Whether you’re warming up for Wimbledon or still working out which end to hold the racquet – or if you’ll simply take any opportunity to rock a pleated skort – our list of luxury stays with tennis courts in the UK has your sporty getaway sorted.
Star players include a premium-postcode pied-á-terre, hermit-like hideouts, and manor houses holding court across the British countryside. Love all, indeed…
LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL & SPA
Wiltshire
If it’s a love match with a classic country house you’re after, look no further than Lucknam Park. Charms of this highly eligible Cotswolds heart-stealer include a Michelin-starred restaurant, an award-winning spa – oh, and 500 acres of unspoiled parkland.
You’ll find the full complement of preppy pursuits here, from tennis and croquet to clay pigeon shooting, and the instructors at the equestrian centre will have the wariest neigh-sayers cantering cross-country in no time. But a gentler schedule suits just as well – teatime turns about the lawn, watercolours in the walled garden, reciting Wordsworth on rousing woodland walks…
And if after all that you find yourself yearning for some Regency romance, Bath’s historic streets and Austen-inspiring ballrooms are just down the road.
THYME
Cotswolds
Honey-hued cottages, chocolate-box countryside and, crucially, a pub in strolling distance – the team behind Thyme understand that there’s little tinkering required when it comes to the Cotswold village blueprint. An epicurean upgrade can’t hurt, though – namely, a field-to-fork restaurant, a fire-warmed pub and a cookery school, all fuelled by the farm’s estate and extensive kitchen gardens. Even in the spa (which, FYI, has snagged an array of awards) the hotel’s own salves make soothing use of homegrown botanicals.
Working up an appetite is a treat when there are wildflower meadows, tennis courts and topiary gardens to gamble through. And when you’re all frolicked out, fall into an armchair in the bar, a fruit-studded friand in one hand, a floral cocktail in the other.
Ready to retire for the night? Scattered across 150 acres of farmland, the collection of 17th-century cottages has been carefully converted by co-owner Caryn in whimsically rustic style (a statement chintz here, a life-size sheep stool there) – so you know whose Pinterest board to raid for recs.
THE GROVE
Hertfordshire
If the sound of a Grade II-listed, 18th-century mansion has images of dust motes and ‘do not touch’ signs springing to mind, allow us to introduce The Grove. A recent remodel has swept away any hints of stuffiness, with airy suites sporting Martin Hulbert interiors and summertime hijinks including an alfresco cinema and poolside beach, candy-striped deckchairs, ice-cream stand and all.
There’s an Enid Blyton-worthy schedule of archery, nature walks and marshmallows round the fire at the kids’ club. And while they’re off Famous Five-ing, big kids can branch out to the golf course and tennis courts.
That’s not to say this Hertfordshire heirloom has eschewed all its airs and graces. Stately days can be spent in the spa, home to a mosaic-tiled pool, a Jacuzzi of palatial dimensions, and a smorgasbord of all-stops-pulled treatments (the signature stressbuster draws on Swedish, Thai and shiatsu techniques). And, for a dose of seasonal splendour, the chefs have teamed up with Kew Gardens to create an afternoon tea full of autumnal treats.
COWORTH PARK
Berkshire
You’ve packed the racquets, you’ve brushed up on your backhand grip – heck, you’re so determined to get in a match that you’ve scoured an article about hotels with tennis courts to find your stay. But you know what they say about the best laid plans, and with the distractions on offer at the Dorchester Collection’s classic country house offering Coworth Park, don’t be surprised if your Fred Perry threads never even make it out of the suitcase.
Deluxe distractions include Michelin-starred dining courtesy of Ritz alumnus Adam Smith, an eco-conscious spa carved into the hillside and afternoon tea worth cancelling all other plans for.
Out on the estate, there’s the Guards Polo Academy for proper preps, plus an equestrian centre for horse riding minus the mallet. Shooting and fishing round out the roster of classic country pursuits, but softer-hearted guests can simply take to the leafy rambling trails. As for whether you ever actually squeeze in a match – the ball’s in your court.
OAKLEY COURT
Windsor
A glimpse of Oakley Court’s crenellations and turrets and the instruction to ‘make yourself at home’ might seem easier said than done, but don’t be daunted by the grand Gothic exterior – this riverside Windsor retreat is an ‘anything goes’ sort of stately home, where bright young things rock up strictly suit-free and laptop-less for a cavort about the countryside.
Let’s get the formalities out of the way first – bespoke rooms by Eagle and Hodges are decked out with antiques and elegant English fabrics, and afternoon tea is taken in the parlour.
Beyond that, the ruling ethos here is ‘rules shmules’. Vintage record players are yours to take command of, meals can be summoned to whichever oak-panelled corner you’ve squirrelled yourself away in, and – best of all – the bar is open all hours.
Whole days can be dawdled away down by the river, where Thames path strolls lead to royal sightseeing and self-driving boats leave hands free for a champagne flute. Or simply watch the swans go by from the waterfront restaurant by Soho House, louchely sipping their signature picante cocktails amongst the cushions of a Moroccan-style tent.
