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This sprawling 300-acre Hertfordshire estate is all about outdoor pursuits and ensuring a good time is had by all ages
Location
For north Londoners it doesn’t get much better than this: a 40-minute drive up the M1 and you’re there, surrounded by lush rolling fields. It would be easy to think that you’re in the heart of the British countryside, rather than a 15-minute drive from Watford and the famous ‘Making of Harry Potter’ Warner Bros studio. But the Chiltern Hills are just a half-hour drive away and there are plenty of quaint nearby villages to visit.
The vibe
Arriving at the hotel is, admittedly, rather daunting. The first thing you hit is the vast championship golf course before you roll up the driveway into the ominously large car park. Passing two imposing event spaces before you even reach reception, the lobby – located in an 18th-century red brick mansion – bustles with families and groups of friends. The aforementioned conference centres (there are, in fact, three onsite) are found in the more contemporary west wing which was added in 2003 and, from the outside, looks more like a boarding school or new-build flats. This, teamed with the endless stream of golf club-wielding men gives parts of the place a disconcertingly corporate feel. But all of that is forgotten once you start exploring the estate, whose award-winning spa and outdoor spaces are the main attraction.
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Service
Whilst an intimate, boutique experience this ain’t, personal touches are still paramount. The staff are as available and attentive as in any smaller hotel and, although busy, nothing feels frenzied. Indeed, more than a corporate hub or golfers’ paradise, The Grove is clearly geared towards families. While visiting the games room, tucked into a long, glass-fronted potting shed, my two-year-old swiftly grew besotted with a staff member called Lizzie who was manning the arts and crafts section. Together, they decorated flags and paperchain-style people, and painstakingly threaded a beaded bracelet.
Bed and bath
The hotel’s bedrooms and suites are divided between the 189 rooms in the west wing, and the 12 suites and 13 bedrooms in the Grade-II listed mansion. All rooms boast separate baths and showers, king-size beds, minibars and Nespresso coffee machines, and have enviable views of the grounds.
We stayed in the west wing, overlooking the perfectly manicured gardens. The space was bright and airy, decorated with muted greens and browns in an obvious nod to the natural surroundings. But the real highlight was the carefully thought-out additions we found dotted around the room. Knowing we had a child, staff had left us a box containing toys and books, and a reassuringly stable travel cot, as well as a potty, loo-seat adaptor, and packets of swimming nappies. There was even a mini robe and slippers.
Food and drink
The Glasshouse, one of The Grove’s three main restaurants, boasts an excellent buffet, serving up fresh sushi, ramen, pasta, pizza, seafood, curries, robata-grilled meats and fish prepared right in front of your eyes. Breakfast is also served in the three-tiered dining hub, with yet more stations manned by chefs whipping up fresh omelettes, pancakes, French toast and waffles, as well as table upon table blanketed with all the typical “full English” and continental goodies you’d expect.
If buffets aren’t your thing, you can opt for more measured à la carte options at The Stables or Madhu restaurants. The former, with an ample outdoor terrace overlooking the golf course, is a bright and airy conversion of the estate’s original 18th-century stable block, with a focus on seasonal British classics with a modern twist. Meanwhile, at the glitzy, New Delhi-inspired Madhu’s, located in the mansion itself, guests can choose between vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous tasting menus (all at £80 a head) with optional wine pairings, or simply pick from the à la carte. Afternoon “high chai” is also served between 12 and 3pm, with a child’s version available, too.
Alongside this trio, the pottery shed hosts a series of pop-up dining experiences and, in the summer, guests can book the “feast on cloud 9” experience – a nine-course tasting menu taken in a hot air balloon firmly tethered to the ground.
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Facilities
A hotel as big as this is all about the facilities, with the spa alone equipped with 18 treatment rooms, a giant jacuzzi, an indoor pool and its own restaurant serving health-boosting broths and bowls. The state-of-the-art fitness studio, also housed in the spa, hosts regular classes, including pilates, yoga, boxing and Zumba. For the kids, there is a (very separate) indoor pool on the other side of the hotel, as well as an outdoor playground and OFSTED-registered kids club for children aged two to nine.
There’s also plenty to keep adults and children occupied across the rest of the estate, with free activities on offer including archery, bike rides and woodland hawking. In the summer months, the hotel creates its own sandy beach next to the outdoor pool, hosts Everyman outdoor film screenings, and offers hot air balloon rides and sporting camps at an extra cost.
Disability access
There are lifts in both sections of the hotel and two accessible bedrooms, with wider doors, wet rooms and alarms, in the west wing.
Pet policy
The hotel will accommodate dogs provided they weigh less than 30kg and are fully house trained. Guests also need to pay £50 per dog per stay. Dogs are only allowed in a selection of bedrooms, located on the ground floor of the west wing, and they are not allowed to enter any of the restaurants or the spa.
Check in/check out
Check-in is from 3pm; check-out is 11am.
Family-friendly?
Yes. All of the west wing rooms can accommodate at least two adults and a baby, and the deluxe rooms have capacity for two adults and two children. For anyone wishing to take advantage of the available childcare, Anouska’s Kids Club is open daily throughout the school holidays and on Saturdays all year round, and can be booked in three-hour time slots costing £45 per child.
At a glance
Best thing: The activities. In the summer, the outdoor pool and deck-chair-strewn Ralph’s beach is the perfect place to while away the afternoon, while woodland walks (with wellies provided) and bike rides can be enjoyed all year round.
Perfect for: Families with young kids or large groups of friends.
Not right for: A couple looking for an intimate, romantic getaway.
Instagram from: The formal gardens, which are lined with candy-striped hot air balloons in summer.
Address: Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire WD3 4TG
Phone: 01923807807
Website: Thegrove.co.uk
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