What They Say
‘Our grand Devonshire manor became crown property following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1539. The monarch later granted the property to his courtier Thomas Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, who was a royal favourite. Since then, Boringdon Hall has since had a rather extravagant makeover, giving this stately pile a serious air of perfection, with devotedly designed interiors, 55 sumptuous rooms and suites, a well-stocked bar and two tantalising restaurants – the MICHELIN Star and 4 AA Rosette Àclèaf, 2 AA Rosette Mayflower Brasserie and the Great Hall where lighter bites and afternoon tea is served.’
The Arrival
In the spirit of service to readers, I arrived in precisely the state required to put a luxury hotel to the test: frayed, fractionally late, unslept and with an unshakable pain in my neck. It is at this moment – the brittle end of a long week – that a hotel proves itself.
Even the approach to Boringdon Hall felt curative: the sweep of the drive, pristine parasols casting a muted shade over the front lawn, and the 1,000-year-old stone façade thundering theatrically into view.
Despite its fortressed exterior, the Boringdon welcome is disarmingly warm. Staff never pass by; instead, it’s a glance, a pause, a perfectly timed offer. And it’s that very same attentiveness which marks the elusive threshold between luxury and something altogether rarer. No theatrics. No scripts. Just a trained team, expertly attuned to their guests.
It’ll come as no surprise, then, that check-in happens not across a huge desk but at a small table, seated. Sipping on my peach lemonade before any admin took place, Beth checked me in with that polished yet affable ease you only find in the very best hotels. It was precisely then that the week I’d traipsed in with simply dissolved.
The Hotel
The stone bones of the building date back to the Anglo-Saxon era, and the original manor is recorded in the Domesday Book. But the house as it’s known today underwent a transformation in the late 16th century, its layout redesigned into an ‘E’ shape in homage to Queen Elizabeth I. My thanks go to Cromwell’s troops, who desecrated part of the house during the English Civil War, because that’s where the Gaia Spa can now be found.
The Crowd
Elizabeth I slept, Francis Drake dined and Cromwell’s troops ransacked. If Boringdon satisfied the Tudor old guard and survived its enemies, that more than suffices me.
Sleep
The estate’s patchwork makeup means there’s rooms for every mood, moment and partiality: Stable Rooms, Courtyard Rooms, Manor Rooms (with a choice of Four Poster Rooms, Executive Suites, The Saltram Suite, Lady Jane Suite, The Royal Suite) and Wellness Suites over in the Hall’s newest wing.
We stayed in a Wellness Suite. The beds are Hypnos super-kings (or two twins). The bath is freestanding at the foot of the bed, staged beneath the floor-to-ceiling glass doors, overlooking the balcony and golf course behind. (There’s also a large walk-in shower in the bathroom.)
Even with a plentiful supply of tea and coffee equipment (JING teas, Nespresso pods and cafetière sachets, plus a kettle, Nespresso pod machine and cafetière), freshly brewed cups were brought to our room each morning – an indulgence that felt thoughtfully personal, even though it was a service we’d opted in for. And the room, being located in such close proximity to one of its relaxation rooms (complete with a balcony jacuzzi) and the Gaia spa, meant that deeper indulgences were never out of reach.
Dine
Àclèaf
The Michelin-starred Àclèaf (its name borrowed from the Anglo-Saxon for ‘oak leaf’) is housed in the manor’s Elizabethan minstrel gallery. A space once designed for music and mischief now hosts a different kind of performance that belongs exclusively to its diners, which feels deliciously conspiratorial.
Seated in one of the manor’s finest architectural flourishes, we savoured our four-course menu and wine pairing as long as we possibly could. We began with oat and burnt honey bread, daubed in Boringdon’s own truffle honey butter and topped with shaved white truffle. A tiny card game arrived soon after, designed to tease a later reveal, which I won’t spoil here. For me, the standout dish was a Japanese-style tuna with ginger and kaffir lime, followed closely by the scallop. The accompanying four wines at each course were poured at the table by the passionate sommelier in encouragingly respectable measures.
With every dish a carefully crafted mouthful, my only criticism would be that it wasn’t the sort of place where you could get away with licking the plate clean. (Thankfully, more bread was provided.)
