A bucolic picture of British countryside life wrought by billionaire South African couple Koos Bekker and Karen Roos, the Newt offers style, elegance and escapism across its 800-acre estate. Between the landscaped gardens, sheep-dotted apple orchard, garden museum, reconstructed Roman villa, multiple restaurants and daily workshops and tours (for example, to spot local herds of deer) there’s far more to explore here than you can fit into a weekend, so it’s just as well that every overnight stay comes with a 12-month entry membership so you can return to wander whenever you’d like. As for rooms, choose between historic pile Hadspen House or relaxed The Farmyard, the latter centred around a willow-draped pond and contemporary rooms inspired by its origins as a dairy barn.
