Cliveden House

"It’s the hotel where Meghan Markle stayed the night before her wedding. We could stop there, but Cliveden House is so rich with royal history and so very British there’s few other aristocratic country piles that compare. First built in 1666 by the Duke of Buckingham, the Grade 1 listed manor has been a hotel since 1984 and was at various times frequented by Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, and Lord Astor. Today it’s got 47 rooms, each furnished with antiques, handmade beds, heavy drapes, and walls adorned with intricate wallpapers and original artworks. The rest of the interior feels like a palace: the Great Hall with a grandiose fireplace, the lobby with its cathedral-high ceiling and a stunning Gothic Revival mahogany staircase. There’s a modern spa with indoor and outdoor pools, and external hot tubs. The huge gardens of the 376-acre estate in the Chiltern Hills provide romantic walks and stunning views while the restaurants, the Cliveden Dining Room and the Astor Grill, serve knock-out British fine cuisine. It’s all within swinging distance of Windsor Castle, too. Perhaps the finest grand heritage hotel in England." - Melinda Stevens