Photo by Laurel Kallenbach
You don’t have to be the Earl of Grantham or Lady Mary Crawley to relax in luxury. Stately Tylney Hall, a British manor-house hotel, pampers guests in aristocratic style. The historic 1898 Victorian estate in Hampshire, England, has all the romance and glamour depicted in the hit PBS drama, Downton Abbey. From the moment you’re greeted by Tylney’s footman and step into the walnut-paneled reception hall, you will feel like nobility. Spacious guest rooms feature canopied beds, marble fireplaces or balconies overlooking one of the many gardens. The croquet set on the lawn beckons you on a sunny day, as does the heated outdoor pool surrounded by manicured hedges and vine-covered porticos. On rainy or wintry afternoons, sip afternoon tea in the ornate Italian Lounge, or enjoy drinks beside the Library fireplace before dining in the elegant Oak Room restaurant, which highlights organic, locally sourced British delicacies. Like the fictional Downton Abbey mansion, Tylney Hall served as a convalescent hospital during WWI—and it’s now an ideal spot for R&R. Unwind in Tylney’s spa, which offers a full menu of treatments featuring organic aromatherapy oils and Kerstin Florian products. The Ultimate Garden of Dreams Ritual features a light body scrub and lavender-oil massage with warm stones that transports you to English-garden heaven. Twenty miles away is Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed. Though you can tour that private estate, you’ll eagerly return to Tylney Hall’s elegant hospitality. tylneyhall.co.uk