Cottage In The Wood Hotel

High on the Malvern Hills, The Cottage in the Wood Estate and Spa looks out over thirty miles of the Severn Valley — a view that shifts with the light and the weather, and the reason a lot of our guests keep coming back. You can walk straight from the door onto the hills and come home to nine acres of quiet woodland. It's privately owned and it feels it: characterful rather than uniform, and genuinely welcoming.

Food matters here, and it all comes from one kitchen. 1919, our fine-dining restaurant, holds three AA Rosettes and a place in the Michelin Guide — a menu rooted in the local landscape, served Thursday to Saturday evenings with the valley laid out beyond the windows. The rest of the week that same brigade cooks the brasserie: more relaxed, no less careful on the plate, and the view from every table. There's a serious wine list, and a bar worth lingering in.

New this year is The Forest Spa, set among the trees, with a hot tub, sauna and cold plunge, a relaxation room to unwind in, and treatment rooms staffed by our own therapists. Come for the day or fold it into a stay.

The 32 bedrooms are spread across the grounds — each one different, all en suite, all making the most of the view, right down to a pair of binoculars on the sill. For more room, two self-contained guest houses sit within the estate: a two-bedroom lodge and a three-bedroom converted chapel, private and your own.