The Hotel: An archetypal grade II listed country house hotel built in 1898 with 112 bedrooms and suites in the Hampshire countryside, approached through a long flower-filled walkway to the small lobby. The concierge came out to greet us and to ask if he could help with luggage.
The check-in: A fast and friendly check-in before being escorted to Room 116, one of the Garden Rooms overlooking a sweep of lawn and more flower-bedecked beds (Tylney Hall employs six full-time gardeners in its 66-acre gardens, and it shows).
The room: The sitting room leads on to the bedroom and then into the bathroom, each of similar size. The living area has a sofa and two chairs plus dining table, desk – with high-speed internet access, phone, TV, Nespresso machine and small fireplace. In the bedroom a four-poster bed comes with a big wardrobe, second TV, trouser press and small dressing table. The fully tiled bathroom has a Jacuzzi bath, bathrobes, plenty of towels and Molton Brown toiletries.
The facilities:Plentiful for a business or leisure stay. There are indoor and outdoor pools – both heated and with the outside pool recently listed by The Times as one of the UK’s coolest pools – gym, spa with a wide range of treatments, several lounges, Library Bar and Oak Room Restaurant. There’s an 18-hole golf course adjoining the hotel as well as jogging trails, all-weather tennis courts and croquet lawn. A wide range of additional motorised and sports activities can also be organised.
The business: Wifi is available throughout the hotel. A business room is available and laptops can be hired for £10 per hour or £60 per day. Tylney Hall is a few minutes from the business parks of Hook and Basingstoke, with Farnborough Airport and Business Park 15 minutes’ away. In-room wifi connection is free for the first 15 minutes and then £5 for the first hour and then £3 for every hour after that. Twelve individual suites are available for meetings with the largest accommodating 120 theatre style. The hotel is just five minutes from the M3 motorway.
The verdict: Tylney Hall is set amid the most beautiful gardens in an outstanding rolling countryside setting in southern England. The hotel offers an efficient yet relaxed atmosphere and is an ideal destination for meetings/conferences, business and leisure travellers. Staff, several of long-standing, are friendly and committed, the accommodation is homely and welcoming and the catering excellent.
The details: Tylney Hall, Rotherwick, Hook, Hampshire RG27 9AZ, tel: 01256 764881 fax: 01256 768141 Email: reservations@tylneyhall.com Web: www.tylneyhall.com. Rack rates are from £195 including breakfast. Day rate meetings packages are from £70 + VAT while 24-hour meetings packages range from £250 + VAT. Alan Orbell
