Tynley is currently hosting a jazz afternoon tea in its baronial Tylney Suite. Taking place next on Sunday, February 16, for £49pp you can indulge in finger sandwiches and cakes whilst enjoying soothing live jazz entertainment. Add a glass of bubbles for £62pp.
For night-time niceties and waiter-served white-clothed tables, the hotel’s Oak Room Restaurant has a traditional diner menu.
Starters include anise-cured sea trout with dill and tarragon puree, caviar, radish and fennel or honey goat’s cheese with pickled kohlrabi and herbs.
Dive into the duck breast with rosemary, turnip, baby leek and hispi salad or try the lightly curried salmon, clam and sweetcorn chowder, coriander and lime crushed potatoes.
Stay sweet with a rhubarb mousse for pudding or share a pavlova with Pimm’s jelly and popping candy.
The wine list includes British charms from West Sussex, including Rathfinny and Nyetimber from £62 per bottle with wines by the glass from around £7.
All manner of delicious dishes are on offerBreakfast is an inviting buffet with a classic combination of fruit, yoghurt, local honeycomb, juices, pastries and deli bites. You can also order hot. We tried the poached eggs, and avocado on sourdough with a side of hash browns.
There’s a winter offer running until March 31 with overnight stays, including breakfast and use of the wellness facilities, from £125.65pp. During February half term, two children can also stay free in a family room when sharing with at least one adult.
Rooms at Tynley are spread across the mansion house, where we stayed, and in the surrounding gardens.
Follow the lobby’s striking wooden staircase to spacious quarters for unique touches and heritage interiors.
A sweet night’s sleep awaits, surrounded by glorious garden views and the rolling Hampshire countryside.
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