ALLER DORSET
Dorset
At Aller Dorset, shepherd’s huts have been given a chic overhaul courtesy of dyed-in-the-wool design buffs Cat and Ant. Each of the four cabins has a full kitchen in a fun Farrow and Ball hue, a cocktail fanatic’s dream bar cart and a fairylit alfresco bath tub.
There’s none of the usual self-catering fending for yourself here – goodies delivered straight to your hut include breakfast hampers to dish up on designer ceramics (snag your fave pieces from the hotel’s online shop) and dinner kits sourced from local suppliers to cook on the fire pit. But those wanting to flirt with the rustic life can collect their own firewood, pick herbs from the trough and hang out with the resident hens.
If you’re feeling sheepish about all the indulgence, work it off with a ramble through the farm estate’s gorgeous greenery, a game of tennis or a bracing dip in the lake. And when that’s quite enough of all that, retire to your hut for a candlelit nightcap – craft cocktails or locally distilled spirits is your call. Round these parts, it turns out, shepherds’ nights prefer whiskey on the rocks to watching flocks by night.
CLIVEDEN
Berkshire
Much as we hate to burst any sinning Sixties bubbles, we must report that these days Cliveden is a scrupulously strait-laced stately pile – and the dress code is more Barbour and Burberry than barely-there towels. The neoclassical mansion’s suites could be set as study guides to country house grandeur – canopied beds, chinoiserie prints and oil painting parkland views.
A risk of improper indulgence is presented in the dining room, where a decadent menu of finely tuned classics seduces. And surely even the most saintly guests can be excused a champagne cocktail (or three) in the atmospheric great hall – the suits of armour won’t tell, anyway.
Absolve yourself of the night’s transgressions at the lavender-scented spa, where Cliveden’s signature range of products and treatments will run detox and de-stress damage control.
Hundreds of acres of picturesque Berkshire countryside to scamper through. Start stately with a stroll about the manicured parterre, then scout out the steps down to the riverbank and take a boat down tree-lined Cliveden Reach, the estate’s bonny stretch of the Thames. Other locations for en plein air leisures include the indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and the infamous pool that kicked off a game of mixed doubles of an entirely different kind…
BABINGTON HOUSE
Somerset
The Somerset residence of everyone’s favourite members’ club, Babington House buttons down the country-house hotel schtick in true Soho House style. Here, you’ll find manicured grounds and first-rate facilities worthy of the stateliest stay, remixed in relaxing style by a family-friendly bent and a laissez-faire approach to formality.
There’s a toy-stuffed kids’ club to keep Little Smiths occupied, and at the big kids’ club – sorry, the Cowshed spa – spoiling treatments await. Paddlers of all ages can luxuriate in lakeside views from the heated infinity pool. Once you’ve exhausted the croquet lawn, cricket pitch, tennis and padel courts, there are bikes to borrow and hip staff on hand to arrange all manner of rural activities. And if rain stops play, the library and cinema take over entertainment duties, English weather be damned.
Come as you are to the coterie of dining spots – feel free to don a floor-length gown for afternoon tea or dinner in the Orangery, but jeans and a t-shirt works just as well. The best news? The restaurants and bar are open till bedtime – whenever you decide that is.
BOVEY CASTLE
Devon
Deep in Dartmoor’s history-steeped scenery, grand country pad Bovey Castle delivers a grand slam of family-friendly gallivants. Within the hotel’s impressive acreage, your little ones (and the young at heart) can try their hand at archery, rifle shooting, falconry, 4×4 off-roading and orienteering.
Beyond the grounds, Dartmoor makes an enviable playground – ask one of the hotel’s experts to plot a personalised tour of the moor. Cosy communal rooms, complete with board game collections and play dens for tinier tots, ensure the English weather won’t rain off the fun. And if all else fails, flock to the art-deco restaurant for a decadent – and Dartmoor-gazing – afternoon tea.
Right, are they all tuckered out? Take turns to sneak off (or better yet, book the babysitter) for a soothing treatment at the spa, a round on the world-class golf course or – who said important life skills weren’t learned on holiday? – a cider-making masterclass.
BEAVERBROOK TOWN HOUSE
London
A few nights at Beaverbrook Town House feels akin to bagging an invite to a high-society soirée. This art-deco showstopper steps from Sloane square follows the script of Lord Beaverbrook’s favourite pastimes. First up, the theatre – each of the fourteen suites feature stagey memorabilia and scene-stealing interiors courtesy of Nicola Harding (a scalloped headboard here, an antique sofa there).
Opulent dinners were another mainstay of the Lord’s repertoire, and the 20-course omakase menu at the hotel’s Japanese grill is ovation-worthy. And for the night’s final act, flit down to the stained-glass bar, where luvvies swap air kisses and sip caviar-topped Martinis till late.
But where’s the tennis court, we hear you ask? Oh dahling, simply request the key to Cadogan Gardens – you’ll find manicured gardens, a rare plant collection and three macadam tennis courts in this select few-only Chelsea square.
Feel like you’ve gone five sets with Federer? Check out Europe’s 10 best luxury spa hotels…