Mayflower Brasserie
Boringdon Hall’s other evening dining option is the Mayflower Brasserie, the name of course nodding to the ship that left Plymouth in 1620 on a ‘prosperous wind.’ That wind, it seems, still circulates here.
My beetroot gravlax with ginger, lime aioli and blood orange sorbet was both a surprising and delightful starter. The braised lamb shoulder, a modest portion, beautifully cooked and plated. I am not one to dwell on dessert, but I still sometimes think about my chocolate and coffee torte.
Calling the Mayflower a brasserie feels faintly misleading. Yes, there are the usual signposts – burgers, pâtés, soups – but arriving, the dishes raise the genre entirely.
Spatisserie
Breakfast is served in the rooftop Spatisserie if you’re in the wellness wing, with service split into two courses.
The buffet-style first course consists of yoghurt and granola, cold meats, pastries and such. The second course is à la carte, including a full English (the best I’ve had at a hotel), French toast and eggs Royale.
The Spa
This is not a spa tacked on to ‘diversify its offering’; it’s the reason many guests come – and why most extend their stay.
The Gaia Spa, built in 2016, is one of the most comprehensive I’ve come across. We’re talking: an infinity pool; a large indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy pool with jets and fountains; a Finnish and herbal sauna, each operating at different intensities (70°C-80°C and 45°C-50°C respectively); herbal, crystal salt and laconium steam rooms (also operating at different temperatures and humidities); alfresco hot tubs; sensory showers, including an ice-bucket drench. This is all alongside its 12 treatment rooms (including suites for couples), post-treatment relaxation room and fully equipped gym. This is a spa so comprehensive that at no point does the space feel crowded – or at some points, even shared!
For my treatment, I opted for the 60-minute Gaia Calming Journey, which began with a foot soak, scrub and massage – a well-timed opportunity for my masseuse Jess to give me a run-down of the products, their effects, while also probing my individual pain points and preferences.
Once face-down on the bed, a lightly steaming bowl of scented water was placed beneath my nose before the back, neck, hand, arm and shoulder massage began to thaw the final layer of tension I’d brought with me. The treatment ended with a scalp massage. (The 90-minute treatment also includes a cleanse and tone facial and an Indian head massage.) Just as I started to chap my lips, a wild berry smoothie was hovering beneath my nose, accompanied by a small card annotated with product and treatment recommendations (both Gaia and more general, including, for me, breathwork). To ease my transition, I was taken straight to the post-treatment relaxation room, overlooking the wildflower meadow, to sip tea, read a magazine and melt into the lounge beds.
Out & About
You could venture to Dartmoor. You could play a round on the neighbouring Boringdon Park Golf Course. You could head down to the coast. The trouble is, Boringdon makes it alarmingly easy to resist the pull of the outside world.
But for those who want them, there are in-house activities. You can choose from beekeeping courses, gin-making sessions, themed murder mystery dinners and wine tastings. You could even spend the afternoon, as we did, trying to locate the secret bar behind a bookshelf.
The Best Thing
It would really be a tie between the Gaia Spa and Àcleàf, which is the perfect expression of Boringdon’s crowning achievement: its extraordinary sleight of hand in the stitching of its 1,000-year-old origins with modern luxury.
The Worst Thing
Because this section is mandatory – and putting ‘N/A’ would feel like cheating – I discussed at length with my guest what this could possibly be. The only thing we could muster up was that we felt the décor of the Mayflower Brasserie didn’t quite match its refined and elevated menu. A sparse collection of porcelain plates on one wall and white-washed ceiling beams overhead made for a more homely, B&B atmosphere, which felt a bit underdressed when paired with a restaurant of this calibre.
The Details
The Hypnos Spa Break includes: a two-night stay; breakfast in the Mayflower Brasserie or Spatisserie; dinner on one evening at Àclèaf and the other at the Mayflower Brasserie; a 60-minute spa treatment per person; sleep treatment per person; GAIA Skincare sleep gift set; full use of the spa facilities; and complimentary fitness and wellbeing classes.
Prices start from £1,430.
